[Zorah]

We have put this here in general, so everyone will see it

It is just a matter of personal interest to us, but we are wondering how many members here have thyroid function abnormalities.

So that's the question ppl, do you have thyroid function abnormalities ?

[Perna]

My doctor says I do :-) but I'm still arguing.

[Zorah]

good luck with that Perna, lololol

it took us 9 years to convince our doc that we DID have thyroid problems, rofl, took us that long to get a thyroid function test

[Perna]

They gave me the test because of my age and I was "borderline" for over a year then had a single reading that was too high while I was having other problems (which I think didn't help the reading :-) The only symptom I had/have was too much tiredness. But now the Synthroid causes too many other annoying problems (it's too much) so I plan on getting how much I take lowered on Thursday when I see my doctor.

[Zorah]

stress changes your thyroid readings, if you are stressed the T4 doesn't metabolize into T3 (or is that vice versa?), & you will get a high reading for the starter hormone, which is usually the only test they do

the docs don't do too well with thyroid disorders

[Perna]

I have age and family history (my father's sister had Hashimoto's and had her thyroid removed) going against me so I'm willing to "work" on getting it right. My doctor is a little slapdash though, just tends to throw meds and information pamphlets at one :-) We're getting to know each other a bit better though and are listening to one another better I think and he's very busy so sometimes I can make him "wait" to do anything by just refusing

[Zorah]

we have Hashimoto's, it took them YEARS to work it out, well actually they didn't, we guess in the end ourself

finally we insist on thyroid function tests, too late though, it had already caused permanent damage
we took about 30 journal articles to our general practitioner he won't get it wrong again

[Danialla]

I have had thyroid function tests since I was a child. I think my thyroid was a bit malformed at birth, along with a few other organs (long story) and the doctors always did tests after feeling the thing.

Anyway, those tests always came back normal. Normal during my deepest depression, normal even after they found a large mass on the thyroid.

Now, after having my thyroid removed due to thyroid cancer, and being on thyroid hormone, the tests continue to come back "normal" even though I have real concerns as to whether the meds are working at all.

But what is "normal" anyway?

[free2beme]

Zorah.,
Who is the best type Doc to see
if you suspect you have this problem?

[Perna]

All your hormones are part of your endocrine system so one sees an endocrinologist:

http://www.hormone.org/public/endocrinologist.cfm

I have an incidentaloma (lump in my adrenal gland) they discovered when my appendix burst and they were doing the CT scan to figure that out. So I later (after the appendix thing was thought to be under control) had to take various texts and then go to an endocrinologist and see if it was a problem/cancer or not; have him read the results and advise me. It's a really complicated system.

I told this doctor about my incidentaloma (and it was a little frightening because he had no clue what that was but when I explained, called it an adrenaloma, which will do) and he immediately had me take a couple tests to see if that situation might have changed and thus be the problem instead of my thyroid but all was well there. It's called an incidentaloma because back before CT/MRI's, etc. people's weren't found until after they died of regular old age, in autopsies; they were only "incidentally" found. They just sit there and don't change and it's not known where they come from but they're not cancerous.

I think Hashimotos always progresses to bad news doesn't it? I know what you mean about figuring things out for yourself though; my busted appendix, I had a bad reaction to one of the antibiotics so had an infection wandering around for 5 months and my surgeon wanted to operate again but I made him try another, different kind of antibiotic I'd found on the Web and that worked and I was finally well/fine. My little $3,000-$5,000 appendectomy only cost the insurance company/us $35,000-$40,000 by the time I was finally better (was in the hospital for a week on intervenous antibiotics, still the "wrong" kind and had all sorts of other tests and things inbetween).

[anna342]

I put no as I've not had any irregularities in my tests so far. However the doctors seem to think I have a lot of the symptoms so I get tested about once a year.

[ECHOES]

Your primary doctor can order the labwork to check your thyroid function.

I have seen both an endocrinologist and my primary doc. My primary doc is now handling it and that works fine for me.

[Danialla]

</font><blockquote><div id="quote"><font class="small">Quote:</font>
ECHOES said:
Your primary doctor can order the labwork to check your thyroid function.

I have seen both an endocrinologist and my primary doc. My primary doc is now handling it and that works fine for me.

</div></font></blockquote><font class="post">

I have both too. Is your endo ok with letting your primary care doctor handle things? My endo seems a bit territorial.

[HALLIEBETH87]

hypo here. only dx'd this past december.....6 months after I had started taking lithium. Dc'd that and now Im stuck with Synthroid forever. blah.

[ECHOES]

Well, I moved far away and I found a terrific primary here who I'm more than happy with. I know he wouldn't hesitate to refer me if there was reason, like if we couldn't keep the levels in check. At the time I was seeing an endo because of extremely elevated triglycerides also.

It's our choice. If the primary doc is comfortable with it and we are too, then that works for me.

[thelostone]

perna, have you discussed trying armour thyroid instead of synthroid with your doc? synthroid did nothing for me but drive up my cholesterol and triglicerides, still felt like crap. doc switched me to armour which is actually pig hormone instead of synthetic and it has worked great for me. only problem i still have is hair loss which is probably from stress anyway.

lost