Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Gerri on January 8, 2012 at 10:55am

www.stopthethyroidmadness.com is great. I've learned a lot there. I have Hashimoto's also.

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on January 10, 2012 at 5:52pm

Thank, Gerri!

Marty1492

Permalink Reply by Gerri on January 10, 2012 at 6:10pm

Janie, the site's author, also has a book of the same name. I just ordered it. Making my way slowly through it. Info overload:) Thyroid is more complicated than diabetes--sigh.

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on January 11, 2012 at 12:14pm

Thanks, Gerri!

I've been spending some time on the website. Thyroid sure is a complicated issue!

Best wishes in your reading!

Marty1492

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on January 11, 2012 at 12:28pm

Hi again, Gerri,

Can I ask you a couple of questions?

Were you ever on T4? How did you decide to switch to liothyronine?
I read your exchanges with sarahrachel and feel for you! And so I know that your dose is currently insufficient. How does your doctor justify that?

If you've already addressed these issues elsewhere, you could just point me in that direction.

Thank you!

Best wishes,

Marty1492

Permalink Reply by Gerri on January 11, 2012 at 1:01pm

Ask anything you like:)

I was never on T4, which is highly unusual given that most endos love Synthroid. He immediately put me on T3, but at way too low a dose. I don't go to that endo any more because he was an insulin pump Nazi. When I told him I had no interest in a pump, he lost interest in me as a patient. "All my patients have pumps."

Where I live there are very few endos & one is worse than the next. So, I go to an internist. Been a battle with him lately about my thyroid. He thinks I'm doing well from my labs. Since he's not an endo, he honestly doesn't interpret my labs properly. I explained to him in detail that my Reverse T3/Free T3 ratio is terrible. Mine is 9.09 & a healthy ratio is 20 or higher. Raising my T3 significantly is out of his comfort zone because too much T3 is risky. Didn't matter that I said I'd raise it slowly, take my temp & pulse regularly to be on the alert for hyper doses. Right now, I don't know what to do to get what I very much need.

Permalink Reply by Gerri on January 11, 2012 at 1:02pm

Very complicated! I read, step back, digest & then read a bit more.

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on February 26, 2012 at 5:49am

Hi Gerri,

Thinking of you. How is it going with your reading and integrating thyroid information? Have you found next steps for you?

STTM is next on my reading list, also!

Best wishes,

Marty1492

Permalink Reply by Gerri on February 26, 2012 at 10:53pm

Hi Marty,

I've made some progress in the last month. Finally, drum roll, my internist agreed that I needed more T3. Can't say that I feel any different on 2.5 times my previous dose, but I haven't had any adverse effects either.

I had a full iron panel & my ferritin look ok. So, next is testing adrenal function. Adrenals are intricately involved. Going to have to pay for cortisol testing myself & worth it to get straightened out.

How are you doing?

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on March 1, 2012 at 2:05pm

Hi Gerri,

It's great that you have more T3! Glad that your doc was responsive!

How long have you been on the new, higher dose? You probably already know all about how long a dosage change takes to produce noticeable results.

Wishing you good luck with the adrenal testing!

My blood sugars have been good recently. My thyroid is off balance. I'm waiting for the arrival of "Stop the Thyroid Madness" for the "read, step back and digest" process. I liked your description of this!

Best wishes,

Marty

Permalink Reply by Gerri on March 1, 2012 at 2:50pm

Hi Marty,

Happy for your good BG!

Meant to ask before. Are you on Synthroid?

I've been reading fascinating info about using iodine as supplementation & joined an iodine group. I'll send the info, if you like. I've chaffed at being a professional patient, but looks like there's little choice because we have to be our own advocates to be healthy.

It's been almost three weeks. Too soon to tell much. If I could remember to take my temp in the morning, that would help:) Still believe I need natural dessicated thyroid in addition to Cytomel (T3). Conflicting info about this also. Some state that with high RT3, just T3 is needed, or just T3 for a short time. Elsewhere I've read that fairly high T3 doses are needed, but T3 should be taken with dessicated thyroid.

Found another good thyroid site http://tiredthyroid.com/. Learning a lot & easier to navigate than STTM.

Permalink Reply by marty1492 on March 2, 2012 at 4:59am

Hi Gerri,

Sounds like you are finding a lot of interesting information about thyroid issues.

And thanks for the link to Tired Thyroid!

Best wishes for finding the solutions you need!

Marty