Help me with a plan of action for 2011

November 26, 2010

I have posted

's message to me onto the Forum for others to help him.

Luv - Sheila

__________________________________________

My name

is and I have Hypothyroidism. Please help me with a plan of action for

2011.

First of all I

would like to say a big thank you for all the work you do for those of us

suffering with Hypothyroidism. It is incredible the work you and your colleagues

do at TPA-UK.

I contacted

you by email at the end of July for some initial advice. I have joined the

TPA-UK forum in and subscribed to the automated email digest.

There is so much information out there and I look at every digest received. As

yet I do not have the confidence to contribute to the forum, in time I hope

this will change and I can play a more active role in the TPA-UK community.

You mentioned

that you had read my blog, http://hypoman-lifetherapy.blogspot.com/

, I hope you find it “enjoyable” and will continue to follow my

story. Since that first email I have finished documenting my treatment to date

and continue to update the blog with day to day details of my struggle to get

well. I have received too many comments to my blog that mention adrenals and T3

for it to be a coincidence.

So I need a

plan of action.

I am not well

and I struggle to manage the day to day details of my life, let alone exploring

treatment options to find the way forward. Despite this, during 2010, I have

continued to make slow progress towards formulating a plan of action. This is

where I hope you can help me Sheila. I need to set out a step by step plan to

follow, and not move on to the next step until the current one has been

completed. One thing I have managed to retain throughout all of this is my

patience so I will have no problem sticking to a strict plan of action. After

all if I follow a plan, and it is successful, my general well-being and quality

of life will surely improve over the next 12 months.

As you will

know from my blog, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism in 2002, and since that

time have been treated with synthetic T4 levothyroxine. I have been on my

current dose of 125mcg for 6 weeks now, so I am still in the adjusting phase,

it seems to take me forever to adjust to a new dose.

The problem I

have is that it would appear my only option for the future is to “go it

alone” and self medicate, which really is a last resort! Before doing

this I intend to write a detailed letter to my Doctor outlining my findings and

my intentions for my future treatment. This will include numerous appendices

that I have acquired in my quest for answers, many in fact from the TPA

website. I will ask my Doctor to reply, and if the treatment I ask for is not

to be given, the reasons for this in writing. I want to have my Doctor on my

side more than I seem able to verbalise, but if this is not possible then I really

will have no option other than to “go it alone”.

There is a

pattern emerging in my quest to get well: a problem that needs to be overcome

results in new, seemingly insurmountable, problems being uncovered. The problem

created as a consequence of my long-term ill health is that my finances are as

poorly as me. I “live” at the mercy of the Welfare Benefits system.

There is no way I can afford to pay for medication/tests or to be treated

privately. Are there any charities out there that help people like me? I am

extremely worried that my quality of life will be determined by my Doctor's

reluctance to explore treatment options that are “outside the box”.

I think I have

a clear picture in my mind of my treatment options but I am struggling to

formulate a concise plan of action. Sheila, can you please help me with this. I

will be forever thankful if you could advise me what action I need to take and

in what order. If I can provide this information to my GP then perhaps I will

have a chance. I will detail below what I think I need to do.

·

Have an adrenal function test. I think I have

“adrenal insufficiency”.

·

Have a ReverseT3 blood test to determine if I am

converting T4 into T3 efficiently.

·

Is it possible to determine whether I am

allergic to synthetic T4 tablets?

How do I get

my Doctor to agree that these tests are absolutely crucial to my future

treatment? Then, once the above tests have been completed and the results

assessed I can move on to the next step: my treatment options, and which one is

right for me.

·

Treating “adrenal insufficiency” if

necessary. I have no idea what this involves.

·

Treatment with hypo-allergenic synthetic T4 and

how to get my GP to prescribe this medication.

·

Supplementing my synthetic T4 with synthetic T3.

I need to know how to determine the correct dosage of T4 and T3.

·

Treatment with synthetic T3 only. What dosage is

required, when to take, and how to get my GP to prescribe this medication.

·

Treatment with Natural Desiccated Thyroid

(NDT?). What dosage is required and how to get my GP to prescribe this

medication.

·

Any other supplements that will help me live

with Hypothyroidism.

It's hard to

believe I'm sure, but this letter has taken me more than two weeks to write! I

am experiencing a prolonged period of “brain fog” whilst my body is

adjusting to the new dosage of synthetic T4, lucky me! I hope this letter

demonstrates my determination to get better and illustrates the amount of

thought I have given to the issue of my health, and is not too muddled!

I am gradually

beginning to accept that my life with Hypothyroidism is going to be a lifelong

journey with many battles along the way. I have also learnt that my life and

health can be so much better than it is now. This is down to the online support

community I have encountered. All in all I am further ahead at the end of 2010

than I was at the beginning, this can only be seen as progress, and I am

thankful for that!

It is my hope,

that with your help Sheila, 2011 can be the most significant year to date in my

journey through life with Hypothyroidism.

My very best

wishes,

.

p.s. Please

feel free to circulate this letter as you see fit Sheila. But please remove my

full name and address from the top of this letter, thank you.

November 26, 2010

Hi , you action plan sounds pretty comprehensive, but I will make some comments firstly as you hav already found out T4 is only one- and inert at that- thyroid hormone. 125mcg is not a large dose for an adult man. If you are having difficulty tolerating dose increases it may be due to low adrenal function- see files or low vits and minerals that are vital to proper thyroid function- ferritin zinc and selenium may need to be supplemented. you may be unable to convert the inactive T4 in to the active T3. This would be shown by TSH , FT4 and FT3 testing, but most labs are reluctant to test for T3 except in special circumstances. You can however get salivary tests done by Genova diagnostics- see files for details and discounts. systemis candida can also block absorption- again see files. If you decide to ask for a referral to an endocrinologist make sure he has an interest in thyroid as most are diabetes- Sheila has a list of some who have helped. thyroid treatment From: sheila@...Date: Fri, 26 Nov 2010 12:00:19 +0000Subject: Help me with a plan of action for 2011