Posted by Larry Hoover on January 2, 2006, at 14:43:39
In reply to Re: Endocrinology consult » Larry Hoover, posted by Phillipa on January 1, 2006, at 19:34:35
> Lar so it's saying that sythroid isn't the best? And that the lab results were skewed? I know I am highly anxious, don't need to lose wt., no energy but anxiety to always be away from the house, no concentration, many fears of being by myself and around others, and I do have osteopenia, slight osteoporosis, my mother had psoriasis, and rheumatoid arthritis as a result of it. This new doc is the head of the osteoporosis clinic in Charlotte, Nc. Robert Kipris. Was sent as a consult from internist for positive lymes Western Blot and for backpain,. He was from Yale University. And he knew all my concerns about my thyroid as my neice is monitoring her own by symtoms. He did all the blood work. So this isn't enough? Fondly, Phillipa ps I'm sweating when I wake up. Robust knee jerks.
What I hoped you'd focus on is this paragraph, from that link:
"“These blood tests – they don’t work for you. They didn’t help you over the last 15 years you’ve been having problems, even when your problems became worse over the last two. It is because these thyroid antibodies variably bind up the hormones you have. There is no way to tell how much thyroid hormone you need based upon blood tests.” "
Now, that applies only to Hashimoto's. You have to look to secondary measures of thyroid function. What the doctor in that article suggested was a two-pronged strategy. One, to measure basal temperature. Two, to assess various aspects of well-being on paper, using ten different 10-point scales of various factors including weight, skin, mood, energy, etc.
In other words, the only way to assess thyroid level in Hashimoto's is how the patient feels.
That is not the sort of medical management you are likely to find, however. "Standard wisdom", old school doctors still rely on blood tests, even in Hashimoto's. I'm not saying they're wrong, necessarily. But I've talked to a lot of Hashimoto's people over the years, and every one of them says that they think their doctor has them on the wrong amount of hormone. And here's a thyroid specialist giving a good explanation of why he thinks the "old school" is mistaken.
From looking at your list, though, you do sound more hyperthyroid than hypo. How much Synthroid do you take?
The doctor also makes another critical comment about the form of thyroid supplement given. You mention Synthroid, which is the hormone T4. He recommends Armour, which is purified standardized pig thyroid, which includes a balance of T3 with T4 (and maybe other essential thyroid stuff....more like an herb). Pure T3 is Cytomel.
So, you may do much better just changing the form of hormone you take, without even adjusting the dose. Hashimoto's can interfere with the conversion of T4 to T3. By getting some T3 orally, you might do better.
Or, maybe you're mineral deficient. The doctor speaks to that in the article. Mineral deficiency masquerades as thyroid problems, for some people. Selenium and zinc deficiency, specifically. One of the effects is poor T4 to T3 conversion.
Lar
poster:Larry Hoover
thread:593741
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/health/20051214/msgs/594381.html