Re: The Doctors say its in my head....... Kat

[Guest guest]

HealthcheckUSA has blood tests you can get without a Dr.

Have you ever had your thyroid antibodies tested? Those can throw off

your blood test results.

About.com is a fantastic resource and here is one of the articles

that applies to what you are going through.

Here is the link:

http://thyroid.about.com/bldiagn.htm

Thyroid disease

Many people with family history of thyroid disease and/or obvious

symptom s of thyroid disease -- who ACTUALLY HAVE THYROID DISEASE --

have trouble getting a diagnosis or getting treated with thyroid

hormone replacement for several reasons:

1. The doctor does not believe that high normal or low normal or

borderline thyroid problems merit treatment. (Not all doctors have

this position though.)

My doctor believes that a TSH of around 1 - 2 (on a normal scale at

her lab of around .5 to 5.5 -- with over 5.5 being hypothyroid, and

under .5 being hyperthyroid) is optimal for most people to feel well

and avoid having hypothyroid symptoms.

There is now research out that says that values above TSH of 2 may in

fact represent abnormal levels. See the British Medical Journal

article at http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/fu ll/314/7088/1175.

I know I feel terrible at 4-5, or at .3, but pretty good at 1-2.

To help in this area, I'd urge you to read the following:

HELP! My TSH Is " Normal " But I Think I'm Hypothyroid

This article offers a look at your next steps -- including defining

the " normal " range with your doc, antibody testing, TRH testing, and

drugs beyond T4 therapy -- and where to find a doctor to help.

2. The doctor goes strictly by TSH tests, and doesn't test for

antibodies.

Antibodies usually indicate a thyroid that is in the process of

autoimmune failure. Not failed yet, and often not enough to register

in thyroid TSH blood tests, but in the process of failing. This may

be enough to cause symptoms.

INSIST on having antibodies testing, and if you have been tested and

show positive, find a doctor willing to treat you for high

antibodies. Do not accept from a doctor that high antibodies has

nothing to do with your symptoms, because there are doctors who

believe this is not the case and will treat you, and many people find

relief in treatment!

There are holistic docs, innovative and open-minded endocrinologists

and other physicians who believe that the presence of thyroid

antibodies alone is enough to warrant treatment with small amounts of

thyroid hormone. You may with to consult with a practitioner that has

this philosophy.

Dr. Vliet, an MD who runs Her Place, a women's health

clinic at All Saints Hospital in Fort Worth, and author of Screaming

to be Heard: Hormonal Connections Women Suspect...and Doctors Ignore,

by Lee Vliet, M.D. , does not believe that TSH tests are

the almightly indicator of a woman's thyroid health. Dr. Vliet says

that symptoms, along with elevated thyroid antibodies and normal TSH,

may be a reason for treatment with thyroid hormone. Here's a quote:

" The problem I have found is that too often women are told their

thyroid is normal without having the complete thyroid tests done. Of

course, what most people, and many physicians, don't realize is

that...a 'normal range' on a laboratory report is just that: a range.

A given person may require higher or lower levels to feel well and to

function optimally. I think we must look at the lab results along

with the clinical picture described by the patient...I have a series

of more than a hundred patients, all but two are women, who had a

normal TSH and turned out to have significantly elevated thyroid

antibodies that meant they needed thyroid medication in order to feel

normal. This type of oversight is particularly common with a type of

thyroid disease called thyroiditis, which is about 25 times more

common in females than males...a woman may experience the symptoms of

disease months to years before TSH goes up... "

For more info, suggest you read:

Thyroid Antibodies

This article looks at what it means to have thyroid antibodies, and

whether or not this calls for treatment.

3. You are one of the people who suffer from a peripheral conversion

problem, and your blood test results show normal, but your thyroid is

still hypofunctioning. To assess this, you'd need to find a doctor

willing to do a TRH test. For some background, see: Dr. Lowe's

website..

I also strongly suggest that you read the following at my site for

more info and ammunition in your effort to get a proper diagnosis!

Six Questions You Ought to Ask Your Doctor...And How to Interpret the

Answers

When hypothyroidism sets in after RAI or thyroidectomy, or you're

diagnosed as hypothyroid due to Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, there are

six critical questions you really should ask your doctor. This

article goes over those questions, and helps you interpret your

doctor's answers!

Diagnosis: Hypothyroidism -- Answers to Some Common Questions

Questions a newly diagnosed person with hypothyroidism might -- and

DID -- ask, along with answers, including information on how long it

takes to feel better after starting treatment, long-term health

risks, whether or not you'll get a goiter, fatigue and weight gain

and how to combat them, and more.

Hypothyroidism Symptoms Checklist

A checklist of risk factors and symptoms you can take to your doctor

to help get a diagnosis, or make the argument that your hypothyroid

symptoms are not resolved by your current treatment

If you want to find the doctor to help you get to the bottom of your

diagnosis, you can search for a good doctor recommended by our fellow

thyroid patients at my Thyroid Top Doc Directory. The Directory

features US and international doctors by state or country. If we

don't have a doctor for your area, you can enter your request there

as well.

There are also other options for doctor referral described in a

recent article I wrote on finding a Top Doc yourself.

And don't underestimate the value of support. Support and info, ideas

on doctors, and the knowledge that you are NOT alone is available at

my active bulletin boards where thyroid patients get together to

share information and support.

Finally, I am also editor of a separate Thyroid Disease email news

report, called " Sticking Out Our Necks. " Click here for more

information, and to subscribe.

Live well --

Louise

>

> Thank you all for taking the time to post. I have found hope just

> reading your postings. at this time I have been to more Dr.s than

I

> can count or remember. every two years or so, i get sick and tired

> of being sick and tired and attempt to get the dr.s to do the same

> old test and get a blank stare from the drs that say0 " but the

tests

> say everything is allright. " " Have you been under a lot of stress

> lately? they ask.... anyhow, The trail of Dr.s finally ended in a

> Psychiatrist. He prescribed Welbutrin which actually helped a bit

> with the fatigue. My tsh tests came back normal and that was the

> farthest I was able to go with my last Dr.

> Now we have no insurance and I have found you all. the

thought

> of starting over paying big money again to possibly get the same

old

> answer is scary. I am experiencing later symptoms of

hypothyroidism

> and I am starting to feel hopeless and even dangerous in some cases

> of day to day activity. I am afraid that my children will never

> know the real me and I am afraid to hold a conversation of any

> substance in fear of saying something not well thought out. Even

the

> subjects that I was an authority on..so I sit silently and listen.

> Can I realy do this on my own and not break the bank?

> I want to be me again.

> Kat

>

>

>

> not have I have read about health check and self Medicating