A Re-Introduction I suppose

[Guest guest]

I've been on this group for a couple years now, but had my e-mail turned

off for a while now while I was pregnant, then taking care of my little

one as I didn't have much time to myself and was in e-mail overload.

I've been hypo since around '99 or 2000...didn't do much with it, just

let my primary Dr. test my TSH from time to time and keep adjusting my

Synthroid levels. I think it was in early 2008 that I really became

interested in what was really going on with my thyroid when I had my Rx

filled incorrectly, and I ended up experiencing 2 1/2 weeks of energy

that I hadn't felt in 10 years...it was amazing....and I want it back!

I started asking my primary Dr. if we could start figuring out what was

wrong with me. He was hesitant/timid to say the least, ended up getting

bumped up slightly to .175 Synthroid and started on some Cytomel as

well. I don't have all my test results from him over the years, but

generally I think he kept my TSH levels between 4.0-5.5. Then I found

out I was pregnant...I went and found a wonderful O.B./GYN who was also

worried about my thyroid. She bumped me up to .200 Synthroid, and kept

me on the Cytomel (at my request) and managed to get my TSH under a 3.0.

I've stayed on the .200 & Cytomel for just over a year now, and have

been feeling my energy levels/health start to decline again over the

past few months. When I've asked Dr.'s about my symptoms the answer was

generally that it's still recovery from my pregnancy, that it could take

up to a year and will just work itself out. Okay, I've waited it

out...it's been a year now (my daughter will turn 1 on the 22nd!), some

symptoms have gone, others have stayed or gotten worse, so I gues it's

time to get back on track again with trying to figure out my thyroid

issues.

Curious, are there men in this group? Recently my husband was also

diagnosed as hypo. After years of me seeing the signs in him, and

nagging him to ask to be tested (his mom nagged him as well since she

and his sisters are also hypo)...well he would never listen as he

believed it was only a women's issue and every time I said his symptoms

were all hypo symptoms he always said no, the symptoms are too general,

it has to be something else. So after going untreated for several years

he ended up in the hospital, his TSH reading was >100, and he ended up

in surgery due to excess fluid build-up around the heart which needed to

be drained. Since his his surgery at the end of January, his TSH has

come down to a 12, they've increased his Synthroid from .125 to .150,

and he's lost about 30lbs. An aquaintance of his who was previously a

heart surgeon recommended an Endocrinologist who he has an appointment

to see on the 14th...If I like this guy I'll probably get set up to go

be seen by him as well.

I've suspected for quite a while now that I probably have Hashimoto's,

but so far both Dr.'s that I've asked to have the antibodies test done

on me have refused to give me the test. Really hoping that this Endo.

that my husband has been referred to will actually run the whole thyroid

panel on both of us so we can start getting to the issue of what is

causing our problems, as I'm REALLY TIRED of being tired ALL the time

:-(

~ Isaacks