Dumb-a-crinologist
I can’t even begin to explain how furious I am with UPMC’s idiotic and disorganized endocrine group! Last Thursday I called the office explaining that I needed to have labs done before the weekend and that I would like to do them at the hospital near me, and I asked if they would fax them over. They gladly agreed. Fast forward to Monday, when I go in to get the labs drawn: I arrive at the hospital, park and what not… I even have a friend on alert if I were to be unable to return home because I was light headed. I walked into the over crowded waiting room, announced my name, and the nurse there just looks at me funny. I explained to her that my prescription for the lab work had been faxed over on Thursday. This was obviously not the case. I thanked them, and moved on with my day, stopping to call my endocrinologist and ask her to re-fax it… this too was highly ineffective. I finally had someone else call for me– and he even got them to fax it to our house. So I went in yesterday uneventfully for lab work.
I know that it takes about 3 hours for the panels to come back… but that they don’t usually tell the patients until about 20 hours later– so I called, asking if my blood work had come back. The woman who had answered the phone says “yes, they’re in… please hold a moment. I’ll connect you to a nurse”. I then spend the next 7 minutes on hold, while I am connected to some nurses’s voicemail. I leave my message, knowing all the while that I wouldn’t get a response. I then called back, told the woman that she was not available and that I need to talk to a real person. She then connected me to another nurse, who said, “your results are in, but I can’t tell you what they are until your doctor reviews them”. Psht! Fuck that! Luckily I had a doctor’s appointment today anyway to meet with my PCP– he told my my TSH was 9.26. This is very very BAD. My TSH is even too high for a normal person’s TSH, let alone a thyroid cancer patient– my TSH has to be kept below 0.1, so it was almost 1000X the amount it should’ve been. This is very bad, because TSH stimulates your body by urging it to produce more T4 (thyroid hormone), which in turn can spark new thyroid cells to grow. My PCP decided it was time for a strong course of action and prescribed me (I was on 125mcg of Synthroid QD) 150mcg for one week and then 175mcg for two weeks, and then I’m supposed to get a blood test and my heart checked out so that it can be increased to 200mcg. He says he expects it to need to be over 200mcgs… which is a lot. Synthroid actually only makes increments up to 200mcg, the next one is then 300mcg… so if I need more than 200mcgs, I’m going to be taking two pills in the morning!
My PCP also got me an appointment with the best ENT surgeon in the region for tomorrow to check out what he thinks is some scar tissue building up in my throat– just so the dysphagia doesn’t worsen.
I then called my endocrinologist since they had yet to call me back, the nurse answered again and says “Oh, I was just about to call you– your TSH is still elevated, so your doctor has suggested to up your dosage to 150mcgs and get repeat labs in 6 weeks. She says she doesn’t understand why your TSH continues to rise, and she wants to make sure you’re taking your medication first thing in the morning not with any other medications and an hour before breakfast.” She then asked me if I needed a prescription, I said no, and she asked if my doctor had given me one before and I said no, my PCP gave it to me. Thanks! And hung up. Well UPMC endocrinology, sorry, but I’m done with you idiots. Obviously my internist can do way better than you, and since you’ve never gotten my TSH regulated and under 5, you lose. Go fuck yourself please.
In other news, I leave the day after tomorrow for Heidelberg! I’ll update when I am there.
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Tags: 150mcg, 175mcg, 200mcg, 9.26, ablation, apartment, breathe, calcification, cancer, carcinoma, cherry pop, choking, diagnosis, differentiated thyroid cancer, doctor, dysphagia, eco-friendly, endocrine, endocrinologist, ENT, ER, experience, follicular cancer, fragmented, friends, furious, good cancer, gym, hashimoto's thyroiditis, Heidelberg, human recombinant thyrotropin, hypothyroid, I-131, job, levothyroxine, lobe, lobectomy, lymph nodes, meeting, meetings, metastases, metastisis, new apartment, nodules, nurse, oncologist, papillary cancer, pathology, PCP, PTC, RAI, scar, scar tissue, stage 3, swallow, swell, swollen, synthroid, t3n0mX, T4, throat, Thyca, Thyca Support Group, thyroid cancer, Thyroid Cancer Support Group, thyroid hormone, thyroid stimulating hormone, thyroidectomy, total thyroidectomy, treatment, TSH, UPMC, UPMC endocrinology, vital, vital scheme
Dude Where's My Thyroid? 
Vegetarians eventually blow out their adrenal, thyroid and pancreas glands. Adrenal exhaustion and hypothyroidism occurs quickly, usually before the vegetarian reaches the fifth-year anniversary of their religious diet. The development of diabetes take a few more years. Vegetarian who eat more fruits and grains become sick faster than those who emphasize low-carbohydrate vegetables. The vegetarian diet causes the balance of minerals to become abnormal as can be revealed by hair analysis.
Hey, who is your endo at upmc? I’ve fought the UPMC battle for 4 years… learned the hard way that all endo’s are not created equally, even within the system. And have you had trouble talking as well as swallowing? After my first surgery it turned out I had a paralyzed vocal cord (surgeon nicked a nerve b/c thyca had grown onto it)… but I had a voice doctor who checked out the cords to see if they were closing right (which can cause issues w/ swallowing) and he fixed me back up. It takes at least 6 months though for them to be sure it isn’t temporary. And, hang in there with the meds… it takes a hell of a long time to get that right.
I had a newbie– I think I was one of her first 10 patients or so. But she’s with the really popular practice there– I don’t remember what the practice is called (maybe it’s Cardy’s? But I think he’s the surgeon). Anyway, I am very much done with that boat. My PCP will handle my thyroid cancer from now on– and he is fantastic.
I did however have an amazing surgeon… Linwah Yip– I woke up from the surgery with the same voice I went into it with!
Who was your endo? And surgeon?
Sorry for the delayed response, I must have missed the notice that you replied. Dr. Cardy was actually my first surgeon, and her husband Dr. Schaken was my second. I used Dr. Kuffner as my endo until she moved to CA, then switched to Dr. LeBeau. They were both with the UPMC Center for Diabetes and Endocrinology. And Dr. Cardy sent me there after a horrible few months dealing w/ a doctor over at UPMC Shadyside.
Oh yeah! LaBeau was the practice for my endo and Cardy for my surgery.
By the way, can you scroll down a bit on my page and look at all of these nut-so comments? Do you know where people are finding the link to this post?
I’ve sort of been scanning through the comments all day. I don’t think anyone realizes that this is actually your blog.
(Yes, this is blog here is hungryfortsh’s blog)
Not really sure where they are getting the link… but I’ve had similar comments on some of my blogs… I think it just comes with territory sometimes, and you either take it with a grain of salt and try to look up some stats for what they talk about, or you flip on the “filter comments” button. If you look up the internet literature you get the idea that a lot of people feel super strongly about what type of thyroid meds they use. For me, I’ve never been a good judge about how I feel, I prefer looking at science and numbers for treatments, so I put a lot of trust in my endos, and do my research, talk about potential options, etc. But I could see how others, a little more in tune with knowing when their bodies are off, could feel so strongly about using dessicated thyroid if it works for them, or for trying something different if traditional methods just aren’t cutting it.
Kairol Roesenthal talked the other day somewhere (I’m losing track of where I read things) that part of doing this kind of thing is that people who blog, and talk, and comment are usually the people on the extreme side of things.
Hee hee, random idea, maybe as a budding endo, you’ll be the one do do a proper study of Armour v. Synthetic.
Hahaha! Great idea!!! ;-D
Your endo is even dumber than you seem to realize. He is putting you on THE worst medication for not only all thyroid patients, but especially cancer patients. Synthroid does NOT improve your health or immune system the way natural desiccated thyroid does, even if you get that TSH down. Synthroid is simply synthetic T4. T4 is nothing more than a storage hormone meant to convert to the active and life-giving T3. But the body is NOT meant to live on conversion alone!! Your thyroid would be producing T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. i.e. you’d be getting some direct T3 and not be depending on T4 to convert.
Desiccated thyroid, on the other hand, which has been given to patients for over 100 years, has ALL the above. Many thyroid patients use it and report far better health. Here’s a website which explains all this the best: http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/ It’s a patient-to-patient website. Take time to look it over and I think your eyes will pop out. If you are a vegetarian, there’s even a page for that.
Taking desiccated thyroid is one of the worst things to do for a thyroid cancer patient.
Levothyroxine (T4) is the major product of the thyroid gland and is essentially a prohormone with minimal (if, debatedly, any) activity of its own. It has a long and stable half-life in the blood (one week) and is transported into cells where it is converted into T3, which directly interacts with receptors which bind DNA and regulate genes. All of this has been well-studied and constitutes a vast medical and molecular biology literature. For patients without thyroid glands, the ingestion of a pure levothyroxine product provides ALL of the necessary thyroid hormone products consequent to normal metabolic and enzymatic bodily processes.
There is absolutely no conceivable role for taking Armour thyroid extract or mixtures of T3 and T4. Most of my colleagues and I would be happy if the FDA removed these items from production. Thyroid extract is a mixture of T4, T3, thyroglobulin, and many other breakdown products with erratic pharmacokinetics and nearly impossible to accurately titrate for suppression of TSH. There is no magical or supernatural or any advantage to this animal product. Armour thyroid provides a mixture of hormones that are produced in pigs, not in humans. The only reasonable medication is pure levothyroxine (choose your brand). Cytomel is useful for the first four weeks of the six-week levothyroxine withdrawal period in preparation of I-131 scans and or therapy. It also has very limited utility for supplemental treatment of myxedema coma unresponsive to levothyroxine. (A medical study from a couple of years ago suggesting T3 supplementation of levothyroxine therapy for hypothyroidism is not generally accepted by thyroidologists, for many good reasons, and has been debunked in multiple follow-up clinical trials.)
There is nothing gained by choosing medications based on “natural” extracts or processes. Such items, frequently found in “Health Food” stores, are often dangerous, impure, untested, and of unproven value. Their designation as a “natural” product merely protects their manufacturers from having to justify their purity, safety, and efficacy to the FDA (which is empowered to protect us from “pharmaceuticals” only), permitting great financial profits at the expense of the public. Many new drugs, such as Taxol (from the Yew tree), and old drugs, such as penicillin (from mold), come from sources in nature. In comparison to “Health Food” shenanigans, these natural products are stringently purified and tested prior to making them available as medications. It is possible that a few of the “natural” products may have a fraction of a percent of a useful agent, mixed in with far larger quantities of toxic and useless “natural” chemicals. Next time you go to these unregulated “Health Food” stores, consider that the poison on the darts used by various native peoples did not come from a drug store. Finally, in the wake of experience with “mad cow” disease in England and the known presence of prion diseases in cows, sheep, humans, and other mammals, anyone who would knowingly take an animal product over a chemically pure synthesized compound should have their head examined (for spongiform encephalopathy).
hungryfortsgh,
Let’s yank your thyroid and see houw you like the lousy TSH test and T4 only medication. I am a thyroid cancer survivor who was held captive to T4 only synthetic thyroid for 42 years, rendered surgically hypothyroid before the TSH test even existed. That you claim to be such an expert sickens me. Why don’t you talk to those of us who have been there? I have no more depression, a yearly occurance until I started on desiccated thyroid. My BP is great, as is my cholesterol. That you make the ridiculous claim about spongiform encephalopathy shows further your lack of common sense. Desicated thyroid undergoes the same USP standards during the manufacturing process that synthetic crap does and has been recalled much less.
I’m sorry, but I don’t understand what the fuck is wrong with you people?!
I HAVE THYROID CANCER… I HAVE HASHIMOTO’S. I HAVE BEEN THERE, you nut. I am a fucking medical student and will become an endo soon– but I have yet to understand what it is I am being yelled at over here.
I don’t understand what’s wrong with your endo, though… if you are a thyroid cancer survivor… how is your Tg being followed when you have pig Tg in your blood? And how are you sure you’re being properly regulated when each pill varies?
Jane – There are people who can’t take natural desiccated thyroid because they are allergic to meat or they are vegetarian. Taking synthroid doesn’t make doctors dumb for prescribing it or patients dumb for taking it.
The bottom line is that all thyroid medications need to be available to all thyroid patients.
Speaking for myself if the only medication available was desiccated thyroid, I’d be dead because I’m severely allergic to meat and seafood.
I respectfully disagree.
The above comment by hungryfortsh is exactly why hoards of thyroid patients are running fast and furious from Endocrinologists!!
1) Hungry states: “For patients without thyroid glands, the ingestion of a pure levothyroxine product provides ALL of the necessary thyroid hormone products consequent to normal metabolic and enzymatic bodily processes.”
Funny how a perfectly healthy and life-giving thyroid doesn’t just provide T4 alone, but instead also provides direct T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin–all exactly what a desiccated thyroid product provides.
2) Hungry states: “Most of my colleagues and I would be happy if the FDA removed these items from production.”
Ahhh, so you and your colleagues would also have to be sadistically happy as millions of us who have had our lives completely transformed (from desiccated thyroid with its T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin) go back into being our formerly SICK selves on T4 alone with a return of our poor stamina, digestive issues, easy weight gain, rising cholesterol, depression, adrenal stress, and a garbage can full of other symptoms we’ve had on the inadequate treatment of T4 alone. http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/long-and-pathetic
3) Hungry states: Thyroid extract is a mixture of T4, T3, thyroglobulin, and many other breakdown products with erratic pharmacokinetics and nearly impossible to accurately titrate for suppression of TSH.
Erratic?? You’ve got to be kidding–and blind–since being on desiccated thyroid, when raised to an optimal level, has given us complete stability of our health as well as freedom from all the above continuing symptoms we continually found on synthetic T4 alone.
4) Hungry states: “There is no magical or supernatural or any advantage to this animal product.”
Oh I see. So the estimated millions who have now made a switch to desiccated thyroid are MAGICALLY IMAGINING that their weight gain stopped, or that their aches and pains ceased, or their energy levels rose, or their chronic low-grade depression abated, or their cholesterol went down to normal, or their blood pressure normalized, or their skin and hair stopped being so dry, or they could finally LIVE again…. ALL and much more reported by individuals who switched to desiccated thyroid and raised it to their individual optimal amount with the help of their open-minded doctors.
I could go on, but clearly, the above post only underscores TEN FOLD why a growing body of thyroid patients SCOFF at my any Endocrinologist they have ever been to, and these BAD experiences are mentioned en masse on patient thyroid groups on the net.
Hello Jane,
Do you have thyroid cancer? Do you know what thyroglobulin is? Well, let me explain: Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
Perhaps you should read other posts in my blog and figure out who I am before you attack me… I am a thyroid cancer patient (papillary-follicular with T3 tumor) with hashimoto’s… who also happens to be a medical student.
Cheers,
Hungry
Hungry, if you think Synthroid and any other T4 meds are “consistent”, you need to do research about the multiple times these medications have been recalled.
And clearly, clearly, you have a LOT to learn about optimal and life-giving thyroid treatment, cuz T4-only ain’t it. You’re going to found out the hard way, sadly. In fact, having had thyroid cancer is THE reason you need a far better treatment than T4.
Jane
Jane,
I am only on T4 right now– and both my T4 and T3 levels are on the higher side within range.
I have trouble comparing how I feel now to how I used to feel because I’ve had hashimoto’s for about 6 years– and I’ve never really “felt right” since my thyroid went nuts. Most thyroid patients won’t reach their previous baseline– and I am one of them.
But I feel ok, I have my days, but in general I am doing well.
So, what’s your thyroid problem?
And can you explain why the reason I need more than T4 is that I have thyroid cancer?
If I do down the line need any T3, I will take it. But never dessicated… as I said before, that would be detrimental to my tumor marker level.
Cheers,
Hungry
P.S. Synthroid is proven to be the most consistent Levothyroxine brand out there… and that’s good enough for me.
That is completely false. People on natural thyroid have the same issues that people on synthroid and T3 medications do. The issues remain the same. I have yet to meet a patient on natural thyroid who doesn’t feel 100% like themselves.
The bottom line, in my opinion, is that all medications need to be available to thyroid patients, period. Furthermore, we need to focus on raising funds for awareness, education, funding and a cure for thyroid cancers and autoimmune thyroid diseases. We also need to ensure that all medications are made available to thyroid patients, period.
If doc’s like yourself would use dessicated thyroid you wouldn’t have so many sick patients with high cholesterol, muscle weakness, heart palpitations, and supposed depression. I and millions of others that were tortured on T4 only drugs for decades are proof of this criminal act. Pull your head out and look outside your brainwashed box. T4 only does NOT work. Dessicated isn’t “magical”. It is a good descent closely regulated drug that has been around for a century. Because it works.
My dearest Callie,
I have thyroid cancer– and I happen to be a medical student as well.
Dessicated thyroid is not appropriate for thyroid cancer patients– Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
I am glad that dessicated thyroid is working for you- but be careful trotting around telling people that they’ve been brainwashed without reading up.
Cheers,
Hungry
Callie – Why so judgmental?! Your opinions differ, period. HTSH is one of the smartest women I know. I digress, if you see above comment re: synthroid, not all patients can take natural thyroid. Your dogmatic approach is insulting to thyroid patients who struggle with both and still have the same symptoms.
I truly wish someone would explain why so many endos and others are so determined to keep so many thyroid patients sick. When are doctors going to start realizing that patients KNOW how they FEEL! We are not a bunch of idiots going around imagining that we feel better when we use natural thyroid, we know when are now NOT battling constant weight gain and so many other symptoms! My doctor understands and I’m very grateful because if I had to rely on most of these non-caring closed-minded excuses for doctors I’ve been hearing about my life would be ruined by now – – Most doctors stick their head in the sand and continue with the same old nonsense that isn’t working. Then tell the poor patient that it must be all in their head because “your TSH is normal”! How about trying to make the patient WELL!! What happened to that novel idea!? STOP discounting all the evidence and start LOOKING at people – patients! AND stop thinking the TSH being “titrated correctly” automatically solves all problems! Look into the numerous reasons why TSH can be useless in many cases and has very little bearing on how a patient feels. And guess what – a patient who FEELS good will also look better and have better health in many areas – heart, blood sugar, fitness, digestion – everything! So yep – how we FEEL is important and telling!
Darling Lizzie,
Trust me, I understand how you feel. I am a thyroid cancer patient with hashimoto’s. I just happen to be a medical student next to being a thyroid patient.
I am still trying to figure out why you lashed out at me about TSH… I am not disputing it. T4 and T3 must of course also be looked at, and there is really no such thing as a “normal range”… every patient is unique. I totally agree.
What I am saying, my dear, is that as a thyroid cancer patient, it would be very bad if I were to take natural thyroid medications (dessicated thyroid). Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
Cheers,
Hungry
Lizzie – COMPLETELY AGREED, endos and doctors in general who don’t work in partnership with their patients and truly listen to their patient’s issues and concerns should not be allowed to practice medicine. Feeling marginalized by a doctor when we as patients feel like we’re on our death beds only exacerbates the issues.
I find hungryfortsh’s remarks ridiculous! While I haven’t had the experience of being on synthetic thyroid hormones, I can tell you that desiccated thyroid can and does alleviate symptoms.
While hungryfortsh is at it, he should look into the actual relationship between TSH and SYMPTOMS of hypothyroid. My TSH has never been over 3, yet I’ve had a “fibromyalgia” diagnosis for over 20 years. Funny how starting on thyroid supplementation eliminated the need for Effexor, and reduced my fibro meds by about 80% already – and I’m not up to my therapeutic dose yet!
Broda Barnes diagnosed hypothyroid by SYMPTOMS, including rising cholesterol. It used to be that high cholesterol was diagnostic of hypothyroid. After 20 years of no thyroid treatment, I’m well on my way to becoming diabetic, have high triglycerides, etc. I’m finding that the Zone diet and thyroid medications have made a tremendous difference in how I feel in a few short weeks. Time to wake up, Endo! I won’t be going to one to manage my health in the future – at least not until proper studies are done comparing the reduction of SYMPTOMS between desiccated thyroid and synthetics. Since there is no financial incentive for the drug companies to do the studies, I’ll wait patiently until the thyroid community does them. Meanwhile, you won’t be able to pry my desiccated thyroid from my newly warm hands!
Dearest Paula,
I never mentioned anything in my post, nor in any of my comments about a correlation between TSH and symptoms of hypothyroidism.
Honey, I am a thyroid cancer patient with hashimoto’s- trust me I understand where you’re coming from. T4 and T3 are very important to look at, as well as how the patient feels. No dispute here.
But if you had even taken the time to read my post/blog/comment (or whatever motivated you to lash out at me), you would realize that I am talking about my own case, and that is, that I have thyroid cancer. Thyroid cancer patients should NOT receive dessicated thyroid. There are many complex reasons, but I will name just two simple ones:
Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
Cheers,
Hungry
Paula – Why are her comments ridiculous, because you disagree?
There are a small handful of good endocrinologists out there. The same applies to doctors, most of them are shit. There are some fantastic doctors willing to work with their patients and listen to them. The problem is that they are far and few between. This is part of why we need health care reform in the USA, IMO.
Again, natural thyroid is not the solution for everyone, nor is it a magic pill that cures everything.
I can personally say
# Clinical Depresssion gone when taking whole thyroid extract (NO PROZAC)
# Diagnosed Chronic Fatigue gone and energy to enjoy life
# Gastroenterology and Rheumatology visits are a thing of the past.No aches and pains or gall bladder problems.
Your own experts are verifying the difference that Whole thyroid Extract has made to me..
While that BIG Pharma brain washed attitude lke Hungry 4 TSH has;people will be living in the HELL I had to put up with for 16 yrs.People like you kept me alive on Synthetic T4 while whole thyroid gave me my life back.
Go and look at the facts and stop living in your narrow world.
Dearest *didn’t leave a name*,
I am a thyroid cancer patient who has hashimoto’s… I am also a medical student, on to become and endocrinologist. But hun, I was talking about myself here and trust me, I’ve been through hypo hell and back.
How about if you open your eyes and read my full post or full comment. I have THYROID CANCER… thyroid cancer patients should not be given dessicated thyroid. Period. That is clinically proven. Two simple reasons (there are many more complex ones as well) are thyroglobulin and consistency:
Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
If I were you, I would get my levels checked because you seem a bit crazy and very angry.
Cheers!
Hungry
Oh I forgot to say and what about the 1500 people who had their lives destroyed by Glaxo Smith Kline in New Zealand from the pure synthetic T4 levothyroxine..
a blog from one of your colleagues..honest enough to speak out.
http://www.macdoctor.co.nz/2008/09/07/three-thyroxine-monkeys/
I’m sorry, now I’m just getting a bit fed up. What the fuck does this have to do with me??
I am not a levothyroxine manufacturer… nor can I vouch for what goes into the pills. I AM JUST A FUCKING THYROID CANCER PATIENT WITH HASHIMOTO’S WHO HAPPENS TO BE A MEDICAL STUDENT.
Now please find somewhere else to let out your chaotic anger.
LOl…I am replying to your comment..quote “For patients without thyroid glands, the ingestion of a pure levothyroxine product provides ALL of the necessary thyroid hormone products consequent to normal metabolic and enzymatic bodily processes.”
Funny you seem to be pushing Pure synthetic T4..and Not all people with out a thyroid have thyroid CANCER.
hmmm about purity of Synthroid..wasn’t it recalled at some stage by FDA for certain irregularities.Big Pharmas like Abbots also have their malfunctions.
As for your study it sounds like you are well on your way to being BRAIN washed by Big Pharma driven medical malpractice..
As to chaotic anger….Dr Stephen Langer said 60% of all mental patients have a thyroid problem..yes I was undermedicated by T4 but not any more just completed a 2 year Diploma in glaze chemistry at Otago Uni at age 55 having left my brain dead myxedma behind…..sorry but it is perhaps you who have the problem…deary me lol
Well, I am of course aware that not all patients without thyroids are cancer patients. Patients with Grave’s disease often also have their thyroids removed– and some other reasons… naturally. But the body can function with T4 and sometimes (depending on the lab values and the patient’s state) T3.
As for your question of synthroid’s purity– of course there are bad batches of anything– especially when it is dealing with hormones– but I think the last recall was in 2001, which is a pretty good running record. And synthroid is the most consistent within the brand. That’s why when american thyroid cancer patients are diagnosed, doctors immediately begin writing on the prescription “brand name needed”.
Just because you obviously had a ridiculous endocrinologist who let you go so hypo thyroid that you had myxedema– this doesn’t mean that this type of thing warrants lashing out at me for some unknown reason.
This is my blog, I am a thyroid cancer patient, I am writing about myself. Create your own blog if you want to talk about how hard it was for you or to complain about your health.
Now go take some Valium and leave my blog the hell alone unless you want to read the actual posts.
As you say..you are studying to be an endocrinologist..it may be a worthy cause to look at the historical background of Hypothyroidism..whether it be from surgery: chemical or physical.. or from Hashimotos..etc etc..
For over 100 years dessicated pig’s gland was used successfully as the treatment for Hypothyroidism. prior to the 1970’s
In Medical school here GP’s are given the equivalent of 20-30 mins on the thyroid in the whole 5 year training at Med school.Otago
To show you are open minded as “an endocrinologist to be” you will be looking at people with out cancer…it would be nice to know that future patients of yours will be not left in T3 depleted hell.
Have a look at this archive material 1910 about a young woman..not medical science I know..but food for thought before you go calling people F ** G nuts..
http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=9400E3D91731E233A25754C2A9649D946997D6CF&scp=1&sq=medicine+aids+girl+who+never+grew+up&st=p
I am blogging about myself, not about my medical studies. Goodbye. Thanks.
There is a completely simple reason that Hungryfortsh is pro-synthetic. He makes money/kick backs from promoting such rubbish! By keeping his patients sick he continues to make money. He makes no money if his clients are made better!!
Greed is the simple answer! And that is the reason behind synthetic T4 (which is just poison to the body) and why Endo’s push it! Greed! The sooner everyone stops worshiping Endo’s and big pharma and learns to think for themselves the better they will be when it comes to medicine! Stop the Thyroid Madness – here and now.
Let Hungryfortsh continue to be hungry on pure T4….hope he or someone he loves develops a thyroid issue and truly experiences the T4 Hell too! He will change his tune at that point and learn to get his head out of between his “cheeks”!
Dearest Texas Talk,
Sorry, but what the fuck are you talking about? First of all, I’m a woman… something you would know had you even read any of my posts– secondly, I DO have a thyroid problem… I have hashimoto’s and thyroid cancer. I am a medical student and soon to be endo, but in this blog, I am writing about myself and my personal experience.
If you had half of a brain, or the simple common sense to read what I wrote before ranting along in a comment, you would know that thyroid cancer patients shouldn’t take dessicated thyroid. Two simple reasons (there are also many more) are thyroglobulin and a consistent TSH level.
Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
Now please kindly go shove your texas head between your ass flaps. Thanks!
Hungry
WOW – That is not only insulting, it’s 100% untrue. Un-fuckin-beleivable. Such audacity you have.
Not everyone who takes synthroid has been brainwashed and not all doctors who prescribe synthroid get a kickback. There are quite a few that do. Here’s a thought, what about patients who cannot take natural thyroid, would you rather see them drop dead?! Is that your answer?
Where’s your sense of fairness? Where’s your sense of wanting to ensure that all thyroid medications are made available to thyroid patients? Where’s your sense of desire to reform and educate doctors and ensure that they are held accountable for mistreatment and for accepting kickbacks?
These enocrinologists should be jailed! They are messing with peoples lives.
I was discharged by my endocronologist as he “reassured me there was nothing he could do for me” and my problems were nothing to do with my thyroid. At that time I was three stone overweight, couldn’t remember the end of a sentence. had barely any any energy wanted to sleep all the time had no interest in sex my skin was dry I was depressed, snappy and miserable the list goes on and on. I went to see a private specialist who put my on thyroxine I felt even worse although I did’nt think it was possible.
by the way he looked at my tongue and took my temperature and LISTENED to to me when I described what life has been like for me. After I discovered the Stop the Thyroid Madness website I asked him to prescribe Armour, he did and I have’nt looked back . I now have a lovely boyfriend, have lost weight my hair is shiny my skin is glowing I have so much more energy. People tell me I am like a different person and I tell them it is all down to natural dessicated thyroid. It is the difference to me between existing and living it is time this hideous medical scandal ended, so many lives are being ruined needlessly.
Darling Catherine Boyle,
You should be jailed. Read my FUCKING POST before ranting. If you want to rant, make your own blog and bitch and moan… don’t do it in comment form on mine.
I am a thyroid cancer patient and have hashimoto’s– I will soon become an endocrinologist, but that’s completely irrelevant (except that I know much more than you because I’ve actually STUDIED it)…
I am writing in my blog about myself. I am a thyroid cancer patient, as I mentioned, and thyroid cancer patients should not take dessicated thyroid for many reasons, but two of the most important are maintaining thyroglobulin as a tumor marker, and keeping the TSH stable.
Thyroglobulin is a protein only thyroid cells can produce– so once a cancer patient’s thyroid has been removed, thyroglobulin is used as a tumor marker. Do you think it would be smart to pop some pig-thyroglobulin into your blood stream if it is used as a tumor marker? I certainly hope not. Then there’s no way to monitor it.
And dessicated thyroid is of course sporadic in its dosing– I mean, most thyroid “off brand medications” are… like normal l-thyroxine… different batches have a different potency. Synthroid is often chosen for thyroid cancer because their batches are consistent– something that is extremely important for thyroid cancer patients.
Read up first before you leave idiotic comments next time!
Thanks!
Hungry
Definitely Hypothyroid tirade from hungry 4TSH..God help the future thyroid patients.
I am not hypothyroid– and you are just insane.
God help you– I mean, you don’t have anything better to do than to comment like mad on a complete stranger’s blog without having read any posts and under some weird pretense that was posted on the internet that I am an endocrinologist toting against desiccated thyroid? Please. And then continue to post like a mad man even after discovering that she is a thyroid cancer patient herself? Really? Pathetic. You’re entitled to your opinion, and I to mine. Now that we’ve established this, please bug off.
Not if you are brandishing your opinion with misinformation and when you obviously no nothing about a thyroid drug such as Whole Thyroid your ignorance could be misleading thousands of thyroid sufferers and leaving them deficient of T3,T2 and T1 and calcitonin.. .
I feel sorry for you that you have thyroid cancer..but it could be that very road that led you there in the first place by misinformation from Big pharma subsidised Endos who have been uneducated about the merits of pigs thyroid..
Best wishes for your health..and hope one day you will see out point of view
Buddy, give it a rest! I understand you’re pissed off about pharmaceutical companies. That has nothing to do with me. Desiccated is not an option for me, nor will it ever be. Leave it that way, and go along attacking other people please. Thanks.
You are in the handful of patients on thyroid medication who have reclaimed their lives. I congratulate you for being in that small percentage. But do not think for a minute that other patients on Armour are magically restored to their original selves.
Katie,perhaps you would like to substantiate that statement with facts…and I am not talking about Armour but Whole Dessicated Thyroid (WTE),as there have been some problems with the reformulation of that product.I am also not against Synthetic T4 for people who need it..or prefer it.I am PRO CHOICE and that was the problem here on this public blog and Hungry was actively promoting WTE’s removal from the FDA Our choice was being endangered and erroded,she is entitled to her opinion but on a public blog she can expect people to reply.If she prefers not to have the publicity it would be better not to broadcast her opinions about WTE so strongly and inaccurately.
Actually I am among a much larger percentage of people who have their health back with WTE than you might imagine and for myself I had a greater degree improvement than on T4 alone…Lucky no..loads of other people will substantiate that as well.
Health being treated from a wholelistic point of view often brings up other issues,like low cortisol and other hormonal issues,Ferritin and other deficiencies like Selenium and Iodine,as well as Mercury poisoning which can affect thyroid health and people who do not get well on WTE may have other unresolved issues.This is not a contest about WTE versus Synthetic T4 it is about CHOICE..My stance against Pharmaceuticals stands and about the lack of education of the Mainstream Medical fraternity who still don’t want to look at facts.
Sorry forgot to put the link..
Mistakes Patients Make (or their Doctors make for them!)
These are the most common mistakes patients, or their doctors, make when a switch has been made to desiccated natural thyroid like Naturethroid/Thyroid-S/Erfa, etc. and YOU can avoid them by being familiar with these reasons and making sure your doctor understands them, too.
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/mistakes-patients-make/
You ARE talking about your case – everyone gets that and perhaps a lot of people with “raw” feelings are ranting against you because of their own experience. However you made this statement: “There is absolutely no conceivable role for taking Armour thyroid extract or mixtures of T3 and T4. Most of my colleagues and I would be happy if the FDA removed these items from production.” Now – was that just talking about you? No it was YOU and your colleagues deciding that none of us need the medication that we PERSONALLY have found out is what makes us feel well when Synthroid does NOT. Whether or not synthroid is the best thing for your case I don’t know – hopefullly it is and you will remain well! But synthroid is NOT the best treatment for MANY of us – thousands and thousands and to tell people that have experienced both medciations and are personally experiencing the difference natural hormone makes. So – you have studied what the medical books are telling you and if they say that it’s true but the EXPERIENCE of thousands of patients that were miserable on synthroid and are happy and healthy on natural thydoid should be dismissed as nothing??
We get riled becasue we have suffered needlessly – sometimes to the point of ruined lives and we see it happening to other people.
When you become an endocrinologist I sincerely hope that you will listen to your patients and realize that we know how we feel and that you will prescribe natural thyroid for those that do NOT do well on synthroid and by well I mean getting completely rid of hypo symptoms. MANY things have been written in medical books over the years and taught in medical schools that have since been proven dead wrong and sometimes deadly!
Please excuse any rants that you feel are personally against you – we are really ranting because many recent events have threatened the medication that we rely on to feel well and because we are seeing others every day suffer needlessly. And you made a statement that threatens us further! You were talking about ALL thyroid patients having the option of natural thyroid taken away! Thousands and thousands of patients with their stories – patients that ARE up in arms and at times MAD and for good reason! Should someone ELSE have the right to decide that we don’t get what we need to feel well? Should we have to feel lousy and be TOLD by someone else that we are fine when we know we are not? PLEASE – listen to what WE are saying – you say we didn’t read your post and it’s about YOU but no – you talked about ALL thyroid patients only needing Synthroid!
Lizzie,
Thank you! I appreciate your level-headed comment!
I personally find dessicated thyroid to be a little funky, because I don’t think it is the best thing for people to be getting all of the extra pig hormones that are inside it. As a medical student, before I would prescribe dessicated thyroid I would prescribe a combination of T4 and T3 supplementation (which is basically the potent ingredients in what one is getting from dessicated). If my patient were to request dessicated, or to not respond well to any other medications, I would refer him or her to another endocrinologist who has more experience with it. Just plainly and simply.
I understand what it is like to tell the doctor that your levels seem off, even though the labs don’t agree– and I know how horrible that is. I told my endo that I was worried about the nodule on my hashimoto’s ridden thyroid, and they let it sit for 4 years until I threatened legal action. I do understand.
But all of the comments I have on this page with the exception of two, are in response to a comment I made, not to my blog. I get the feeling, that by the way people referred to me as a man and as a doctor, that nobody has even read the post that the comment was on. This ignorance is disturbing to me– and so are the following rants. I understand how it is to be upset about doctors– but I know how important it is to read up, and understand things before involving oneself in someone’s life/blog/matters. All of these attacks were a waste of time for me (in that I responded to almost all of them, and read all of them, although their authors didn’t care to read my post), and caused me unnecessary stress.
Anyway, enough of my rant about these rants!
By the way, what website referred you to my page? I got the highest amount of hits today than I ever had… so I’m just curious.
Link was posted on a yahoo group. Thank you for your explanation. I appreciate the fact that since you would not feel right about prescribing natural you would step aside and let the patient find someone that would and not insist they stay on their current medication! You had also stated that T3 products weren’t needed either in your post that was a reply about natural hormone – so that led to more confusion.
I do know many people that do OK on synthroid but NOT totally well – they may still have high cholesterol and are put on statins (which have serious side effects) they may still be a little depressed and are put on antidepressants, they have other lingering symptoms that are chaulked up to being independant of thyroid problems but they often are not – it’s simply because their thyroid problem is not treated completely. And only the patient can know how they feel. Results in treating symptoms don’t always correlate with blood levels and when you consider they simply set the “normal” ranges to show a large majority of patients to be normal it’s easy to understand. In my own case levels mean nothing. I simply know how I feel and as a hashi’s patient who now realizes I had hypo symptoms sometimes with short bouts of normal and one bout of hyperthyroid – through my entire adult life, I know I was frustrated and never allowed to reach my full potential because of “normal” blood levels. I also know what hyper feels like and would NOT want to be hyper so I am totally capable of knowing if my meds are adequate but not too high. My wonderful doctor realizes this but so many don’t. I have other issues that affect my cells taking up hormone and issues that affect conversion. In fact during the year before I went on meds when we were trying to improve my thyroid function by correcting other issues my TSH was going DOWN at the same time that my free T3 was going DOWN. Every blood test continued that trend. So many with issues like these are untreated or undertreated as I was – often for many years. And they don’t all have the energy or money to fight for themselves and find someone to help.
I wish you well and hope you become a totally healhty endocrinologist who is able to listen to patients and help them!
I really don’t have much of a baseline for myself, energy-wise or feeling-wise. I’ve been so crappy for so long, how I am right now, slightly hyper (where I have to be kept for my TSH suppression against any recurrences) feels amazing. Of course the palpitations aren’t my friend– but otherwise my general body aches have improved, tiredness (actually, a bit too much to the point where I find it very hard to fall asleep) has improved, and my weight is starting to slowly go down (with exercise and healthy eating).
My levels don’t generally mean much– and I have difficulty absorbing the L-Thyroxine into my blood stream for whatever reason– so my TSH tends to run high but I am doing well on T4.
What I mean, by the way, before about T3, is that T3 shouldn’t really be recklessly prescribed as it has a very short half life, resulting in fluctuation in serum concentration and the side effects that go along with that, and because I feel that the FT3 levels shouldn’t be pushed above the higher threshold. If a patient’s FT3 is low, I’ll prescribe T3, but if it’s high, I, personally wouldn’t. Perhaps I’d call a consult, but I wouldn’t do it on my own. That’s just asking for bad side effects and complications.
I am glad that you’ve found a harmonious balance on your hormones, and are doing well!
Wanted to add one more thing. I’ve seen different ranges for Free T3 over the years so I am not convinced a certain range is correct for everyone. I personally have heavy metals that I’ve not been able to get rid of that can block T3 receptors. My T3, when I am taking enough thyroid to feel good is a little over the range of the lab. When it’s not my resting pulse is 60 and I am NOT a runner or anything like that – it would be fine except I am then too tired – I start crashing and I also get problems with breathing. With Free T3 a little over I’m fine, my resting pulse is 72, I have no symptoms of being hyper. I would not want hyper symptoms since I’ve been there and they are not pleasant – and I didn’t even lose weight when hyper because my appetite was ravenous! I’ve read a number of explanations why someone can be like me and my doctor is OK with it since I have no symptoms and don’t feel good when it’s lower. I think it’s important for doctors to be open-minded to all the many variables that affect people because we are all different. I DO however totally agree that T3 has a short but quickly acting life and I can see where it would be a problem for some people if it were not closely regulated. when my T3 was in about the middle of the bottom 1/3 of the range I was a mess – I was swelling, had sleep apnea and attacks where I thought I was going to smother even during the day, exhausted, pulse was sometimes 58 and life was overwhelming – my adrenals were getting affected, I was dizzy a lot and it took some time to get that back to normal. yet by the standards of many doctors I didn’t have a problem with the thyroid! And my TSH was 1.54! I know I’m an oddball but I’m very grateful that my doctor understands! Now my TSH is less than .005. My life-long goiter is gone and I also take low dose naltrexone to help prevent auto-immune attacks and hopefully cancer – but that’s another story.
We all have to keep looking for answers and not do the one size fits all thing. Obviously you know from experience what I’m talking about! I hope you can continue to improve and fine more answers!
I love what you wrote. I agree — natural thyroid works much better for certain patients, while it doesn’t for others. Our objective should be options and ensuring that our doctors listen to us and work with us to try new things. Moreover, we shouldn’t be dismissed for wanting to try something out of the box, we should be taken seriously.
If you have an open mind, you may be interested in this woman’s journey through thyroid cancer…. she left allopathic treatment for fear of it killing her… it has now been 10 years, Oh, and by the way, she’s been on Armour and/or natural dessicated thyroid, didn’t block her cancer markers……. FWIW And, she is getting her degree to become an N.D.
I wish you health and healing.
Thank you for the link! I looked at it. For her dessicated thyroid would have not had an effect on her Thyroglobulin (tumor marker) because she had an antibody against it– not allowing her tumor marker number to be followed regardless.
Interesting none the less! Thanks Geenee!
oops, forgot the link…
http://ds-ladybugsandbees.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-09-23T22%3A10%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=3
Oops, sorry, forgot to include the link:
http://ds-ladybugsandbees.blogspot.com/search?updated-max=2008-09-23T22%3A10%3A00-05%3A00&max-results=3
hungry: let me tell you a little something about your synthetic thyroid medications. i found a doctor a couple of years ago (since retired) who was in fact one of the CREATORS of synthroid. he was on the team of research scientists from Penn State that in fact, prepared it for FDA approval in the ’50s.
in all his years he has NEVER prescribed it for use in ANY of his patients. reason being: thyroid gland from pigs most closely matches that of a healthy human gland. no synthetic compares.
true. i wish you could take up your (very weak) arguments with him, but unfortunately as i said he is now retired due to ill health. Martin Sampson practiced well into his 90s and brought me back to life.
you need to learn something now and carry it with you: all you know is what they tell you. that would hardly classify you as an expert. indeed there is nothing outstanding about an arrogant practitioner that goes around spewing regurgitated misinformation. you sound as if you are well on your way to becoming a certified member of mediocrity. good luck to you. let’s hope you don’t kill anyone.
My darling Kate,
Let me tell you a little something about me. I AM A FUCKING THYROID CANCER PATIENT. PLEASE read my blog before you leave moronic comments. Thyroid cancer patients shouldn’t use desiccated thyroid.
Pig insulin was used before they managed to find a human recombinant synthetic form– you don’t see people riling around the pig insulin anymore, do you? Pig products, while similar in the genetic code to ours, have other enzymes, proteins, and hormones, ones used for pigs. So while dessicated thyroid worked 100 years ago just fine, and possibly even still today, it is not an option for me as a thyroid cancer patient. And even if I weren’t one, I still wouldn’t use it because a combination of synthetic T4 and T3 will do just the same.
Please learn to do your research before you open your mouth, and perhaps read a few blog posts before randomly commenting.
Thanks,
Hungry
Let me ask you something, Kate — Say a patient couldn’t take Armour or medications like it because they would die, what do you propose they take in its place?
so you want to be an endo when you grow up? honestly i can think of no better profession for someone such as yourself.
there’s no need to be so defensive or hostile for that matter. and if you don’t want people to come on over and open their mouths perhaps blogging is not for you. clearly you don’t like to be challenged. and if my response to you is so ignorant and misinformed, why should you care what i say?
and if you fail at endocrinology look on the bright side. there’s always podiatry.
Honey, of course there’s “motive” to get defensive when there are 30+ people who randomly comment on one’s blog without reading the blog itself– and who all heard that I was an endocrinologist totting against desiccated thyroid. None of this is true… whoever spread this is just ridiculous. My favorite part, is that after I started commenting back, nobody read my post, and the comments against me just got more and more intense. Damn people, I mean, I know you’re mad and have thyroid issues, but chill the fuck out.
I get pissed off by endos as well– who doesn’t? One is always being told that the levels are normal or that we are crazy when one really knows that it is one’s thyroid and that the levels don’t “mean anything”. But if I was ever given a link to some weird endo’s blog, I would at least read a bit before aimlessly launching tirades against them.
So, if you want to comment and challenge me, please do… but please read my posts know what you’re talking about. I think anyone can understand that.
This is the comment that you made is so inflammatory to thyroid patients..it gives the impression that you are already a Dr..and definitely against whole thyroid extract
There is absolutely no conceivable role for taking Armour thyroid extract or mixtures of T3 and T4. Most of my colleagues and I would be happy if the FDA removed these items from production. Thyroid extract is a mixture of T4, T3, thyroglobulin, and many other breakdown products with erratic pharmacokinetics and nearly impossible to accurately titrate for suppression of TSH. There is no magical or supernatural or any advantage to this animal product. Armour thyroid provides a mixture of hormones that are produced in pigs, not in humans.
Nothing to do with people with/with out CANCER just get rid of Armour..
hungryfortsh –
As I can see several have suggested that you visit my blog. I wanted to tell you that I had 3 RAI’s that failed. After reaching my max lifetime dose of RAI (500mCi’s) the endo I was seeing suggested External Beam Radiation. My Tg was 24. I decided not to do this and took the road less travelled and went to a holistic doctor. He took me off Synthroid and Cytomel (which were like death to me) and put me on Armour Thyroid. In 4 days my brain fog, aching joints and overall feeling of “unwellness” disappeared. This medication has been used for over 100 years with sucess. Even for thyroid cancer patients – the product insert states proper usage.
My adrenals were fatigued from undertreatment due to poor usage of synthetic hormones. So I had to treat them. But when I got things balances the anger, rage, anxiety, blues has left me. My cancer marker (Tg) was just checked for my appt last week. It is now at 5. It has taken 4 years to get there but I am WELL!! Another avenue that helped me heal is Iodine. I now run a support group with over 3,400 members that utilize it for cancer, fibromyalgia, chronic fatigue and more.
I understand your rage in this process. But please take a step back. What you are being taught in medical school isn’t the gospel truth. My doctor found that out the hard way. After 1 year in practice he saw his patients not recovering and he had to continue to rx more and more drugs for symptoms. He was introduced to holistic healing by one of his patients and now is one of the top docs in the nation becasue he CURES people. He does not cover things with a blanket (rx).
Your adrenals took a beating – and I say this out of understanding – your responses show it. Yes I am a stranger. But I swore that if I got well I would help others to do so too and regain the life they lost when they lost the thyroid. Best of luck to you on your journey.
hungryfortsh,
I’m not even going to start on the Natural Dessicated thing….I’m for it and it’s all been said here before I got to the party.
As a Hashimoto’s sufferer and budding Endocrineologist, are you aware of Dr. Khazarrians protocol for treating Hashimoto’s? ( http://www.thyroidbook.com ) Apparently, thyroid meds may not even be necessary or can be reduced once the auto-immune triggers are addressed and eliminated. Were you aware of that? I wonder why most Endo’s aren’t and why it’s not mandatory to run a full panel of testing to find what those triggers are and what vitamin and mineral deficiencies, which are usually present, are contributing to the patients symptoms. Why is it that only the thyroid is treated in Hashimoto’s patients while the autoimmune aspect goes unaddressed? I’m really curious what they teach about that in Endocrineology school. Naturopaths would immediately address these without just rushing to prescribe t4 only medications. Looking forward to your feedback.
last comment, I promise. The girl is expressing her opinion. Whether you agree or not, why not respectfully disagree and state your argument without bashing her POV?! This, I do not understand.
I know HFTSH and I can tell you that she happens to be a fabulous individual and one of the smartest people I know. While we might disagree regarding natural thyroid, I know that a spirited debate would be welcomed and appreciated by her.
That’s it.
Keep up the great work, HFTSH.
Love,
Katie
Hmmm…. seems like hungry for tsh (which really doesn’t make a bit of sense, has lost it. Have you had your adrenals tested?
Dessicated thyroid meds like Naturethroid and Westhroid are VERY appropriate for a thyroid cancer patient. I know many that are doing much much better on dessicated thyroid. Cancer patient or not.
Hungry grew beard and mustache:)
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