ok no results so far, but tell us pumping are you doing other things for your sanity? please don't put all your hopes on the blood tests. it may give you new info but it might not. it depends what blood tests are done and the results.

i feel like you are pinning everything on the results. they might be normal, or they might not have run all the tests that cathy suggested so please please please keep your options open and explore other ways to help yourself get better. things like building your support system. you have DH but maybe there are others who can help you, and looking at your coping skills and decluttering and simplifying your life. oh and i guess i better mention diet and exercise too LOL

Yes, Pumpingiron...hang in there....we're all hanging along right next to you!

Sweet Pea, I have to admit that being off the meds has been good for me. I hated the dead fog that I always seemed to be in when I was on them. I actually embrace my "craziness" and just roll with the moods....not always easy, I'll admit. But every case is different. I was diagnosed with a low type of Bipolar Disorder (there's a long, medical term for it, but I can't remember what it was). So, for me, it's okay that I'm off my meds. You, on the other hand, may need to take them for life in order to save your life. That's perfectly okay!

I'm just glad to know that I'm not alone and there are so many other overwhelmed women trying to struggle through life. Everyone here has given great advice and Cathy is right about ruling out all other possible illnesses before going on meds. It's so easy for a doctor to shove a patient "happy pills" and move along to the next one without properly diagnosing the true problem. A sad fact of life, unfortunately.

Well....I decided to turn my energy into cleaning the house, doing laundry, and paying bills to pass the time!
I have also started doing research on finding another doc (I prefer a DO to an MD).
I haven't been able to get back to exercise just yet due to the constant tiredness, but I am getting closer, and should be back on the elliptical this week. Starting real slow of course. I have been eating really clean, no sugar or white starches, no glass of wine each eve. (my favorite), good fruits and veggies, whole grains, lean meats and dairy.. you know basically eating "close to nature"

I guess the reason I'm so anxious for the results is because I am a planner. I already have in my head my next moves depending on the results. I just want to move on. I hate waiting, and need to get to the bottom of things so I can start to get my life back.
If my thyroid is at fault, I am willing to start the meds and read as much as I can. If it is "fine" I want to make sure they did a complete analysis, and start to look into other hormones, maybe see an endo. I would also like to rule out dietary deficiencies. Whatever it is....I'm ready to learn about it and take care of it ALONG with my doc!!

Thanks for the thoughts flowergirl! How were you able to go off meds? Did you or your doc. bring it up first? Do you use other techniques to deal with your Bipolar Disorder? Sorry for all the Q's, I am just interested in your story too!

I don't want to take over the topic and send this into a different discussion, but I don't have as much problems with my moods (okay, maybe the depression ones are a bit hard to take) but without the meds I can't FOCUS. I can't remember crap, feel like my world is falling apart and everything takes so much energy because I can't figure out what I'm doing. Absolutely amazing for a person who pre-dx was a planner, organized, master of my world. Luckily the meds and strategies help. I still struggle with it, but ONLY because I grieve the past, not because I'm not dealing with it. Does that make sense? My husband doesn't seem to remember that part and because I am relatively stable (okay stable, but grieving my previous supermom status), he thinks I don't need it and was unnecessarily diagnosed. I ignore because I know that denial makes problems worse not better. We just agree to disagree.

my meds do make my thinking a little fuzzy but as you say deafinlysmart there are times they help me focus. sometimes without them i get so overwhelmed i get in a complete tizz and can't settle to anything

pumping you're doing really great with your diet. i wish i had that much self control but i plan to work on it esp in the next 2 weeks. time for change

with the exercise i find the fatigue a killer but it's a vicious circle. if you don't exercise it gets even harder to do stuff so you just have to bite the bullet and do stuff. having said that i agree with you that it's best to start slow and give your body time to recover and then gradually incr. even only 10 mins is good. that's what i started doing

flower - do you have cyclothymic disorder? is that what you mean by a milder form?

deafinly - you're righjt self management and learning to handle emotions is a big part of it. i'm getting better at it but still room for improvement

OK....Here is the latest:

I called again for my results. Since the doctor is away until Monday, all they could say was that they tested my TSH and that it is normal. I wasn't able to get any numbers, so I don't know where in the range they fall.
This is it for now I guess. I just have to see how the discussion goes when the doc gets back and what she wants to do.

Pumpingiron - I know you are doing the best you can to get what you need from the docs office. Please keep asking them and be sure to get a copy of all your bloodwork that they did do.

And I really don't mean to beat a dead horse to death but I was told my thyroid was normal for 20 years - those words can mean nothing - especially when they are looking at just the TSH. The TSH can be very unreliable!

That being said - the new ranges are 0.3 to 3.0. (they use to be 0.5 to 5.0) Most labs do not show the new ranges and most docs aren't aware of ithe changes either. With the TSH, the higher your TSH number, then the lower your thyroid is. I know that sounds backwards to our thinking but that is how it goes. TSH stands for Thyroid Stimulating Hormone and when your thyroid is low your body screams for more thyroid hormone by producing this stuff and the higher the number then supposedly the lower your thyroid is.

My TSH has never been higher than 2.7 and I'm on 5 grains (300 mgs) of Armour daily.

Since getting proper treatment I have found a lot of info that some good docs believe that a TSH above 2.0 can indicate a thyroid problem.

Once you get a copy of your blood work - if they did not run the Free T3 and Free T4 and antibodies tests, then I would suggest you have your own blood work done thru healthcheckusa.com and that way you requeset the exact tests that need to be done. That being said, the tests are just that - a test - a gauge - a measurement of what is suppose to be normal - and there are many people with a thyroid problem that their blood work looks "normal" even when the more accurate tests are done. Those people do not give up until they find a doc that will simply treat their symptoms (like they use to do before the invent of the TSH in the late 60's). But before the TSH was invented and put in practice (in the early 70's) docs use to simply treat the symptoms and patients received better treatment IMO.

I know you have a lot going on, but did you happen to get a chance to read any of the info over the stopthethyroidmadness site? just wondered if something jumped out at you there? like the list of possible symptoms or other things?

Whenever you are tired of me talking about this stuff - just let me know and I'll try to be quiet. It's just that this info could be really important.


cathy

Pumpingiron - this message was posted just tonight on a yahoo naturalthyroidhormone group that I'm a member of. I thought perhaps it might make better sense to see some numbers and hear this story.

on the test result - the first number is the result - the number in paranthesis is the "normal range"

hope this helps
Cathy

"Message: 12
Date: Thu, 16 Feb 2006 22:58:22 -0000
From:
Subject: Don't go by TSH alone!!!

Hope you ladies don't mind me posting this, but I thought it was important to show someone who might think that they have hypothyroidism but are told by their doctors that their levels are "normal".

I have a friend/co-worker who has a family history of thyroid disease. Her previous doctor tested her TSH & thyroid antibodies. Her antibodies were both elevated, but her TSH was normal. Her doctor told her this was normal, despite the fact that she had many of the symptoms, one being headaches, which her doctor was treating.

I told my friend I would bring her to my doctor, since he's really good & sees 5 to 6 thyroid patients a day. He tested her antibodies, TSH, FT4 & TT3. Here are her results with the reference ranges in parenthesis.

TSH - 1.7 (.4-5.5) btw this range is wrong it should be 0.3 to 3.0 but still TSH would look totally normal

FREE T4 - .7 (.8-1.8)

FREE T3 - 90 (60-180)

Also, her antibodies were 126 & 146.

So, my doctor has started her on 30 mgs. Armour & is going to restest her in 6 weeks.

So, this just goes to show you that even though your TSH may be "normal", your thyroid hormones (T4 & T3) may be low. If you have symptoms of thyroid disease & your doctor tells you that your TSH is "normal", INSIST on further testing."

Cathy,
I could never get tired of your posts! They are so informative!
Hopefully Monday the doc will give me all the facts. It sounds like they just ran the TSH, and since I could only talk to a tech, they could only say "normal". As I can see from your post, that could very well not be the case. I did snoop around on stopthethyroidmadness and found it to be a great source! I am thinking of ordering a saliva test for the full panel thyroid. Especially if my TSH isn't really "normal"
I think I may have found a new doc. This one is recommended by the whole foods store that I frequent, and he is on my list of drs. for insurance. Pretty sure I'll be setting up an appt with him in the near future.
I also ordered the hormone book you mentioned, and I can't wait to read it! Barnes and Noble is pretty quick so it should be here Monday! Guess nothing else will get done then...LOL.

Cathy,
Thanks so much for your posts. I googled hypothyroidism and I have surprisingly have most of the symptoms. I was about ready to go to a psychiatrist to get some antidepressants, but now I am going to get my thyroid tested. I know I was checked for it a long time ago (a previous doctor when I was a teenager), but it came back "normal". I have no idea what test I was given and what numbers came back. I wasn't going to pay 10 cents a page to get my records forwarded to my current doctor, especially since I thought there was nothing important in there (since I had only gone there for colds). My current doctor (I have been away at college for 4 1/2 years and would only go to the walk-in clinic and recently got an actual doctor) asked me if I had my thyroid tested and I told him yes and that it was normal, so he never asked about it again. Anyways, long story short, I am going to get those tests taken.

Hey UFSeniorGirl - I am so VERY GLAD to think that my posts might help you in some way!!!!! I truly am! and thank you for letting me know!!!! That is why I do what I do (research and talk this stuff to death) - in order to try to help others. Just wish I would have known this stuff a long time ago.

Ya know, you make a good point too tho, even if someone's thyroid was "normal" at one time it can change over night - and if it were "normal" at one time, that has nothing to do with now. Honestly, it can change overnight. It can be fine one day, and go low or even hyper the next. Now I'm not saying that your thyroid actually was "normal" when you had it tested - bec as you can see - the normal test is the TSH and it is just very unreliable. I was told for 20 years my "thyroid was fine" - it was not!

I don't know if you saw my earlier posts on here, but wanted to encourage you to check out the info at:

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com...ema-craziness/
about the connection between thyroid problems and psych problems

and also there are some personal stories about this that have just started posting on the "Mental Health & Thyroid" forums on the site at:

http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com...topic.php?t=50

just thought you might want to check out that info.
Also, in case you haven't seen it and would like to - I have some info posted on the "Depression Articles" here at:
http://www.3fatchicks.com/forum/show...t=49146&page=3

UFSeniorGirl - I would love for you to keep me posted and let me know what you find out.

hugs,
Cathy

good luck with everything pumping. hope it works out

i checked out that list of symptoms for hypothyroidism and i have a lot of them but looking at the list most of the things i have could be explained by lots of other syndromes too. could be hypoglycaemic, anxiety, depression etc etc so very hard to know. my gut feeling tho is that i would be fine if i could sleep and wake refreshed!

It's good to be informed so you can ask doctors the right questions, but it is a bad idea to include or disinclude a diagnosis based on your own research. Combine what you've learned and the doctor's expertise. The fact is, most of these illnesses resemble each other. That's why doctor's get blood panels before diagnosing depression for example.

No problem! I don't mind talking about it at all. I've been on so many different types of meds, I can't even remember them all....some antipsychotic meds, some narcopleptic meds, some depression meds, some anti seizure meds...it was crazy. I remember having a horrible time with effexor...and my sex life was in the toilet because of the meds. My last "cocktail" included wellbutrin which really helped in the sex department. That in turn, made me want to go ahead and try for that third baby. I would NEVER advise this to anyone, but I weened myself off the meds myself without my doctor's consent so that we could try and conceive. Then the dr stopped practicing in my town, so I just stopped going to him all together. And I've been off the meds ever since...again, I DO NOT advise that anyone go off their meds without first speaking to their doctor. I took a very risky chance and was fortunate that it didn't backfire on me. (By the way, I decided to stick to the two beautiful children I have and didn't try for a third afterall) I believe that with a doctor's approval, it's possible to go off your medications as opposed to using them for life...depending on your individual situation. I see nothing wrong with taking them forever if they work for you. Mine just never seemed to make the situation any better and often added unpleasant side effects to my all ready shaky psyche.

As for how I deal with the disorder....I can't really explain it....I eat a lot of fish, which is supposed to help in depression and I now that I've been excercising regularly, I seem to be more energetic as well. And then there is my great support group...my family and friends. I also have a very strong belief and faith in God, who has guided me through some pretty severe panic attacks. I guess I just live day by day riding the highs and the lows knowing that tomorrow (or the next hour) will be better as long as I just keep hanging in there. There are more good days than there are bad, I've just learned how to weather the storms.