Symptoms 2 months after level shift

[Guest guest]

Hi All-

I have Hashimoto's - was diagnosed 3 years ago. Three years after

having my son. I am now almost 43. Took 2 years to find a great

doctor who is actively working toward a solution with me. We tried

Synthroid, then Synthroid with Cytomel, but they both made me feel

like dookey. My TSH was at .003, free T4 & T3 normal range, so we

switched to 60 MG Armour.

I started to feel better after a couple of weeks. I even got up early

to walk a couple of miles every day. My TSH went to around 2.0, but I

felt good. Then, a couple of months after that, I went through 4 to 6

weeks of feeling tired/depressed again. My TSH and T4 & T3 were the

same. No change. My hair was coming out in handfuls! I could hardly

drag myself out of bed after awhile. (I am very used to this after 3

or more years - sigh)

Now I feel ok again. All levels the same, but my TSH was 1.5 about a

week ago. Does anyone know what's going on? Do you think my body had

a delayed reaction to the huge TSH level change (like a 2 month

delay)? I asked my doctor and she said she didn't think so.

I am still taking 60 mg of Armour and will get tested if I feel any

changes (I won't wait a month this time).

Thanks for your time. I love this group.

Darringirl

[Guest guest]

You have Hashi's, which means that there are going to be constant changes,

as in a chronically downhill thing for the thyroid itself, gradual

destruction. Any time that Hashi's gland is allowed to work, there's going

to be more destruction. Witha TSH of 2.0, your gland itself is working,

which means antibodies, which means more destruction. And the clencher is

that your actual lab testing will be skewed and false because of those

stinking antibodies. This is why my zeroed out TSH means nothing to me, and

my higher FREE values of the thyroid hormones may not be showing what's

really going on in there. It is so tricky because this is the thyroid

disease that requires great understanding from an expert doctor and more

reliance on symptoms. It's sort of like playing Leap Frog, your meds will

be everchanging with this disease, even when you've been very stable for a

time. I've heard that some people's glands never progressed into

destruction any further, but there are probably many factors to that, and it

still won't be perfect forever, it has to be worked on constantly, as it is

a chronic disease. That has been soooo hard for most of us Hashi's patients

to wrap our minds and guts around, I know. You probably still need an

upward med change, but maybe for a brief period, maybe forever. It is soooo

mind bending. As mentioned by someone else earlier, probably many people

have blocking antibodies at other places besides directly at the thyroid,

unbeknownest to them, as at the site of the pituitary. There are so many

different antibodies in thyroid disease and in so many different places, but

it's rare when any of the others are tested for, other than the

antithyroidperoxidase ones and the antithyroglobulin ones, but there are

many others. Those two simply diagnose the main part of the disease. It IS

much more complicated than most doctors believe that it is.

Symptoms 2 months after level shift

> Hi All-

>

> I have Hashimoto's - was diagnosed 3 years ago. Three years after

> having my son. I am now almost 43. Took 2 years to find a great

> doctor who is actively working toward a solution with me. We tried

> Synthroid, then Synthroid with Cytomel, but they both made me feel

> like dookey. My TSH was at .003, free T4 & T3 normal range, so we

> switched to 60 MG Armour.

>

> I started to feel better after a couple of weeks. I even got up early

> to walk a couple of miles every day. My TSH went to around 2.0, but I

> felt good. Then, a couple of months after that, I went through 4 to 6

> weeks of feeling tired/depressed again. My TSH and T4 & T3 were the

> same. No change. My hair was coming out in handfuls! I could hardly

> drag myself out of bed after awhile. (I am very used to this after 3

> or more years - sigh)

>

> Now I feel ok again. All levels the same, but my TSH was 1.5 about a

> week ago. Does anyone know what's going on? Do you think my body had

> a delayed reaction to the huge TSH level change (like a 2 month

> delay)? I asked my doctor and she said she didn't think so.

>

> I am still taking 60 mg of Armour and will get tested if I feel any

> changes (I won't wait a month this time).

>

> Thanks for your time. I love this group.

>

> Darringirl

[Guest guest]

Hi -

Thanks for the response. SO we're saddled with this for life, I

guess? My husband keeps saying he hopes I can get it all straightened

out ... ever the optimist.

What is a good level - so the thyroid is not working (so it will stop

swinging)? I was hoping my doctor would up my dose this time, just a

little, to see if that would help. How long have you had Hashi's?

Are you having any other problems that may be associated with Hashi's?

Darrin

>

> You have Hashi's, which means that there are going to be constant

changes,

> as in a chronically downhill thing for the thyroid itself, gradual

> destruction. Any time that Hashi's gland is allowed to work,

there's going

> to be more destruction. Witha TSH of 2.0, your gland itself is

working,

> which means antibodies, which means more destruction. And the

clencher is

> that your actual lab testing will be skewed and false because of those

> stinking antibodies. This is why my zeroed out TSH means nothing to

me, and

> my higher FREE values of the thyroid hormones may not be showing what's

> really going on in there. It is so tricky because this is the thyroid

> disease that requires great understanding from an expert doctor and

more

> reliance on symptoms. It's sort of like playing Leap Frog, your

meds will

> be everchanging with this disease, even when you've been very stable

for a

> time. I've heard that some people's glands never progressed into

> destruction any further, but there are probably many factors to

that, and it

> still won't be perfect forever, it has to be worked on constantly,

as it is

> a chronic disease. That has been soooo hard for most of us Hashi's

patients

> to wrap our minds and guts around, I know. You probably still need an

> upward med change, but maybe for a brief period, maybe forever. It

is soooo

> mind bending. As mentioned by someone else earlier, probably many

people

> have blocking antibodies at other places besides directly at the

thyroid,

> unbeknownest to them, as at the site of the pituitary. There are so

many

> different antibodies in thyroid disease and in so many different

places, but

> it's rare when any of the others are tested for, other than the

> antithyroidperoxidase ones and the antithyroglobulin ones, but there

are

> many others. Those two simply diagnose the main part of the

disease. It IS

> much more complicated than most doctors believe that it is.

>

>

>

>

> Symptoms 2 months after level shift

>

>

> > Hi All-

> >

> > I have Hashimoto's - was diagnosed 3 years ago. Three years after

> > having my son. I am now almost 43. Took 2 years to find a great

> > doctor who is actively working toward a solution with me. We tried

> > Synthroid, then Synthroid with Cytomel, but they both made me feel

> > like dookey. My TSH was at .003, free T4 & T3 normal range, so we

> > switched to 60 MG Armour.

> >

> > I started to feel better after a couple of weeks. I even got up early

> > to walk a couple of miles every day. My TSH went to around 2.0, but I

> > felt good. Then, a couple of months after that, I went through 4 to 6

> > weeks of feeling tired/depressed again. My TSH and T4 & T3 were the

> > same. No change. My hair was coming out in handfuls! I could hardly

> > drag myself out of bed after awhile. (I am very used to this after 3

> > or more years - sigh)

> >

> > Now I feel ok again. All levels the same, but my TSH was 1.5 about a

> > week ago. Does anyone know what's going on? Do you think my body had

> > a delayed reaction to the huge TSH level change (like a 2 month

> > delay)? I asked my doctor and she said she didn't think so.

> >

> > I am still taking 60 mg of Armour and will get tested if I feel any

> > changes (I won't wait a month this time).

> >

> > Thanks for your time. I love this group.

> >

> > Darringirl

>

[Guest guest]

There is no one level that is right for everyone, no magical formula, we're

all individuals here, and it is a chronic disease. This is why, as said,

that with this form of thyroid disease, we should always be dosed for

symptoms mostly, not labs. As said, the labs are skewed by the antibodies,

so we need doctors with great understanding of this, and, believe me, they

are few and far between for this form of it (and for others too). I've had

Hashi's for at least 20 yrs and probably a whole lot longer than that. We

don't always know (in fact likely not) when we first started forming

antibodies. I would say that I started manifesting symptoms of the disease

approx. 20 yrs ago or so. My best treatment has been in the past few yrs,

and that has been by me. Don't feel right all the time, but better than

crawling out of the bed in pain, etc...every single day of my life. I was

kept grossly undermedicated for it for more than 7 yrs or so, and never told

even what form of thyroid disease that I have, not until I had my own

antibodies tests run. I've never had the ones done for Grave's Disease, so

that's also possible. I keep my TSH way below a 1, and most of the time it

is around a .006 or so, barely detectable. Has that made my hyper? How can

it when that only has to do with the thyroid not being stimulated at ALL,

and I'm taking hormones completely from the OUTside, not the thyroid

feedback system itself. Doctors need to wrap their minds around the

difference between the original healthy feedback system versus replacing

what the thyroid will no longer make any more. It is completely totally

different than the original concept.

Re: Symptoms 2 months after level shift

> Hi -

>

> Thanks for the response. SO we're saddled with this for life, I

> guess? My husband keeps saying he hopes I can get it all straightened

> out ... ever the optimist.

>

> What is a good level - so the thyroid is not working (so it will stop

> swinging)? I was hoping my doctor would up my dose this time, just a

> little, to see if that would help. How long have you had Hashi's?

> Are you having any other problems that may be associated with Hashi's?

>

> Darrin

[Guest guest]

>

> Hi -

>

> Thanks for the response. SO we're saddled with this for life, I

> guess? My husband keeps saying he hopes I can get it all

straightened

> out ... ever the optimist.

>

> What is a good level - so the thyroid is not working (so it will stop

> swinging)?

Your husband is right, sort of.. finding the proper dose and taking

care of yourself, watching what you eat and life goes on..so it is all

straightened out..but the meds and taking care of yourself is for life.

The reccommnended guideline to treat Hashi's is to keep the TSH

suppressed under 1 although a lot of people do better with it closer

to 0.

Kats3boys