BellaOnline Forums Health and Fitness Thyroid Health MY STORY

My story... I can go back as far as 7 yrs prior to the diagnoses. It hit me with very dry skin and I didn't think anything of it. I had always heard that the body changes when you hit 40 and 40 was around the corner. 2002- I began to have weight problems. I went from 103 pds -177; then headaches, feeling sleepy. I thought all of this was due to: "the change of life", that's all I used to hear, "things change right around 40" 2004- feeling sleepy all the time, hair falling out, super red face. I still thought I was meeting up "with the change of life" phase. 2004- later on that year I lost my REAL job so I went to use the medical insurance to get a complete checkup before it ran out. When the doctor walked in she immediately said, "Your face is too red, nobody's face is that red, something is wrong." I later received the devestating diagnoses: "your thyroid is a little low so I'm going to prescribe you this to take every morning" I cried buckets of tears that this disease struck me. I thought by the time I reached 40 yrs old that I wasn't going to inherit this even though my Mom was HYPER. I was happy and thought I could have a normal life and accomplish things in life that I needed to be successful. This disease has -- Ended my Life. It has kept me from completing my education and having a life. Just when things WERE going smoothly. I was in the last level of court reporting and I was moving up fast and thought for sure I would be out in 6 months after losing my job. I pictured myself working within a year, traveling, having fun, enjoying this job, enjoying a job like I never have before. I thought tht I could even set out to find Mr. Right -- dreams crushed!!

My story... 2005- Insurance ran out so I had to find a different doctor. Doctor #1- I had for 2 1/2 yrs who knew nothing abt how to treat this disease and in fact she LOWERED my dose. Such a mean thing to do. LIfe got worse. I begged her for 3 yrs to increase the dose. She got a GP and HE was BRAVE enough to increase it and was thinking out loud, "well, you're on an awfully low dose, we could increase it" He increased it and I felt somewhat better. 2008- Dcctor #2- Another stupid doctor who didn't know how to treat this disease. She and her staff always called me with blood results stating to me "you're within range" This one wanted to treat my symptoms with an -- anti-depressant!! I said, I'll think about it! 2009- Doctor #3 YIKES! another stupid N P. I told her my symptoms such as not being able to concentrate and poor memory. I told her: I went to turn the heater in the house, and when I got there I didn't know how to turn it on; I had to ask my brother how to turn it on. This one made me jump thru hoops; she sent me for an MRI of my brain -- give me a break!! then she sent me to a neuropsychologist for some psychological evaluation which consisted of memory "games" AND THIS ONE also reported to me that my number were "within range" She did not know how to treat me after making me jump thru hoops so she droped me and I received a ltr in the mail stating she is no long in practice.

My story... 5 YEARS LATER 2010- Dr #4. by this time, I did my homework on the numbers for the TSH, FT3 & FT4; T3 & T4; I learned the ranges and most importantly the OPTIMAL RANGES. I spent long hours daily, weekly, monthly learning about the tests and what they were for and the numbers and what they meant and what ranges are good optimal and BAD! On my first visit with dr. #4 I TOLD HER how to treat me! I gave her a list of 18 sypmtoms. I showed up with a graph of all my numbers since 2004. She quickly saw the BAD, OUT OF RANGE-NUMBERS. I TOLD HER: my blood work is going to be consistent. It is no longer going to be inconsistent. She asked what do you mean? I said: Well, the doctors in the past somtimes did the T4 sometimes the Ft3 and so on -- there is NOW going to be a consistency. I TOLD HER: I don't want to be told anymore: "you're within range" I told her: I WANT OPTIMAL RANGES!!!!! I commanded the visit and she knew where I was coming from and quickly asked me: Have you eve seen an endocrinologist? And she said, I'm going to increase your dose. MUZIC to my ears. This doctor understood what I needed. She showed that she cared by: sending me for bloodwork first and then evaluating it and then I come in to see her and we talk over the results. In the past they would have me come in, talk some [censored] and send me for bloodwork, bring me in again ONLY to tell me: "you're within range" and the apmt ended!! I was scared to command the apmt becuz I thought this doctor wouldn't like me and mistreat me medically just like one of the past doctors did. I felt that I needed to take the chance. I thought: what do I have to lose -- I would just go find Doctor #5 and move on. She was tough to sit there and write verbatim for 15 min and listen to me.

My story... I am happy to say that doctor #4 hasn't made me jump thru any hoops. She changed my dose -- she gave me my life back, Yaye!! Dec 2010 I started the new dose and immediately felt a change when I got up in the morning. I kept feeling changes. Jan 2011 I saw the doc at 4 weeks and the numbers were good: OPTIMAL RANGE Then ANOTHER big change in February when classes started up again -- I could concentrate. I could keep up with class dictation. March 2011- I felt a breakthrough in my speed for class. I got my answer -- it was the disease keeping me from progressing in my education. I was afraid that it was me and not the disease! March 2011- Went thru some more bloodwork-- YIKES. it now shows I'm OVER optimal range. The doc now wants to lower my dose. I begged her, "you can't do that" I just got my life back, PLEAZE DON'T DO THAT. at the end of the appointment she agreed that she would leave me on this new dose so long as I knew she gave me A WARNING. I said the minute I feel any differently I will race back in here. She immediately warned me that I could start having heart problems. I said my heart rate is 71, isn't that normal? She said, yes. Even though I'm over OPTIMAL range, I feel normal. I don't feel like running a marathon or anything out of the ordinary. I figured then what's to worry about -- heart rate is normal, but yet she doesn't worry that my blood pressure is dropping again. If I go back down to 90/59, I will start to have greater memory problems, again. At this point I'm dealing with my hands hurting, and memory problems are back. 17 symptoms have disappeared. I can say at this point that: I FEEL LIKE MYSELF. I never thought that I would ever get to this point. I saw what this did to my Mom and all I could think was, Oh, it's my turn to feel like [censored] and to have my life taken away. It doesn't have to be like that. We may have to go thru a couple of doctors before we find the right one. I want everyone to keep truckin. Keep looking for the one doc that will help you.