Thyroid Q and A or Running Hot and Cold

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errrrrr.... (Read 619 times)

    I called my new doctor today to get their fax number so my PCP could fax over some results before my appt tomorrow. They were like "we don't have any new patients tomorrow." Turns out the doctor had an emergency (totally understandable) and rescheduled all the new patients this week. They say they tried to call me and I verified the number was right, then they say "oh yeah when we tried to call you it said it wouldn't go through and hang up and dial 1 before the number". Duh... I have a long distance number. Since they couldn't figure that out the decided to just cancel my appt without telling me. So glad I called! I am rescheduled for December 10th.
      Awww Shaunna - that is so frustrating!!! I am so glad you called. Take a breath - after all this waiting - at least they didn't make you wait another month or more. ((((hugs)))

      Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




      Go With The Flow
      Thyroid Support Group

        Shaunna - how did your appointment go? Did you like your new doc? Hoping this is going to be a good fit for you Smile

        Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




        Go With The Flow
        Thyroid Support Group

          Hey Cheryl, You beat me to it! I do like the new doc. She's young, but explains things well. The only downside was a 2.5 hour wait before I got to see her, but that's typical Miami BS. We talked about my history and she ordered more bloodwork. She says she really looks at TSH and free T4, so that's good. Based on my ultrasound, I have a goiter, and she says that she really wants my T4 number to be in the middle to upper portion of the range to prevent any nodules from growing on my thyroid. She says it's not really possible to go from hypo to hyper, and that the most likely scenario is that I am still hypo, but just need a lower dose of Levoxyl. Aparently, changing your body composition by as little as 8 lbs can make you need a shift in meds. Even though my weight hasn't dropped a lot, I've built a lot of more muscle this past year so that could cause my body to need less generic T4. It really will depend on the lab work, which I am getting tomorrow. She is fitting me in next Wednesday again so I can have an answer before the holidays. I'm curious as to what my numbers will be since I've been without Levoxyl for 2 months now and after the inital crash, I don't really feel all that bad lately. I'll keep you posted. Smile
            Great! Hope this is a trend of good news for both of us. Keep your fingers crossed for me - my appointment is tomorrow....

            Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




            Go With The Flow
            Thyroid Support Group

              fingers AND toes are crossed for you!
                Thanks, Shaunna, it worked Smile Lots to report, but I am really tired this evening - so will post the details tomorrow. Although it's been tough going, having a good rapport with my endo has made a world of difference - I still stress out before visits - but it's getting better Smile

                Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                Go With The Flow
                Thyroid Support Group

                  Had a doctor's appt today and got my lab results from last week. Free T4 has come back down to a normal level, but TSH is still extremely surpressed. She kept asking me (at least a dozen times) if I was positive I wasn't taking Levoxyl still. I DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY MY DOCTOR'S DON'T BELIEVE ME WHEN I SAY I STOPPED TAKING IT 7 WEEKS AGO!! I want to get this straightened out really badly, why would I keep taking the meds and get a screwed up reading which won't help me at all? Anyways, she's confused as to what's going on with me. She also did a test for TPO antibodies, and they were really high, which suggests something autoimmune is going on my thyroid. She doesn't think it's Graves or Hashimoto though since I'm not hypo right now and I haven't taken any hormones in 7 weeks. Since the free T4 has gone down a little, she thinks maybe my TSH is just really slow to react to the stopping of drugs. I'm getting more lab work in 4 weeks, this time she is testing free T3 as well. If my TSH hasn't reacted by then, something more serious is going on. I'm so confused. I was fine for 3 years, and now all of a sudden I'm "hyper" but not across the board. But I'm not hypo either, and I don't feel that bad symptoms-wise, except for the spare tire that has settled around my middle despite lots of mileage and decent eating. I do like the doctor though, and I am very hopeful she will get to the bottom of this. mine -------------Lab Normal Values TSH - 0.012 ------------- 0.35 - 5.5 micro IU/mL FT4 - 1.66--------------- 0.61 - 1.76 ng/dL Thyroid Peroxidase (TPO) AB- 632.......... 0-34 micro IU/mL
                    Shaunna- antibodies can interfere with the FT4 and give you a false reading - with your AB at 632 - maybe trying asking her nicely to do your FT4 by dialysis - that will filter out any "junk" that could interfere with your readings. You won't know for sure about the hypo until you get those 2 readings back. BTW - elevated TPO means thyroiditis - Hashi's is a form of thyroiditis. I was told that after your TSH gets depressed for whatever, it can sometimes take a loooooong time to come back up. Yeah- I don't get her asking if you are sure you didn't take your pills Roll eyes They just get so confused when we don't conform to the "textbook" - and then they try to make us "fit" some pattern.... Great that she voluntarily decided to test FT3 - but seriously - ask about the FT4 by dialysis... found this page .... click MTA: meant to say great she wanted to test FT3

                    Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                    Go With The Flow
                    Thyroid Support Group

                      Thanks Cheryl... great link! I will ask her for the dialysis. She's off until the New Year now, but I'll ask her when she comes back. We are switching health insurance Jan. 1st since DH just got a new job, so I hope that they cover visits to her (fingers crossed). She seems convinced it's not thyroiditis, since I don't have any pain to the touch during an examintation. But from what I've read, you don't need to "jump" when your thyroid is touched to have thyroiditis. I found this website about Hashimoto's: http://www.medicinenet.com/hashimotos_thyroiditis/article.htm
                      Thus, the measurement of TSH should be elevated in cases of hypothyroidism. However, there is one exception. If the decrease in thyroid hormone is actually due to a defect of the pituitary or hypothalamus, then the levels of TSH are abnormally low. As noted above, this kind of thyroid disease is known as "secondary" or "tertiary" hypothyroidism. A special test, known as the TRH test, can help distinguish if the disease is caused by a defect in the pituitary or the hypothalamus. This test requires an injection of the TRH hormone and is performed by an endocrinologist (hormone specialist).
                      Guess we'll see in 4 weeks with some more tests. Hopefully it's just a case of TSH taking a long time to respond. Smile Thanks for listening.
                        Keep my fingers crossed for you Smile

                        Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the number of moments that take our breath away...(unkown)




                        Go With The Flow
                        Thyroid Support Group