Cathy....
Thanks so much. I should get them yet today. My wonderful hubby came home for lunch, took one look at me and called the drs office. They tried to tell him my doc was away for the REST OF THE WEEK! He said well, we're not going to wait that long, so either another doctor has to read them and call us, or you have to contact our doc. Outcome...She is supposed to have the results faxed to her and call me herself sometime today. I was so upset..and I feel like I should find a different dr. over this whole thing. I just don't know how to find a good one.

Pumpingiron,
I don't mean to bother you - I know you've had a rough day - but if it is not too much trouble for you, could you please get a copy of your blood work no matter what you are told .... like "everything is fine" ;-)

I'm glad your dh came in and took care of things!

hugs,
Cathy

DH sounds like a gem! good on him

don't despair about the results. they may all be normal, it's just one of the paths you need to explore to see what is happening with your mind and body. i agree with cathy in the past i have always got copies of my results. i like to know what's going on and see how things are changing. lately for some reason they haven't been sending me my copy

has the doc prescribed anything for you yet?

Oh, no bother....they called me and said "oh the thyroid panel takes a few days, we MAY have it back tomorrow."
LOL Could have told me that last Friday....

No...she went away on vacation until next week. I am hesitant to start taking meds (even for depression) until I find out just what is wrong. Maybe I am looking at it all wrong though.

Thank you both for taking an interest...

sometimes taking the meds helps you cope and see things more clearly, and that in turn helps you sort things out and get on the path to recovery

it is hard when you don't know if it's something physiological or psychological, and you don't know which hormones are being influenced. has the doctor suggested any sort of therapy or training in coping skills, stress management etc?

There is no test for depression. There are test to exclude other possibilities. There is no external cause for depression either. It's a brain chemical thing. There are situational depressions, but most depressions happen in spite of your life. My life is great. I was finally diagnosed as Bipolar after my 3rd child. Shocked, but relieved. You should always go through other medical rule outs, but otherwise be prepared you may not be able to "confirm" an actual cause, reason, or diagnosis. If you think that is frustrating, finding the right meds combo for each person is definately not an exact science to say the least.

Good luck. If you do have depression, it's a long road, but it is treatable. The fact that you are taking the first step willingly and that your husband supports you is fantastic. Denial never helps anybody.

Pumpingiron, we are all at the edge of our seats waiting for the results with you! Your thread caught my eye and it was actually a relief for me to see so many other women dealing with these issues. I am also bipolar and have struggled and managed my elevated moods, depressed moods and anxiety attacks for many years. I live a productive, healthy life and am very blessed in so many ways, but sometimes you just can't seem to kick those blues or suppress that anxiety. In cases like that, it helps me to know that I am not alone. I am lucky to have a very supportive sister who I can count on to talk me through dark moods. A support system is imperative in overcoming hard times. Good luck with all of your test results. If you do have to go on meds, there is no shame in that. Sometimes it's only temporary. I've been off my meds now 1 1/2 years and have managed to stay sane. We're all here for each other and sometimes that's all the medicine that you need. Of course, like diabetes or high blood pressure, sometimes medication is a lifetime necessity and that's okay, too. Whatever the case, we are all here for you to let you know that you are not alone.

that's refreshing to hear flowergirl. i would love to get off my meds that's for sure. it's a looooooong term goal for me!

Pumpingiron - you said "I am hesitant to start taking meds (even for depression) until I find out just what is wrong. Maybe I am looking at it all wrong though."

Girl - you are not looking at this all wrong at all!!!!! You are doing exactly the right thing!!!!! You are trying to find out if there is a physical reason for your depression. And every one presenting to a doc with mental problems, such as depression, anxiety, ocd, bipolar, adhd, ocd, etc, etc, etc should be thorougly checked out and the proper blood work should be done if for no other reason than to rule out a physical problem. There are many physical causes of depression and the main one I've been mentioning is thyroid. Unfortunately, even when a doc thinks to check it out, they are not running the correct thyroid tests and the problem is being missed.

I cannot tell you how many people I am talking to in a weeks times (and I've been doing this for years now) that were simply told "chemical imbalance" and placed on psych meds (just like my son). Well in a way they were right - it was an "imbalance" - but it was a hormone imbalance - it was low thyroid hormone problem - not some lack of serotonin in his brain.

Anyway, I am talking to people every week that are having the correct thyroid tests run and finding out they actually have a thyroid problem and they are getting proper treatment and are slowly able to reduce their psych meds and doing well.

In my son's case, since he is receiving proper treatment for his thyroid problem, we (along with his doc) have been able to slowly remove him off of every drug he was placed on and now we are down to slowly reducing the Prozac. And I'm telling you the withdrawals from these drugs are no picnic.

Also, every doc that I have seen offered me an antidepressant for my symptoms. I never could figure out how an antidepressant was going to keep my hair from falling out, or raise my body temp, or make my skin less dry. I kept describing low thyroid symptoms (including some depression and anxiousness) and they kept saying "an antidepressant will make you feel better". They only ran the dang TSH whenever they checked my thyroid and said "your thyroid is fine" but I would not give up until I found a doc to treat my symptoms. I did not need an antidepressant - I needed 5 grains of Armour Thyroid daily. I have my life back and feel great!

So ok, if someone needs the help of these psych drugs, then fine, but first everything should be done to makes sure there is not some underlying problem causing what is going on - in particular, a thyroid problem.

I have a new hero - Dr. Steven Hotze of Houston and he has written a book called "Hormones, Health & Happiness". If we weren't already receiving proper treatment I would drive to Houston to see this doctor. One of the many points he makes is.....

Women are the most underserved in the medical community. Ninety percent of women we see are on antidepressants or were prescribed antidepressants and just didn't fill them.

He said, They're not depressed because they have low levels of Prozac. Most are depressed because hormone levels are low or out of balance.

Hormone production declines as people age. That results in fatigue, weight gain, hair loss, brain fog, depression, insomnia and headaches. But instead of prescribing synthetic hormones, as many doctors do, Hotze prescribes bioidentical hormones, made from natural products that mimic hormones made by the body.

Just for the record - thyroid is a hormone ;-) and he devotes a whole chapter to "Hypothyroidism - The Hidden Epidemic"

Now where in the world does someone find a doc like that if they are not in Houston, TX - I don't know the answer to that - but you are doing the right thing to check everything out first.

Sorry that this is long and if I sound like I'm ranting - I just watch people struggle with this stuff every day and I only want to help.

Please keep us posted.
hugs,
Cathy

pumpingiron - i've lost track of all the posts now from the beginning but to reiterate what i said before and part of what cathy is saying is you need to know what all your symptoms are and explore all the possible causes.

this will include blood tests but also your doctor should take you through checklists for depression, check whether there is anything in the environment that is causing problem (e.g. major life changes etc etc). as for the antidepressants i am not as certain that thyroid is the problem. it's simply one of the possibilities as is depression. it's up to you whether you take AD pills. i can tell you they have helped a lot of people including me. if i stop taking the pills i become suicidal

It sure feels good knowing there are other women out there with the same problems. You gals are truly I do appreciate your comments and insight. No results yet...(it is only 7AM here!) If I don't hear by 2PM today, I am calling (or my husband will ).

Cathy, I know you have mentioned books in other threads as well. Other than 'Hormones, Health and Happiness" are there any other books you recommend on hormones, depression or thyroid? I'm an avid reader, and if I find out I have thyroid problems etc.. I want to dive into some good reading.

yep I have a couple ;-)

"The Thyroid Diet" by Mary Shomon (it's not so much about diet - mainly good solid info on thyroid) - great book!

and "Thyroid Power, 10 Steps to Total Health"
by Drs. Richard & Karilee Shames

Also there is a lot of good reading and great info at www.stopthethyroidmadness.com
and there is a section about "Mental Health and Thyroid" there at:
http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com...ema-craziness/

I'm anxious to hear about your bloodwork when you get it.
hugs & prayers,
Cathy

No results today. *sigh*

ok - well - maybe tomorrow then.
try to hang in there girlie

cathy