Re: My visit with a doc yesterday...

[Guest guest]

In a message dated 10/20/2004 1:45:08 PM Eastern Standard Time,

maryjohn@... writes:

> Sorry this is so long and rambling. I tried to remember everything and

> will probably still come up with more.

>

the doc sounds like an arrogant SOB (sorry - i only curse when folks tell me

doctor stories).

The part about tonsils...I'm like you...had them out when I was 5 (almost 49

too)... associates that with thyroid problems...an interesting

topic we might ought to discuss some time.

I always had allergies too...they are MUCH improved with Armour...I think the

problems you mentioned are low thyroid.

Especially the periods. I had gone from always being every 32 days down to

28 days in the two years before I was diagnosed...and heavy painful flow. All

that changed after two months of Armour. Back to 32 days and regular flow.

I swear - i don't know what to do with these doctors...they're keeping us

sick.

cindi

[Guest guest]

Hi !

I've found those lists of top drs, armour web site etc not always

helpful! I've asked people who recommend drs why they recommend

them to find out they aren't getting the best treatment but they

think they are. It's the best they have found, but certainly not

what I would call great treatment! Example: One person thinks it's

ok that their dr/nurse takes a week to call them back and calls them

a great dr, another person thinks anything longer than 2 days is TOO

long! Everyone's opinions are that, opinions. One dr that would

work for you wont work for someone else. Personalities come into

play also. Armour web site send me to a dr that refused to prescribe

armour and prescribed cytomel and twice the dose I should have been

prescribed! I called this practice about prescribing Armour before

I went, they said they did!

Your dr telling you your time is up is a big indicator that you need

to find another dr! I had one tell me " I don't have any more

time! " . I was SO mad. What a jerk yours telling you your a nervous

person! You must have wanted to strangle him! Everyone knows people

hate going to drs and get nervous while in the office! That's why

they recommend doing your bp etc when not in the drs office for a

more accurate reading!

I recommend you read Suzanne Somers book on menopause " the Sexy

years " and bio identical hormones as a start. Get it from the

library. Get a bunch more books on thyroid and menopause and read

up. A female dr is more likely to handle any possible menopause

problems better! Have you had your estrogen, etc tested? Time to

have them tested even if you don't thing you are in menopause. Good

to get a baseline for when you are to compare test results in and

out of menop.

Wishing you health,

> I got his name from the Foundation. I don't THINK it's

just me being picky; I don't usually have a problem with people.

>

> 1) I waited more than a half-hour for my appointment. No big

deal UNTIL *my* time was up and he wanted to schedule a further

appointment because I was questioning some things... " and we can't

keep the next patient waiting. " He wrote (and said, as he was

writing), " ...need to schedule another appointment because patient

does not understand. "

>

> 2) I felt he was rude, impatient, and interrupted constantly.

Nor did I feel that he paid attention. I'd filled out all of the

forms, including a history of the problem. He didn't pay attention

to that, either. He'd ask a question that had been answered, then

would say, oh, yes, it did say that. I brought along copies of labs

from late June and early July, as well.

>

> 3) Stated " you are a very nervous person. " (Even my husband got

a laugh out of that...I'm USUALLY quite calm). My heart rate, when

I got there was at 80, which is now a little high for me and my bp

was 128/70, which is down a bit for me. I used to run a very low bp

and that had gone up a bit in the last year or so, but is improved.

By the time he got around to listening to my heart, he said, " Your

heart is just racing. You are a very nervous person. " He said it

was at 115-120. I think I was a very frustrated person.

>

> I'm one whose normal pulse was quite high before treatment and

would have a lot of irregular heartbeats, PVC's and PAC's, bursts of

tachycardia, etc., such that I was put on a Holter monitor, had an

EKG and Echocardiogram done. Heart was fine. I tend to have a

return of these symptoms when my dose is not enough.

>

> 4) Said, " Your thyroid is fine. Why do you think you have a

thyroid problem? Your problems are caused by allergies. " I have NO

idea where that came from...there was a question on the

questionnaire and I indicated that in the fall, I have a bit of

hayfever, but no problem this year. He said, " Your tonsils are

gone, that is from allergies. " My tonsils were removed over 39

years ago...as were 5 of my siblings'...it was very common at that

time.

>

> I have a (comprehensive) list of hypo symptoms, most of which are

improving at least somewhat and I indicated that by each one. He

still zeroed in on the joint pain and fatigue and said it's

allergies.

>

> The problems that he's attributing to allergies: fatigue,

arthritis, puffy eyes, " foggy head. " He wanted to do extensive

bloodwork for food and other allergies. Then later he said, " We'll

do the bloodwork first, then if you don't have allergies, we won't

have done the expensive skin testing. " By afternoon, I'm pretty

well " shot, " feel like I've got no brain working at all, so it was

hard to keep up with him.

>

> 5) I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's in 1991 and have been on

Synthroid since and started on Armour in late July. I've shown a

steady improvement since that time, until about the last week and a

half. I was wondering why a few of the hypo symptoms are

worsening. I'd upped the dose to 2.5 grains a little over two weeks

ago and didn't want to up again, so needed advice.

>

> 6) Paid no attention to low basal and low daily body

temperatures. Basal temps for me run 95.1 to 97, depending on where

I'm at in my cycle. I've actually hit 98 a couple of times during

the day after being on Armour, but usually run in the 96-97 range.

>

> 7) Said I'm in menopause because I have irregular periods. Fact

is, for the past seven years, periods had been getting closer

together, down from 31 days to 12-18 and horribly heavy. That had

gone back up to 27 days with treatment; THIS month was 24 days and

heavy again...which I considered a return of one of the hypo

symptoms.

>

> Yes, I AM 49 but have had no signs yet, am still ovulating every

month, from the body signs...we'd used basal temperatures and rhythm

method for, hm, over 10 years, so I'm familiar with the signs.

(Blood) test of FSH was 5 in January.

>

> 8) Insisted on doing bloodwork again, despite that I'd brought

along copies of work done in late June, early July. He did not like

my questioning that, just gave me the sheet and said, " CHECK THAT! "

on my copy...for all tests. I asked about the thyroid testing,

where the free T3 was...he said, " There. " I said, " I see the free

T4 (free thyroxine) but no free T3. " He said, " It's included in

that. CHECK THAT! " Well...from the prices, it was not

included...the only thyroid tests shown were tsh and free t4.

Unless I'm mistaken? thyroxin IS t4?

>

> (earlier work: tsh, 1.49, free t4, 1, free t3, 278. No antibody

work was done, despite requesting that). Yes, these ARE " in the

normal range, " but I was feeling really dreadful and had a lot of

hypo symptoms. The original doctor said tsh should be lower, free

t4, higher and free t3, MUCH higher. And that's certainly what

I've been reading on the thyroid lists, about Hashi's.

>

> I did not want to have cholesterol testing done again so soon, as

it was done three months ago and I've not been on Armour for long

and wanted to wait a bit and see if it had improved. He didn't like

that, either.

>

> 10) Said, " Why are you taking all of these vitamins? Who told you

to do that? " I said, some (Centrum, B complex, EFA, calcium, E, C)

I was taking on my own; the others (magnesium and zinc) the other

doctor told me to take. In addition, I'm taking ferrous sulfate for

low ferritin levels (9), on the gynecologist's orders. (And I

learned about the ferritin problems from these thyroid lists! I'd

asked the original doctor on three occasions to test that! And she

did not, finally saying, we don't need to worry about that).

>

> I was taking vitamins due to not being able to eat, just not

hungry...and gaining on very few calories...it is still hard to eat

more than twice a day. And if I force it, I don't feel

well...stuffed and eck.

>

> I DO realize that thyroid problems may not be the only thing going

on but certainly being on Armour has helped immensely. I went to

him more for help with insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia. He

wanted to do blood testing on that, too, to see WHY I've got the

problem. He saw the testing that was done in July and August for

that already.

>

> Sorry this is so long and rambling. I tried to remember

everything and will probably still come up with more.

>

> , Wisconsin

>

>

[Guest guest]

At 49 with your periods changing you are in perimenopause. There is a

fantastic book you might look into - The change before the change by

Dr Corio. She goes over the changes. (Cycle changes is one of

them. Including periods getting heavier.)

Louise

>

> 7) Said I'm in menopause because I have irregular periods. Fact

is, for the past seven years, periods had been getting closer

together, down from 31 days to 12-18 and horribly heavy. That had

gone back up to 27 days with treatment; THIS month was 24 days and

heavy again...which I considered a return of one of the hypo symptoms.

>

> Yes, I AM 49 but have had no signs yet, am still ovulating every

month, from the body signs...we'd used basal temperatures and rhythm

method for, hm, over 10 years, so I'm familiar with the signs.

(Blood) test of FSH was 5 in January.

>

> , Wisconsin

>

>

[Guest guest]

According to Dr Corio - the average age of menopause is 50. At

49 with periods changing most likely it is perimenopause.

Louise

> In a message dated 10/20/2004 9:50:21 PM Eastern Standard Time,

> LestatL382@y... writes:

>

> > At 49 with your periods changing you are in perimenopause

>

> but not necessarily. as i mentioned, i was the same way until

proper

> treatment...and then the periods changed back to normal and regular.

> cindi

>

>

>