Re: test results

[Guest guest]

Hi Jody-

I wonder if your FT4 is falling because of the PTU which interferes with T4

synthesis, whereas, your body is still converting T4 to T3 at a constant

rate as long as T4 is still available.

Anyhow, your doctor could add a little levothyroxine while you're taking the

PTU in addition to the Armour.

The other possibility is that your thyroid is dying at a more accelerated

rate but since this coincided with you starting PTU that's probably the 1st

place to look.

Take care,

> Hi Terry,

> Maybe your doc is still holding on to the older tests? Elaine said the

FT3

> and 4 are relatively new...and I have had 2 doctors tell me that the FT3

is

> very expensive. It is not, it is 20 dollars less than a TSH...or close to

> 20 dollars. I would call and ask him to add it. It will show you exactly

> how much FT3 is available for your body to use and is a much more accurate

> test.

>

> My FT3 has been mid normal range with the Armour, but my FT4 is below

> normal, and it continues to fall each of the last 3 labs. I am not sure

> what that is all about, will have to do some asking and figure this out.

>

> Now would be the ideal time to have the tests, in my opinion. You are

> feeling good, and to know their range while your feeling good would be a

> target point for future reference in the future.

>

> TTYL, off to bed, been a long wonderful day. I hope you and yours had a

> great Christmas!

> Jody

[Guest guest]

Hi Jody-

I wonder if your FT4 is falling because of the PTU which interferes with T4

synthesis, whereas, your body is still converting T4 to T3 at a constant

rate as long as T4 is still available.

Anyhow, your doctor could add a little levothyroxine while you're taking the

PTU in addition to the Armour.

The other possibility is that your thyroid is dying at a more accelerated

rate but since this coincided with you starting PTU that's probably the 1st

place to look.

Take care,

> Hi Terry,

> Maybe your doc is still holding on to the older tests? Elaine said the

FT3

> and 4 are relatively new...and I have had 2 doctors tell me that the FT3

is

> very expensive. It is not, it is 20 dollars less than a TSH...or close to

> 20 dollars. I would call and ask him to add it. It will show you exactly

> how much FT3 is available for your body to use and is a much more accurate

> test.

>

> My FT3 has been mid normal range with the Armour, but my FT4 is below

> normal, and it continues to fall each of the last 3 labs. I am not sure

> what that is all about, will have to do some asking and figure this out.

>

> Now would be the ideal time to have the tests, in my opinion. You are

> feeling good, and to know their range while your feeling good would be a

> target point for future reference in the future.

>

> TTYL, off to bed, been a long wonderful day. I hope you and yours had a

> great Christmas!

> Jody

[Guest guest]

Hi Terry-

Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

upper-midnormal respectively.

That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

TSH has been low for a very long time).

Take care,

> Merry Christmas everyone,

>

> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

I

> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

I

> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

the

> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

for

> the last month or more.

>

> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

which

> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

at

> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>

> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

> before diagnosis to look at.

>

> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>

> Terry

[Guest guest]

Hi Terry-

Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

upper-midnormal respectively.

That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

TSH has been low for a very long time).

Take care,

> Merry Christmas everyone,

>

> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

I

> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

I

> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

the

> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

for

> the last month or more.

>

> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

which

> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

at

> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>

> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

> before diagnosis to look at.

>

> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>

> Terry

[Guest guest]

Hi Terry-

Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

upper-midnormal respectively.

That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

TSH has been low for a very long time).

Take care,

> Merry Christmas everyone,

>

> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

I

> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

I

> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

the

> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

for

> the last month or more.

>

> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

which

> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

at

> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>

> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

> before diagnosis to look at.

>

> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>

> Terry

[Guest guest]

, Jody--I was wondering about the TSH level that I might experience vs.

someone who is supplementing thyroid hormone after RAI, whether there is any

comparison to be made. I'd love to find out from some of you others who are

more in the same boat as me, that is, never had RAI and have been on ATD's

for some time, to see what feels like normal to you as a TSH level, if there

is such a thing as normal. Mine remained at <.01 until last summer, despite

everything else being in range on the methimazole, and only started going up

as I began my forays into hypo symptoms and started dropping dosage on my

own.

I will go ahead and get FT4 labs done next week, when my endo comes back

and can give me a slip just for that. I have to say, I feel just fine

without any methimazole so far. Probably a little jittery in the endo office

because I was nervous over having stopped w/o his input, but that is the

only bad moment. It's been 6 days now, so I figure any residual bit of it

should be out of my system.

Terry

>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 18:12:34 -0800

> To: <graves_support >

> Subject: Re: test results

>

> Hi Terry-

>

> Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

> we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

> suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

> thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

> though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

> upper-midnormal respectively.

>

> That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

> better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

> range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

> you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

> TSH has been low for a very long time).

>

> Take care,

>

>

>

>

>> Merry Christmas everyone,

>>

>> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

> I

>> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

> I

>> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

>> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

> the

>> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

>> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

> for

>> the last month or more.

>>

>> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

> which

>> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

> at

>> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

>> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

>> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

>> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>>

>> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

>> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

>> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

>> before diagnosis to look at.

>>

>> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

>> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

>> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>>

>> Terry

>

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------

> The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

> intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> ----------------------------------------

> DISCLAIMER

>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement

> of

> the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> --------

>

>

[Guest guest]

, Jody--I was wondering about the TSH level that I might experience vs.

someone who is supplementing thyroid hormone after RAI, whether there is any

comparison to be made. I'd love to find out from some of you others who are

more in the same boat as me, that is, never had RAI and have been on ATD's

for some time, to see what feels like normal to you as a TSH level, if there

is such a thing as normal. Mine remained at <.01 until last summer, despite

everything else being in range on the methimazole, and only started going up

as I began my forays into hypo symptoms and started dropping dosage on my

own.

I will go ahead and get FT4 labs done next week, when my endo comes back

and can give me a slip just for that. I have to say, I feel just fine

without any methimazole so far. Probably a little jittery in the endo office

because I was nervous over having stopped w/o his input, but that is the

only bad moment. It's been 6 days now, so I figure any residual bit of it

should be out of my system.

Terry

>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 18:12:34 -0800

> To: <graves_support >

> Subject: Re: test results

>

> Hi Terry-

>

> Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

> we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

> suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

> thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

> though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

> upper-midnormal respectively.

>

> That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

> better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

> range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

> you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

> TSH has been low for a very long time).

>

> Take care,

>

>

>

>

>> Merry Christmas everyone,

>>

>> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

> I

>> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

> I

>> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

>> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

> the

>> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

>> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

> for

>> the last month or more.

>>

>> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

> which

>> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

> at

>> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

>> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

>> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

>> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>>

>> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

>> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

>> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

>> before diagnosis to look at.

>>

>> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

>> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

>> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>>

>> Terry

>

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------

> The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

> intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> ----------------------------------------

> DISCLAIMER

>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement

> of

> the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> --------

>

>

[Guest guest]

, Jody--I was wondering about the TSH level that I might experience vs.

someone who is supplementing thyroid hormone after RAI, whether there is any

comparison to be made. I'd love to find out from some of you others who are

more in the same boat as me, that is, never had RAI and have been on ATD's

for some time, to see what feels like normal to you as a TSH level, if there

is such a thing as normal. Mine remained at <.01 until last summer, despite

everything else being in range on the methimazole, and only started going up

as I began my forays into hypo symptoms and started dropping dosage on my

own.

I will go ahead and get FT4 labs done next week, when my endo comes back

and can give me a slip just for that. I have to say, I feel just fine

without any methimazole so far. Probably a little jittery in the endo office

because I was nervous over having stopped w/o his input, but that is the

only bad moment. It's been 6 days now, so I figure any residual bit of it

should be out of my system.

Terry

>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Wed, 26 Dec 2001 18:12:34 -0800

> To: <graves_support >

> Subject: Re: test results

>

> Hi Terry-

>

> Jody's, Elaine's and my TSH are probably more suppressed than normal because

> we take Armour which has T3 in it. We get a big dose all at once which

> suppresses TSH more than the constant T3 that a person with a healthy

> thyroid gets. Mine is 0.01 because I take so much T3 (in my Armour). Even

> though my TSH is so low, my FT3 and FT4 levels are mid-normal and

> upper-midnormal respectively.

>

> That said, I've heard of lots of people that take T4 alone that feel much

> better if their TSHs are either borderline low-normal or in the lower normal

> range. I think it's important for you to get your FT4 levels checked. Then

> you'll have a better idea of what's really going on (and remember that your

> TSH has been low for a very long time).

>

> Take care,

>

>

>

>

>> Merry Christmas everyone,

>>

>> Yesterday I said I'd eat my hat if my labs came back and didn't show that

> I

>> was in the normal ranges--guess I better start chomping. Silly me, though,

> I

>> didn't look at the lab slip closely enough to notice that all he'd ordered

>> was TSH and liver panel--the liver was fine, but the TSH was .25 (.40 is

> the

>> bottom of the " normal " scale). This is down from .32 3 months back. These

>> labs were done a week ago, after I'd been taking 1.25 mg. of methimazole

> for

>> the last month or more.

>>

>> What I don't understand is, I've felt great---even just slightly hypO,

> which

>> is why I stopped taking anything as of 2 days ago. I have had NO symptoms

> at

>> all, my pulse ranged from 64-72, although it's gone up a bit in the last

>> couple days with no methimazole. I am not absolutely sure I should be off

>> completely, and now that this silly number has come back I am seriously

>> questioning that decision. The last thing I want to do is go hyper again.

>>

>> So the question is, I've seen it written here many a time, that most of us

>> feel better with TSH at the low end--well, how low is OK? Is it possible

>> that my " normal " is below the labs? I don't have any test results from

>> before diagnosis to look at.

>>

>> BTW, my endo seems to be into trusting me to do this on my own with

>> monitoring right now--just told me that if I felt like I needed the labs

>> sooner than 3 months, to do them (he added FT4 this time).

>>

>> Terry

>

>

>

>

> -------------------------------------

> The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

> intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> ----------------------------------------

> DISCLAIMER

>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list does not have the endorsement

> of

> the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

> ------------------------------------------------------------------------------

> --------

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

When I first read your comment about people with a healthy thyroid, I did not

include

myself in that. But.... on second thought, those of us on ATDs, 'DO ' have a

healthy

thyroid ! What a revolutionary concept !

We keep reading that it is not our thyroid, but the antibodies that are the

problem.

O.K. Then when we see the doctor, it is for our thyroid. When we speak to close

friends

of family, it is thyroid. As my goiter size changes, it is my thyroid. But we

know the

poor thing is simply reacting to the stimulation by the antibodies. When I am

sicker than

a dog, because my thyroid is over producing or under producing, I think about my

thyroid,

not the darn antibodies. So , somehow the concept of my thyroid being 'healthy'

has

escaped me until now.

Thank you so much ! I like this new way of thinking. Somehow this seems like a

giant

mental leap, and a positive one. You have made me smile.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

,

When I first read your comment about people with a healthy thyroid, I did not

include

myself in that. But.... on second thought, those of us on ATDs, 'DO ' have a

healthy

thyroid ! What a revolutionary concept !

We keep reading that it is not our thyroid, but the antibodies that are the

problem.

O.K. Then when we see the doctor, it is for our thyroid. When we speak to close

friends

of family, it is thyroid. As my goiter size changes, it is my thyroid. But we

know the

poor thing is simply reacting to the stimulation by the antibodies. When I am

sicker than

a dog, because my thyroid is over producing or under producing, I think about my

thyroid,

not the darn antibodies. So , somehow the concept of my thyroid being 'healthy'

has

escaped me until now.

Thank you so much ! I like this new way of thinking. Somehow this seems like a

giant

mental leap, and a positive one. You have made me smile.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

,

When I first read your comment about people with a healthy thyroid, I did not

include

myself in that. But.... on second thought, those of us on ATDs, 'DO ' have a

healthy

thyroid ! What a revolutionary concept !

We keep reading that it is not our thyroid, but the antibodies that are the

problem.

O.K. Then when we see the doctor, it is for our thyroid. When we speak to close

friends

of family, it is thyroid. As my goiter size changes, it is my thyroid. But we

know the

poor thing is simply reacting to the stimulation by the antibodies. When I am

sicker than

a dog, because my thyroid is over producing or under producing, I think about my

thyroid,

not the darn antibodies. So , somehow the concept of my thyroid being 'healthy'

has

escaped me until now.

Thank you so much ! I like this new way of thinking. Somehow this seems like a

giant

mental leap, and a positive one. You have made me smile.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Hey Jody,

I wondered if you gave the 1/4 pills a try.

Geezzzz, it took me a couple of hypo months to figure that one out. LOL Glad

it was

useful for someone else. It was one of those light bulb moments....like Duh !!!

I knew as long as I was taking the same amount per day, I wouldn't hurt myself.

And was

worth a try. Could have kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, after the

very first

day was so much better.

Of coarse you know my endo simply has given up on this front, he still thinks

you can

take the whole amount first thing in the morning ! Yeah, I don't see him taking

something

to slow himself down to start the day. This last visit was almost humorous. He

says, how

much are you taking now....one and a half pills....OK....still split through the

day?.....I mumbled " yeah " ....he guesses how I am dividing them...I just kind of

nodded.

LOL Its the end result as far as I am concerned. My lab reports and my ability

to

function are more important to me, than a long disagreement on how not taking

them all in

the morning just does not work for me.

I did that as 'ordered' for way too long. And I now have debts to pay because I

just

couldn't move very well. Oh well, at least he is one that will treat me by

symptoms, and

seems interested in new things, as long as I don't press him too much. I try to

get him to

listen just enough that he might do a bit better with his other hyper patients.

I know that my eye situation improving on their own, after such a long time has

impressed

him, and I truly believe he is not rushing others to radiation as he was in the

very

recent past. He keeps looking very carefully at my eyes each visit, and

commenting. May we

assume that others have just done as he said and done the radiation? I know the

first time

he saw the improvement, his comment was that the other three patients he had

seen in the

last few days, after radiation were not looking as good as me. I will never know

for sure.

So for now, I am still getting him accustomed to the splitting up the dose

concept. :-)

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Hey Jody,

I wondered if you gave the 1/4 pills a try.

Geezzzz, it took me a couple of hypo months to figure that one out. LOL Glad

it was

useful for someone else. It was one of those light bulb moments....like Duh !!!

I knew as long as I was taking the same amount per day, I wouldn't hurt myself.

And was

worth a try. Could have kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, after the

very first

day was so much better.

Of coarse you know my endo simply has given up on this front, he still thinks

you can

take the whole amount first thing in the morning ! Yeah, I don't see him taking

something

to slow himself down to start the day. This last visit was almost humorous. He

says, how

much are you taking now....one and a half pills....OK....still split through the

day?.....I mumbled " yeah " ....he guesses how I am dividing them...I just kind of

nodded.

LOL Its the end result as far as I am concerned. My lab reports and my ability

to

function are more important to me, than a long disagreement on how not taking

them all in

the morning just does not work for me.

I did that as 'ordered' for way too long. And I now have debts to pay because I

just

couldn't move very well. Oh well, at least he is one that will treat me by

symptoms, and

seems interested in new things, as long as I don't press him too much. I try to

get him to

listen just enough that he might do a bit better with his other hyper patients.

I know that my eye situation improving on their own, after such a long time has

impressed

him, and I truly believe he is not rushing others to radiation as he was in the

very

recent past. He keeps looking very carefully at my eyes each visit, and

commenting. May we

assume that others have just done as he said and done the radiation? I know the

first time

he saw the improvement, his comment was that the other three patients he had

seen in the

last few days, after radiation were not looking as good as me. I will never know

for sure.

So for now, I am still getting him accustomed to the splitting up the dose

concept. :-)

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Hey Jody,

I wondered if you gave the 1/4 pills a try.

Geezzzz, it took me a couple of hypo months to figure that one out. LOL Glad

it was

useful for someone else. It was one of those light bulb moments....like Duh !!!

I knew as long as I was taking the same amount per day, I wouldn't hurt myself.

And was

worth a try. Could have kicked myself for not thinking of it sooner, after the

very first

day was so much better.

Of coarse you know my endo simply has given up on this front, he still thinks

you can

take the whole amount first thing in the morning ! Yeah, I don't see him taking

something

to slow himself down to start the day. This last visit was almost humorous. He

says, how

much are you taking now....one and a half pills....OK....still split through the

day?.....I mumbled " yeah " ....he guesses how I am dividing them...I just kind of

nodded.

LOL Its the end result as far as I am concerned. My lab reports and my ability

to

function are more important to me, than a long disagreement on how not taking

them all in

the morning just does not work for me.

I did that as 'ordered' for way too long. And I now have debts to pay because I

just

couldn't move very well. Oh well, at least he is one that will treat me by

symptoms, and

seems interested in new things, as long as I don't press him too much. I try to

get him to

listen just enough that he might do a bit better with his other hyper patients.

I know that my eye situation improving on their own, after such a long time has

impressed

him, and I truly believe he is not rushing others to radiation as he was in the

very

recent past. He keeps looking very carefully at my eyes each visit, and

commenting. May we

assume that others have just done as he said and done the radiation? I know the

first time

he saw the improvement, his comment was that the other three patients he had

seen in the

last few days, after radiation were not looking as good as me. I will never know

for sure.

So for now, I am still getting him accustomed to the splitting up the dose

concept. :-)

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you must

ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to this

question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they go on

and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far. :-)

Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak with

really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by the

'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or low

blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP would

go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly after

this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now have

good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep well

when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and not

guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you must

ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to this

question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they go on

and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far. :-)

Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak with

really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by the

'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or low

blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP would

go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly after

this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now have

good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep well

when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and not

guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you must

ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to this

question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they go on

and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far. :-)

Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak with

really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by the

'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or low

blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP would

go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly after

this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now have

good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep well

when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and not

guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Actually, Pam, when I'm hyper my blood pressure is low, too. When I started

going hypo, and as of my last appt., my blood pressure was back up to

" normal " 120/80. When I was hyper, it was running about 110/60. Not a big

difference, but I wondered about that phenomenon myself! My blood pressure

has alway been 120/80, and I remember the doctors appt. I went in with a

sore throat before I was diagnosed with Graves and my blood pressure was

110/60. I commented that it was low for me, and she said it was probably

because I was sick, but it was fine at that level. Now I know it was

probably because I was already hyper at that point.

Re: test results

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you

must ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to

this question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they

go on and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far.

:-) Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak

with really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by

the 'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy

office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or

low blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP

would go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly

after this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now

have good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep

well when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and

not guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Actually, Pam, when I'm hyper my blood pressure is low, too. When I started

going hypo, and as of my last appt., my blood pressure was back up to

" normal " 120/80. When I was hyper, it was running about 110/60. Not a big

difference, but I wondered about that phenomenon myself! My blood pressure

has alway been 120/80, and I remember the doctors appt. I went in with a

sore throat before I was diagnosed with Graves and my blood pressure was

110/60. I commented that it was low for me, and she said it was probably

because I was sick, but it was fine at that level. Now I know it was

probably because I was already hyper at that point.

Re: test results

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you

must ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to

this question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they

go on and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far.

:-) Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak

with really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by

the 'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy

office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or

low blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP

would go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly

after this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now

have good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep

well when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and

not guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

Actually, Pam, when I'm hyper my blood pressure is low, too. When I started

going hypo, and as of my last appt., my blood pressure was back up to

" normal " 120/80. When I was hyper, it was running about 110/60. Not a big

difference, but I wondered about that phenomenon myself! My blood pressure

has alway been 120/80, and I remember the doctors appt. I went in with a

sore throat before I was diagnosed with Graves and my blood pressure was

110/60. I commented that it was low for me, and she said it was probably

because I was sick, but it was fine at that level. Now I know it was

probably because I was already hyper at that point.

Re: test results

Holly,

I find that calling for labs to be very difficult. If you do call, you

must ask for the

exact numbers. This may be hard to get. My best way to get a response to

this question, as

they keep saying 'your fine' or whatever....and I want numbers.....as they

go on and on,

not wanting to go look.....I say " is it a secret? " This has worked so far.

:-) Though I am

sure there is a more direct way to ask that question. This is just the one I

happened on,

in a bad moment, and it worked so well, I still use it. The girl I speak

with really is

nice, just busy, and I always get her laughing with this. YMMV.

The thing is, no one looks in your file while they are reading the lab

results, in my

opinion. They are too busy to spend that much time on it. So they just go by

the 'normal'

ranges. I can see how this would be normal operating procedure in a busy

office.

Also, as to having a hard time figuring out if we are hyper or hypo..... I

just went

back to the list of hyper and hypo symptoms....see under hypo.....high or

low blood

pressure. I think this is what confuses me. When I am hypo my blood pressure

goes up, more

and more, as I get more hypo.

I see when the list was made, they included both.....just goes to show we

really are all

different. This had me confused for a long time, as I assumed that the BP

would go down

with hypo. The day I saw this on the list, I started wondering. Shortly

after this

discovery, I went and got a BP cuff, and have been checking my own, and now

have good

records , which I have been able to correlate with my lab reports. So I know

this is true

, at least for me. I am also guessing that this might be why I do not sleep

well when

hypo. ( except for that one time when I was WAY down).

Just something to think about. I'm probably just weird.

Come to think of it, my endo always guesses I am too hyper when my BP is

up......that

must be more common. Otherwise, wouldn't he just guess that I am 'off' and

not guess hyper

every time ?

Hope you get those labs soon. The guessing is the hardest part.

-Pam-

[Guest guest]

--but I am a " knife

person " because of my profession and have a good collection and do my own

sharpening.

Terry,

Ok. So you're a chef? a fish filet-er? a mass murderer ? a surgeon?

or a butcher?

Holly

[Guest guest]

I was able to get my results very easily! Apparently they scan them and

can pull them up on the computer, so it took only a couple of seconds. TSH

-- 1.33 ; free T4 -- .65. So, let me analyze this. I'm still showing

slightly hypo by my T4, but just barely. But, my TSH is in the low normal

range. In November my TSH was 30.5 and free T4 was .40. He cut my then

dosage of 10 mg twice a day to 5 mg twice a day, and it obviously made a big

change. I do think now that cutting my dose in half this time was a little

drastic since I don't have nearly as far to go as I did last month. I'm

going to take everyone's advice and add another 2.5 mg in the morning, and

take my 5 mg at night. I think I'll also get my blood pressure checked

today, and if it's lower than 120/80, I'll feel pretty confident that I'm a

little hyper. My heart rate has been going up faster than it had been the

last few times I've worked out, too, but I've been hypo, so it's hard for me

to say whether it's too much. I cant' really remember what it was like

pre-Grave's.

I've got two months to search for a new doctor. I've heard good things

about a doctor in Cincinnati, so, even though it's almost two hours away, I

think it would be worth it to find someone who isn't so radio-iodine happy!

You know, we should be able to interview doctors like job interviews. If

I'm looking for a particular philosophy or attitude, I shouldn't have to

" hire " and " fire " people to find what I'm looking for. I should be able to

know up front and make my " hiring " decision based on the interview. Oh

well, in a perfect world...

Have a great day, everyone!

Holly

Kentucky

dx August 2001, current therapy: methimazole

(I like the way signs her posts. It's helpful to know what the

person who's writing is going through)

[Guest guest]

I was able to get my results very easily! Apparently they scan them and

can pull them up on the computer, so it took only a couple of seconds. TSH

-- 1.33 ; free T4 -- .65. So, let me analyze this. I'm still showing

slightly hypo by my T4, but just barely. But, my TSH is in the low normal

range. In November my TSH was 30.5 and free T4 was .40. He cut my then

dosage of 10 mg twice a day to 5 mg twice a day, and it obviously made a big

change. I do think now that cutting my dose in half this time was a little

drastic since I don't have nearly as far to go as I did last month. I'm

going to take everyone's advice and add another 2.5 mg in the morning, and

take my 5 mg at night. I think I'll also get my blood pressure checked

today, and if it's lower than 120/80, I'll feel pretty confident that I'm a

little hyper. My heart rate has been going up faster than it had been the

last few times I've worked out, too, but I've been hypo, so it's hard for me

to say whether it's too much. I cant' really remember what it was like

pre-Grave's.

I've got two months to search for a new doctor. I've heard good things

about a doctor in Cincinnati, so, even though it's almost two hours away, I

think it would be worth it to find someone who isn't so radio-iodine happy!

You know, we should be able to interview doctors like job interviews. If

I'm looking for a particular philosophy or attitude, I shouldn't have to

" hire " and " fire " people to find what I'm looking for. I should be able to

know up front and make my " hiring " decision based on the interview. Oh

well, in a perfect world...

Have a great day, everyone!

Holly

Kentucky

dx August 2001, current therapy: methimazole

(I like the way signs her posts. It's helpful to know what the

person who's writing is going through)

[Guest guest]

I was able to get my results very easily! Apparently they scan them and

can pull them up on the computer, so it took only a couple of seconds. TSH

-- 1.33 ; free T4 -- .65. So, let me analyze this. I'm still showing

slightly hypo by my T4, but just barely. But, my TSH is in the low normal

range. In November my TSH was 30.5 and free T4 was .40. He cut my then

dosage of 10 mg twice a day to 5 mg twice a day, and it obviously made a big

change. I do think now that cutting my dose in half this time was a little

drastic since I don't have nearly as far to go as I did last month. I'm

going to take everyone's advice and add another 2.5 mg in the morning, and

take my 5 mg at night. I think I'll also get my blood pressure checked

today, and if it's lower than 120/80, I'll feel pretty confident that I'm a

little hyper. My heart rate has been going up faster than it had been the

last few times I've worked out, too, but I've been hypo, so it's hard for me

to say whether it's too much. I cant' really remember what it was like

pre-Grave's.

I've got two months to search for a new doctor. I've heard good things

about a doctor in Cincinnati, so, even though it's almost two hours away, I

think it would be worth it to find someone who isn't so radio-iodine happy!

You know, we should be able to interview doctors like job interviews. If

I'm looking for a particular philosophy or attitude, I shouldn't have to

" hire " and " fire " people to find what I'm looking for. I should be able to

know up front and make my " hiring " decision based on the interview. Oh

well, in a perfect world...

Have a great day, everyone!

Holly

Kentucky

dx August 2001, current therapy: methimazole

(I like the way signs her posts. It's helpful to know what the

person who's writing is going through)

[Guest guest]

Hi Terry,

If you have to ask him for the FT4 slip separate, ask him to include a FT3

with it. It really will help get a clearer picture.

Jody

_________________________________________________________________

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