Re: Houston

[Guest guest]

We have quite a few members in Houston. I think Ruth who just posted about a doctor is in or near Houston. l & jpickle wrote: I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A. benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth street. P

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[Guest guest]

I'm not really sure where that is, maybe the heights?

Houston is a very spread out city... you can go 30

miles easily and still be in Houston. Or like me, I

have a Houston address, but I'm not in the city

limits.

--- l & jpickle wrote:

> Clear Day

>

>

> I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston

> bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and

> I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A.

> benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth

> street.

>

> P

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

My sister lives in Clear Lake.

P

Re: Houston

I'm not really sure where that is, maybe the heights?Houston is a very spread out city... you can go 30miles easily and still be in Houston. Or like me, Ihave a Houston address, but I'm not in the citylimits.--- l & jpickle wrote:> Clear Day> > > I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston> bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and> I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A.> benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth> street.> > P__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I don't know if it is too late, but in Clear Lake, Dr. Hartig of our

Family Dockors is recommended. She is actually in Webster which is

right next door to Clear Lake.

l & jpickle wrote:

My sister lives in Clear Lake.

P

-----

Original Message -----

From:

Ruth

To:

Texas_Thyroid_Groups

Sent:

Thursday, April 06, 2006 9:06 PM

Subject:

Re: Houston

I'm not really sure where that is, maybe the heights?

Houston is a very spread out city... you can go 30

miles easily and still be in Houston. Or like me, I

have a Houston address, but I'm not in the city

limits.

--- l & jpickle

wrote:

> Clear Day

>

>

> I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston

> bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and

> I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A.

> benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth

> street.

>

> P

__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

I recently joined and have yet to post an email. This caught my eye because of where my husband's office is located.

FYI: 20th Street is in the Houston Heights. Our office is on 20th and I know most of the docs there. Let me know if I can help.

Elaine

Re: Houston

I'm not really sure where that is, maybe the heights?Houston is a very spread out city... you can go 30miles easily and still be in Houston. Or like me, Ihave a Houston address, but I'm not in the citylimits.--- l & jpickle wrote:> Clear Day> > > I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston> bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and> I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A.> benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth> street.> > P__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Hi Elaine, Nice to meet you. Do you know where Lufkin is? That is where I live. We traveled to Houston yesterday and my husband was examined by a docor there in the Heights for his hearing loss. This was in order to determine if he qualifies for an increase in his V.A. benefits. We had a nice little trip, took our grandaughter Alisa with us and had some seafood a Pappas at Humble. We had never eaten there before and it was quite good.

Our next outing will be to LIttle Rock, Ar when we go on a business trip...We love our business and our friend/business associates whom we always look forward to seeing again.

If anyone would ever like to chat my IM is

Yahoo IM lpic49

AOL IM am300fit4life

WHerever you are, whatever you are doing I hope you are having a great Saturday. It is beautiful outside.

Pickle

Lufkin, Texas

Re: Houston

I'm not really sure where that is, maybe the heights?Houston is a very spread out city... you can go 30miles easily and still be in Houston. Or like me, Ihave a Houston address, but I'm not in the citylimits.--- l & jpickle wrote:> Clear Day> > > I saw someone here was in Houston. I am Houston> bound in the morning. My hubby has some business and> I am going with him. He is trying to get his V.A.> benefits raised. I think we have to go to 2oth> street.> > P__________________________________________________

[Guest guest]

Elaine- Do you work for a doctor? What do you do? Nurse? Office?Elaine Young wrote: I recently joined and have yet to post an email. This caught my eye because of where my husband's office is located. FYI: 20th Street is in the Houston Heights. Our office is on 20th and I know most of the docs there. Let me know if I can help. Elaine Re: Houston My sister lives in Clear Lake. P

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[Guest guest]

My husband is a family practice doctor and I help run the office. I'm actually an attorney, but I stopped practicing a few years ago because of severe rheumatoid arthritis.

I'm doing better, but still suffer from the Hashi's, RA, sjogren's and a few other fun things!! I was diagnosed with the Hashi's back in 1998. At that time, I did lots of research on the thyroid. When I was diagnosed with the RA in 2002, that became my focus. I'm just now looking at all of it and wondering if some of my problems are related to the thyroid. It is hard sometimes to tell if my fatigue and swelling is from the RA or the Hashi's. I know the joint pain is from the RA, but maybe I need to seek more treatment for the thyroid.

Elaine

Re: Houston

My sister lives in Clear Lake.

P

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[Guest guest]

My husband is a family practice doctor and I help run the office. I'm actually an attorney, but I stopped practicing a few years ago because of severe rheumatoid arthritis.

I'm doing better, but still suffer from the Hashi's, RA, sjogren's and a few other fun things!! I was diagnosed with the Hashi's back in 1998. At that time, I did lots of research on the thyroid. When I was diagnosed with the RA in 2002, that became my focus. I'm just now looking at all of it and wondering if some of my problems are related to the thyroid. It is hard sometimes to tell if my fatigue and swelling is from the RA or the Hashi's. I know the joint pain is from the RA, but maybe I need to seek more treatment for the thyroid.

Elaine

Re: Houston

My sister lives in Clear Lake.

P

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[Guest guest]

I called Triad Pharmacy to get a new doctor since it was confirmed th at Ozan is leaving (dont have the story yet). Anyway, they recommended DrAlisa Carroll and Dr. Donna Becker, both Gyns. Anybody heard of either ot hem or know anything about them? Thanks

Steph

[Guest guest]

Hi Jan.

Sorry it took so long for me to respond. I've been really busy and haven't had much time for email.

I asked my husband and he does prescribe Armour at times. He has also prescribed Cytomel (which he gave me a couple of years ago and it made me very shaky and edgy). Most of his patients on Armour are patients who were already on Armour and don't want to switch. He does not make them switch to synthetic and he listens to patients' concerns. He is definitely not the type of doc that reaches for psych meds at the drop of a hat.

My training is not in the medical field. I am an attorney, but I stopped practicing a few years ago when I became very sick. I didn't know what was wrong with me at the time, but have since been diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis. Currently, I am working in my husband's family practice and helping him manage and run the office.

I went to see a new doctor last month: Dr. , here in Houston. He's an internal medicine doc who specializes in endocrinology. I liked him very much. He was a very nice man and spent a long time with me going over my medical history and current symptoms.

I'm afraid that because I have rheumatoid arthritis, some of my other health problems take a back seat. I get blood tests regularly because the medication I take is quite toxic to the liver. I brought in my most recent labs for Dr. . He then sent me for additional labs: TSH, T3 Total, and T4.

Here are my results:

TSH: 1.0 (Expected Range: 0.3 - 5.1)

T3 Total: 124 (Expected Range: 90-200)

T4: 9.8 (Expected Range: 4.4 - 12.5)

He sent me a letter along with a copy of my labs. The letter states my thyroid tests are normal. He also states "if you want to switch to Armour 1 1/2 gr call office - it may or may not help." At the office visit, he mentioned that he prescribes Armour, Cytomel, and Synthroid depending on the circumstances.

I have not called him back yet. I am unsure what to do. I take methotrexate (a chemotherapy agent which my rheumatologist just upped to 8 pills per week), Mobic (anti-inflammatory), Nexium, Synthroid 137 mcg, Zoloft (apparently for the chronic pain syndrome), calcium, vitamin C, multivitamin, fiber, flax seed, folic acid (to mitigate side effects from the chemotherapy), and a glyconutritional supplement called Ambrotose.

I am concerned about taking any more meds or changing them. I am doing better with my rheumatoid arthritis, but still have recurrent flares that can incapacitate me. I still get fatigue, which is a very common symptom of the RA. I know it could also be related to my thyroid.

Here's where I get confused: I had unexplained weight loss from 1992 - 1997 followed by unexplained weight gain in 1997-1998. In 1998, I suffered from extreme fatigue, sensitive to cold, weight gain, severe constipation, reflux disease, emotional reactions disproportionate to the situation, severe memory problems, and that awful brain fog. My skin, hair, nails, etc. were a mess. That is when I was diagnosed with Hashimotos Thyroiditis. I started on Synthroid and it took about 8 months to titrate before I felt a whole lot better. Since being on the Synthroid, I have not had the memory and brain fog problems, and the emotional chaos subsided.

In 2001, I started swelling in my hands and feet and then one day I could not put my feet on the ground from my bed in the morning. I could not wear my shoes anymore because my feet were so swollen. My fingers contracted and got stuck in place. I could no longer open a door, hold a coffee cup, turn the page in the newspaper, turn the steering wheel, slice vegetables, or stand in line at the grocery store. Severe fatigue, like I've never experienced before, set in. In fact, taking a shower would so wear me out, I'd have to take a rest afterward before I could do anything else.

In rapid succession, bilateral joints from my jaw all the way down to my toes were ravaged by the RA. By 2002, I was diagnosed with RA and began the long process of trying to get the right medication. I also have Sjogren's Syndrome, secondary to the RA, which is extreme dryness of the eyes and mouth. I have since learned that Hashimotos Thyroiditis is quite common in people who have RA. Once you have one autoimmune disease, many people get other ones. I was very ill for a long time. I am now doing much better.

Ever since I started taking the gyloconutrional supplement Ambrotose last May, I've been able to get out of bed and work and do things most days. I still suffer joint stiffness, chronic pain, fatigue, etc., but it is much more manageable. Unfortunately, I have gained some 35-40 pounds in the last 2 years. I'm sure a lot of that is how sedentary I've been because it is so painful to exercise. Nevertheless, I just keep gaining and gaining, even now that I'm more active. I still get that fatigue. And, my hair is not the same anymore. I'm sure some of this could be the aging process, but I believe it is also related to the thyroid, the RA, and the medications I'm taking.

I just can't figure out what is what, and no one else can seem to either. I don't like to focus so intently on my body that I become obsessed with it and think only of the bad stuff I'm feeling. I've done a lot of work with meditation, prayer, yoga, etc. to change from a negative outlook to a positive one. I am actually quite happy and peaceful. Still, these health issues are nagging me. I especially hate the fluid retention, fatigue, and constant fluctuating weight (never know if I can wear the same outfit two days in a row!)

With my thyroid labs being "normal," I'm considering keeping the status quo. On the other hand, if Armour would make a difference, I'm certainly open to it. Any ideas would be most appreciated.

Sorry for the long email, but I don't think I've ever written all this stuff down before and it just came pouring out!

Thanks,

Elaine

Re: Houston

Does your husband prescribe Armour Thyroid? You say you know most of the docs in that area. Do any of them prescribe Armour?

I never had a diagnosis of RA, but I had severe joint pain on $ynthroid, which disappeared 10 days after starting just a small amount of Armour.

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