Update

[Guest guest]

Hi Everyone,

I haven't been on much lately, we're trying to unpack and settle in here in Japan. Things are going pretty well, and we're finally getting over the culture shock somewhat. I don't think I'll ever really get used to it, there are so many differences, but we are at least starting to enjoy some of the differences, especially the food. I like most of the Japanese foods that I've tried, and I even want to try to learn to cook some of it myself. They have classes here that they teach you how to make some of the most popular ones.

I met my new doctor last week, and I think she's giong to be just fine. She listened to me, didn't rush the appointment, took notes on everything I said, and seemed genuinely knowledgeable with thyroid conditions. She put in my lab order and I had blood drawn last Wednesday, and she called me today with the results. We've been going with purely TSH readings, since my old doctor did a check for my Free T3 and Free T4 a few times last year and it showed that I wasn't having problems converting or anything, and that they were changing in sync with my TSH. I guess I'm one of those cases where using Synthroid and testing only TSH works, but I know that with many others, especially here on this group, you need the other test results in order to treat properly. Anyway, my TSH is up to 9.5 now, I knew I was hypo again because I've felt awful; constipated, ankles swelling, joints hurting, moody/depressed, craving carbs, no sex drive at all, exhausted all the time, arms tingling (thought that was an odd symptom, but I am learning now that it is definitely one of my symptoms of being hypo, I get that "falling asleep" feeling in my arms often). At least I didn't get the heart palps this time. Those are freaky. And the brain fog is there, but not terrible, at least not so bad I can't function, though I did notice I was writing myself notes a lot and forgetting again.

I'm on 100mcg Synthroid and she's increasing me to 150mcg, and she even mentioned on the phone that though the target range is 0.5 to 5.4 (apparently they use the old values) that she wants to see me around 1.0, because that's where everyone seems to feel best who is hypothyroid which isn't due to an autoimmune problem. Wow! Sounds like she read the right book and was taught correctly! I started taking an additional 25mcg of Synthroid immediately after the blood test, just because I knew it needed increased anyway and wanted to get that jump on feeling better sooner instead of wasting another week on my current dose waiting to get the results. So I guess I was about halfway right, I just didn't want to jump too far too fast, my body doesn't like that at all, so that week on 125mcg probably served me well to prepare for going to 150mcg. I'll go pick up the new Rx later today. I'm looking forward to feeling better again, though I know as soon as I get adjusted on the new dose, it will need to change again; it seems like my throid is fizzling out more and more with every dose.

It's been so strange to move to Japan from the US in the middle of being hypo, because I couldn't tell if some of the adjustment problems were due to jetlag or thyroid, and I couldn't be positive whether my depression was from being so far away from home, or from being hypo. I'm assuming most things that the two had in common were a combination of both, just the normal feelings magnified and complicated by the hypo symptoms, but it was still a very strange experience. I felt like I had twice as hard of a time with everything than everyone else who moved here at the same time as us, because normally, I wouldn't have had too much of a problem emotionally with being away from home; I'm not the type to get homesick much. I enjoy going places. I wasn't enjoying this move, and I feel like the hypothyroidism took that away from me, that it took away the experience of having fun with the move and having fun with the experience of being in a new country. I feel cheated, like I missed something because my emotions were screwy and I was in a fog. I normally love moving, I thrive on the excitement, of learning everything about the new place, and this time I just wanted to crawl in a hole and sleep. Just with the little bit of an adjustment that I gave myself in the last week, I can already tell a difference, which just tells me my body needed it badly, because I normally can't tell a change until that 6th week point.

I've been reading about Topper's meds...and I just wanted to toss in the heartfelt hopes that you get your meds soon, , because I know how badly you need them. I wish there was something more I could do for you. It's so unfair that you can't get the medical help you need, just because the feds think they know what's best for you. I know the heat doesn't help either. I hate the heat, it makes me feel ill. This has been one of the worst summers I can remember, the entire US is in a heatwave. Try to stay cool and think happy, well, thoughts.

Health and Happiness to all,

Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni, Japan