post thyroidectomy

[srmary]

post thyroidectomy...aches/joints...fatigue and general malaise ...dawning on me that my body can no longer respond to stressors...what happens to TSH....the entire feedback loop....I only have a fixed amount of thyroid hormone available....argggh...would appreciate any info that explains what happens physiologically post total thyroidectomy...thanx  mary

[boac]

i had my thyroid removed 3/06 and was started on 0.25mcg synthroid and progressively moved up to 1.75mcg now,  i too weighed about 175 healthy, after graves disease 130- why did the "dr.s start me on such a low dosage?  Also, i am still suffering memory fog, weight gain, brittle hair and nails. the whole gammit.  i am sooooo very tired of all this. i finaly found another endocronologist who seems to care.  he ordered an ultra sound of my throat to make sure that all was taken out. my calcium has not been altered at all. everything went well, except no one bothered to tell me or my husband that i would be a blithering idoit mega menopause "B..." and still am.  when does the roller coaster stop?

if you can give any advise, please do so that I can tell my dr. to try.  

boac

[Cutthroat_x4]

Because you don't have a thyroid you require a higher dose of levoxyl. As a general rule, I believe that docs start the estimation of the dose at 1 mcg of meds per pound of body weight. I weigh 165 lbs (yes, I am sharing this online for the world to see!) and take 212 mcg of Synthroid (a 100 and a 112 combined), a pretty stout dose for my body weight. But my doctors are keeping my TSH below 0.1 because of my history of thyroid cancer. I also take a calcium supplement because being on a supprive dose of Synthroid can speed up bone loss thus causing osteoperosis.

If you are on too high a dose for an extended period of time, then cardiac and other problems can arrise...similar to those from hyperthyroidism. Your doctor should be monitoring your dose and making sure you are on those dose that gets your TSH is the correct range and you feeling like new!

Cutthroat

[srmary]

Thank you for taking the time to reply.  Yes, I am on levoxyl.  Maybe I need more.  Worried about potential cardiac problems with an increased dose....

[Cutthroat_x4]

Are you on any thyroid hormone such as Synthroid? If not, why? Is your doctor planning on putting you on some soon??

What you are experiencing is essentially hypothyroidism...not having enough thyroid hormone in your body. Your body is slowing down because thyroid hormone regulates the speed at which your body works. You will probably notice that you feel cold easily and it will take a while to warm up and you will have "mental fog."

Cutthroat