Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

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What to ask at 1st appt with Endo

erinlea75
erinlea75 Posts: 47 Member
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I've been been on 25mcg of Levothyroxine for about 6 months. Saw immediate improvement when I started. Recently went through a bout of forgetting to take it regularly. But I'm back on track.

Problem is, all my symptoms have returned:

- Foggy brain - major memory issues
- Exhaustion - I almost fell asleep driving the other day
- Woozy spells/unsteadiness
- Dull headaches

So I have my first appointment with an Endo next week. My primary care doctor never sent me the results of my blood work from June - which is one of the many reasons I'm leaving their practice. So I have no idea what my latest numbers are. They are now mailing my results so I can take them with me.

I really want to make sure they are treating my symptoms and not some number on a lab result. But other than than I'm not sure what to expect. What types of questions should I ask? What should I be looking for?

Replies

  • queenstatus
    queenstatus Posts: 267 Member
    Great question! I went to my first appt weds that just passed after my durgery on July 26th and when I saw thatt.t3 wad low and told my emdo that my hands AND feet be like ice , I AM HUNGRY CONSTANTLY, DO NOT SLEEP RIGHT. AND CONSTIPATED. HE HANDED ME A LOW CARB DIET SHEET, TOLD ME I HAD TO GIVE THE MEDICATION A CHANCE AMD COME BACK IN 4-6 WEEKS. HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE FOR THE MEDOCINE TO KNOW WHETHER IT IS WORKING FOR YOU.OR NOT?
  • tecallahan
    tecallahan Posts: 732 Member
    Use stopthethyroidmadness.com to get ideas about what to ask for. Doctors tend to just check TSH -- that is not even the beginning of the story of what's going on with us.

    Here's a link to recommended labs: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/recommended-labwork/

    Also, I would ask for natural dessicated thyroid - I personally don't know of anyone that is doing well on synthetic T4 which is Synthroid, Levoxyl, etc. I took Synthroid for 15 years and got a higher and higher dose as I got more sick, tired and fat.

    No thyroid medication will work well if your adrenals are fatigued. No thyroid medication will work well if you have low Ferritin/Iron levels. You probably need Vitamin D3 also -- people with hypo don't absorb Vit D through sunlight.

    Here's a cool letter to your doctor: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/dear-doctor/
  • kms1104
    kms1104 Posts: 110 Member
    It CAN take up to six weeks to see if a dose of meds is working well for you or not. My biggest issues have been at dose changes. Tdcallahan is also correct in saying you should ask about Vitamin D, B12, Calcium levels. I'm in a thyroid cancer support group (none of us have thyroids at all), and those are first line of labs you should ask about after they "thryoid levels"... as we know, those are just numbers. Many of the women in my group have improved memory loss and/or fatigue after adjusting these vitamins.
  • sallray
    sallray Posts: 6
    When I was first diagnosis I was put on Synthriod. Synthriod helped stopped the weight gain and less tired. However, several people recommended Armore to me because they said that Armore made them feel better than the Synthroid and helped more with weight loss. I was switched last year and I there is a big difference for the better for me as well. I have less foggy brain, more energy and feel like my old self for the most part with Armore. Still struggling with weight loss but have stopped the constant gain. Good luck.
  • kms1104
    kms1104 Posts: 110 Member
    When I was first diagnosis I was put on Synthriod. Synthriod helped stopped the weight gain and less tired. However, several people recommended Armore to me because they said that Armore made them feel better than the Synthroid and helped more with weight loss. I was switched last year and I there is a big difference for the better for me as well. I have less foggy brain, more energy and feel like my old self for the most part with Armore. Still struggling with weight loss but have stopped the constant gain. Good luck.

    I've had a lot of people say that doctors aren't huge fans of that, but it HAS made them feel better... mine is a numbers person (which I've slowly found out) so I don't know if he would go for it.. hmmm...
  • sallray
    sallray Posts: 6
    My numbers are improving as well. So far I am doing well with my internal medicine doctor and my gyn who suggested the Armore as well. They both are in favor of more natural approaches and mix them with traditional medicine. I have heard that many doctors especially endo's are not fans of Armore. Not everything works for everyone especially with hormone issues and other health factors that may play in. Good luck.
  • ginnylee74
    ginnylee74 Posts: 398 Member
    I've been been on 25mcg of Levothyroxine for about 6 months. Saw immediate improvement when I started. Recently went through a bout of forgetting to take it regularly. But I'm back on track.

    Problem is, all my symptoms have returned:

    - Foggy brain - major memory issues
    - Exhaustion - I almost fell asleep driving the other day
    - Woozy spells/unsteadiness
    - Dull headaches

    So I have my first appointment with an Endo next week. My primary care doctor never sent me the results of my blood work from June - which is one of the many reasons I'm leaving their practice. So I have no idea what my latest numbers are. They are now mailing my results so I can take them with me.

    I really want to make sure they are treating my symptoms and not some number on a lab result. But other than than I'm not sure what to expect. What types of questions should I ask? What should I be looking for?

    Hi,

    I would recommend reading as much as you can and possibly print out information to take with you from http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/. This sight has so much information on what to do to deal with your Thyroid problems.I think everyone on this thread uses sttm as their go to info sight. Sure can't hurt. Wishing you well with your Endo appt. Let us know how it goes.

    Ginny

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