^^Actually that would be GREAT! Seriously.
My appointment is next week and it says the book wont be here til AFTER Thanksgiving and we’ll be traveling during that time.
I could send you the book BACK after I get mine!
I’ll PM you my address.
Thanks!
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
^^Actually that would be GREAT! Seriously.
My appointment is next week and it says the book wont be here til AFTER Thanksgiving and we’ll be traveling during that time.
I could send you the book BACK after I get mine!
I’ll PM you my address.
Thanks![/quote]
LOL
I actually meant send it to you, as in, to keep.
But, since you’ve already purchased the book, I’d be more than happy to let you borrow mine in the interim.
I’ll see if I can’t get it sent out today. Tomorrow at the latest.
No worries.
awesome!!
I sent you a PM.
Thanks again!
What were your pre-treatment lab numbers? TSH?
Are you a user of iodized salt? Iodine in vitamins? Sea salt does not have any iodine.
Was your thyroid enlarged at any point in time? Lumpy? Thickened? Asymmetrical?
Support for adrenal fatigue also includes increasing progesterone if low, as progesterone is converted to cortisol. You can get 2% progesterone cream at some better whole food – vitamin shops or google “KAL progesterone”. If you have painful periods/cramps and/or aching breasts, that is indicative of low progesterone. PMS can also be reduced.
When thyroid levels are off, all of your body’s systems suffer. Low cortisol levels increase rT3 and rT3 blocks your fT3 from working. So you can have “optimal” fT3 numbers and have hypo symptoms. Body temps are your guide.
If you have this issue and add more T4, you also increase T4–>rT3, making things worse. The solution is to drop T4 and take T3 only, while addressing your adrenal fatigue.
Read http://www.amazon.com/Adrenal-Fatigue-Century-Stress-Syndrome/dp/1890572152 and see if you see yourself in the book.
Thanks KSman.
It’s enough to make your head spin!!
The highest my TSH ever got was almost a 10. I don’t use iodized salt(anymore) because I also have hashi’s and I know this can be bad.
Every time my neck has been felt up, it is enlarged but I guess not big enough to get a U/S.
Wouldn’t it be nice if my new Dr just suggested all this stuff? Do endos usually test for the other things??
I’ve never had other stuff tested(cortisol, sex hormones, etc) But ya, I think the estrogen has taken over.
Seems like such a long road and I’ve barely gotten anywhere.
Yes. It is extremely complicated.
Here are the tests that my wife gets on day 21 on her cycle. I would love if she could get like 5 tests in a single month on just a few key areas to see what is really happening. Testing at a single point during the month can only provide so much information.
Pregnenolone
Progesterone
8am Cortisol
IGF-1
LH
FSH
Total Testosterone
DHT
Estradiol
Estrone
SHBG
DHEA-S
TSH
FreeT4
FreeT3
ReverseT3
Iodine, Serum and Plasma
Thyroid Binding Globulin
Thy-Antibodies
Thy-Peroxidase
C-Reactive Protien
H1Ac
Vit D-25OH
Homocystine
Magnesium, RBC
B12
Ferritin
Total Iron Binding Capacity
Holy CRAP!!!
Do you mind me asking what she is dealing with to get all those tests every month??
I’ve probably had less than half of those done.
no, not every month… just a couple of times a year, and not everything every time… that would make it too easy to determine what’s happening.
my wife has (had?) very bad endometriosis (multiple laproscopies, constant pain, etc.) begged her doc for help, asked for hormone tests, do something, but he just said well we’ve tried everything, only thing left is a hysterectomy… no, there is no need to check hormones or thyroid… those have nothing to do with your issues…
it was major surgery so we went and got a 2nd opinion… 2nd doc ran a couple of tests… said they all came back ‘normal’… yep, you need to consider a hysterectomy… well, would you mind sharing the actual results?.. oh my TSH is 3.5… isn’t that high? nope you’re fine… really? I seem to have all of the symptoms of being hypothyroid (inability to lose weight even with diet and exercise, always cold, thinning hair, always tired, etc. etc. etc. and hypothyroidism is also linked to endometriosis… NO, I am the doctor and you need to get a hysterectomy… yeah… thanks, but no thanks…
went through multiple doctors before finally finding one who (more or less) knew what they were talking about… went on thyroid meds… and guess what? all endometriosis issues slowly disappeared… then come to find out that she also has adrenal issues (8am cortisol under 10), basically zero progesterone, was estrogen dominant, has extremely low iron, very low magnesium, and very low Vitamin D25. Since then she has been trying to balance out her adrenals, thyroid, and progesterone/estrogen issues for a couple of years now… she’s at 75% of where she could be, but at least she is not in constant pain, she can function, she doesn’t have cramps for 3 week at a stretch, she’s not freezing all of the time, or fighting off wave after wave of exhaustion… and she didn’t have to undergo major surgery.
Wow.
You seem to have done your homework on all of this. Mine is starting to read about everything. He’s starting to ‘get it.’ And that helps me because when I sat around feeling depressed I didn’t want to talk about it cause I don’t like complaining much. But then I’d just be mad about how I was feeling. lol
i learned the hard way that doctors are not your friends, they are not your champion, they are not looking to do whatever possible to get you healthy.
for the most part, it is just a job. they get paid by the number of people they see, not the quality of life of their patients lead.
you have the drive your own health, understand all of the different angles and then basically twist your doctor’s arm to partner with you on your health. Don’t accept, well let’s just see how things go and we will retest in 6 months… bs… if they were feeling bad, you can be pretty sure that they wouldn’t wait 6 months, but because they don’t have to suffer through the symptoms and issues for that time period, it is the easiest answer to get you out of their office.
Do you think emotion should stay out of the communication? Like keep it as professional as possible.
Or if I break down and weep at this guys feet listing all my pathetically long symptoms that might help?
lol
Actually I shut down. I come all prepared with my questions and my little speech. But then I get mad. I just want out of there. Then when I get in the car I’m even more mad for not speaking up.
I have spoke up before only to be shot down without enough knowledge to debate.
[quote]mom-in-MD wrote:
Do you think emotion should stay out of the communication? Like keep it as professional as possible.
Or if I break down and weep at this guys feet listing all my pathetically long symptoms that might help?
lol
Actually I shut down. I come all prepared with my questions and my little speech. But then I get mad. I just want out of there. Then when I get in the car I’m even more mad for not speaking up.
I have spoke up before only to be shot down without enough knowledge to debate. [/quote]
Feel free to ask questions to make sure you fully understand your physician’s POV regarding your situation and concerns… but attempting to “debate” your doctor will most likely have the end result of you annoying him rather than winning him over.
and any attempt to simply understand why your doctor wants to put you on antidepressants rather than treat your hypothyroidism (or getting a hysterectomy, etc.) will result in a major decrease in your Quality of Life as opposed to pushing for actual treatment or what is the root cause of your symptoms.
if those are my two options, I am sorry, but I am going to debate, push, conjole, twist his arm, etc.
You are PAYING for a service. You should demand value in return.
The Doctor works for you. You are the customer.
Would you allow a car mechanic (or hair stylist) to treat you the way your doctor treats you? so why do people allow their doctor to get away with it?
This is your one and only body.
This is your life - is it not worth fighting for? is it not worth potentially upsetting the delicate ego your doctor so that you can feel better and get the care you deserve? the care you are PAYING for?
If your doctor won’t listen to you, won’t work with you, won’t consider other options, won’t test for things you believe are important, then you need to find a new doc… yes, it will be difficult, it will take time and energy to find the right one… but in the end, it is worth it.
ask for a referral from your local compounding pharmacies. If a doc prescribes compounded drugs, then they are already a rare find and can at least think partially outside of the typical doctor box.
as a side note, crying doesn’t help. I have a spreadsheet of all of my blood tests that I use to direct the conversation with my doctor. You should always insist on having your test results in your hand PRIOR to the doc visit… why waste your limited time with the doctor simply having him read you something when you can’t research what it means or have an actual two way conversation.
I usually call in to the office, I request specific blood work and ask for a lab request, and I schedule a visit for a couple of weeks out so that I can discuss the results with the doctor. I then get my blood work and I keep on hounding the doctors office until they send me the results before my visit (the squeaky wheel gets the oil… and I am paying for the service, right?) I then post the results for others to help me dissect or research them so I have an overall grasp on what is happening, I write down my symptoms and reactions to medications/vitamins, etc. then I go in and try to actually partner with my doctor on MY health…at the end of the day, the decision is MINE on what course of action I am going to take… too many people let their doctor dictate or drive their treatment.
Comparing the doctor/patient relationship to one between a mechanic and a customer is a bit silly, though I’m sure you are aware of the distinct differences.
No one is advocating playing a senseless bobblehead in the exam room; however, if you lack the education to discuss the subject more intelligently than simply regurgitating what you have read on Wikipedia and several Internet forums, you will most likely find yourself in well over your head when attempting to sway the opinion of a medical professional who has dedicated their education and career to this area of study.
That is why I caution against entering the doc’s office with the intent to ‘debate’.
I’m sure that book will help open up some quality dialogue.
did you send it yet???
So I ask my questions and based on his response I ask why or why not? This will be the 3rd doc btw. At what point during the appointment do you realize you are not going to be able to get through and just move on??
Tricare is allowing one more after this guy if I am not satisfied.
After that they are suggesting we look into the next notch up on the insurance coverage which isn’t realistic for us at this point in time.
The compounding pharmacies is a good idea and will most likely be my next step.
However, I’ve been reading that I am in a reeeeally crappy area as far as that goes. You basically have to get out of MD and VA to get anyone decent.
I hope that’s not true, but I’m willing to travel!
Were you using non-iodized salt [sea-salt, kosher salt] prior to things going bad 3+ years ago?
[If you get weepy with a doctor, you may end up with anti-depressants.]
Nope I got pregnant!
That was the first inkling into all this. When I was pregnant with my daughter they ran some standard tests and my numbers were “high but within range”. Of course I had no idea what any of it meant back then and I never saw the results.
Anonym- got the book!!!
Thanks again!
[quote]anonym wrote:
Comparing the doctor/patient relationship to one between a mechanic and a customer is a bit silly, though I’m sure you are aware of the distinct differences.
[/quote]
actually I see them as exactly the same. they are both simply service providers who are being compensated to add value.
A Mechanic:
is human
makes mistakes
makes judgement calls (both correct and incorrect)
has specialized but limited knowledge even in his field of expertise (there is too much out there for anyone to know it all)
has limited time and may not able to give my case all of the attention that it may need
is not truly vested in my car (as much as I am)
is simply working at a job
is wanting to make as much money as possible
is great at fixing 90% of the issues he faces, but punts or guesses if he is out of his depth
expects you to wait in the waiting room with no real idea when or if you vehicle will be ready.
goes home at the end of the day and does not have to suffer any consequences because of your reduced quality of life (assuming bad workmanship - unless of course they are catostrophic).
A Doctor:
is human
makes mistakes
makes judgement calls (both correct and incorrect)
has specialized but limited knowledge even in his field of expertise (there is too much out there for anyone to know it all)
has limited time and may not able to give my case all of the attention that it may need
is not truly vested in my health (as much as I am)
is simply working at a job
is wanting to make as much money as possible
is great at fixing 90% of the issues he faces, but punts or guesses if he is out of his depth (or advises antidepressents)
expects you to wait in the waiting room with no real idea when or if you will be seen.
goes home at the end of the day and does not have to suffer any consequences because of your reduced quality of life (assuming bad workmanship - unless of course they are catostrophic).
exactly… their opinion… I do value my doctor’s opinion, but I also know that he is simply a human being, he makes mistakes. It is my job to champion my health. If I won’t, who will?
in the ideal scenario, doctors would give you all of your treatment options, provide the pros/cons to each option, make sure that you understand each option, and then partner with you on an overall game plan. how much of that happens today with the rushed 10 minutes you have actually seeing or talking with your doctor?
I had to resort to an out of network doctor and was paying $150 for a half hour appointment… still not 100% sure it was worth it as I am still struggling.
I think pregnancy also was the final straw that pushed my wife over the edge and put too much strain on her adrenals, thyroid, etc.
can you go back and ask for all of your blood tests? it could be extremely helpful to understand where things stood.