Hypothyroidism and Hyperthyroidism

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Seeing an Endo for the 1st time!

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RozayJones
RozayJones Posts: 409 Member
in Social Groups
Hi everyone ~

I will FINALLY being seeing an endo for the first time next week. At first I was excited and now I am nervous. I want real answers, I want to feel better, I want to take the right medication, I want to feel like me again.......

I went from hyper in 2007 to hypo in 2009. Had a partial tyroidectomy in 2011 only to have a second sugery two weeks later because cancer was found. My healing was horrible (but we are pass that bump now) - it took 3 months before I could have radaition which meant 3 months of no active thyroid or thyroid medication. I currently take a huge dose of Synthroid .45 and .25 of Cytomel.
They tell me I went through menopause and have only had my TOM the twice in over two years.

What types of questions should I ask? I am scared and my anxiety levels are extremely high right now :yawn: . I want success out of this appointment, any pointers would be appreciated!

Thanks in advance.

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  • editorgrrl
    editorgrrl Posts: 7,060 Member
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    Everybody is different, and every endocrinologist is different. I would get a feel for his or her style. Is he willing to adjust your meds based on symptoms, or solely on test results? Familiarize him w/ your medical history, and ask him to explain your latest labs.
  • RozayJones
    RozayJones Posts: 409 Member
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    Thank you :)
  • asharkin
    asharkin Posts: 30 Member
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    Depends on the endo...I thought they would treat me better since they are "specialists" but the one I saw did nothing for me. I hope this isn't your experience but be prepared. I found a homeopathic Dr now who is great so far. She ordered tests regular des wont / suggested supplements&diet changes and finally listened to me unlike any other Dr. Best of luck to you! I hope you get a good one!
  • MeepleMuppet
    MeepleMuppet Posts: 226 Member
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    I had a total thyroidectomy due to cancer in 2012, radiation in 2013, and finally got the meds adjusted properly this month. I'm surprised no one had you seeing an endo from the beginning but oh well. The important thing is you are well on your way to a cancer free, hopefully normal life (as messed up as the path was). I actually don't really like my endo, there are two and they are both a bit harsh. But turns out that's exactly what I needed (they were right, I couldn't blame my weight gain on the meds. That led me to MFP and a healthier lifestyle).

    Also, I honestly couldn't tell you right now what the endo does that's different from the oncologist, but they order blood tests and adjust the levels until they like what they see. The thing that's different with us cancer survivors is they want to see a TSH level that's as close to zero as possible to reduce the risk of more cancer. So the medication adjustments are minute tweakings, every 8 weeks until they get what they like and that's really about it.

    I'm seeing my endo tomorrow, every six months apparently so this will only be the second time. I don't really rely on them as a source of information. I actually lean on my general practitioner a lot for that. The endo dictates the levels but it's my GP who doles out the answers and the hugs. :) (I like her very much) I think of the endo as my watchdog. For me, they're watching test results and it's working - I feel great. Hopefully yours provides what you need. Good luck! And let us know how it goes.

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