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Hello. I was directed this way by the Thyroidless group.

My name is and I'm mom to four beautiful little girls and wonderful

husband of 15yrs.

My journey with hypothyroidism started when my third daughter was about 3 yrs

old. From blood work I found out that I was hypo and was started on Synthroid. I

was started on .25mcg of Synthroid and for the first time I felt awake! It

almost started to work automatically. Before hand I had gained a lot of weight,

looked poofy and was just constantly tired all of the time. So for three years

I did well. I had lost 55 pounds through diet and exercise. Then I had gotten

pregant with my 4th daughter. I had a good pregnancy as far as how I felt. I had

no morning sickness, nothing. It wasn't until my 3rd month of pregnancy that I

almost lost my daughter. But I didn't and she held on. During this time my

Synthroid levels were never changed. They always stayed at .25mcg. It wasn't

until I had my daughter that things started to change. She had been born with

some health problems (you can read more about it on

www.caringbridge.org/visit/margaretreed1 ) Bascially in a nut shell she was born

with multiple birth defects, a condition called VACTERL Association. It is not

known what causes VACTERL. At the moment it is neither hereditary or genetic. I

began to notice a change in my health when my daughter turned 6 months old. It

was the combination of lack of sleep ( she was constantly crying, in pain, sick

,,etc) and stress of the unknown as I was dealing with something very few

doctors will ever see in their lifetime of practice). I had four children to

care for and no help from friends or family as most seemed to had 'disappeared'.

At some point I started getting a goiter. I don't know when beause most of the

first two years of my daughter's life is a blurr to me. But its pretty much

there. It really hasn't changed.

It wasn't until this January , my daughter is now 4, that I finally just

'crashed'. My blood pressure got high, I felt exhausted like I just couldnt' get

out of bed, and started having racing heart beats in the middle of the night. It

was awful. So I go to my primary care doctor and she knows how I feel about not

getting to the root of the problem,and just covering it up with medicine.

Anyways, in the end in her mind it was anxiety,not like me at all , and high

blood pressure and I slowly started getting put on meds that actually started

working a little bit only to stop working. So my thought was maybe my 'swollen

neck' had something to do with it. So a sono was set up and I had that done. It

showed a multicystic goiter. With a 'mass'. Of course my pc doc said that really

could mean not much or something. So I went to see an ENT. He was a very nice

doctor. Very kind and compassionate. I told him my symptoms and they palpated my

neck. It just feels like a swollen neck. You can't feel any lumps or bumps at

all. They were a bit puzzled and he offered to take the thyroid out , but was

cautious as he said he didn't see anything scary in the sono that would make him

want to take it out like right now. Plus he said with my 'symptoms' I was having

that it needed to be taken care of first because he could take my thyroid out

but it won't fix what is going on in my body at the moment too. So he kindly let

me go home and think about what I wanted to do next.

So after that I decided maybe to see an endo. BIG MISTAKE. For one I have

Medicaid so yes, I'm poor at the moment , right along with millions of other

people. So it literally took 7 months to see this doctor. While I waited I read

many posts on the thyroidless board and began to feel like maybe I shouldn't go

see the Endo. I expressed this to my husband with him feeling that I was being

paranoid and that I should give the doctor a chance. I, on the other hand , had

this horrible pit feeling in my stomach. But I went anyways. I invited my

husband to go and brought my youngest daughter with me to show this doctor that

I have a HUGE responsibility to find out what is going on with me so I can take

good care of my daughter and my other three girls as well. I brought my husband

in to see that I was NOT being paranoid and to show him once and for all how

these doctors are NOT listening to me at all.

Boy did he get an education. First this doctor looks at the report and says she

doesn't understand it at all. I'm not sure what the heck she didn't understand

because I surely did when my PC shared it with me. In a nut shell it said I had

some smaller cysts(nodules) in there and the largest one was 2.5cm. It said

there was a mass in there. But I'm banking that that mass is a swollen thyroid

due to extremely poor treatment. That was basically it. But this Endo was saying

it was HUGE and that it needed to come out. Right before I had a chance to talk

to her or even say anything. After this she asks me what I want to do and I ask

her I would like some testing to figure out what is going on , why my hormones

are out of whack ( I have been getting some acne , and have hair growing in

places it shouldn't.. like under my chin and breasts,stomach and rearend). What

is causing the problem. She looks at me and says did the ENT do a biospy. I said

no. He felt that there were to many false positives and negatives to do it and

didn't want to be poking around my neck. Plus I made it known I would not do

that. That is my limit when it comes to needles. I am very sensitive when it

comes to my neck. Poke me wherever else you want, not my neck. She goes on to

tell me, " Oh they numb you. " After this I tell her that the Synthroid made me

feel worse , and so I discontinued taking it. She says to me that it was a good

thing I did. But in the same breath goes on to say " It needs to come out, your

thyroid needs to come out. " " your energy levels won't be the same and you wont'

feel the same ever again. " Once she said that I said " See here. I have a child

that goes to doctors in three cities in two states. I have to manage her care

and I have three other daughters who love me and need me and my husband needs me

too. " This endo goes on to say , well its better to live with low energy then to

die. If you don't do this you will die. " This woman had me dying in her office!

Then she takes me in another room and does some strange testing on me, proceeds

to have me drink some water as she palpates my neck all the while saying " Yes,

it needs to come out. Let's set up that biopsy and get the surgery scheduled. " I

sat there and just didn't say a word to her and looked at her at the moment.

Then said " you know what I need to " think " about it. " So she says " Well at

least get the blood work done " . So I get a script , and just am so ready to

run out of the building with my husband and daughter. My poor husband was

sitting in the room saying " Maybe you should get the surgery done. I don't want

you do die. " Finally we leave and the receptionist says " Okay well I can

schedule you for three months out. So I made something up and told her that my

calendar was at home and that I didn't want to make any appointments without it

because I would end up calling them back having to reschedule and I walked

quickly out of there.

I sat in the car and just broke down in tears. I felt like my whole life just

crashed around me. I didn't want to die but i didn't want someone to rip my

thyroid out and never be able to function properly again and not be able to

enjoy life and my family. I knew it wasn't right and there was another way.

So here I am right now. I have read so much about the adrenals, natural thyroid

hormone and now have been reading about Iodine. Please I would like for someone

to help me understand all of this. How it works and how I can save myself. I'm

thinking what I'm dealing with isn't cancer. Of course I could be wrong but

there is not a family history of it in my family on either side, my voice has

not changed at all, I don't have trouble breathing or swallowing. Its just at

the moment an annoyance because honestly I don't known if this is a cancerous

thing or not and frankly I don't want to know some days. I want to be able to

live a long and healthy life. I want to grow old and watch my children grow up

and graduate from school and college and be a grandma. Its all I want out of

life anymore.

Please share with me your success stories. Is there anyone on here who have been

able to save their thyroids by following these things?

This endo questioned if I had even needed to be on thyroid meds in the first

place. I sure did have low thyroid symptoms when I did start it. I was not hyper

at all. I actually felt for the first time in my life ' Awake'. I believe I've

been dealing with thyroid problems my whole life. The strange thing was when I

started on the Synthroid my hair began to shed terrible. No one could explain it

and no one helped me figure out why. Its just never really stopped. My hair just

does not seem to replace itself after it sheds.

Anyways I know I need to get my adrenals tested first. I'm trying to come up

with the money for that. Right now it is REALLY tough because we just don't have

the money. With all of the traveling we have to do for my daughter to Pittsburgh

and Cincinnati it is just draining us. But I'm praying and hoping God will light

the way. Then I know I need to see a real doctor. One that will help me figure

that out. I have an idea of who I want to see. But again, its money.

Then I know once my hormones and thyroid is treated properly it could shrink

this down but I've been reading that Iodine helps with this too.

It just all seems so overwhelming to me. I think its because I just can't afford

it. This Endo thought I was stupid and wanted to line her pocket with money from

my thyroid. I wasn't sure if she thought because I was on Medicaid that I was

stupid. Well I'm not. What because I'm poor , well let's just rip her thyroid

out because she couldn't possibly afford to take care of herself. As this doctor

literally had a bottle of D3 Vitamins sitting on her table. Oh, so you'll rip my

thyroid out but you would NEVER do that to yourself?

All I could think was that I know she isn't going to come to my house to take

care of my daughter, nor is she going to pay for a nurse to do it because my

daughter would have a mommy who couldn't function right anymore because a doctor

took her thyroid out. In the end as I came home I had finally looked at this

'blood work' she wanted. It was just for T4 and nothing else.

So sorry that this is a novel. If you've read this far you are awesome. If you

respond even better. I just need some guidance.

Now with Iodine can I start on something like this? What do you do? Is this also

linked with adrenal function too? Will it be something that won't work unless

your adrenals work too? Or can I start taking it until I manage to get that

adrenal test?

I would love explanation on how this all works. I am a desperate mom who wants

to save her thyroid and herself.

www.caringbridge.org/visit/margaretreed