[SEARCHING4ME]

Well hi friends!!!

I have an under active thyroid, for about 10yrs now.
What I have been doing over the last couple years, (like the rest of us) is keep looking for answers to why I feel so awful and have such a difficult time with loosing weight....of all the questionaires I keep finding regarding thyroid disease I have almost every single symptom, thinning hair, sleep disturb,weight gain/unable to loose,depression(that meds havent been successful) joint pain, fatique,ect,ect,ect....

for the last few years the doctor keeps saying I am in the "right" range for my blood test for thyroid levels...but I have learned that there are more than one level he should be looking at.... T3 and T4 ? Its becoming very confusing.

So before I go to see him next month I was looking for any information you guys might be able to provide, to help me have a complete conversation with him. Things that I might not have thought about.

Thanks, You all are always the best.....

[Ellen]

The best place for thyroid information is the about.com thyroid pages. There is a lot of information on the different tests, what they mean, and the latest research. Mary Shomon, who moderates the pages, is very knowledgeable and a thyroid patient herself, with several books to her credit on thyroid issues. Go arm yourself there. They also have a list of the top rated thyroid docs by state. If your doctor won't listen, perhaps you can find a new one. My doctor always checked a complete thyroid panel, as well as TSH and T3 levels. I take Unithroid (t4) AND a special compounded T3. It works much better for me.

Here is the link the the thyroid pages: http://thyroid.about.com/mbody.htm

[Misti in Seattle]

I don't mean to be a "downer" but just want to add... please use caution about what you read on the Internet, including Mary Shomon's stuff. I ordered her book and also searched her site and found it to be not only totally unhelpful but discouraging if I listened too much to it. I realize we are all different and what works for one doesn't work for others... but my Internet research pretty much caused me to STOP getting info from these sources and listen to my doctor. She gave me the extra tests when I asked even though she didn't really feel they were necessary. I needed them for my own confidence though and she respected that. She worked with me to get my dosage of meds right -- yes I take L-thyroxine -- and I am fine... my hair and skin are getting their glow back, I feel great, and I am able to lose weight again.

Not saying don't read it... just use caution and work with your doctor. In my opinion.

[Ellen]

Misti, that is great you and your doctor have been able to find a level of meds that have resolved your problems. Many patients are not so lucky. I found it very frustrating to go to doctors who knew less about thyroid than I did. Most doctors do NOT know much about thyroid problems, or about the latest treatments. Many doctors are not even aware that the 'normal' range was officially changed by the Endo association last year from .5-5.5 down to .3-3.3. Of course take what you read with caution, but an informed patient usually ends up with better care.

[Misti in Seattle]

I am not in any way against people being informed. I am very informed on my thyroid issues. I am just saying that on this particular topic the Internet is also absolutely stock full of the naysayers who will try to convince you that your doctor is an ignoramus and knows nothing. And I was not in any way trying to start an argument... just expressing my opinion.