So here's the bad news. He brought up weight loss and even WLS as the way to fix all my health problems. He backed off when I told him my position on intentional weight loss but I have the feeling it was more respect than coming around to my way of thinking.
Here's the good news. He agreed to up dosage even though the blood work did not indicate a problem. (TSH was high normal not out of the range.) And he indicated a willingness to go higher on dose if this did not get rid of symptoms.
He is the first doctor to admit what I already know and that is the thyroid messes with my blood glucose so he did not adjust my meds for bg control.
He also has helped me find a way to have my CPAP machine checked without paying an arm & leg. So I might actually get a new mask which I sorely need though that won't happen till next year.
I'm unhappy about the weight loss but all in all I felt like he's listening and willing to work with me.
Also we discussed the lupus diagnosis and he concurs that I probably was misdiagnosed.
So I start on new dosage. Fingers crossed.
Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone with SprintSpeed
Posted by
Pattie
on
11/05/2010 05:24:00 PM
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4 comments:
Are you willing to share what your exact TSH numbers were? "High normal" has so many meanings, depending on what cutoffs the doc uses.
I'm glad he's willing to treat to symptoms; that's a huge battle won right there! Terrific!
I'm sorry he brought up WLS (ugh) but at least he backed off when you told him how you felt about it.
Many docs only do the TSH test, but it's also helpful to do the free T3 and free T4 tests in order to see how the meds are affecting your response, which isn't always reflected in just the TSH.
For example, I take a combo of levothyroxine and Armour thyroid meds, which seems to be the thing that works best for me. If we only went by TSH, we would never have known that ONLY Armour makes my T3 too high, but a combo of Armour plus levothyroxine puts me in just the right range for everything.
So please, ask for the free T3 and T4 tests as well, to see exactly how your meds are affecting your levels.
Hope you feel better soon!
Dear Pattie,
You don't know me, but you and particularly your book have been a huge inspiration for me. And I really, really hope that your change in meds will make you feel better. Fingers crossed, indeed...
My TSH was 3.240 mIU/mL. The Lab report stated that the range was 0.340 - 5.600. However the following note was below the test result:
"According to American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, the normal TSH Level may have a narrower range of 0.340 - 2.500 mIU/mL."
At the moment, I cannot afford the Free T3 and Free T4 tests, so I'm taking this one step at a time. I am happy, however, that my doctor is willing to do this by symptoms and not just lab tests, especially given my current finances and lack of health insurance.
I've been reading about some of the issues around reverse T3 as well. But it is my hope that this will be simply a matter of upping the dosage of levothyroxine. Of course, if this doesn't work, I will find the money to get the blood work and get to the bottom of this. I'm excited that I might actually have something that could be controlled and may feel better again soon.
We are always glad to hear that the book helped someone. Thanks for letting us know and for the good wishes.
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