BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Thyroid Health MY STORY

Hi all! Just a little friendly reminder to please refrain from posting replies to my story, instead you may start another post regarding it if you like, that would be great! I honestly donot know when i will be finished, as i have 3 more years (2006, 2007, and 2008)to cover, then i'll probably just start a blog here, or somewhere else. Thank you so much for taking the time to view this, i appreciate it from the bottom of my heart! Have a great day!

On 10/19 i had my annual flu shot that year (2005).


~
Nov 2005

On the morning of the 3rd i noticed a painful nodule on the back of my left calf with some swelling. Thinking of phlebitis i immediately called my GYN/NP who sent me to the ER that evening, she also stopped the Necon. I had a venous doppler done which revealed superficial phlebitis. i had some difficulty walking on the leg as well. Two days later on the 5th it turned into a full-blown DVT for which i was hospitalized for 11 days. I received the usual routine treatment of Lovenox injections twice a day combined with Coumadin (both blood thinners) and daily blood draws to check my PT/INR levels, i had my PCP include a TSH in one of those tests, i started feeling hypo again, amazing how i knew just what the results would be:

TSH: 4.74
T4: 0.74

Now i knew i needed an increase in Levothyroxine and made sure to tell my endo at my next visit, meantime i had another TSH drawn on 12/8:

TSH: 3.83
FT4: 1.1

I had my endo appointment that first week in Dec, i was now being seen by, of course, the NP, who seemed more interested in my DVT and the Coumadin i was now taking than my thyroid ( i was under the care of a hemotology dr now). She made no changes in my Levothyroxine dose, told me my labs were fine, never made any mention of my weight, (it was up!) and told me to come back in 4 months.
I was not working due to my leg (which was still painful & swollen), i was able to walk again (i was on complete bed rest in the hospital) but i was limping and having difficulty. I was also having hypo symptoms which forced me to call my endo, she said it was probably a viral infecttion and to call my PCP, but then to call her again (this was the NP) if symptoms persisted. I thought i was hearing things. I did call back on the 20th and spoke to one of their new dr's who joined their practice, she went over my most recent labs from the 8th and said i was fine, but did order more. I had taken on the 22nd, receive results when i called her office on the 26th:

TSH: 2.59
FT4: 0.72

She then said my labs were "Textbook Perfect"

That was my last time ever hearing her voice again.

I went to my PCP and discussed increasing my Levo (i'll use that as short for Levothyroxine), which he said i should have no problem, and on the 28th it was increased from 25 mcg to 37.5. Soon i felt better again, also i called my endo and cancelled my next appointment for April and never rescheduled.

I was researching a lot on-line on a few thyroid websites and talking with a lot of folks about thyroid disease/hashimoto's. I was told that the TSH should be capped at 0.3-2.5 and the population average shoud be at 1.0-1.5. Well, by this time i knew that anything over a 2 for me was not good. Live and learn, right?

~
2006

Soon i returned to work in late January, cycles had returned to normal, and my future looked brighter, i was also planning on finding another endo, one who would listen to me, but for now it was my PCP.
I had another round of thyroid labs done, at my request, which was no problem for him. Done on 1/31:

TSH: 1.72
Total T3 (don't know why i asked for this): 1.21
Free T4: 0.84

I went to speak to one of my on-line buddies on one of the sites, i learned my Free T4 was way too low, and should be in the upper 2/3 range at midpoint (not lower), and most people need theirs at the top of the range. This is the same with the Free T3.
So without delay, my Levo was bumped up to 50mcg on 2/2.

On 3/13 another round of labs:

TSH: 1.62
Total T3: 1.18
Free T3: 2.70
Free T4: 0.92

On April 24 i had extensive lab work ordered by my hematologist, one which was a Rheumatoid Arthritis panel, which was in the 50's (normal is less than 20), now i no longer wondered why my body ached so much, which has been going on for close to a year, although one hypo symptoms listed are muscle & joint aches. Confusing. Do i take my pick?
I also had more labs that day ordered by my PCP:

TSH: 0.75 (0.34-5.60)
Free T3: 3.00 (2.39-6.79)
Total T3: 1.17 (0.87-1.78)
Total T4: 6.90 (6.09-12.23)

Now i was worried about being hyper due to my TSH dropping, but my frees were still in the low range. It didn't make sense.
I took my last dose of Coumadin on 4/22 and just continued to take my aspirin. I was sure at this point that the DVT was caused by the Necon being mixed with Levo as a relative told me her endo dr said the 2 should never be taken together. I was on the pill for several years when i was in my 20's & had no problems, now i was really thinking...

By mid to late April i was slowly becoming hypo again and could not figure out for the life of me why. My PCP didn't have any answers as endocrinology was not his field of expertise, but he was all i had for now. And now my cycle was late again so i was really starting to worry. My stamina was running on empty and most days i didn't want to leave my apt for work, everything was slowly becoming an effort once again. What do i do?

One day online i found a link to the website called stopthethyroidmadness (someone who's post i read, on another thyroid web site, had a link to it). I read the main page and was immediately quite impressed. I learned again about a drug called Armour (the first time was a year ago on another site) and started reading stories of the website members and that of the moderators and how their lives were given back to them by taking this drug. After registering on the site and chatting with a few members i was starting to understand what was going on with me, and what my first endo never told me, but i learned why, because it's what they are not taught during their dr's training. I also read where most dr's will not even prescribe Armour because they will say it is too dangerous. I was getting answers to almost all my questions, i learned that i had Hashimoto's disease because of the high antibodies, and that i was more than likely suffering from low iron/b12 levels as a result, hence the lack of energy & stamina. What useful information i found!

I decided to add Evening Primrose Oil to my daily regimen of supplements on the 29th. By May 14 my once daily medication and supplements consisted of:

Levothyroxine 50mcg
Fish Oil 2000mg (i had been off of it while taking the coumadin but went back on it)
Evening Primrose Oil 1000mg
Calcium tabs 1200mg
Centrum tab
Chasteberry/Vitex 160mg ( i had heard it stimulates menstruation)

On 6/8 my Levo was bumped up to 75mcg by my PCP. I also discussed with him the fact that my Free T3 was still quite low and suggested i try Cytomel to see what that does, so he added that at 5mcg a day (i started on 6/10). Now, due to my TSH being so low and worrying about going hyper, my Levo was decreased back to 50mcg.

So now another round of thyroid tests were done on 6/28:

TSH: 1.07
Free T3: 3.00
Free T4: 0.74
Glucose (fasting): 82

I was glad to see the TSH had gone up a little but not so much for the other labs (except the glucose).

By this time, mid-late June i was symptomatic again and knew i had to see an endocrinologist ,at the advice of my PCP. I had my first appointment on 7/21 with a new endo and was quite impressed by her kindness and compassion on the initial visit, unlike the first one a year ago who didn't seem to care. She started by discontinuing the Levo and starting me on regular Synthroid at 100mcg a day, she stopped the Cytomel. She ordered extensive bloodwork and diagnosed me with Hashimoto's Disease.

Finally someone who cared! (or did she?)

gtnmylifeback62,

Thanks for sharing your continued story with us. I for one have followed each post with interest!

Hi, I have some questions that hopefully somebody can answer for me. Does having a high ALK. PHOS. level have anything to do with giving birth? Or Hypothyroidism? I had a blood work up done recently for life insurance pruposes and my ALK. PHOS. came back at 148H (norm 30-125). I have Hypothyroidism and was (and still am) taking Synthroid for it. Should I be worried? I had this test done 2 weeks after giving birth. My white blood cell count was high too 35H (norm 0-9), but I assume that's from childbirth as well. Thanks so much. Stacie.

Sunday, July 12, 2009: Hi everyone, gosh it's been a while since i last posted and i hope everyone is enjoying their summer and staying safe. Before i start i just want to make mention that a lot that occured with me and my health, regarding my Hashi's, over the past years i am having a difficult time recalling it in every detail, more than likely due to the brain fog from the disease itself that was going on. This is why i kept a written log, with dates included, to help me. I am just getting settled into normal life (after a life changing event that took place earlier this year) and am back to continuing completing my journal, i apologize for the long delay and thank you for reading


7/21/06:

Finally had my first appointment with a new endo and anticipated getting on the right track. Like i may have mentioned earlier, she took me off Levo and Cytomel and put me on regular Synthroid at 100mcg. Finally i was given a diagnosis (but i already knew) of Hashimoto's Disease. She also mentioned that i could be insulin resistant at the same time and would look into it (that i already suspected too because i had the symptoms). She ordered the following tests which i had on 8/2 (i'll post with the results):

Glucose: 83 (74-100)
Sodium: 138 (136-144)
Potassium: 4.1 (3.6-5.1)
Chloride: 105 (99-110)
CO2: 25.0 (22.0-32.0)
BUN: 9 (7-20)
Calcium: 9.1 (8.4-10.3)
ALT: 14 (10-60)
Creatinine: 0.8 (0.4-1.0)
Insulin: 8.7 (1.9-23.0 uIU/ml)
DHEA-S: 64 (35-430 ug/d

LIPID STUDIES:


Cholesterol: 168 (140-199)
Triglyceride: 69 (35-149)
HDL: 49 (40-60)
LDL: 105 (0-129)


THYROID STUDIES:

Free T4: 1.07
TSH: 0.82

REPRODUCTIVE ENDOCRINOLOGY:

Estradiol: 28
LH: 10.77
FSH: 17.05

MISCELLANEOUS TESTING:

Hemoglobin A1C: 5.6 (4.0-6.0)


ANEMIA PANEL:

Vitamin B12: 270 (180-914)


Testosterone, % Free: 1.16 (0.50-2.30 %)
Testosterone,Free: 1.3 (0.1-6.4 pg/ml)
Testosterone, Total: 11 (2-45 ng/dl)

I received a phone call from her when i was at work on 8/8, she mentioned the b12 as being too low despite it being in normal range and immediately put me on b12 tablets at 1000mcg a day. No wonder i felt like [censored], short of breath when moving along with not even wanting to move :-( I bought OTC from walgreen's. I started the tabs that evening. I also had a period on 8/11, very heavy for 2 days, wasn't helping the anemia one bit.
On 8/14 the familiar hypo symptoms were returning along with neck pressure/slight tightness.
I had an MRI of my pituitary gland on 8/15, the endo wanted to rule out a tumor and because of my periods being almost absent, it came back in normal range.
On 8/20 hypo symptoms were a little more worse. Called my endo on 8/30 (by this time i can't believe how i was living day to day and the once warm, caring and so-concerned dr was starting to do a complete turnabout and had lost interest in me, much to my surprise) who sent me for another TSH (which was 1.20) and Free T4 (which was 0.97)
I was going to work everyday feeling sick, and by now i was trying to learn to live with it, but i soon lost the battle and now was becoming more unable to focus and concentrate on anything, i just wanted to crawl in a hole and die, i didn't want to be surrounded by people. I was becoming more used to the fact that there was no hope for me getting better.
On 9/4 another ER trip after work to have an xray of my neck & chest (results were ok) and bloodwork (CBC, but not thyroid tests). The ER dr contacted the endo who said for me to call tomorrow, which i did (on 9/5) and left a message, she didn't return the call.
On 9/6 i called the endo's office and spoke with her regarding how i felt, she told me to see my PCP and that it didn't sound like thyroid because my TSH and Free T4 were normal. I was at work at the time and was so sick i had to leave and go home. Good thing i was off the next day because i was so sick and barely responding that my husband almost took me to the ER again, but i refused to go, so instead he called her at home that evening, i thought that would do some good, but it was a useless call. She insisted "Honey i understand how you feel but it's NOT your thyroid, your TSH has been in normal range, it sounds like it's depression so i want to put you on an antidepressant, ok?"
Now my husband is an easy-going low keyed person, until someone or something makes him mad, and with that statement he lost it, but tried his best not to say too much realizing that she was my only hope. She upped the Synthroid to 150mcg on Mon-Wed-Fri and 100mcg on the other days. I started the next day and did notice a little bit of improvement.
On 9/12 i had a thyroid ultrasound ordered by my PCP, it clearly showed that i had a goiter (no surprise to me) Meanwhile i was on the STTM boards as well as others) and getting much more feedback and "Hashimoto's 101". I found out that my anemia/low b12 was autoimmune and probably a result of the Hashi's, which was also autoimmune, and that when you have one disease more are likely to follow. The b12 tablets were doing nothing to make me feel better, this i also mentioned and i was reading about pernicious anemia (which to this day o still don't know if i have) and realized i had much of the symptoms, and if left uuntreated (as with lowb12 or deficiency) can lead to permanent nerve damage. I was also told that i was in desperate need of the injections to get in my bloodstream quicker, i knew my body wasn't absorbing the b12 tabs, my stomach was destroying it.
So, the permanent nerve damage scared me enough to ask my endo about receiving the shots, she told me that was something i would have to aske my PCP about, even though she's the one who ordered the anemia panel back in July!
Ok it gets better:
I went to my PCP and asked him....he said "No that's for people who don't have a stomach." I almost passed out from shock, especially at the fact that, being a nurse, i was caring for elderly (and not so elderly) people with pernicious anemia, anemia, and low to deficient B12 levels, and when i last recalled these same folks were getting injections (at least monthly)....AND they they were eating food...so they must've had stomachs because it couldnt've been going any other place in the body, not any that I was aware of.
But then again ,as it says, expect the unexpected, right? :lol: :shock: :-? (sarcasm)
I left his office trying to pretend that conversation never took place.
I had my scheduled ultrasound-guided FNAB (for those who don't know that stands for Fine Needle Aspiration Biopsy) on 9/21 done by my endo inher office.
By 9/24 hypo symptoms, along with the popular sweating i had been putting up with for 2 years.
10/4 I started having pain in left side of my neck, with noticeable swelling, especially with eating.
On 10/6, at my endo's perserverance ( she saw my slight hiatal hernia on the ultrasound and fell in love with it, now forget the Hashi's) i had an abd flat plate (which i had had several times over the past years). By this time the running around had cause wear & tear on my already run-down body, but i went (in spite of protest), and it revealed what i already knew, mild hiatal hernia with GERD ( that was discovered in 2004 and was not serious).
On 10/5 i got my long-awaited preliminary results of the biopsy from my endo: She said "Unsatisfactory, nnon-determinant, inconclusive, Pathologist is to go over....six follicular cells..." I didn't understand, but at least now we're getting somewhere.
10/7 I was restarted on the Levothyroxine (if i can recall it was at pharmacist's request).
On 10/16 i got the final results of the biopsy: My endo called and said "Non-definitive, probably not enough samples were obtained, we'll wait for the results of the barium swallow."
I forgot to mention she ordered that, too. Like i said she fell in love with my hiatal hernia and couldn't stop thinking of it. That i also had over the years, at least twice, and it revealed that i had GERD. I told her this but she insisted i have another done.
So off i go again to have a barium swallow done on 10/20.
Now folks i am having second thoughts about this dr. I remember her giving me such high hopes at my first visit and now i am quite disappointed. She is getting tired of my complaints but now i have a feeling she is up to something.
While at work on 10/23 i received a call from her, she said the results of the barium swallow were normal, but wants me to see a gastroenterologist. I begged for another thyroid panel test, hestation (on her part) then she said she'd mail me a script.
Now i knew what she was up to. She refers me to a specialist dr and in doing so gets a cut of you-know-what $$$$$$.
That did it, and i called her office on 10/26 to cancell my next appointment for 11/2, and did not reschedule. She called me at home about a week later and left a message that i couldn't understand (she is foreign). I decided to give her a dose of her own medicine and did not return her call. She never called back. I think she got the hint.
I went to my PCP on 10/27, he sent me for more bloodword (i know some of his remarks were outlandish but the one thing he has done in all the years that i've been his patient is he listens to me, which is more than i could ever say for the 2 endos i had) . I also told him i was done with the endo, he said to me that a lot of specialty dr's know nothing and only care about collecting a paycheck. That made sense to me.
At the advice of some good people on STTM i made an appointment with an ENT dr (i learned a lot of peole with thyroid disease received much better treatment from those dr's then with endos, i thought i had nothing to lose) who i saw on the morning of 10/30. He examined my neck, then ordered another FNAB. He went over the results of the first one and said unrehearsed that the endo dr did a poor job and probably aspirated not from the thyroid but from just soft tissue. Thank god i was done with her! That evening at work (i work 3pm-11pm) i was super sick and finally realized it when, about 1 hour into my shift, i almost fainted from just trying to get myself prepared and i remember just standing and into deep thought (i had forgotten how to do my work!)....where do i start? This was strange. The supervisor sent me home.
I was on-line again ( which has become very much of a routine for me) on STTM especially. I was now eating my words when i had told one of the moderators (back in July when i started seeing my last endo) that this was a good one, seems so kind and concerned. The moderator said to don't bet on it in the future ,and explained why. Well i didn't listen as i should have. Live and learn i always say.
Armour Thyroid was in my daily thoughts and now i was seriously contemplating now taking it, i had read up on it and heard so many good things about it's effectiveness and how this one drug had given people back their lives after suffering for so many years with hypothyroid. I felt it couldn't go wrong with me, the Synthroid/Levo was no longer working and i felt horrible being on it, as i would increase the dose, then feel better for a while, then back to feeling bad. I figured i can't keep doing that, i still had a thyroid and i was worried about taking too much and becoming hyper. However i also payed close attention to the fact that most dr's won't prescribe it because it's (just a few of the words mentioned here) "Dangerous", "Not reliable", "Outdated", "Not effective" "Not compatible because it comes from an animal." Well, Synthroid was out for me, and there was no other alternative left.
I discussed with my husband about Armour and the testimonials from others on the internet and, seeing how sick i had become, he was all for it, but we were also ready for out PCP (also his dr too) to refuse, which wouldnt've surprised us in the least. We had the credit card out and ready to order Armour on-line if the dr had refused, not caring the least about cost my husband said if it cost $300.00 he would have paid (i found a couple of on-line pharmacies that sold Armour without a prescription, thank god)
I missed work on 10/31 also, still not feeling up to going back. I visited my PCP that morning to ask for my test results and a script for Armour. Results (drawn 10/27):

Free T3: 6.20
Free T4: 3.24 H
TSH: 0.03 L
Thyroglobulin Abs: 773 H
Cholesterol: 151
Triglyceride: 169
HDL Cholesterol: 32 AB
LDL Cholesterol: 85
WBC: 5.2
RBC: 4.40
HGB: 12.8
HCT: 38.5
Glucose: 101 H
Sodium: 139
Needless to say, no wonder i felt horrible, the tests speak for themselves, and my antibodies being so high, making my labs look like i was hyper, proof that Synthroid/Levo was not working.
Without hesitation i asked for a script for Armour Thyroid, when he pulled out his pen and pad and asked "What dose?" i knew i was home free and the suffering was going to come to an end. I couldn't believe it, he gave it to me, Armour Thyroid at 180mg. Without asking any questions, without any lectures, without any speeches, without reprimanding me, he gave it to me....HE GAVE ME ARMOUR!!!!!!! I couldn't thank him enough.
We didn't have to order it, we didn't have to run up the credit card, now i was at peace knowing that i can now get this from my PCP, the one who i had doubts about in the past, the last one i thought would be there to rescue me, god bless him!
My husband and i had a little celebration that evening, despite how i felt, and i happily took the script to our neighborhood drug store. I almost lost my cool when the tech told me "We don't have it in stock, we have to order it." OMG, i thought, and for how long was it going to be before a supply came in? This couldn't be happening, i was desperate! I asked if they carried it and was relieved when she said yes.
I dropped the script off and went home and patiently waited. I picked it up the next day 11/1 and was surprised that my insurance covered it, but when she said how much i owed i thought the tech girl had misspoke, she said "3.33" I thougth she meant $333.00 and was ready to pay but i had to ask her, she said "3 dollars and 33 cents." And that was with insurance How can it be so cheap? (i wondered) I happily paid!
I went back to work and took my first dose of generic Armour (simply called Thyroid, by Qualitest labs) sublingually at 1.5 grains a day (according to the dose chart on STTM). I started to feel better by the end of my work day, within 2 days i was just about back to normal where i could work again. It was like the puzzle pieces of my life coming back into place....unbelievable. I started to slowly wean off the Synthroid (again according to the dose chart on STTM).
But in spite of everything, i had a lot to learn about Armour and other thyroid related issues.

Sounds like it could be caused by hypothyroidism, i wish i can help you more.

Just to avoid confusion between the name Armour and the name Dessicated and Generic Thyroid , whenever referring to my medicine i will only use the word Thyroid (which is the name of what i was taking starting back in November of 2006)
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Nov 2, 2006:

I can recall having such a wonderful feeling of being able to move a little better, think more clearly, and concentrate better, and not hurt and ache as much since starting on Thyroid, and the fact that i started feeling better within 2 days probably impressed me the most, whereas when on the Synthroid it took a little less than a week (but you all know THAT story) . On Thyroid it was amazing, now my husband could finally have a normal one-on-one conversation with me and not get reprimanded, i could deal with the public (a huge part of my job) without wanting to run away and hide, i could talk to my daughter without debatting over her new baby's well-being,she had her first child in July of that year, my daughter had emailed me some first pics of my first-born granddaughter (and yes i had seen her physically) and, upon me seeing her with a certain "distant"--and "very" distant"--family member,but completely innocent at the time, i totally lost it and i started a huge argument---on-line---to which she (my daughter) didn't contact me for a few weeks afterwards, i think of it now and I deserved it, did i EVER deserve it! When i thought of it after i started on my new med i can't help but say i had absolutely NO idea why that would even BEGIN to upset me, none! Because i was now out of my "Twilight Zone" it was just an amazing feeling knowing i was on my way to better health, happiness, being physically fit again (i pictured myself finally having enough strength to exercise again and lose weight) and enjoying my life....

That same day, 11/2/06, i had increased the b12 tabs i had been on to 2000mcg, not that it mattered, it wasn't helping much anyway and i knew i was desperate for the injections, but i didn't want to waste the pills either. Despite feeling much better than i did when on the Synthroid i was not yet completely well, i continued to work within my own pace and took pain meds for my muscle/joint aches & pains which were a daily occurance.

On Nov 7, at the request of my ENTdr, i had a repeat thyroid ultrasound done, along with another FNAB, which wasn't done after all. When the tech was doing the ultrasound he saw nothing unusual to aspirate, so......no FNAB. I guess i was happy and especially seeing that my goiter was starting to shrink (i examined my neck everyday in front of my bathroom mirror and could actually tell) I had restarted on Evening Primrose Oil (like before, 1000mg daily), and Aspirin (325mg daily), also Vitex (can't remember the mg), yes i was still trying to balance out my female hormones ruined by my Hashi's.
By the time Nov 12 had come i noticed a comeback of some of my hypo symptoms, but this was quite different as i had racing heart with palpitations and the sweats had returned (it had diminished for a short while after starting on Thyroid). These symptoms seemed more like hyPER to me and i had started noticing them several days before: anxiety, shakes, nervousness, weeping at the drop of a hat, being easily startled at noise or people suddenly talking (and i had enough sense not to tell my poor hubby right away so i initially kept it quiet) . Something was wrong.
I visited STTM site and clicked on where it said "those durn adrenals". I read the page and was surprised to learn that my above symptoms were from possible Adrenal Fatigue, something i had never even heard of before. The more i read the more i was informed....so THIS is why i'm having these,what was refered to, as "bizarre & strange" symptoms to Armour (in my case Thyroid). Now i'm wondering if it's simply that or i was just on too much (?????)
Once again these symptoms were inferfering with my job performance and i was ready to "explode". I couldn't handle even normal or minor stress, my patience with people had worn thin, i was irritable, fatigued, jumpy, crabby, sweaty, confused....i was a total wreck, took prescription Valium for the anxiety (from my PCP) which gave me only temporary relief, and it did take some of the edge off.
So, at the advice on the Adrenal page i did the home checks for adrenal function for several days, seeing that i could not afford to order labs on-line (i also took note of the 24 Hour Adrenal/Saliva Cortisol Test being the more conclusive one) I did the standing and sitting BP, there was not much of a difference there, maybe once during those days. I did the pupil test (with the flashlight, of course) and found them to be fluctuating, an obvious sign of AF, and the result was the same each day. The flashlight also hurt my eyes and gave me a headache. My daily temps (taken several times a day) were below 98.6 (in the 96's 97's) despite the sweating, and they were indeed fluctuating more than .2 to .3.
I believe i had just self-diagnosed me with AF.
I explained this new one to DH as gentle as possible and told him there was medication for it ,once again he was upset and nervous, not to mention the time when he called me at work and i just plain hung up the phone on him, that is how bad it was.
I knew i needed medication, for i knew i was not on enough Thyroid, however i learned that the reason for my new strange symptoms was due to high amounts of the Thyroid in my bloodstream instead of being utilized by my cells and it was due to the fact that i had weak and sluggish adrenal glands. The more i read this the more it made sense.
So i continued on Thyroid increased the dose to 3 grains (180mg) by Nov 15, taking 1/2 the dose at 6am and the other at 12noon. That seemed to make a little bit of a positive difference, however i was still having what i now knew were "thyroid dumps" but i thought i was doing right by increasing the dose (what i know now i wish i'd known then!) .
I also suspected i was Insulin Resistant as my other symptoms in that area seemed to match, especially the fact that my periods had stopped again, and during that time i had been having elevated blood sugars ( i used the glucometer machine at my job), the numbers were 150, 179, 165, not serious but those were several hours after eating.
I had a plan. I discovered i could order some Isocort on-line, however the far superior treatment was definitely Hydrocortisone tablets, the brand name being Cortef. Now i was debating in my mind whether or not i should bring that up to my dr (meaning our PCP, but i'll just use dr for short), wondering if he'll prescribe it. DH said to just ask and explain why, adding "He was good about giving you the Thyroid with no argument, just tell him you want to try this drug because you're having AF symptoms."
While i had some time to think about it i started taking Selenium 200mg (heard it was helpful in lowering thyroid antibodies) and sublingual b12 once a day. I noticed some improvement in my low b12/iron symptoms, a little bit more energy had come back. The heart palps were kicking my butt so now i was really planning on asking for the Cortef.
I began researching on PCOS (polycystic ovary syndrome) and wondered if i had that too, i did have several of the symptoms and i knew i needed to go on Metformin. A family member, who has Hashi's and had her thyroid removed due to cancer (in 2004) told me her endo put her on it because she had PCOS, she was also insulin resistant, and her endo said it was due to the Hashi's. Funny, because her endo was the last one i had and she only brought that up to me on my initial visit, then seemed to have forgotten it .
Oh well.....
Again i took matters into my own hands and ordered Metformin on-line. I figured i couldn't ask my PCP for it along with Cortef, i didn't want to bite off more than i could chew (i was lucky enough to be getting the Thyroid) also realizing that i was done with endos (at least for now).
On Nov 19 i took my first dose of Metformin 425mg once a day, by this time i had also stopped the Vitex (Chasteberry), it was doing nothing for me and i realized i was just wasting my money. I found that the Met (i'll use that for short) did one great thing for me, it decreased my appetite greatly to where i didn't want to eat, and i had to be careful with drinking alcohol (which was only on occassion, maybe every 2 weeks) because i would get "buzzed" after just one. It had something to do with liver processing (can't explain it enough to list here) I was already registered on one PCOS website and read up on Met's effects and learned that it doesn't lower blood sugar when it is prescribed for diabetes (it is primarily a diabetes drug) but rather helps the body utilize insulin more effectively, also the company where i ordered from (overseas) stated that it is often used as a weight loss drug.
Although that was not primarily why i was taking it, i did notice that i was starting to lose weight.
On Nov 25 i increased the Met to 850mg (425 in the am & another in the pm, with meals) At this point i was also monitoring my blood sugar readings at work and was thrilled to see that i was not dropping, which i worried about. I started to gain a little more energy as well. I noticed some of my movements were a little restricted as i found i could not bend at the knees into a squatting position and when i did it felt as if my knees were going to pop, not to mention the pain. Arthritic knees?
By Nov 29 i increased the Thyroid to 3.5 grains (210mg), then i made the mistake of upping it to 4 grains after a few days.....i wasn't thinking logically as i was to soon find out.....

Dec 2006

Well by the 10th of this month i had made up my mind to stop the Evening Primrose oil,
not sure what is was doing or why i was even taking it in the first place. I also had increased the Metformin to 1000mg a day
And stopped the B12 oral tabs, i realized it was not absorbing it and knew i would do far better with the injections (by this time i was highly contemplating
ordering that on-line.
My "thyroid dump" symptoms were bad enough to motivate me to see my PCP and ask
for Cortef, he gave me a script without question (i explained what symptoms i was having and how sick i was)
I started taking on the 20th (according to the STTM dose chart) and happily noticed some
relief in my symptoms, i wasn't as jumpy or anxious anymore and could tolerate stress
a little better, the sweats had even calmed down some.
I stopped the Selenium on Christmas Day with the promise of possibly restarting
in the future. By this time i was wondering if these supplements were even worth taking
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

January 2007

Feeling lousy again (despite still being on Cortef) i knew something had to give. I went
back to the adrenal page , took the advice and decided to stop the Thyroid
on these days: 7,8,9,& 10. My daily Cortef regimen was (in mg) 10-5-2.5-2.5 (of course
those doses being divided, the 10mg first thing in AM, 5mg 4 hours later, 2.5mg 4 hours later
then 2.5mg at bedtime)
My symptoms did subside 75-80%, with the exception of occasional heart palps. On Jan 11
i restarted on the Thyroid at 4.5 grains (270mg) I'm now thinking i should have just started
all over again at 1/4 grain, but i thought i was doing the right thing. I spoke to someone
on the STTM site and was instructed to stay on my current dose of Cortef until fully optimized
on Thyroid. That's easy, i thought, didn't need to tell me twice. I was also told to stress
dose with a little more if needed (ex: illness, highly stressful events, etc) I found i was
able to tolerate normal day in/day out living and really didn't need to stress dose.
On the 21st i restarted selenium at 100mg ( after reading once again where it lowers
the antibodies) However i was still in a dilemma regarding having to balance my female
hormones ( i was having episodes of PMS with horrid cramps and having to take pain meds
to feel better ("phantom periods" i later called it)
I recall being on the message forums and reading about DHEA and Pregnenolone. I did
an internet seach on both and was satisfied enough to start on those also,( i bought both from Vitamin World) the pregnenolone
30mg a day and DHEA 10mg a day ( i remember my lab numbers in that area being in low
range a year earlier)
And on the 25th (of January) i bumped up the Thyroid to 5 grains. On Feb 2 and 3 i did have a light
period. On the 8th bumped up Thyroid to 5.5 grains. On the 18th i was having some flu-
like symptoms so i stress dosed with an extra 5mg Cortef. On the 22nd bumped up Thyroid
again to 5.75 grains, since my goal was 6 grains, and i was actually thinking that i would
be "optimized" on it....in the end, not what i had hoped for.

On March 1st and 2nd i had a period (normal) then felt better in THAT department. I was still having
racing heart with occassional skipped beats, but didn't stop me from increasing the Thyroid to
6 grains on the 8th, that same time i stopped the Pregnenolone and DHEA in preparation for bloodwork. Also it was day one of weaning off
Cortef, my belief was that i would be optimized on Thyroid and would no longer need it, also i worried about weight gain. (I should have been doing more
research and reading on Cortef but i didn't) I had labs done on the 7th:

THYROID STUDIES:

Free T3: 4.00 (2.39-6.79)
Free T4: 1.29 (0.58-1.64)
TSH: <0.01 L (0.34-5.60)
Thyroglobulin Abs (Antibodies): 631 H (0-40)


Glucose: 92 (74-100)
Sodium: 138 (136-144)
Potassium: 4.6 (3.6-5.1)
Chloride: 103 (99-110)
CO2: 28.0 (22.0-32.0)
BUN: 11 (7-20)
Calcium: 9.7 (8.4-10.3)
Bilirubin, Total: 0.7 (0.0-1.3)
Protein, Total: 7.5 (6.1-7.9)
Albumin: 3.8 (3.5-5.0)
ALT: 18 (10-60)
AST: 17 (10-42)
Alkaline Phos: 69 (42-121)
Creatinine: 0.7 (0.4-1.0)


ANEMIA PANEL:

Vitamin B12: 490 (180-914)


It's very obvious i still wasn't on enough Thyroid as my frees were still low ( i was no longer
paying attention to the TSH as the low number did not bother me as it meant it was being suppressed
but the high antibodies still haunted me although lower than before when it was 773). And my B12 was still low.
On the 12th I resumed the Pregnenolone at the same dose of 30mg but 3 days a week (someone suggested that, have no
recollection who or from where) and the DHEA same dose daily.
I started getting worried as my resting pulse was in the high 80's and i was still having skipped heartbeats,( now i was worried about cardiac arrhythmias) also much difficulty falling asleep at night and dragging during the day as a result, hot flashes periodically and feeling miserable, no not hypo
symptoms, this was different. I knew it had a lot to do with my low B12/iron levels. The sublinguals were helping but
not much. I was soon to order the injections.
On 3/9 i started taking a low dose of Lopressor at 12.5mg at bedtime for at least 2 weeks until i was off the Cortef (i was still weaning off).
I was having occassional nosebleeds for no reason so i stopped my daily dose of aspirin for a while.
Meanwhile, i was suffering again I stopped the Thyroid for a few days in the hopes that i would feel better.

Felt like a total "train wreck"

Dear gtnmylifeback62, I have so many questions and after reading your posts, can see you have had a similar experience. I just joined this today when I saw the information I believed could be useful and attempted to send a personal email to no avail. How am I able to send it directly to you? Thanks

gtnmylifeback62, Incredible!! This type of roller coastering of symptoms can be so typical with thyroid autoimmune. This high and then low and then high TSH with high and then low thyroid hormones is completely explainable. And sometimes when there's an explanation a person feels a great relief. With thyroid autoimmune the person's thyroid is inflamed. Inflammation causes accelerated metabolism and pre-mature aging of cells. So thyroid cells are recycled more rapidly and when thyroid cells die they release thyroid hormones (elevated thyroid hormones on labs with low TSH), the enzyme Thyroperoxidase and the protein Thyroglobulin. Then the antibodies are formed to this enzyme and protein. When TSH goes up this stimulates thyroid cells to make more hormones but it also stimulates thyroid cell to produce more hydrogen peroxide which converts iodide into iodine, to make thyroid hormones. This hydrogen peroxide is what causes thyroid inflammation and will cause more thyroid cells to break apart. This is a nutshell summary on a vast subject. If you'd like to view a series of videos we've produced on the origin of Hashimoto's and how to reduce thyroid inflammation please find our invitation to watch a series of videos on Hashimotos on youtube. All the best, Dr. Alexander Haskell