Re: Question about temps from a newbie

[Guest guest]

HI there Debbie in Florida! This is Janie in Colorado and folks from

all over the world here.

Yes, I would think that some conditions could skew the temperature.

But that's ok. You don't have to dose by temps anyway. You can dose

by other symptoms (such as getting rid of fatigue, lowering your

cholesterol, change in bowels, change in skin or hair, etc.) Also,

you can dose by labs. Your goal while on Armour is to get that free

T3 towards the top of the range, NO MATTER HOW LOW it will get your

TSH. There is an article in the FILES section of this site about the

uselessness of diagnosing by the TSH.

You have joined a great crowd of folks who are were treated for

years and years with Synthroid or Levoxyl or other T4-meds and NEVER

knew about Armour. Armour has significantly changed the lives on

many here!

Did you say you quit taking your thyroid meds? If so, it'll be

important to get on Armour asap. There are links in the LINKS file

where you can search for an Armour doc. Or, go to your nearest

pharmacy and ask the pharmacist which doc prescribes it. I have to

drive 1 hour and 20 minutes to my doc, but it's worth every second

and the gas, as well.

Also, take time to read the files in the FILES section of this site.

Self-education is key to good treatment when we have SO many docs

and a huge medical community that is sorely ignorant about Armour,

and about how to adequately treat hypothyroid.

Welcome, Debbie!!

Janie aka ThyroDiva

> Hi y'all:

> I'm Debbie, live in FL, and have been hypoT for 30 years.

[Guest guest]

Hi Janie!

Thanks for the info and the warm welcome. Was glad to hear that

something could skew the body temps. theory because when I checked

my temp again this morning (forgot to do it yesterday during the

day) it was the same.

I was just put on Armour the beginning of November. It was when I

was given Synthroid only, over the last 30 years, that I would stop

taking it because I never felt any better and also didn't know that

there was something else I could have been given, like Armour!

It was about three years ago I was dx'd with Hashi's and started

learning everything I could about it and found a couple of yahoo

groups that I joined. That's when I found out about Armour and went

on my journey to find a doc to rx it to me. I went thru two endos,

who were, by the way, were on Shomon's list of top docs but

they refused to rx Armour even when I went in with sheets and sheets

of paper I'd printed off the internet and where people had posted in

group about how much better they started feeling when switched to

Armour....didn't matter to them though because ya know " they're the

experts " ...yea right!

Then we had to change insurance networks at work so I went about

finding a new primary that would treat my thyroid. (During that

time I also found out that Hashi's runs in my family, maternal

side.) He had all of my past records and seen that I'd had three

TPO tests run and each time, the antibodies grew higher. I think

though, it was all those papers I also took to him, that he realized

I wanted to take part in the decision making of my own treatment and

he didn't hesitate to rx the Armour for me. Only problem was/is

that he's not very " up " on Hashi's so even though he knows I'm

clinically feeling better on the Armour, he's still looking at those

darn labs!

My last labs indicated that one grain is a good dose for me. TSH

was .33, FT3 & FT4 are high, with FT3 just over the high normal, but

I still have alot of symptoms. I am much better then what I was

before Armour but still don't think I'm on the right dosage and that

I could improve more on a higher dose. Doc said no dosage increase

and wanted me to lower it because of labs and I got the whole " you

can do just as much damage being hyper, than being hypo " story so

when I went there hoping for an increase, bam, my labs screwed me.

So I'm having to take this into my own hands and start self-dosing

with adding more Armour. Just ordered extra Armour from myrxforless

(hoping it doesn't get confiscated) and am increasing my dose by 30

mgs. and see how I do on it. When it comes time for labs again next

month, will just not take any Armour a couple of days before the

blood draw and see what the labs say. Maybe at that time, I can get

him to raise my dosage again to more then just one grain. Will also

take some more research paperwork to show him that higher doses or

Armour won't hurt me.

Debbie, FL

<Did you say you quit taking your thyroid meds? If so, it'll be

important to get on Armour asap. There are links in the LINKS file

where you can search for an Armour doc. Or, go to your nearest

pharmacy and ask the pharmacist which doc prescribes it. I have to

drive 1 hour and 20 minutes to my doc, but it's worth every second

and the gas, as well.

Self-education is key to good treatment when we have SO many docs

and a huge medical community that is sorely ignorant about Armour,

and about how to adequately treat hypothyroid.>

Welcome, Debbie!!

Janie aka ThyroDiva

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 5/4/2004 10:17:09 AM Eastern Standard Time, usns@...

writes:

>

> It also disappoints me to read again that many docs who are

> recommended on 's Top Doc list do not even prescribe Armour.

And unfortunately...some of them who DO prescribe Armour shouldn't be there.

The doc I had wanted me to stop at 75 mg. (1 1/4 grain) when my Free T4 was

still .77 and the TSH was 1.7. Is their anyway we can alert the Top Docs lists

of the docs that shouldn't be there?

Cindi

[Guest guest]

Debbie.. take your increase as you've planned and when you go in for your

labs be up front with the doc, if you're feeling better tell him so and

tell him in what ways you are feeling better... then tell him what TSH

is...

TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, it's release by the pituitary gland

as a signal to the thyroid gland to release more hormone.... the higher

the TSH is the more hormone the body needs, the less TSH the softer the

pituitary's call for more hormone. A person is not hyper until the Free

T4 and the Free T3 is elevated.. those are the actual thyroid hormones

that cause your metabolic rate to raise.

Use some facts and figures along the way.. start tracking your basals....

bring in the proof.. and above all stress on what points you are feeling

better and let him know that it was because of the increase.. He sounds

as though he's teachable.. he just doesn't understand what the numbers

are saying.. he's fixated on TSH being the only thing to check to

proclaim hyper.. and once you are on meds that simply is not true.. it's

the Frees that are the ones to watch.....

When is your next appointment?

Topper ()

On Tue, 04 May 2004 10:08:53 -0000 " Debbie "

writes:

< snip >

> Then we had to change insurance networks at work so I went about

> finding a new primary that would treat my thyroid. (During that

> time I also found out that Hashi's runs in my family, maternal

> side.) He had all of my past records and seen that I'd had three

> TPO tests run and each time, the antibodies grew higher. I think

> though, it was all those papers I also took to him, that he realized

> I wanted to take part in the decision making of my own treatment and

> he didn't hesitate to rx the Armour for me. Only problem was/is

> that he's not very " up " on Hashi's so even though he knows I'm

> clinically feeling better on the Armour, he's still looking at those

> darn labs!

> My last labs indicated that one grain is a good dose for me. TSH

> was .33, FT3 & FT4 are high, with FT3 just over the high normal, but

> I still have alot of symptoms. I am much better then what I was

> before Armour but still don't think I'm on the right dosage and that

> I could improve more on a higher dose. Doc said no dosage increase

> and wanted me to lower it because of labs and I got the whole " you

> can do just as much damage being hyper, than being hypo " story so

> when I went there hoping for an increase, bam, my labs screwed me.

> So I'm having to take this into my own hands and start self-dosing

> with adding more Armour. Just ordered extra Armour from myrxforless

> (hoping it doesn't get confiscated) and am increasing my dose by 30

> mgs. and see how I do on it. When it comes time for labs again next

> month, will just not take any Armour a couple of days before the

> blood draw and see what the labs say. Maybe at that time, I can get

> him to raise my dosage again to more then just one grain. Will also

> take some more research paperwork to show him that higher doses or

> Armour won't hurt me.

>

> Debbie, FL

[Guest guest]

Debbie, hooray!! Not that I've read more details about your

situation, I am very excited for you.

Darn the doc for paying so much attention to labs over your obvious

symptoms. Labwork may be a great invention in many areas, but with

thyroid treatment, LABWORK SUCKS!! Dr. Derry in Canada was the first

to give us the up and up about treatment BEFORE the TSH came into

existence---namely, that folks were treated with Armour based on

SYMPTOMS, and they were treated successfully. I am treated

successfully, and my TSH happens to be .009 when I last checked it!

I am NOT hyper.

It also disappoints me to read again that many docs who are

recommended on 's Top Doc list do not even prescribe Armour.

Debbie, check out the article in the FILES section by Dommisse--he

talks about how his old lab used to have a free T3 MUCH higher than

the current ones, and he tends to dose his patients by that range.

Also he talks about treating folks with low TSH.

There is also a good article on TSH. See if any of these would help

you with your doc.

Tell him about me---how a national thyroid advocate has a TSH

of .009 and she is NOT hyper, nor is there concern about my bones!!

All it means is that I am dosing enough to rid myself of symptoms,

and I am not letting my own thyroid do very much since it is SICK

anyway!!!!! And there are MANY others doing the same.

Good luck getting in that myrxforless order!! Let us know.

Janie

> I was just put on Armour the beginning of November. It was when I

> was given Synthroid only, over the last 30 years, that I would

stop

> taking it because I never felt any better and also didn't know

that

> there was something else I could have been given, like Armour!