The Thyroid Thread (Part II) - Page 6

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by kdegroo

Wow, I am so grateful for this thread. Already, I don't feel so alone!

After several docs and way too much energy advocating for myself, I was diagnosed with Hashimotos (tsh 117 unmedicated!) and adrenal burnout. I've been on Armour for 8 months and feel much better.

Right now, though, I am REALLY struggling with rage at my husband and no patience for my poor dd.

I just had my tsh tested and it was 1.9. Should I raise my dosage? Does anyone else have experience with rage symptoms and subtle lab results?

I just want to feel joy;(

Thanks everyone. And big hugs to you all.

Are you being treated for Adrenal Fatigue? There is a thread for that here as well. Personally, I think I would suspect that as the culprit before thyroid for rage issues.

[tanyalynn]

Kate, that sounds really adrenal. ... just noticed Jacqueline said what I was going to.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by JacquelineR

Are you being treated for Adrenal Fatigue? There is a thread for that here as well. Personally, I think I would suspect that as the culprit before thyroid for rage issues.

Totally. For most of my life I would have uncontrollable, shaking rage, and I could tell it was a physical thing, not a psychological thing, yet all doctors wanted to do was give me antidepressants and tranquilizers for it.

When I started hydrocortisone, it went away, as did the hypoglycemia-like attacks.

I spent most of my life feeling like I was 100% batsh!t crazy, and all it was was stressed adrenals from growing up in a family that was batsh!t crazy and having what is essentially PTSD, imo. You would think any shrink worth their salt could figure that one out.

I feel sorry for any doctor who tries to give one of my dcs an antidepressant while I'm alive. They won't know what hit them. :

[camprunner]

Originally Posted by bigeyes

Totally. For most of my life I would have uncontrollable, shaking rage, and I could tell it was a physical thing, not a psychological thing, yet all doctors wanted to do was give me antidepressants and tranquilizers for it.

When I started hydrocortisone, it went away, as did the hypoglycemia-like attacks.

I spent most of my life feeling like I was 100% batsh!t crazy, and all it was was stressed adrenals from growing up in a family that was batsh!t crazy and having what is essentially PTSD, imo. You would think any shrink worth their salt could figure that one out.

I feel sorry for any doctor who tries to give one of my dcs an antidepressant while I'm alive. They won't know what hit them. :

You sound just like me! All these anti depressants and very few helped at all. Family situation very similar.

[bigeyes]

Originally Posted by camprunner

You sound just like me! All these anti depressants and very few helped at all. Family situation very similar.

If it were not for knowing a few people who were genuinely helped by psychiatrists, I would think the entire field was complete cr@p, based on my own experience. There is so much cookie-cutter medicine being practiced by lousy doctors it just infuriates me. They do so much damage, and they are not held accountable at all because of how difficult it is to prove malpractice, especially in cases involving things like adrenal fatigue, which so many docs don't even believe exists.

There are things in most antidepressants that suppress your thyroid function further, making you sicker, so every time some UAV doc gave us antidepressants they not only misdiagnosed us, they made us sicker.

[kdegroo]

Thanks all.

I was wondering if it weren't more adrenal, too. Off to find thosee threads...

Thanks for such a knowledgable, supportive community!

[Blucactus]

Bumping to the top....I have a fear that I belong here...

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by Blucactus

Bumping to the top....I have a fear that I belong here...

Do you have a doctor's appointment yet?
I know you'd rather not be here, but I think you'll like us. Welcome to the thread.

[Blucactus]

No, I'm still trying to find one. I have symptoms consistant with both adrenal and thyroid and know I need to get checked out...but I have two young children so I don't want to waste the time and energy going to ten random doctors till I find one I like and trust. Asking around in my crunchy circles currently...

Ps. thank you... I guess. :P

[Viola]

So I guess I don't have thyroid problems. I've had it tested twice, both times fasting, which I guess could result in higher numbers, but even so, my numbers are supposedly OK. The last blood test I had, the doctor ordered a free T3, but they didn't run it. Last time they didn't run the free T4, this time they did.

My TSH is 1.949 uIU/mL They list the normal range as .450 - 4.50, but even with the .3 - 3.0 range, I'm within that.

My free T4 is 1.01 ng/dL They list the range as 0.61 - 1.76, and the one site I saw listed it as .7 - 2.0 as the normal range, but I'm within that range too.

Is it still worth going to an endocrinologist to see if it's something else? I don't know much about adrenal fatigue. The only numbers flagged on my report are thyroid and RDW being too high, which could indicate anemia of some sort.

[WuWei]

My (limited) understanding is that the blood test for thyroid function is not as accurate for *bio-available* levels of thyroid function. See this old post of mine with more info: http://www.mothering.com/discussions...&postcount=984

The recommendation is to have *saliva* testing done for progesterone estrogen, testosterone, cortisol, AND thyroid.

ETA: search this thread for saliva testing info.


Pat

[Viola]

Thanks, Pat.

[jessjgh1]

Hmm, Viola, I'm in a similar situation. I'm not sure what all was run, but I know I didn't ahve any saliva tests.
My doctor would do anything, but the specialist I saw seemed skeptical of my questions and things I was bringing up. I knew I wasn't going to get very far with her, so I didn't keep talking.

However, my doctor also isn't coming up with many suggestions either.... Her best suggestion was to try the lowest dose of the mildest anti-depressant, to see if it might help, because 'well, it can't hurt and that's the only thing I can think of" (The endo.'s assessment was that I might be depressed and to see my primary doctor for more).

We've been dealing wiht other health issues, so mine/this have been put on the back burner, which is frustrating a bit, but I also can't afford the 75-150 a visit for the naturalpath (or other alternative healers).

The endo did say that I might have had some thyroid condition leftover from pregnancy that got 'caught' by the test I had over the summer. So she did retest me, and those came back in the 'normal' ranges.
But I just got the impression she said that bit to appease me a bit. She was very frank that the lab results my doctor sent her brought up NO concerns for her. It was NOT thryroid or adrenal, and commented several times how my doctor over tested the thyroid (like she just checked off every thryroid test in the book, rather than do a logical assessment, which could very well have some merit, I'm not really sure my doctor had a reason for the tests she sent me for).

Anyways, it's all still frustrating.

Jessica

[jessjgh1]

Oh, I've been meaning to say I've had really weird thing lately fo in the evening having a very metallic taste in my mouth, especially if I drink some water later.
I had been sick and almost better a week ago when I had some nausea and the weird taste in my mouth.... which I thought maybe I was getting sicker, till I remembered that it had also happened about 2 months ago... which at that time had really freaked me out because the LAST time I'd had something like that was when I was pregnant.
And NO I'm not pregnant and do not wish to be at the moment.

Two nights ago it was sooo strong that I had to ask my dh to taste the water. He looked at me like I had 3 heads.

Anyways just wondering if that makes any sense to anyone--

Jessica

[gardenmom]

A long time ago I subbed and read through the first Thyroid thread. Subbing here now but I have a question.

My thyroid results recently came back low and Dr. wants me to start on a "low dose" of Armour thyroid. Would you start the drug immediately and work on the research as time passes--I am buying a few books today--or would you do the research first and wait to start the drug? I'm nervous because this is a lifelong commitment...but I have symptoms that I would like to alleviate and not put off treating.

I trust this doc very much (a friend with Thyroid problems referred me to her and they basically work together on treatment), and she wants me to start on a low dose (can't remember the number) and then see her in 6 weeks to evaluate again. WWYD?

[tanyalynn]

Gardenmom, you can start drugs and decide to stop later, that's not a problem. You could start, then research and decide if you want to keep treating conventionally, treat partly conventional and partly alternative, or go completely alternative, but you definitely don't need to decide right away.

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

Gardenmom, you can start drugs and decide to stop later, that's not a problem. You could start, then research and decide if you want to keep treating conventionally, treat partly conventional and partly alternative, or go completely alternative, but you definitely don't need to decide right away.

:
I started out on L-thyroxine, didn't feel it was doing what I needed it to (but at least I wasn't sleeping for 20 hours of the day anymore), switched to NatureThroid (similar to Armour) and added in more vitamin supplements under the supervision of my ND.
Do what you need to do to get to where you want to be.

[kdegroo]

Hi mommas,

Hoping for comiseration and/or tips.

I have hypothyroidism, and have normal TSH levels with Armour Thyroid. We are TTC #2, but it is frustrating because my cycles are SO long (last month I Oed on CD 36). I have lots of EWCM for several patches leading up to Oing.

Any tips to shorten my cycle safely? Anyone else have a long cycle but conceived?

I'd love to share my fertility friend chart, but having trouble figuring out how to do that...

Thanks!
Kate

[lil_miss_understood]

Originally Posted by kdegroo

Hi mommas,

Hoping for comiseration and/or tips.

I have hypothyroidism, and have normal TSH levels with Armour Thyroid. We are TTC #2, but it is frustrating because my cycles are SO long (last month I Oed on CD 36). I have lots of EWCM for several patches leading up to Oing.

Any tips to shorten my cycle safely? Anyone else have a long cycle but conceived?

I'd love to share my fertility friend chart, but having trouble figuring out how to do that...

Thanks!
Kate

I might be completely off base here, and maybe someone else on this thread will know, but I *think* that the length of your cycle has something to do with adrenal function. You might try asking over on the The Adrenal Fatigue thread.
Of course, I could be completely wrong too.
However, the majority of people suffering from a thyroid condition have an adrenal problem as well, so it might be worth checking out anyway.

[gardenmom]

Originally Posted by TanyaLopez

Gardenmom, you can start drugs and decide to stop later, that's not a problem. You could start, then research and decide if you want to keep treating conventionally, treat partly conventional and partly alternative, or go completely alternative, but you definitely don't need to decide right away.

Thanks for the response. I'm having lots of different things happening at once which is confusing things, to say the least. Some if it is dizziness which my doctor didn't think was thyroid related (though I have read some things which say that it might be), liquid draining from one ear on a pretty regular basis. I woke up with a massive case of vertigo yesterday--enough to go the the ER in the ambulance, yikes! It appears that a sinus infection made my dizziness go over the top, so now I'm on antibiotics. (I'd love to hear if anyone on here has had vertigo associated with hypothyroid, please).

I have had two thyroid sonograms about 7 years apart which show 2 really tiny nodules that have not changed during that time. The doctor's don't think they're worth worrying about, though I'm wondering about it now that I've read a bit more on this thread about thyroid cancers.

Also had major blood loss at my son's birth (c-sec) followed by extremely low prolactin (like a man's level) so nursing ds was extremely difficult compared to when I nursed dd. When I looked into this at the time I ran across "Sheehan's syndrome" as a possibility, though it is a rare diagnosis, I guess. I'm keeping that on the back burner for review...

Anyhow, lots of variables are thrown into the mix, so I'm glad to know I'm not stuck with one particular treatment. For now I guess will go with the low dose of Armour and some Vestibular therapy for the inner ear stuff, and hope that I'm going down the right path.