Hmmm

What about absorption of time-released T4? T4 should be taken on an empty stomach, and I can't fast all day every day!

Change to Compounded T3/T4

(I also remembered that I forgot to tell the doc that I got pretty bad hives 3 weeks after starting Synthroid, which lasted about a week—I didn't call because I had no idea where they came from, but figured that if it was a side effect, they'd pass—and again, not as bad, 3 weeks after increasing from 25mcg to 50mcg dose!)

Well, I got a call from a nurse at the doctor's office yesterday. Natural thyroid was a no-go, but she did change me to compounded T3/T4 at a 10mcg/40mcg dose. I'm supposed to make an appointment for 4 – 6 weeks from now for bloodwork, but I'm going to specify that I want to see the doctor, as well. It really looks to me like the full natural thyroid (Armour, for example) would be better overall, since it includes T–1 & T–2, plus calcitonin—wouldn't it be nice if my bones could stay strong?

I've also been reading a bit about Wison's Syndrome. It makes sense so far, and/but the American Thyroid Association seems dead set against it—but then, they advocate for T–4 replacement only, along with the party line of TSH being the defining factor in thyroid testing. From everything else I'm reading, that's just plain ludicrous.

Actually, it looks like my adrenals could probably use some support as well (based on my bad reaction to T4, plus symptomatically based on the "Metabolic Scorecard" so, rather than messing with the doctor on that just yet, I'm using some 1% hydrocortisone cream to see if that helps. The articles so far give doses for oral replacement, but I know that it is well-absorbed through the skin, so that's fine for now. I just need to find a place where it says what actual dose you get from the cream, so I'll know how much I need to use.

For future reference: I forgot to take my temperature before I got up, but after taking my pills and smoking a cigarette after coming downstairs, it's 96.3 (taken in the armpit, which wouldn't be altered by drinking water or drawing smoke through the mouth). It was 97.1 yesterday afternoon. Clearly low—and my "normal" has always been around 97.6 basal.

A Beginning

Now that I am dealing with hypothyroidism, I find that my "forgetter" is working MUCH better than my "rememberer." I realized just how bad it had gotten when I got home after my doctor's appointment on Monday and realized that the ONLY symptom I'd told her that I had or was bothering me was tiredness--physical, mental, etc., but still!!! What about feeling like crap after (and even while) walking to work? It's only a mile, and I've been doing it daily for about 3-1/2 years—not that it's gotten any easier! What about needing to slow down to a snail's pace when going up ANY grade at all, no matter how gentle?

I also forgot about my first week of not being able to work full-time—and neglected to mention that I'd continued working full-time when I REALLY needed to just collapse. Geez.

I got blood drawn after that meeting, and should get the results tomorrow. I've done broader, more in-depth research on hypothyroidism, its treatment, and common symptoms. In doing so, I've discovered that natural thyroid is far more likely to be effective, so I called this morning and left a message requesting that change, too. Synthroid doesn't read too well--and I'm not feeling well on it.

Last week ... or was it the week before? Yeah, it was ... I got sent home within 5 minutes of arriving at work because I looked so bad. That nearly happened again today, and a co-worker told me to stay home tomorrow—I told him that I'd wait until tomorrow to make that decision, though I probably should just stay home—I'm making too many mistakes!

Oh, yeah--I've been on antidepressants for about 4 years now, and tried to begin weaning off, but depression crept right back in & my P-doc told me to stay on the full dose until I get my thyroid properly regulated.

Maybe if I remember to write in here and remember to read it and maybe print some out before going back to the doctor, life will get simpler and easier to handle with less energy--and hopefully gain some energy sometime soon, through more accurate communication.