I AM NORMAL???

It's possible they tested your Free T3 but had to send that test out. It takes about five days.

Other than that, I'll give you a 9 out of 10 for your rant.
Not enough cussing. :o)


I've got a good one for you. I saw my endo the 18th. I asked her to test my vitamin D level, as it had been a year since it was looked at, and any other tests she thought would be good. I told her I wanted a metabolic profile and tests like calcium, magnesium, etc.

You know what she tested? My vitamin D.

That's ok. My GP knows how to run tests too.

LOL  Thanks - I could've made it a 10+ today but I haven't been on  here long enough and want to keep it clean so I don't sound like a raving lunatic.  haha  Actually I asked about the T3 and she said no they didn't test that.  As I said I did ask her this morning and she said yes they were and the nurse told me today no they didn't and weren't going to.  I guess after I spent the entire day - through brain fog and all, trying to understand and make sense of this, I thought maybe I would get some results that would explain how I feel.  Does it make sense that they would test everything BUT that?  It really doesn't to me.  If by some mistake the nurse is wrong, I will know when I try to get in next week.  I realize that I haven't been dealing with this as long as some others have so I'm trying so hard to be patient but since the onset of all of this, I have yet to speak to a doctor.  I am calling her next week and trying to get in (you have to call at 7:30 a.m. the day you want to see her and hope you get in line for an appointment).  I really like her but that is getting on my nerves too.  

It is absolutely amazing to me that you have to actually ASK for tests in the first place and then they run the wrong ones.  I guess your GP thinks Vitamin D/Calcium - ahhh.....what the hell.....same thing - right?? haha  I am beginning to rant again.  

Do you think I should get an Endo?  I have read so many conflicting opinions on here.  Some say "don't waste your tmie if you like your GP." "All they care about is the TSH levels."  Do THEY test the FT3 as a normal routine test?  

My husband knows I'm angry but I haven't even been calm enough to tell him this yet.  He doesn't understand it even as much as I do but he's trying.  I vent on here because I feel like I should just shut up and deal with it so I have to let it out somewhere and AR-10 - YOU ARE IT!! haha  

If this post sounds crazy or is misspelled - sorry - I have went over it a couple times and my thoughts are all over the place right now.  I have had to retype and retype.....on and on.....

Thanks for listening.
A

It was my ENDO that ran one little pathetic test after I gave her a whole vial of blood. My Free T3 hasn't been tested since last year some time. I complained about my adrenals and she told me from across the room that my adrenals were fine.

They were sort of looked at last year.

My GP is a great doctor. He knows more about it than the Endo. I'm seing him Tuesday, and he'll run the tests I need.

My Endo changed my med dose and said see you in six months. That's fine with me. I have a standing order at the hospital for a TSH and a Free T4 any time I want one. I can keep track of my levels and my GP can take care of my adrenals or whatever.

I'm going to tell him I want an ultrasound before the year is over to see how dead my thyroid is. He'll do it, too. In November or December.

The only advantage to seeing an Endo is there are tests and treatments that a GP cannot order. But a good GP will know when you need those things and find you an Endo.

A mediocre GP, on the other hand, can muck up the works in a hurry.
So can a poor Endo. :o)

I am going to start compiling a list of questions to ask my doctor next week if I can get in.  The first one being why they didn't run the T3.  Then I want to know also if I can have a standing order at the lab for my levels.  I don't know how often they need tested but it seems like if I feel bad I should be able to walk in and say test me.  Right?  
Also, is this disease going to kill my thyroid eventually?  

My GP is a great woman and is always very compassionate and willing to believe me when I say I don't feel well.  She doesn't or hasn't in the past, ever blown me off as just crazy or a complainer.  I absolutely hate having to go to the doctor.  

Was your T3 normal when it was tested and if not, are you on any medication for it?  Is it possible that my T3 is not normal, but my T4 and TSH is okay because of the med I'm on and I still feel bad because of the T3?  I read that all three should be tested for a complete diagnosis - is that right?  If I am repeating myself, I apologize but it just seems to be what I do these days.  I really appreciate your comments because with each one I become a bit more knowledgeable and have more questions for my GP.  Thanks again.

I had RAI to kill my thyroid in January. At that time my Endo gave me test orders to give to my local hospital saying that she wanted a TSH and a Free T4 run any time I walked in and asked for them.

I get tested if I feel worse than usual, or if it has been about six weeks from my last med change. Endo gets a copy (loses it for about a week), my GP gets a copy, and I get a copy the same day the tests are run. My GP's nurse calls in about two days and tells me what I already know. The Endo's nurse calls about a week later.

My Free T3 has not been tested in a year or so because both doctors feel that until my TSH and Free T4 look somewhat normal, a Free T3 would be a waste of money. In my case, I tend to agree.

If my TSH and my Free T4 were both a little high, then I would insist on a Free T3 to see why. It is fairly obvious comparing the TSH result and the Free T4 result if my Free T3 is in the right neighborhood.

All three should be tested for a complete diagnosis. My doctors are waiting to get my TSH and Free T4 close to normal, and then if I am still having symptoms after a month or two, we will look at my Free T3.

Very few hospitals in the country can process a Free T3 test. It is almost always sent out to an independant lab. That takes about a week, and it makes the test rather expensive. So doctors don't run it as often.

It's possible that your TSH and Free T4 can look fairly normal while your Free T3 is a little low. With Free T3, a little low is enough to make you sick. MANY people go along for years with normal bloodwork and hypo symptoms only to find that when they are given a small dose of Cytomel (T3), the symptoms go away.

For me, I am going to wait until my levels stabilize and then if I am still having symptoms, I will look at Cytomel. I don't really want to take it, because it is metabolized VERY quickly. It's like getting an instant rush that wears off in a few hours. So as the day goes on first you have too much T3, and then it tapers and you don't have enough T3.

It sounds irratic to me, but there are people who are taking it that feel much better than when they were only taking a T4 med. People who take Cytomel take it in conjunction with Synthroid, or Levothyroxin, or Levoxyl. A small dose of Cytomel to supplement the Synthroid or whatever.

Doing this is similar to taking Armour, except you have more flexibility dosing the synthetics.

Will your thyroid die?
Good question. It depends on how high your antibodies get. My sister has had Hashimoto's for over twenty years. She is doing alright, although I don't think she pays close enough attention to her levels. My aunt has had Hashimoto's for almost fifty years, and she gets along fine and has never seen an Endo in her life.

My thyroid was going to die. It was just a question of whether it would live long enough to give me permanent heart damage and screw up my body. I'm temporarily disabled as it is. I wish they would have killed it a year sooner.

Some of the people posting on the board, especially the newer ones? You will notice that some of them have been dealing with a thyroid that is slowly dying, and has been for fifteen years. That is no way to live. They need ablation just so they can get on with their lives.

Thyroid disease can take many paths. Some people with low antibody counts live normal lives with two or three med changes as they age. Others have so many antibodies that their thyroid falls apart in a few tumultuous years. You may see a reference to someone who's doctor is letting their thyroid "burn out". It doesn't burn out. It suffers one infection after another until it simply stops functioning.

It's hard to say what catagory you will fall into.  

I am completely understanding both of you.  Somehow my tests have been lost via the transfer from my gp who ran the blood test to my endo (wtf!).  My gp told me the results but because they weren't the ones who wrote the script for the test they won't give me any meds (they are also new so don't know what the heck is going on).  So now I am 2 and a half months, 2 sonos, and 2 biopsies into this thing and nothing is being done.  Oh and my mom had some bloodtests done by the same gp found out that she was severely hypo and got meds the same day!! Not that I want my mom to go through the hell that I am in right now but geez! I feel like complete **** but am 19 and away at school with no idea what to do.

AR-10 - thank you -  NOW I finally have some clue as to what is up with FT3.  I am going to the dr. this weekif they can "fit" me in.  AR-10 - tell me more about Armour - why don't dr's want to prescribe it? That's what I have been reading.

Nanguschick - WTF is right!!  So what are they telling you (if anything) is your diagnosis?  What did the biopsies show?  I get so po'd everytime I have to have tests.  They either call me in a day (which is a miracle in my eyes and has only happened once ever!) or they don't call me at all and leave a message on their machine saying "Don't call for lab results. we will contact you.) WTF absolutely!  Yu need to call your endo and demand to talk to him and if that doesn't work - walk in there and stand at the desk and demand to talk to him/her.  i am so bold that way but I have been so drained of energy that it's hard to put up a fight but you have to OR get your mother to call.  Mom's are Momma Bears when it comes to their cubs and my daughter is hypo and I had to call her endo every time she had a test because they NEVER EVER called even when her meds needed adjusted.  If you don't take care of you - no one will (except your momma). LOL  Is your doctor at 'home' or at school?  If at home, find one at school as well.  I cannot tell you how many times I had to fight for tests for either myself or my child.  She had epilepsy and I knew it - but I had fight for a test because the doctors don't want you to be right - it makes them look bad.  There were so many instances - and the thyroid was another one.  She was almost in a thyroid storm - she had graves so bad and they were ready to just put her on anti-depressants.  Don't take no for an answer and don't let them make you sicker.  

Doctors don't like perscribing Armour for four reasons.

1) They have been brainwashed to a degree by the drug companies into thinking synthetics are superior. OR...there is the conspiracy theory that they are all getting kickbacks and free stuff from the drug companies. (I don't put a lot of stock in this)

2) Armour is not available at all pharmacies, or most pharmacies, for that matter. The reason for this is because they stock what doctors perscribe. (this can be inconvenient)

3) Armour has more T3 in it than humans require. If you are one of the few people that has trouble converting T4 to T3, then Armour may be a perfect fit for you. If you can convert T4 to T3 adequitely, the extra T3 in Armour can be a problem.

4) Armour comes in 8 strengths. Synthroid and other brands of levothyroxine in the U.S. come in 12 strengths. It is easier to tweek dosages by small increments with synthetics.

Reasons #3 and #4 are important. Reason #2 is a minor impediment. Reason #1...I am not so convinced of.

The doctors that are not aware of reasons #3 and #4 (there are many) fall into a herd mentality and eschew Armour because their collegues do, and because the Synthroid man stops by the office every month with free pills and pens.

Cash kickbacks and free vacations I have a hard time believing. Free sample packs, pens, tablets, oh yeah. There is a little influence there.

The bottom line is most people can be treated to the doctor's satisfaction on synthetics. Armour only works BEST for some people. The law of averages says starting with synthetics will give better results.  

AR-10 - Thanks again.  I think since I am new to this and the Levoxyl has suppressed my thryoid, I will stay there for awhile but I am going to ask for the Cytomel just to experiment and see if it does help me with energy and the brain fog.  I don't even know if she will prescribe it given the fact that they have never tested my T3.  We'll see.  If I start feeling worse or crashing even harder mid to late day I'll stop.  Today I woke up angry, extremely fatigued and my hands will NOT stop tingling.  I'm having a hard time typing so if you find mistakes - there ya go.  

I have seen the drug reps giving out their samples and pens, etc.  I also have a friend working with high-profile docs in our town and they do get free trips, etc.  Now whether or not that has anything to do with pushing their particular product, I can't confirm that.  I do know that insurance companies give kick-backs to doctors for their "cooperation" in running limited tests,prescribing cheaper drugs, etc.  I have dealt with this on a personal level.  It angers me and makes me more skeptical than ever.  Of course, you could never get them to admit it.  And, just to clarify, I'm not talking about ALL doctors but they are out there.  I feel like I have one that is not part of that circle since any time I have needed something she has been very accommodating because she knows I only come in there when there really is a problem.  

I don't want to make my condition worse so I guess I'll just stay where I'm at for now and try to make sense of this with my doctor.  

Thanks everyone.