Reverse T3, Thyroid Testing & recent bloodwork

[Guest guest]

ARC,

You wrote:

>

> Chuck, I took the medication 5 hours before having the blood drawn.

> He didn't ask one way or the other when I took the medication. So,

> maybe the high, out-of-range reading was something to be alarmed

> with. He just told me to reduce to 1 grain.

>

That cut your dosage in half. Not exactly " fine tuning. "

I'm not sure what high, out of range means. If you were a little above

the top of the range, he was over reacting, under these circumstances.

If your T3 was double or triple the top of the range, then maybe the

response was justified.

> BTW, I had scary heart spasms 3 nights ago that kept me up that

> night. So, I stopped taking my porcine thyroid medication

> altogether. Spasms have gone but I am not sure the meds were causing

> the spasms. ...

>

If these were atrial fibrillations, and they went away within a day of

stopping the medication, that is a strong clue.

> In addition for refusing to test for antibodies, my doctor also didn't

> test my iron after I asked him to. I have to the conclusion that my

> doctor is of no value to me.

>

At the very least, your communication needs some work. I personally

don't get that excited about antibody tests, since they can be inclusive

when the attacks are in remission. The treatment should be the same:

find a way to replace the hormone. A positive for Hashi's simply gives

you a heads up that the dosage target will be moving and potentially

troublesome.

The iron test is routine and cheap. I don't know why he would not do it.

Ask for an explanation.

I would be concerned that your doctor would dose you into a range that

induced a-fibs in the first place, and then responded by cutting the

dose in half when he finally tested. How long does he plan on leaving

you on 1 grain?

> Any insight on the heart spams? The only thing I know to do is take

> magnesium.

>

A-fibs can occur from either hyperT or hypoT, but more often from

hyperT. In addition to being scary, they increase your risk of stroke.

> Are you a physician? You seem very knowledgeable regarding thyroid

> medications.

>

No, I just have lots of family members without functioning thyroids and

treated with a range of medications. I have been involved with

biomedical research, mostly involving artificial joints, so I know how

to find and interpret the published medical research and technical

reports from the pharmaceutical companies. I have taught up to the

graduate level in physics and one course in chemistry safety.

Chuck