Mrs J and I were together this afternoon. I have to say, we make the perfect conversationalists because we both forget what the hell we're talking about.



Mrs J, did I leave my hat and scarf with you or did I lose them somewhere else?

sorry...what was I saying? Who are you? Whats my name?

Yep I've got them here mate!

Great afternoon - def gotta head up there again soon!

Okay, ladies, is this better:

SERUM FREE T4 LEVEL 13 PMOL/L (11-23R)
SERUM TSH LEVEL UN 23.41 MIU/L (0.3-4.7R)

My doctor (female) is very nice, she said she put the test for underactive throid on my bloods cause she just knew I wasn't right somehow.

I go back for next bloods on 4 August. She is then going to ring me and tell me what dose to take

Thanks everyone

Both come down to the harbour next time, we can all be senile together.

I knew in my heart that an endo would tell me I didn't have a problem. When I'd had Dengue Fever and was taking a long time to recover, and my liver was protesting, both the Communicable Diseases Specialist and the gastroenterologist told me I didn't have a thyroid problem. :curse: They did however talk me into a totally unnecessary liver biopsy after convincing me I had Autoimmune Hepatitis; my lovely Singaporean GP told me it would right itself after I got over the fever and he was right.

I haven't told you the best bit yet. My new GP, after meeting me briefly twice, offered me counselling and anti-depressants because I said I wasn't sleeping and so was having trouble getting out of bed on a morning.

Not that old chestnut!! You'd think they'd be bored with that line...I know I certainly am!

Trust me...anti d's do NOT help a thyroid disorder. In my case they excelerated it. I only took 2 anti d's and my anxiety went through the roof. I couldnt take St Johns Wort either for the same reason. My body didnt need any further stimulating and certainly didnt need bloody SSRIs! Sent me even more whacky than I already was! Idiot doctors...seriously...dont get me started!! :curse::curse:

Now that sounds like my kind of plan!!!

Don't worry, having seen what 30+ years on them has done to my sister, I soon put her straight.

(I'm a bit down because, after a couple of years of steady improvement, I once again feel like crap and am sleep-deprived, dear doctor.)

Hiya girls

Well for 4 weeks i've been on 50mcg a day. i thought i was feeling a bit more "alive". But the last couple of days i've felt terrible. Like i've been hit by a car and no amount of sleep cures it. My legs ache and i'm real upset and miserable. Roll on Monday when i get bloods done again, and i can up the dose!

Tracy

Sounds like you need an increase Tracy - this is usually how it works, slow increases until you finally hit your spot

Yup, dont worry.

Remember all that stuff I told you to do before your blood tests get taken?

And I hope you've been to your health food shop and got some vitamins... selenium, remember?
Take it after your bloods have been done... generally you take enough until you feel better... so a higher dose than is recommended on the bottle. Over a short period, this is apparently fine to do.

Hang in there hon. You'll be feeling better with the increase, I'm sure.

I call upon the experts to help me please!

Ok,

Nic was diagnosed with an under active thyroid last year. She's been on Thyroxine for just under 6 months now, been on 200mg a day.

Her weight finally stopped rising a few months ago, but she's seeing NO sign of weight loss, or ability to NOT sleep all day, given the chance!

I can't offer any T3, T4, or any other readings as our crap GP cocked up the results on recent visits and basically we don't have a current clue where we stand! ...

WILL Thyroxine work?? ... it that a given 'yes' ...

Will she be better on something else? ...

Do we need to give a good 6 - 9 months till we know? ...

I / we dunno! ... but I know Nic's losing hope with it all ...

She's currently watching what she eats, and avoiding ALL heavy calorie packed stuff, but I for one could understand her if she said "why bother??"

Would REALLY appreciate any views from you lot in the know.

Thanks ...

HI Paul

T4 only meds only work for 'some' people. Others (myself included now I think - I'll find out this month) need to also take T3 medication. Basically the thyroid converts the T4, to T3. If its not doing that efficiently, then T3 medication is needed. Its impossible to say if thats the problem or not without the latest results. If I were you/her I would get the docs to rerun the tests, no question about it. You need FT3, FT4 and TSH at the very least. 200mcg per day is a pretty hefty dose and would indicate to me that somethings not working right if shes not getting relief from some symptoms. I know different people need different amounts, but to give you an idea, I have no thyroid at all now, and I only take 112mcg per day (and I aint a dainty little gal!! )

You shouldnt have to wait 6-8 months to see an improvement, its generally 6-8 weeks. How long has she been taking 200mcg? I'd guess shes slowing increased up to that right? Do you have previous blood work results we could see?

Good luck

thanks hon... I'll arrange to pick them up from you soon... I'm starting that training course I mentioned soon so I'll be down near-ish you every day, so will work something out then if that's ok.

You're right about that venue... really nice. Gotta go again, pref with some money next time!

Sounds good - maybe we could meet for lunch or something while you're on the course?

Money....what the hell is that??!!!

Dunno hon. Not something I actually have anything of.
Might buy that lottery ticket this week... gotta be in it to win it, right?

Lunch would be great. I'll let you know how it's going when I start and get a feel for the timetable.