Questions for all of those out there with thyroid issues

[indysteel]

Thanks for all the sympathy, ladies. I actually don't feel bad right now; I just think I might feel better and that it might be worth playing with my meds a bit more. My doctor just signed off on just that. I'm going to take my current dose every other day instead of every day for the next six weeks. Then I'll get some more labs and see where we are. If I start to feel like I'm undersuppressing in the meantime, we'll reevaluate.

At this new dose, I'll keep an eye on my heart rate, as well as whether I'm sleeping okay. I'm a light sleeper anyway, but when my thyroid was hyperactive, I was waking up feeling really anxious, with what felt like (and likely was) a racing heart. If, on the flip side, my TSH doesn't budge much with this new decrease in meds, then I will consider getting a second opinion.

I just want to see what I it feels like to have a thyroid that is more squarely in the range of normal. Of the various TSH tests I've had over the years, the one that might be a good place to aim for was in 2007 when it was in the mid 2s. I rode 5k miles that year (my first full year of riding), so I must have had a decent energy level! I want that person back.

I think what's most frustrating is just how hard it is to understand the numbers. My doc has explained some of it, but the Internet has been both a blessing and a curse. It helped me appreciate that my GP's original take on my various tests was incorrect (which is why I saw an endo in the first place), but it also makes me second guess not only the tests that my endo is running, but her evalulation of those results. I do think you need to be your own strongest advocate, but it's hard to suppress the urge to out doctor your doctor.

So, we'lll see. Thanks again. I do take a lot of comfort that it appears my case is mild. My sister wasn't so lucky. It didn't help that her GP at the time assumed (based on her bevy of emotional problems) that she was suffering from anxiety. He treated her with drugs that masked some of her thyroid symptoms. It wasn't until she tried to go off of those drugs several years later that they realized his mistake. By then, she'd sort of gone off the deep end in a lot of ways.

[Koronin]

(((HUGS))) I really only can offer my support. Although both my sisters have thyroid disease (one has Graves, the other has Hashimoto's) I really don't know a lot about it. They both take Lamictol for it. (I'm sure I did not spell that correctly). My sister with Graves actually had to have surgery to remove the lymph-nodes.

[indysteel]

Thanks, Koronin. I sure hope you're keeping a close eye on your thyroid!

[Koronin]

I get mine checked once a year with my annual check ups to make sure all is well. My previous doctor felt we just needed to check it with the annual check up unless I felt something was off. Had to get a new doctor last year after moving across the state. My new doctor also felt since I've not had any issues that checking it once a year should be fine just to make sure it's alright. My old doctor even covered the cost of it when my husband was unemployed and we didn't have any insurance as she felt it was that important and knew it was going to be a strain for me to pay for it.

[indysteel]

That's a nice doctor! An annual test is sufficient IMO especially if you know the various symptoms to keep an eye out for. Mine were pretty mild. I always feel guilty complaining about Graves when I know that some of you, e.g., Catrin, had it pretty rough.

[Koronin]

I had an awesome doctor. Actually a husband and wife team that are both family practice doctors and both very good. I do miss my doctor.

[Catrin]

That's a nice doctor! An annual test is sufficient IMO especially if you know the various symptoms to keep an eye out for. Mine were pretty mild. I always feel guilty complaining about Graves when I know that some of you, e.g., Catrin, had it pretty rough.

No need to feel guilty - Graves is NOT fun, mild or advanced. I feel for your sister after reading your post that they didn't catch it for a few years. Graves, if it gets out of control, effects the body, emotions and even the mind in profound ways. Unless you have a very firmly grounded personality you can get lost if it gets bad enough...I know I did. I lost my 20's because of it and paid the consequences for that, in some ways I still am - but that is life.

I am very glad that you caught this while it is still mild, I don't think ANY thyroid problem - at any stage - is easy to deal with. The thyroid just affects so many things...If you ever want to talk about it directly you know how to contact me