Just about every person with hypothyroidism understands and agrees with you about drs. I don't understand why the problem with finding a dr that KNOWS how to treat it.
One thing I would recommend you start doing is ask for copies of your lab results. This way you can see what the results and the ranges are. Like someone said above, normal is not always normal, and if it is "close" to the out of range level, then they should go by the symptoms after ruling out whatever they think they need to.
GOod luck with this.....We are most of us in the same boat with drs, so don't feel alone.
I talked to my doctor today I asked her to see a endo but she said my t3-t4 were fine so my tsh was too even though it was low I got angry with her and said my symptoms go under thyroid , Lyme, and fibromyalgia and that's all I could find and that she needs to get more tests done because my symptoms are real and need addressed I thought she would get defensive but she didn't so I must have been right she thought it was in my head so she wasn't taking me serious so now I think she is she said to come in thur. and get tests done but didn't say what tests and said she would send me to endo after the test came back so we'll see.
I too had difficulty with my doctor over thyroid. He tested said it was fine and a year later I finally went to a endo spec, and found out I had Hashi's. Most Family Physicians do not test for Hashi's or Graves. My doctor said my TSH was normal it was 3.77. My endo told me she would put me on meds back then. This is not a FP area of expertise. You need an Endocrinologist. I know tricare is a pain. My sister has it too. Good Luck.
I know the symptoms are a pain. I still have stiffness in ankles when I get up. My hair is still falling out in clumps. I was just told sometime it can take a year of being on meds before you feel better.
yes i need a referral, my husband has been in the military for almost 20 yrs we have tricare the only doctors that will take it are the same doctors that take state assisted medical its horrible .
When they call back be sure to ask for the results and reference ranges. We are here to help and ALL of us understand the frustration with doctors! Do you require a referral with your insurance?
I called and left a message for my doctor asking to be refered to a endocrinologist and a nurse called back and said they would not give me a referral do to my FT3-FT4 being normal and that they would keep an eye on my thyroid i told her no! my TSH was low i should be seen by a specialist she sounded agrivated and said she would ask the doctor and call back its been an hour with no call back . did i mention i hate doctors more than spiders lol!
If you have not already get the results of your FT4 and FT3 along with the reference ranges and post them here. They should be able to give it to you over the phone. "Normal" according to the doc's does not always mean normal. I went undiagnosed for 5 years because I was too "normal" but when I went to a specialist found out I am not. They really need to check your antibodies as well. That is how they discovered I had Hashimoto's. Let me know what you find out. I have about 95% of the symptoms you described!!!!
well my results came back my FT3-FT4 were normal...... i was hoping thyroid was the answer.
Thanks TamraW you won't believe my gestrointologist did blood work and endoscopy and she told me i have celiac and then with the second blood work she said no you are fine .From your experiance i think i should try this diet .Thanks much.
bryant all the best hope and hope you get all the awaited answers.Let me know
take care
my doctor checked my TSH got the results my level was 0.24 and they said it should be between 0.35 - 5.50 so they took blood to get my FT4 and FT3 levels I should get my results today , dear god i hope after all these years of feeling strange I will now get the reasons why .
HERE'S MY HASHI DIET!
Well, my endo put me on only 50 mcg Synthroid, and she wants to go at a turtle's pace. I won't get blood work, and hopefully upped, for another month. 8 weeks on Synthroid 50 and my FT4 and FT3 are LOW.
Anyway, while I'm waiting for my meds to increase, I decided to try the Hashi diet, which is almost identical to the Celiac diet, except no soy. I had already done the Celiac diet, last spring when my stupid endos told me my thyroid was fine, so I figured I had Celiac. Since I have been on this diet, I have felt WAY better than I've felt in over a year. I have only been on this diet for a week. I have found wonderful foods that I can still eat, like nachos, which I CANNOT live without. I found a soup bouillon, Herbox, at my local store that is gluten free. I have found many flour, such as rice, potato, corn, so I can still bake cakes, brownies, etc...
First, let's start with vitamins. REMEMBER, if you choose to buy these vitamins at Wal-Mart, your Beta Carotene (vitamin A), E vitamins come in a gel pack, which has soy. I went to THE VITAMIN SHOPPE to buy those vitamins. I just bought my vitamin A for $5.
Spring Valley and Nature Made Brands make some gluten/soy free vitamins. You can get those at Wal-Mart, but not the vitamin A or E.
Here's a HASHI vitamin chart. You can buy these name brand vitamins, but they may cost more:
http://www.drlowe.com/nutrition/supplementlist/supplementtable.htm
Here's some good Celiac disease websites. You can follow their recipes, but no soy.
http://www.csaceliacs.org/recipes2.php?catid=6
http://celiacdisease.about.com/od/glutenfreefoodshopping/ss/GFgrocerylist_2.htm
http://www.ceceliasmarketplace.com
http://www.celiac.org/
Also, read the post, "To Soy or not to soy" on this forum for more menu ideas...
Take care...
:) Tamra
OMG TamraW you sound like me except for 1-2 things ear pain lord i have been to ENT he couldn't figure out and send me to neurologist she did MRI send me to my GP .She also told me you sound like an 80 yr old lady you are too young go have fun .Trust me i do but i am so tired all the time .I was diagnose with hasi since i swing i never paid attention to this TPO number thanks .Pl. advice me on diet and info on hasi .I want to take some control on my condition .
Thanks
A
o.k thank you so much for your time!
I just re-read your symptoms. Other than the fever of 103, yours look like they could be Hashi. However, these auto-immune disease tend to run down our immunities, making us more susceptible to colds, infections.
Get those Hashi labs...
:) Tamra
You do have some symptoms that could be thyroid, especially the fatigue and pain in the neck. The swinging symptoms, could be indicative of Hashimoto's, as we Hashis tend to swing back and forth as the thyroid and the antibodies duke it out.
My doctors didn't listen to me for MANY years. I finally found an endo who would.
I have Hashimoto's. Here's my symptoms:
Mild weight gain even while dieting
Extreme fatigue/napping
GERD/Heartburn/chest pain
Mostly constipation mixed with diarrhea
Depression/anxiety/forgetfulness/brain fog
Abdomen swells for no apparent reason
Neck/jaw pain/swelling/pressure
Scratchy voice
Migraines, dizziness and back of neck/head pain
Very cold feet and hands and sometimes a feeling like ants are biting my feet
Endometriosis (2 years ago – cured after one year of birth control)
Irregular/heavy periods and menstrual-like cramping in between periods and vaginal area sometimes is sore
Ear pressure/pain
Voice is sometimes hoarse
Knee/joint pains – finger swelling and pain
Rash or scaly skin on neck, head, chest, chin, nose, right armpit down to waist
Dry eyes and sometimes soreness
Occasionally I have a mild hot flashes or chills
Night throbbing/pounding in ears that wakes me
Toe nails feel painful and brittle
Muscles in legs sometimes go wobbly and weak when I am standing
Tingling feet/hands/lips
Body temp ranges 97-97.5
Hair clumps in shower
It probably wouldn't hurt to have your thyroid tested.
Here's the tests you need:
Thyroid ultrasound
Bloodwork:
TSH
FT4
FT3
The below is bloodwork for auto-immune (Hashi) thyroid:
Anti-TPO
TGAb
Don't let the doctor only order your TSH or your FT4. DEMAND ALL TESTS!!! My TSH (2.74) and FT4 (1.3) were 'normal' according to my other docs. Later, I found out that my Hashi Anti-TPO was 221, and anything over 35 indicates Hashi.
Take care...
:) Tamra
yes , I saw a rheumatalogist today well should i say her intern , she did nothing but listen to my lungs touch my feet and said if i was not swollen or in pain i was fine and passed me back to my new family pratice doctor so back to square 1 .
Have you seen a rheumatalogist (sp?) or infectious disease dcotor?
How about an Endo?
Looks like you may need to see both of them. Can you get a referral?