New Member

[Guest guest]

Thank you very much for the encouragement, everyone!

As for bringing my wife and me closer as a couple, it has definitely

helped. Occasionally we get frustrated at each other (she has never

really exercised, so I'm doubling as her personal trainer), but it

gives us lots of time together and it helps to inspire us both as we

see each other work hard and start to see the gradual changes in our

physiques.

On a side note - I would love to make some BFL-inspired changes to

the military lifestyle. Long physical training (PT) sessions, large,

over-spaced mealtimes, and other unhealthy practices could definitely

be improved. There have been lots of changes since my Dad enlisted

35 years ago, but " traditional " nutrition, lifestyle, and exercise

ideas need a bit of new stirring up. Any comments from other

current/former service members out there?

Rob

> Hey, Rob! WELCOME! So glad you are part of the group!

>

> I, too, want to say thank you for serving in the military. I truly

> honor and respect people who do that. My husband is ex-Air Force

and

> both my grandpas served in WWII. So, THANK YOU!

>

> Congrats on your loss and gain thus far! And how neat your wife

has

> joined you! That's so cool! Have you see the BFL Success Stories

> video? and Brunner are featured on there. They went

> through the challenge together and it made every area of their

lives

> better -- including their marriage. I love that couple. They are

so

> precious. We hope to meet your wife online, too!

>

> Talk with you soon!

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Denny! Look forward to having you here and learning from you. I

am also the no good child and my older brother the all good child.

Glad you are here.

> Hello,

> i just wanted to introduce myself. I have a BPD (Hermit/Witch)

father,

> and a BPD (Queen, witch, Waif) mother. They also have NPD traits

as well. I am

> the " No-Good' child, my youngest sister the " All-Good " , and I

haven't figured

> out my older sister yet.

> I just wanted to say hello, and that i'm also on the NPD list

serves as

> well.

> Thanks,

> Denny

[Guest guest]

Hi, ,

Just wanted to say a quick hi and welcome! Thank you for sharing your story

about your Dad. I, too, care for my dad. We still have him at home. He is

very resistant to outside caregivers. He tolerates me and my mom most of the

time. He gets disagreeable and fussy alot though. Glad you found us. I have

to run home and see about my dad now, but I look forward to getting to know

you.

Hugs,

Piper

[Guest guest]

, welcome to the group.

There was a time when my mom would get very anxious if she went in her

Depends but now I have come into the house and she is soaked right through

her clothes and doesn't have a care in the world. My mother before LBD

would have been mortified to find herself in this predicament.

Thank God that you and your sister can laugh. My sister and I also hand on

to the funnier aspects of this disease and what it does to mom. It's our

way of letting go of some of the stress.

Once again, welcome.

Courage

new member

>I've tried posting three times so I dearly hope this one gets

>through. This one won't have as much info about us, but maybe it'll

>get through! First, thanks for being there. I found the list and

>website last week and since then I've read so much on the site that

>has confirmed things we've seen with my Dad.

>

>My Dad is 89. He lives with a caregiver. My sister lives next door

>and relieves her for an hour or two a few times a week and

>intervenes when he's really agitated about something. I live across

>the state and spend the weekend about twice a month.

>

>Dad started having difficulties with things and falling and having

>spells about 6 years ago.

>

>He hasn't been diagnosed with LBD or anything else except for

>dementia and arthritis. They installed a heart monitor after all

>the spells...never found anything from it, and just fluctuating

>blood pressure during the spells. He has all the signs of LBD

>though. The nurse thought we were nuts when we suggested we were

>seeing parkinsons symptoms. Family thought we were nuts when we

>would tell him how " bad " he was physically and mentally if they had

>only seen him during good times...and he seemed to be able to rally

>for demetia tests, doctors and family until recently. Reading about

>LBD was wonderful. Like a weight lifting. The fluctuations we were

>seeing were common in this type of dementia.

>

>Our problems at the present are getting him to go to bed. He's

>pretty much wheelchair bound, but we still need cooperation if only

>one of us is helping him--and he doesn't like too much help! He'd

>rather sit in his chair in urine soaked Depends all night rather

>than have us help him into bed and get him cleaned up. He also

>isn't eating much. He can still manage a fork--sort of.

>He sits with his eyes just barely open now--little slits...do others

>see this in their LOs? He also seems not to be able to turn his

>head any more. Have you seen this?

>

> He won't tolerate physcal therapy, and can't tolerate much

>commotion or other people around. We tried relief caregivers this

>summer with no luck. He barely tolerates/cooperates with me now and

>I've been caring for him for years. When his caregiver is gone he

>is so uneasy and sometimes calls for her all night, and it is

>getting so stressful she needs more time away. When she's home,

>he " fires " her about once a week!

>

>We do find joy in small things, like when after being MAD at me all

>night, in the morning he told me " don't drown " when I went to take

>my shower. My sister and I and he laughed and laughed when she

>said " see, he cares! " It was so unexpected for him even to realize I

>was taking a shower. But it does get more difficult as we go

>along. Thanks for being there.

>

>

>

>

>

>

>

>Welcome to LBDcaregivers.

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi, ,

Just wanted to say and welcome to the group. I am sorry to hear about your

mother. My dad is the one with LBD. He was diagnosed officially in 2000. He

has never been on Exelon, but we have had good results from several

medications. Dad has done well on Sinemet for his rigidity. Each patient reacts

so

differently to medications. It seems to be kind of a trial and error to figure

out

what works best for each LO.

My dad stopped driving in 1998. He ran into the back of a garbage truck that

was stopped in the middle of the street. Lucky for me, he still had enough

sense to know he shouldn't be driving. He totalled his car, but was fine

except for a few scratches He was very shaken up by the accident, which was

very

uncharacteristic of my Dad. He has always been so strong and rock solid. That

is when I began to know there was something wrong, I just didn't know what.

Keep posting with us. We very much want to know how you and your mom are

doing.

Big hugs,

Piper

[Guest guest]

This is absolutely correct, and is probably the reason why many of our skins are yellowish tinged, if we're not anemic. That is, for those who are consuming vitamin A normally. My skin carries this tinge from time to time, but not always. What I don't know is if it is after consumption of the green and yellow veggies, which I've increased lately. Isn't the A in veggies in the form of betacarotene? This is a question.

RE: new member

I have my first follow-up appointment with Dr R. on Wednesday. I'll check to see if he did a cholesterol panel and see if there has been any improvement. I've been taking cod liver oil pretty consistently for the past 3-4 months or so.

Another reason I started the cod liver oil is that it is high in vitamin A. I was told that most vitamin A supplements are "beta carotene" that has to be converted to Vitamin A. In cod liver oil it is in the form of actual Vitamin A. Apparently hypothyroid folks don't convert the beta carotene into Vitamin A like we should??? I haven't researched this to verify.

BTW, I have found taking the liquid is much easier then the capsule. The capsules tend to "repeat". It is not just me. I have read this also.

Kim

[Guest guest]

Another new member here...not a new member to thyroid troubles,

however. Judy...I am in your area. I live in Spring also! And

trust me, in the last 15 years I think I've seen just about every

endo on this side of town. None of them worth a hoot, in my

opinion. I'm trying to do a little research and see if I can find

SOMEBODY who will listen to me rather than toss prescriptions my

way. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say, " Hi, neighbor! "

Chris

>

> Hi. My name is Judy and I am new to the group. I was diagnosed

with hypothyroidism about 4 years ago but have not been successful

with finding a doctor in The Woodlands/Spring area to work with me

in maintaining my levels. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks.

>

> judy

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Ladies,

I live in The Woodlands. I go to Dr. McManus, she doesn't take insurance, but she is very helpful, kind, understanding. I am a unique case, with alot of other problems and she has stood by me every step of the way. To me she has been worth the money. She is a wellness doctor and will listen to you and is open to suggestions.. She has a group support meeting every second wednesday of each month. Everyone is welcome, if you are interested to going and meeting her prior let me know and I'll forward the info to you. Once a month she has a (free) breakfast at Egg and I to explain what she does.

Joni

Re: New Member

Another new member here...not a new member to thyroid troubles, however. Judy...I am in your area. I live in Spring also! And trust me, in the last 15 years I think I've seen just about every endo on this side of town. None of them worth a hoot, in my opinion. I'm trying to do a little research and see if I can find SOMEBODY who will listen to me rather than toss prescriptions my way. Anyway, just wanted to pop in and say, "Hi, neighbor!">> Hi. My name is Judy and I am new to the group. I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism about 4 years ago but have not been successful with finding a doctor in The Woodlands/Spring area to work with me in maintaining my levels. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks.> >

judy>

[Guest guest]

Not very many people do well on the 's protocol. Most of us need both T3 and T4. And most of us need specific amounts of T3 and T4 to feel well. I am on 300 mg of Armour plus 37.5µ of the Lannett levothyroxine. I just increased the levothyroxine from 25µ because I was getting cold in the afternoon. I had tried raising the Armour first, but that did not help. I needed more T4. What you may need is highly individual. I would suggest that you ask Dr. S. to

Rx the Armour for you or maybe go back to the DO. Would your DO also prescribe the HC? It is a good thing that you are on hydrocortisone. That will help with your thyroglobulin antibodies among other things. The dose you mention, however, is a full replacement dose that folks with s take, which may or may not be what you need. While I agree about your needing T3 and T4, I would not consider the Naturals group to be a good source of thyroid information. They cite undocumented lore as if it were scientific fact. For one thing, Armour contains only trace amounts of T1 and T2, since they are not made in the thyroid gland, but are rather the products of peripheral deiodination. For that reason, porcine

thyroid glands are not likely to contain any more T1 and T2 than pork chops. I would further caution you not to recommend that group or any associated websites or post their link on our Texas site, as I regard any implicit or explicit association with them or any other group which advises on or promotes self-medication to be a legal liability. golfdawg11 wrote: Wanted to introduce myself and *try* to give a Cliff Notes version of what's going on with me.My name is Copeland and I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in March of this year. I contracted Lyme Disease in 1993 or thereabouts and was diagnosed

with CFIDS (Chronic Fatigue Immune Dysfunction Syndrome) in 1996 when for three years no doctor could figure out what I have (technically, ironically, I do have CFIDS since my immune system is screwed up because of the massive infection). I was diagnosed with Lyme Disease in 1997 when trying to get disability from my company and treated ever since but never getting fully healthy.I am being treated in Fort Worth by Dr. Sharp that used to be with the Fibro Center there. He has Lyme Disease and Hashi's so who better to go see? My initial tests showed I had antibodies, not the TPO but the other one, plus with a high Reverse T3 pointed towards a diagnosis of Hashi's.He believes in the Syndrome and my Reverse T3 lab had him put me on compounded T3. For the Lyme, he is treating me with Cumanda, an herb, as I have had over 3 years of IV antibiotic treatments and still have Lyme, though my brain infection is

gone and all that is left is fatigue...HEAVY fatigue of course.Flash forward to today and here are my labs:TSH <.001Free T3 417 Range 230 - 420Free T4 0.6 Range 0.8 - 1.8He says the Free T3 is "perfect", the TSH is "great", and the Free T4 is "as expected" (???)The problem???? I feel much worse now that I've hit my optimum dose for T3 and I am out of range for T4. This is the worst I've felt since I started treatment.I also started hydrocortosone two months ago and take 20mg in the AM with my T3 and 10mg at about 2 - 3PM with my T3. My cortisol AM blood draw was 8 and 11 two different times with a range of 5 - 24 so I know I needed that.Even worse, I just went to my cardiologist and she is worried about my heart. I have arrthymia from the Lyme Disease and an enlarged valve, and the T3 had my pulse up to 90 - 95 from a normal 65 - 75. My murmur was louder and on my oxygen

intake test I had gone from a perfect reading to a very bad intake of oxygen, which would explain how crappy I feel. She put me on Cardizem, an old calcium blocker, which she said should lower my pulse and blood pressure to relieve the strain on the enlarged valve until the thyroid is corrected and increase my oxygen intake. She does feel that I should continue the treatment for my thyroid as is and that I probably will only have to take the Cardizem for about three months.Which brings me to the end (finally). Dr. Sharp *did* say it would be 6 - 9 months before we got to a good spot, and that's what the cardiologist thinks too.My problem is that I'm just not sure I'm doing the right thing by following the Syndrome protocol. Most people (OK, all of them) on the Natural Thyroid group say, even if I *don't * convert T4 to T3, I *still* need T4 and the T1, T2, and calcitonin in it to cross the CNS blood

barrier. I have to say if I switched to Armour, I would be happy as the compounded T3 costs $85/month and is not covered, whereas I could buy a *ton* of Armour for that much, and have it covered. I am on Social Security disability and my doctor doesn't accept Medicare, so I took a big financial leap of faith to use him.I am setting up a telephone appointment with him later this week or early next week, and I think you can tell I'm torn on whether or not to continue on this protocol. Part of me says be patient for three more months (as my cardiologist says), the other part of me says screw it, go to the DO I used to use here in Houston and have my appointments covered by Medicare and she'll let me dose myself on Armour.ANY help, opinions, support, or words of wisdom would be appreciated. I am really torn about all this and feel very sick. I know this is very long but I felt I needed the whole story out

there for people to make an informed response. Thank you.

Yahoo! Messenger with Voice. Make PC-to-Phone Calls to the US (and 30+ countries) for 2¢/min or less.

[Guest guest]

Whatcha mean, hard to navigate? All messages or just the style of the new way on Yahoo mail?

Re: New Member

I am replying from our website, because my Yahoo mail has become almost impossible to navigate in the last few weeks. Is this happeneing to anyone else?

[Guest guest]

About half of the time, I get an error message when I try to read emails or reply to emails. I have to use the refresh button a few times to get where I need to go. That does not seem to be happening today, so they must have fixed the problem. I am using the standard Yahoo beause my "browser will not support Yahoo Beta. " whutever that means. . . . wrote: Whatcha mean, hard to navigate? All messages or just the style of the new way on Yahoo mail? Re: New

Member I am replying from our website, because my Yahoo mail has become almost impossible to navigate in the last few weeks. Is this happeneing to anyone else?

No need to miss a message. Get email on-the-go with Yahoo! Mail for Mobile. Get started.

[Guest guest]

Hmmmm.....browser won't support it.....Hmmmmm.......Sounds like they are trying to promote something else maybe from THEM for us to try....Don't understand that part at all.

Re: Re: New Member

About half of the time, I get an error message when I try to read emails or reply to emails. I have to use the refresh button a few times to get where I need to go. That does not seem to be happening today, so they must have fixed the problem.

I am using the standard Yahoo beause my "browser will not support Yahoo Beta. " whutever that means. . . .

[Guest guest]

,

My Cfs lawyer told me that hardly anyone evers wins a Cfs case the first time

round so I just want to warn you it's a very frustrating process. I did not win

the first time round but I did win a year later, the 2nd time round. Both times

it took me about 6-8 weeks to receive a letter and hear from them though. Good

luck!

Tina

cindy post wrote:

Hi :

I live in New York. I had to quit work a year ago this month. Do you know when

your disability hearing is coming up? I just had mine in March and am still

waiting on the letter with the decision from the ALJ.

[Guest guest]

>Hi Tina, I was denied the first time as well. I have a lawyer this time,

the hearing should be coming up soon, it's been 19 months since I filed.

Will the judge be asking me questions at the hearing, if so what?

Thanks.

,

> My Cfs lawyer told me that hardly anyone evers wins a Cfs case the first

> time round so I just want to warn you it's a very frustrating process. I

> did not win the first time round but I did win a year later, the 2nd

> time round. Both times it took me about 6-8 weeks to receive a letter

> and hear from them though. Good luck!

> Tina

>

> cindy post wrote:

> Hi :

> I live in New York. I had to quit work a year ago this month. Do you know

> when your disability hearing is coming up? I just had mine in March and am

> still waiting on the letter with the decision from the ALJ.

>

[Guest guest]

>Hi Lou, they told me the hearing is coming up soon, but I don't have

a date yet. How did yours go? What all did you have to do at court?

Hi :

> I live in New York. I had to quit work a year ago this month. Do you

> know when your disability hearing is coming up? I just had mine in

> March and am still waiting on the letter with the decision from the ALJ.

>

> I'm far behind in this post so probably by now someone's already

> answered your question about the hearings. I just wanted to let you

> know that I just went through mine.

>

> Lou

>

> metzdorf@... wrote:

> >Hi Kim, I'm so sorry the CFS came back. I live in Peculiar,

> just outside

> of Kansas City. I worked for 7 years at American Century, quit since I

> was having my 3rd child, after he was born was when I got sick. I worked

> part-time at my mother's business she used to have, but I have not worked

> for almost 3 years.

>

[Guest guest]

A warm welcome to you! I was reading something today

on a link from S. thyroid newsletter that

mentioned saliva testing as a method of testing for

thyroid, and a woman who had all the symptoms but

perfect labs. Well, she did the saliva testing and

low and behold, her numbers were NOT good. The point

being that supposedly, saliva testing captures your

body's actual utilization of thyroid hormone, whereas

serum testing only measures hormone levels in your

blood- which is not where it really matters most.

Just a thought. There is a website I found called

www.canaryclub.org which provides a relatively cheaper

way to order these tests yourself. Might be worth

looking into. I am not nearly as knowledgable as

others here though, as I only got diagnosed myself

with hashi. less than 1 yr ago.

--- kelli_pedone wrote:

> Hello,

>

> I'm a new here and thankfully ran across your group

> while searching

> the internet. I am in my late 30's and have felt

> awful (extreme

> fatigue, sleep difficulties, cold intolerance,

> moodiness, weight

> gain, and brain fog)for several years, but every

> time I go to the

> doctor my labs are all " normal " . I have been so

> exhausted the last

> few months that I went to the doctor again. Today I

> got the results

> of my labs and everything was " normal " . The doctor

> checked my TSH

> 1.09 (a few years ago it was 3 something), T4, and

> T3 uptake. She

> also checked my anitibodies, which I did have, but

> she said were in

> the normal range. Also, daily, I have an irregular

> heart beat on and

> off during the day. When I suggested to the doctor

> about doing a

> trial of thyroid medicine, she flipped out and said,

> " What! Do you

> want to make your heart worse? Your labs are

> normal! " She thinks I

> am depressed and anxious. How does that make me

> cold all the time???

> Anyway, she presribed Effexor, which I'm not going

> to take. I left

> the office so defeated and crying, and I'm dreading

> telling my

> husband. He's not very sympathetic because I'm

> always talking about

> this. He thinks I'm obsessing about it, but it's

> driving me crazy

> because I know something is wrong! My mom is

> hypothyroid and I feel

> that I am too. Since we just moved to Abilene over

> the Summer, I'm

> not sure who to go to that is willing to look at the

> whole picture

> and not just treat lab values. I am so frustrated

> with the medical

> community...and I'm a RN! Thanks for listening and

> providing this

> group.

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

There are just a few docs who will diagnose and treat based on symptoms. I will send you a private email with those names. Why private email? Because I do not want to expose those great docs to the scrutiny of the conservative medical community. In the meantime, you may wish to have your ferritin levels checked. Anemia has symptoms that are like those of hypothyroidism. It will show up on ferritin tests a long time before it can be detected by other iron tests.kelli_pedone wrote: Hello,I'm a new here and thankfully ran across your group while searching the internet. I am in my late

30's and have felt awful (extreme fatigue, sleep difficulties, cold intolerance, moodiness, weight gain, and brain fog)for several years, but every time I go to the doctor my labs are all "normal". I have been so exhausted the last few months that I went to the doctor again. Today I got the results of my labs and everything was "normal". The doctor checked my TSH 1.09 (a few years ago it was 3 something), T4, and T3 uptake. She also checked my anitibodies, which I did have, but she said were in the normal range. Also, daily, I have an irregular heart beat on and off during the day. When I suggested to the doctor about doing a trial of thyroid medicine, she flipped out and said, "What! Do you want to make your heart worse? Your labs are normal!" She thinks I am depressed and anxious. How does that make me cold all the time??? Anyway, she presribed Effexor, which I'm not going to take. I left the office so defeated and

crying, and I'm dreading telling my husband. He's not very sympathetic because I'm always talking about this. He thinks I'm obsessing about it, but it's driving me crazy because I know something is wrong! My mom is hypothyroid and I feel that I am too. Since we just moved to Abilene over the Summer, I'm not sure who to go to that is willing to look at the whole picture and not just treat lab values. I am so frustrated with the medical community...and I'm a RN! Thanks for listening and providing this group.

Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell? Check out

new cars at Yahoo! Autos.

[Guest guest]

Welcome, Kelli!

Well, you've found a huge bunch of folks who know you're not crazy!

We've all gone through obsessiveness with our health, since our docs

didn't help us. My pcp gave up on me (thought I was a " head case " and

wished me luck after I decided to see a doc the board recommended). I

got terribly sick. He's getting me well. I was lucky in that my DH

totally supported me through 15 years of problems, complaints and

worsening conditions while under the care of other docs. He just had

to stand by and feel helpless. I knew something was wrong with him,

too, and he resisted seeing the new doc, but, guess what - he got so

sick he finally went to see the doc, and had much the same blood

profile as me! He's now feeling great. And he had a TSH of .70! Our

new doc knows the incredible details of the complexity of the thyroid

disease process and is astoundingly experienced in the complexity of

the treatment. Most docs are clueless. I've never felt as good as

when DH says to me, " honey, thank you for helping me get my life back

for me. " And now, with DH feeling so great, our pcp has been

screaming at me to get my new doc's lecture tapes to her. She's

anxious for him to publish a study. Quite a turnaround for her. But

at least she's now a supporter.

You're not nuts. You need a new doc. If your husband wants some proof

he can talk to my husband. We're in the health care field. Just let

me know.

Sara

PS -my mom was hypo, too.

PPS - several of us see Dr. in Lubbock, which wouldn't be

too terribly far to drive for you. DH and I drive from Dallas. Some

come from Houston or San and further. Worth every friggin'

mile! I'm sure others will pipe in with more details.

>

> Hello,

>

> He thinks I'm obsessing about it, but it's driving me crazy

> because I know something is wrong! My mom is hypothyroid and I

feel

> that I am too. Since we just moved to Abilene over the Summer, I'm

> not sure who to go to that is willing to look at the whole picture

> and not just treat lab values. I am so frustrated with the medical

> community...and I'm a RN! Thanks for listening and providing this

> group.

>

[Guest guest]

Hi Sara! Thanks for the note of encouragement. As I was reading your email, I was thinking "who does she see?" and then you answered at the bottom. I'm so excited! I made an appt with him yesterday. I go May 23rd at 3pm. Yeah! I finally feel like there is hope. My DH is behind me now, too, finally, after I went to the doctor and she was so rude. I also found a blip on thyroidologists.com (don't think they're great, but it helped my case) about, "if you have thyroid antibodies in your blood...they are great markers for autoimmune thyroid disease...if you dr tell you your tests are normal...get a second opinion." I read this to DH and he told me to show this to my pcp. I explained to him that she has it in her head I'm a psych case and it won't do any good. He then wanted me to get a referral to the local endo, but told him he'll just look at my TSH (because that's

what she said). Then, he said, "ok, go get checked out." Normally, I wouldn't ask DH for permission, but we have Tricare and Dr doesn't take that, so it'll be out of pocket and then hopefully our ins will pick up some of it. I also told my husband I'll work extra shifts in the nursery at Hendrick! Anything to go to Lubbock! I told him that I would get checked out by Dr. and if he doesn't find anything wrong then I will stop talking and researching about what's wrong....all the time. That's funny you mentioned your DH not feeling well. Mine isn't feeling so hot either. He's always tired, back hurts, and moody at times. He's Air Force, though, and the Flight Docs aren't real with it. Plus, he's restricted to who he can see. He retires in 3 years, so then, he can start seeing Dr. . Thanks for your words of

encouragement. I just want the next month to hurry up so I can see him! Kelli rgrprop wrote: Welcome, Kelli!Well, you've found a huge bunch of folks who know you're not crazy! We've all gone through obsessiveness with our health, since our docs didn't help us. My pcp gave up on me (thought I was a "head case" and wished me luck after I decided to see a doc the board

recommended). I got terribly sick. He's getting me well. I was lucky in that my DH totally supported me through 15 years of problems, complaints and worsening conditions while under the care of other docs. He just had to stand by and feel helpless. I knew something was wrong with him, too, and he resisted seeing the new doc, but, guess what - he got so sick he finally went to see the doc, and had much the same blood profile as me! He's now feeling great. And he had a TSH of .70! Our new doc knows the incredible details of the complexity of the thyroid disease process and is astoundingly experienced in the complexity of the treatment. Most docs are clueless. I've never felt as good as when DH says to me, "honey, thank you for helping me get my life back for me." And now, with DH feeling so great, our pcp has been screaming at me to get my new doc's lecture tapes to her. She's anxious for him to publish a study.

Quite a turnaround for her. But at least she's now a supporter.You're not nuts. You need a new doc. If your husband wants some proof he can talk to my husband. We're in the health care field. Just let me know.SaraPS -my mom was hypo, too.PPS - several of us see Dr. in Lubbock, which wouldn't be too terribly far to drive for you. DH and I drive from Dallas. Some come from Houston or San and further. Worth every friggin' mile! I'm sure others will pipe in with more details.>> Hello,> > He thinks I'm obsessing about it, but it's driving me crazy > because I know something is wrong! My mom is hypothyroid and I feel > that I am too. Since we just moved to Abilene over the Summer, I'm

> not sure who to go to that is willing to look at the whole picture > and not just treat lab values. I am so frustrated with the medical > community...and I'm a RN! Thanks for listening and providing this > group.>

[Guest guest]

You need your cortisol number with ranges. Which test was it? 24

urine? AM cortisol? saliva?

Kate

At 11:29 AM 5/8/2007, you wrote:

>I was also diagnosed with cortisol def and progesterone def. estrogen

>dominant. I am taking bio-identical hormones for those. these are the

>test results I was given over the phone:

>

>cholesteral-162

>HDL- 48 (greater than 50)

>LDL - 102 (less than 99)

>TRIG -62 (greater than 149)

>FREE T4 - 2.55 (0.9-2.0)

>WBC,RBC-normal

>VIT D-29 (50-100)

>

>This was all I was told. I am expecting a call from the doc today and I

>am going to ask for TSH and free T3.

>

>Jan wrote:

>It is not unusual for docs to miss secondary hypo due to testing TSH only.

>I do not think stopping meds will cause a goiter to shrink. That may cause

>it to grow. A suppressive dose of thyroid hormone gives you about a 50%

>chance of shrinking small nodules.

>

>You may actually be undermedicated and need an increase. If you would like

>to post your recent labs together with the reference ranges and the exact

>name of each test, we may be able to comment.

>

>Folks with secondary hypo often have other hormonal deficiencies. If you

>have not had the following tested, you may wish to do so: estrogens,

>cortisol, ACTH, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, FSH.

>

>Have you been tested to determine whether your problem is at the pituitary

>level or if there is a defect in the hypothalamus? (central or tertiary

>hypothyroidism)

>

>The only Houston endo that we recommend is Vivian .

>

>Dawne Baumann wrote:

>Hi to everyone!

>

>My name is Dawne and I am new to this site. I was diagnosed with

>secondary hypothyroidism 4 years ago and have been taking armour

>thyroid. Before I was diagnosed I had seen an endo doc that tested a

>nodule that I had on my right lobe. the tests came out normal and he of

>course told me I was fine despite all the symptoms of hypo. he had told

>me I was hyper but not enough for meds and I needed to take rogaine for

>the tremendous hair loss I had. well I found another doc who then

>diagnosed me correctly. I have been doing well up until 2 weeks ago when

>overnight my right thyroid lobe enlarged to the size of a ping pong

>ball. Now I have the sensation of someone pressing against my throat

>around the adams apple area. I also periodically have the sensation of my

>thyroid throbbing and the sides of my neck feel like my pulse is racing on

>overdrive, even though the rest of my body does not feel that way. At

>this time my doc wants me to stop the armour and see if it shrinks. One

>week without and no relief. He says that I may have to see an endo to

>test for cancer or to order surgery. I am a little perplexed right now

>and not sure what to do. I am afraid to find an endo after what I went

>thru with the first one yet I am afraid to wait in case it is cancer. Any

>help or suggestions of Doctor? I live in the Houston area

>thanks,

>Dawne

>

>

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[Guest guest]

Important: Have you ever had a scan or MRI done directly on the pituitary itself? Tiny little growths in or on it (depends on which area) do usually affect different hormone pathways. These are as Jan mentioned, plus possible growth hormone and others. Yes, it would depend on whether it's coming from the pituitary or hypothalamus, but they are both intimately coupled together, as you would see in drawings of these structures. All these little organs are very dependent on each other and have a very well-defined feedback system, so, if one is off, there are others (depending on where a growth might be). It seems to me that most endos seem to think that the pituitary is somehow infallible and that all these things are extremely rare. I have not seen statistics on the rareness, but I think that that would be undiagnosis or misdiagnosis and poor reporting methods, so I just don't agree with that at all. So many endos are not wholistic doctors and don't seem to look at the big picture. I would think that a pituitary specialist would be in order but don't know one.

Re: new member

I was also diagnosed with cortisol def and progesterone def. estrogen dominant. I am taking bio-identical hormones for those. these are the test results I was given over the phone:

cholesteral-162

HDL- 48 (greater than 50)

LDL - 102 (less than 99)

TRIG -62 (greater than 149)

FREE T4 - 2.55 (0.9-2.0)

WBC,RBC-normal

VIT D-29 (50-100)

This was all I was told. I am expecting a call from the doc today and I am going to ask for TSH and free T3.

[Guest guest]

I think that your doc doesn't realize what the different causes of a growing nodule are, and I can't immagine that being a little over on your Free T4 would cause a nodule to grow. Because your pituitary or your hypothalamus, one or the other, is not promting your thyroid to make hormone, that would mean that your TSH is totally irrelevant, as that's ONLY with a healthy feedback system AND not having taken any thyroid meds. For YOU, the feedback system doesn't exist, as the TSH is unable to rise or decrease in response to too much or not enough thyroid hormone. They are taken out of the picture because they are sick and can no longer be relied upon. I'm still wondering if they've done any pictures on your brain in that area.

Re: new member

I was taking the armour 2grains in morning, but I had not taken the armour 3 days before the test. the doc said that I needed to only take 1 grain in am and 1 in pm from now on , then he said to stop for now

[Guest guest]

I am feeling fine without the meds. I don't feel any change and I have now been 1 week off. I finally go all my lab results faxed to me. I don't know if they tested for antibodies. wouldl it say antibodies or would it just be all the different WBC counts because I have those.Jan wrote: You may have an autonomous hot nodule, which spits out thyroid hormone from time to time, or you could be going hyper by some other

mechanism. With your numbers, I would be more suspicious of that than of cancer, although having one does not exclude the other. How are you feeling without any thyroid meds? Dawne Baumann <wopmom1963> wrote: I was taking the armour 2grains in morning, but I had not taken the armour 3 days before the test. the doc said that I needed to only take 1 grain in am and 1 in pm from now on , then he said to stop for nowJan <texasthyroid> wrote: Your

Free T4 is quite high. Did you take your Armour before the blood draw? If so, how long before? You do not need a TSH. TSH is irrelevant for secondary hypo folks. Dawne Baumann <wopmom1963> wrote: I was also diagnosed with cortisol def and progesterone def. estrogen dominant. I am taking bio-identical hormones for those. these are the test results I was given over the phone: cholesteral-162 HDL- 48 (greater than 50) LDL - 102 (less than 99) TRIG -62 (greater than 149) FREE T4 - 2.55 (0.9-2.0) WBC,RBC-normal VIT D-29 (50-100) This was all I was told. I am expecting a call from the doc today and I am going to ask for TSH and free T3.Jan <texasthyroid> wrote: It is not unusual for docs to miss secondary hypo due to testing TSH only. I do not think stopping meds will cause a goiter to shrink. That may cause it to grow. A suppressive dose of thyroid hormone gives you about a 50% chance of shrinking small nodules.

You may actually be undermedicated and need an increase. If you would like to post your recent labs together with the reference ranges and the exact name of each test, we may be able to comment. Folks with secondary hypo often have other hormonal deficiencies. If you have not had the following tested, you may wish to do so: estrogens, cortisol, ACTH, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, FSH. Have you been tested to determine whether your problem is at the pituitary level or if there is a defect in the hypothalamus? (central or tertiary

hypothyroidism) The only Houston endo that we recommend is Vivian . Dawne Baumann <wopmom1963> wrote: Hi to everyone! My name is Dawne and I am new to this site. I was diagnosed with secondary hypothyroidism 4 years ago and have been taking armour thyroid. Before I was diagnosed I had seen an endo doc that tested a nodule that I had on my right lobe. the tests came out normal and he of course told me I was fine despite all the symptoms of hypo. he had told me I was hyper but not enough for meds and I needed to take rogaine for the tremendous hair loss I

had. well I found another doc who then diagnosed me correctly. I have been doing well up until 2 weeks ago when overnight my right thyroid lobe enlarged to the size of a ping pong ball. Now I have the sensation of someone pressing against my throat around the adams apple area. I also periodically have the sensation of my thyroid throbbing and the sides of my neck feel like my pulse is racing on overdrive, even though the rest of my body does not feel that way. At this time my doc wants me to stop the armour and see if it shrinks. One week without and no relief. He says that I may have to see an endo to test for cancer or to order surgery. I am a little perplexed right now and not sure what to do. I am afraid to find an endo after what I went thru with the first one yet I am afraid to wait in case it is cancer. Any help or suggestions of Doctor? I live in the Houston area thanks, Dawne Ahhh...imagining that irresistible "new car" smell?Check out new cars at Yahoo! Autos.

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[Guest guest]

i don't think they tested it this time. I don't see it on the results and I know I did not take a urine or saliva testKate Guynn wrote: You need your cortisol number with ranges. Which test was it? 24 urine? AM cortisol? saliva?KateAt 11:29 AM 5/8/2007, you wrote:>I was also diagnosed with cortisol def and progesterone def. estrogen >dominant. I am taking bio-identical hormones for those. these are the >test results I was given over the

phone:>>cholesteral-162>HDL- 48 (greater than 50)>LDL - 102 (less than 99)>TRIG -62 (greater than 149)>FREE T4 - 2.55 (0.9-2.0)>WBC,RBC-normal>VIT D-29 (50-100)>>This was all I was told. I am expecting a call from the doc today and I >am going to ask for TSH and free T3.>>Jan <texasthyroid> wrote:>It is not unusual for docs to miss secondary hypo due to testing TSH only.>I do not think stopping meds will cause a goiter to shrink. That may cause >it to grow. A suppressive dose of thyroid hormone gives you about a 50% >chance of shrinking small nodules.>>You may actually be undermedicated and need an increase. If you would like >to post your recent labs together with the reference ranges and the exact >name of each test, we may be able to

comment.>>Folks with secondary hypo often have other hormonal deficiencies. If you >have not had the following tested, you may wish to do so: estrogens, >cortisol, ACTH, DHEA, testosterone, progesterone, FSH.>>Have you been tested to determine whether your problem is at the pituitary >level or if there is a defect in the hypothalamus? (central or tertiary >hypothyroidism)>>The only Houston endo that we recommend is Vivian .>>Dawne Baumann <wopmom1963> wrote:>Hi to everyone!>>My name is Dawne and I am new to this site. I was diagnosed with >secondary hypothyroidism 4 years ago and have been taking armour >thyroid. Before I was diagnosed I had seen an endo doc that tested a >nodule that I had on my right lobe. the tests came out normal and he of >course told me I was fine

despite all the symptoms of hypo. he had told >me I was hyper but not enough for meds and I needed to take rogaine for >the tremendous hair loss I had. well I found another doc who then >diagnosed me correctly. I have been doing well up until 2 weeks ago when >overnight my right thyroid lobe enlarged to the size of a ping pong >ball. Now I have the sensation of someone pressing against my throat >around the adams apple area. I also periodically have the sensation of my >thyroid throbbing and the sides of my neck feel like my pulse is racing on >overdrive, even though the rest of my body does not feel that way. At >this time my doc wants me to stop the armour and see if it shrinks. One >week without and no relief. He says that I may have to see an endo to >test for cancer or to order surgery. I am a little perplexed right now >and not sure what to do. I am afraid to find an endo after what I

went >thru with the first one yet I am afraid to wait in case it is cancer. Any >help or suggestions of Doctor? I live in the Houston area>thanks,>Dawne>>>Expecting? Get great news right away with ><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=49982/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html>email >Auto-Check.>Try the ><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=49982/*http://advision.webevents.yahoo.com/mailbeta/newmail_tools.html>Yahoo! >Mail Beta.>>>>The fish are biting.><http://us.rd.yahoo.com/evt=49679/*http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/arp/sponsoredsearch_v2.php?o=US2140 & cmp=Yahoo & ctv=Q107Tagline & s=Y & s2=EM & b=50>Get >more visitors on your site using Yahoo! Search Marketing. >No virus found in this incoming message.>Checked by AVG Free Edition.>Version: 7.5.467 / Virus Database: 269.6.5/792 - Release Date: 5/6/2007 >9:01 PM

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[Guest guest]

I have not had any type of testing on my pituitary or hypothalamus. could this also have made the goiter grow so quickly. This goiter appeared literally overnight and is the size of a ping pong ball. I told the doc that and he doesn't believe me. he tells me that it was a slow grow and I just didn't notice. There is no possible way I would not have noticed it. It appeared where my nodule was on my right lobe. Now sometimes I feel tenderness on the left lobe. these are the other results I just got faxed to me: TSH- either 2.005 or 3.005 (can't read it too well) (.350-5.500) thyroxine-17.4 or 7.4 can't read (4.5-12.0) - pretty sure it is 17.4 because it was flaggedT3 uptake- 38 (24-39) T4 free- 2.55 (.061-1.760 sorry about some of the numbers but they were't very clear on the fax I can't understand why they did not give me the other flagged results( TSH, T3, T4) I am not concerned about TSH from what you have told me. My next move is to find an good endo- this site gave me one name. does the endo also check for pituitary and hypothalamus? thanks for the info! wrote: I think that your doc doesn't realize what the different causes of a growing nodule are, and I can't

immagine that being a little over on your Free T4 would cause a nodule to grow. Because your pituitary or your hypothalamus, one or the other, is not promting your thyroid to make hormone, that would mean that your TSH is totally irrelevant, as that's ONLY with a healthy feedback system AND not having taken any thyroid meds. For YOU, the feedback system doesn't exist, as the TSH is unable to rise or decrease in response to too much or not enough thyroid hormone. They are taken out of the picture because they are sick and can no longer be relied upon. I'm still wondering if they've done any pictures on your brain in that area. Re: new member I was taking the armour 2grains in morning, but I had not taken the armour 3 days before the test. the doc said that I needed to only take 1 grain in am and 1 in pm from now on , then he said to stop for now

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