hair loss

[Guest guest]

On Sat, Apr 16, 2011 at 11:03 AM, <res075oh@...> wrote:

" Levothyroxin is IIRC a generic of Synthroid, which is the name brand.

Both are T4. Some form of T4 is what is prescribed for the vast

majority of hypothyroid patients. "

Thanks for the clarification . I just wish I could get my doctor to do

testing to see if my body is converting properly. I requested a full

thyroid panel. He still only tested for TSH, T4, and free T3. I think I

have that right, but haven't picked up the paperwork yet. He wouldn't test

Reverse T3. When I asked for an anti-body test, he said I didn't need that

unless I had Hashimoto's. I told him I do have Hashimoto's, and he said it

doesn't affect management.

I'm posting the following because if anyone is diagnosed with thyroid

disease, and your doctor tells you to stop taking your medicine, it might

not be a good idea. My internist and endo are the doctors who said they

didn't care to know I had Hashimoto's because even though it's an autoimmune

disease, it's treated the same as the condition of under-active thyroid. At

the time I was told to stop taking the medication, they didn't know I had

it. I stopped taking Levothyroxin for about six weeks.

After being sent for a chest x-ray to check for lung cancer, a CAT scan to

look for a blocked duct, an ENT, and two dermatologists, I finally went to a

cosmetic surgeon who told me the puffed up areas on the sides and front of

my neck, and over my cheekbones, were caused by my thyroid being so " out of

whack " that everything under there was shifting around. Those are his

words, not mine. He also said they're not going away. It is spongy tissue

between the layers of skin that collects moisture, so it will always be this

way. Since no doctor could tell me what this was, and they kept sending me

for more tests and making me wonder if I had another disease, I had given up

on ever getting an answer.

Before I went to the cosmetic surgeon and asked him if what I have is Malar

Pads, I was pretty sure that's what it was, after researching it on the

Internet. Some are caused from fat under the skin, and others are crescents

caused by sagging skin. Mine are not fat or sagging. They're not caused by

aging, but from uncontrolled thyroid disease. They appeared overnight. One

day they weren't there, and the next day they were. I didn't even have to

ask what caused them, as soon as he confirmed that's what it is, he

explained why I got them.

Since there is no way to get rid of them, I don't know what to do. I don't

want to go anywhere looking like this. The lump on my neck was bad enough.

A facial cosmetic surgeon told me a face lift will reposition them so they

aren't noticeable. Another implied it won't make that much difference. I

read about a doctor in Las Vegas who removes them surgically, but of course

there are scars left on the cheeks. That might be better, because they

could be less noticeable with makeup. There is no way to hide what I have

now. The problem is I can't find a doctor around here who would consider

removing them surgically. Also, my doctor refused to recommend the double

board certified facial cosmetic surgeon I thought would be best qualified,

if I decide to have surgery, and won't tell me why. He's recommending

general cosmetic surgeons who do all types of cosmetic procedures, not just

faces. I checked a couple of sites to investigate doctors, but couldn't

find any of the cosmetic surgeons around here on them. I have no idea how

to find out what doctor would be best qualified to do surgery, if I decide

to have it.

Another concern is I still don't know if the thyroid is under control

because I got these symptoms five and six months after being diagnosed.

They appeared during the time my endo told me to stop taking the medication

because " maybe I didn't really have this. " He thought I might not, since my

symptoms weren't consistent with the diagnosis. He thought maybe the lab

report was wrong, and instead of ordering more tests, he discontinued the

medicine. Around that time, I also had an upper respiratory infection. I

asked my doctor this week how, if my thyroid was under control, could I

develop the enlarged thyroid three months after diagnosis, the swelling

around the neck at five months, and the pads on my face at six months. He

said he didn't know. I've been looking for another doctor, but am having

trouble finding one who will take new patients.

Anyway, I'm grateful to have found a doctor who told me the truth, and very

relieved to know it's not another disease. I apologize because this is all

minor compared to the medical problems some here are coping with. However,

when you live alone and don't want to go anywhere, because you hate what you

see in the mirror, it's not healthy. I love people, going out, and

socializing. If I don't find a solution to this I may become a hermit, and

I definitely don't want to do that.

Barb

[Guest guest]

low iron levels can be implicated in hair loss ...low iron will also impede

cellular uptake of the active thyroid hormone (t3.

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> >

> > Does anyone have any tips for dealing with hair loss? I seem to have lost

> > about half my hair in the last six months. My doc said hair loss reflects

> > what your body was going through about three months prior and didn't seemed

> > concerned since my TSH was crazy for awhile, but I just seem to keep losing

> > hair even though my TSH is better now. Please advise, thank you!

> >

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> --

> *Barb*

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[Guest guest]

---- mihok456,

You wrote:

> Thank you Roni and everyone. I started losing hair when I started on Armour

after being on Synthroid, so maybe that's the reason.

> Also I did have very low iron, but have been taking 3 pills of 25 mg of

chelated iron each day since August. I haven't been able to

> have my iron or thyroid levels checked recently though, since I lost my job in

January.

Most likely cause is that your dosage is still not right. I trust you know not

to take the iron within four hours of either thyroid med. It prevents absorption

of T4.

Chuck