Finally! A doctor who would help me!

Pandora1151 · 04-20-2008, 11:51 PM

I have been suffering with symptoms of hypothyroid for a few years now. Recently, it got much worse due to some other issues but my tsh/t3/t4 was all in the "normal" to "low normal" range. I have been getting very frustrated with trying to receive help for my PCOS and figuring out what the heck else is wrong with me for a long time. I took a chance. I stopped all meds (don't read my tag at the bottom because it is completely different now) in October/November and I started doing more of my own research. My doctor basically told me that she was just guessing on what to do for me anyway. Well, after researching a lot of stuff about insurance companies, pharmaceutical companies and other supposed health care providers and how it's all about making money for them, I decided to look into an alternative. We have a Wellness Center in my city that was opened by a doctor I actually used to visit in my pre-PCOS days - when I was first starting to experience symptoms. He opened this practice because of so many women like me, who would come in complaining but receiving normal test results and his frustration at not being able to help them. I hesitated to visit him because he doesn't participate with any insurance and it cost $1500 for the basic treatment plan, not including blood tests (but my insurance did cover those). After more research, I decided that it was a benefit that he didn't participate with insurance. I paid for my visit with almost my entire FSA. In reference to the thyroid tests, yes they came back normal. However, he took it one step further and tested me for Reverse T3. Turns out, I have high levels of Reverse T3 that is causing me to be hypo! Even though my thyroid is kicking out the normal levels of TSH/T3/T4, the Reverse T3 is binding to the active T3 in my bloodstream and canceling it out. I began taking the natural supplement Armour Thyroid, that includes both T3 and T4. I haven't felt this good in 10 years! I can't believe how much better I feel. Now, mind you, he did very thorough testing of me and found some other problems I am also being treated for so it's a myriad of things that are making me feel better. But I know the jump in my energy, which still isn't even normal but is 1000 times better than what it was, is mostly due to being treated for the hypothyroid. I started the treatment for that first. I also had a Candida Yeast overgrowth, low progesterone & high estrogen/testosterone (no big surprise w/PCOS), Adrenal Fatigue, Vitamin D deficiency, Insulin Resistance/Glucose Intolerance (another test that usually came back normal, but with a 2 hour glucose tolerance test instead of a fasting insulin test I got the real story). I am currently on a temporary, 30 day diet/medication plan to kill the yeast overgrowth and in about a week I will start a natural progesterone cream that is formulated to match my body's progesterone exactly so I shouldn't have any side effects. There is a lot more to my treatment, including several supplements but after a couple months, the only meds I will be on are the progesterone cream and Armour thyroid. I posted this here for those of you who have all the symptoms with "normal" blood tests whose doctors won't treat you for hypo. I was in the same boat. Have them test your REVERSE T3. It has completely changed my life in less than a month and I'm still getting better! I also lost 9 pounds in 2 weeks on the special diet in conjunction with taking the Armour Thyroid. I got so sick of doctors telling me to lose weight and I'll be okay when it was impossible to lose any freakin weight! Exercise pooped me out. Now I actually have a little energy to exercise and stay awake during the day. To be honest, I stopped being concerned about losing weight to have a nice figure. I was so drained and sick all the time, I thought I was going to literally die in the next 5 - 10 years. I wasn't depressed. I just didn't see how my body would continue to function enough to keep me alive if I kept declining the way I was. Now I have hope again. All thanks to the Wellness Center I went to. They were my last hope and God answered my prayers! I don't know if it's appropriate to post a link. I don't want anyone to think I'm advertising. Send me a private message and I'll give you the link to their website. There's a lot of information on there about different things he looks for. He told me that 90% of the patients he sees have PCOS. Good luck everyone.

Paola · 04-21-2008, 10:03 AM

Congratulations.......that's awesome that you finally found some answers !
I hope everything continues to go well for you..........your story gives me hope as well !
I just recently found a doctor (she's a naturopathic doctor but she's part of a clinic where there is also a family doctor so it's an integrative clinic) and I'm able to get all the necessary bloodwork done for free.

She seems to really understand PCOS and I'm just waiting to get all my tests back. Your story sounds very similar to mine, I believe I'm hypo, I also believe my progesterone is low and have estrogen dominance as well and I know I have adrenal problems as well.
But I don't have fatigue, on the contrary, I'm always wired, so I'm not sure if that still means I'm hypo or not, I guess all will be revealed soon.

Anyway, continued success with your treatment !

KatCarney · 04-21-2008, 10:09 AM

Pandora, I'm so happy for you!

I've never had any thyroid issues, but I have many friends who do, and they said their lives literally CHANGED once they found a doctor who could address it...

Keep us posted on how you're feeling!

bec415 · 04-21-2008, 11:28 AM

Pandora, Thank you so much for your post! I'm going to bring this information to my endo, my thyroid is also being re-tested, though my levels were also within normal range I was put on synthroid a couple of years ago, but we'll see if I need to be on a higher dose because I'm always tired. Hoping to have the same success as you did....

What kind of test determined that you had a yeast overgrowth? What are the symptoms for Candida yeast overgrowth? And what kind of treatment are you on?

canadianmutation · 04-21-2008, 12:51 PM

Thats wonderful news. Believe me I'll be keeping the reverse t3 in mind should they cease treating my thyroid after TTC.

Its like night and day when treatment finally kicks in.

Pandora1151 · 04-22-2008, 02:10 PM

Thanks everyone! I'm down another few pounds since last week. I want to answer some of your questions:

"Pandora, Thank you so much for your post! I'm going to bring this information to my endo, my thyroid is also being re-tested, though my levels were also within normal range I was put on synthroid a couple of years ago, but we'll see if I need to be on a higher dose because I'm always tired. Hoping to have the same success as you did....

What kind of test determined that you had a yeast overgrowth? What are the symptoms for Candida yeast overgrowth? And what kind of treatment are you on?"

If you have Reverse T3, you might need to switch to a different medication if Synthroid only includes T4. My doctor, who is homeopathic I guess, prescribed Armour Thyroid because it matches human thyroid hormones exactly and includes both T3 and T4. In addition to my symptoms of yeast overgrowth (irritability, low energy, inability to lose weight, slight intolerance to foods/drinks that contain yeast - I would swell up when I drank wine or beer, unexplained hives, increased allergies, increasing inability to fight off colds, abdominal bloating, gas, alternating between diarrhea and constipation, strong cravings for sugar/carbs, inability to concentrate, and severe muscle/joint pain), he did a simple blood test to count my candida albicans antibodies - I don't know what this means, but he tested Candida IGG, Candida IgM, and Candida IgA. Results less than 0.89 EIA units are negative, between 0.89 and 0.99 EIA units are Equivocal, and greater than 1.00 EIA units are positive. My treatment is a 30 day diet that eliminates anything with yeast, sugar, gluten, vinegar, dairy, or alcohol. The first 2 weeks you also eliminate fruit. So basically all you can eat is meat, soy or oat milk products, nuts, and veggies for 2 weeks and after that you add fruit. After 1 week on the diet, I had to take Diflucan for 10 days. After 1 week on the Diflucan, I had to add Nystatin for 90 days. After the 30 days is up, I can add dairy, vinegar, and some bread back into my diet slowly but my doctor wants me to continue to follow this diet indefinitely becuase of the insulin resistance. The first 2 weeks were hard but after being able to add fruit I don't even miss the bread or dairy anymore. This is just normal for me. I'm not going to know what to do with myself after I can add vinegar back in! You'd be amazed how much food contains vinegar and yeast!

"She seems to really understand PCOS and I'm just waiting to get all my tests back. Your story sounds very similar to mine, I believe I'm hypo, I also believe my progesterone is low and have estrogen dominance as well and I know I have adrenal problems as well.
But I don't have fatigue, on the contrary, I'm always wired, so I'm not sure if that still means I'm hypo or not, I guess all will be revealed soon."

I'm so glad you also found a doctor who will help! How nice that you can get free blood tests! My doctor told me that if I had hyper instead of hypo I would always feel wired. Maybe that's it, but at least you are being tested to find out instead of having to guess. Another thing I like about this natural doctor is that he gave me prescriptions for the vitamins and supplements so I don't have to guess and wing it on what doses I need for these as well. I like the natural medicines too - nothing synthetic going into the body means less side effects and wierd things popping up down the road.

bec415 · 04-22-2008, 07:51 PM

Thanks for the info, that's awesome that you're still dropping the pounds!

I'm still a bit confused about who you saw at the Wellness clinic, is he is pcp that also knows about natural remedies? Or is he a Dr at all?

So is "Armour Thyroid" something you would get on prescription? Or do you get it at a vitamin store? Does it come in different doses etc? Wondering if you would need to take different doses based on your EIA units...
This doesn't sounds like something an endo would be familiar with (correct me if I'm wrong) I'm going to bring all this info to her, I hope she's not dismissive about it.

Pandora1151 · 04-23-2008, 12:29 AM

"Thanks for the info, that's awesome that you're still dropping the pounds!

I'm still a bit confused about who you saw at the Wellness clinic, is he is pcp that also knows about natural remedies? Or is he a Dr at all?

So is "Armour Thyroid" something you would get on prescription? Or do you get it at a vitamin store? Does it come in different doses etc? Wondering if you would need to take different doses based on your EIA units...
This doesn't sounds like something an endo would be familiar with (correct me if I'm wrong) I'm going to bring all this info to her, I hope she's not dismissive about it."

My doctor at the wellness center is an actual doctor. He was actually a DO first and then went back and got his MD credentials. Then he started looking into natural remedies because traditional methods weren't always helping all of his patients. Then he was finding he was able to help more patients with non-traditional methods so he opened the wellness center.

You need a prescription to get Armour Thyroid. It does come in different doses. It's used to treat hypothyroidism, not the yeast overgrowth. The EIA units are related to candida yeast overgrowth. Your endo might not know or be open to the yeast concept, but he/she might so it's worth mentioning. I took Diflucan for 10 days and I am currently taking Nystatin for 90 days for the yeast overgrowth. You also need a prescription for those also. I'm not sure, but I think Yeast overgrowth is something natural doctors look into more. I'll send you a PM with a link to the wellness center so you can look it up.

Black Lilly · 04-23-2008, 02:35 AM

Just wanted to post a great big HOORAY and thanks for posting. I recently am going through something similar, but have been on the fence about seeking treatment with Armour. Might take some time to research docs, but your story cemented it for me.

Really, thanks for posting your experience!

Pandora1151 · 04-23-2008, 03:15 PM

Black Lilly,

What made me like the idea of Armour is that it is bio-identical to human thyroid hormones and it has been around for decades (I took a pharmeceutical class in college and found out that anything under 10 years old - you're basically a guinea pig even if it's been approved by the FDA). I guess everyone's different but the only effects I've had from it have been good! I'm also going to be beginning a bio-identical progesterone cream. I just found out that you can buy this OTC but I got an Rx from my doctor and I'm sticking with it because I know for sure it's the right dose. I believe in natural therapies but I still think that it's smart to consult a doctor who knows about this stuff so that you aren't guessing on the dosages and you can experience the maximum benefits.

BRbangle · 04-24-2008, 11:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora1151

I also had a Candida Yeast overgrowth, low progesterone & high estrogen/testosterone (no big surprise w/PCOS), Adrenal Fatigue, Vitamin D deficiency, Insulin Resistance/Glucose Intolerance (another test that usually came back normal, but with a 2 hour glucose tolerance test instead of a fasting insulin test I got the real story). I am currently on a temporary, 30 day diet/medication plan to kill the yeast overgrowth and in about a week I will start a natural progesterone cream that is formulated to match my body's progesterone exactly so I shouldn't have any side effects. There is a lot more to my treatment, including several supplements but after a couple months, the only meds I will be on are the progesterone cream and Armour thyroid.

Pandora1151, I am not sure I understand the progesterone-estrogen-testosterone connection. I see you are taking progesterone cream because your progesterone level came back low. What did your doctor suggest for your high testosterone and estrogen? Does increasing progesterone lower the other levels?

Also, what are you doing for your insulin resistance--a supplement, maybe?

Thanks!

Paola · 04-25-2008, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pandora1151

I'm so glad you also found a doctor who will help! How nice that you can get free blood tests! My doctor told me that if I had hyper instead of hypo I would always feel wired. Maybe that's it, but at least you are being tested to find out instead of having to guess. Another thing I like about this natural doctor is that he gave me prescriptions for the vitamins and supplements so I don't have to guess and wing it on what doses I need for these as well. I like the natural medicines too - nothing synthetic going into the body means less side effects and wierd things popping up down the road.

Hi, thanks for your response. I had my appt. today and got all my blood tests back and I'm a little confused. We talked about alot of things and she took alot of time to speak with me, my issues just seem so complicated that I'm not sure what to do now. She gave me a prescription for Armour Thyroid (and I went to the pharmacy and they said it's not available in Canada!) anyway, the pharmacist she called is back on Monday and I went to that pharmacy anyway to speak with who ever was there, they said that maybe they can get it in. Okay, so next I got a prescription for Cyprotereone Acetate, but I need to find out if they can give it to me in a smaller does because on it's own it comes in 100mgs and I only need 2mgs (we're trying to mimic the Diane dose which worked for me years ago when I was on the pill but don't want the synthetic estrogen that Diane has).
Okay, so I was also given oral micronized progestoerone.

Let me give you some values, see if this makes any sense:

TSH - 3.08 ( 0.35 - 5.00 ) -----a month ago my TSH was 4.34, I have lost some weight but I didn't know that it could fluctuate that much ?

FREE T4 - 14 ( 9 - 23 )

And I don't see FREE T3 on my tests ! She doesn't know if they forgot to do it or what. Great.

My cortisol is high as well in the morning so she's giving me magnolia for that, and from what I know from reading up on it, it does lower your cortisol.

Anyway, my glucose and fasting glucose is all normal which I was shocked because my blood sugar imbalances are pretty crazy some days, so obviously they are caused by my other issues.

DHEA - 7.5 ( 1.2 - 7.3 )

Testosterone Free - 10.9 ( 0.8 - 12.1 )

Progesterone - 4 ( Luteal Phase - 11 - 81 )

Also, from the ultrasounds I got back there are no cysts whatsoever and a few months ago I had a huge cyst on the left side. So I'm a little confused about that, but at least the cyst is gone but I guess with PCOS that happens, it comes and goes apparently, I don't know.

Now, she said I am hypothyrid but I don't have exhaustion, instead I'm wired, I always feel hot and can't stand the heat, my hunger is pretty intense at times, carb cravings pretty intense at times as well.......
I asked her if it was possible that I'm hyper and she said that it can't be because my TSH is still too high.
I'm scared of starting meds if I don't have to, I mean in one month my TSH lowered from 4.34 or whatever it was to now 3.08, so I don't know if the little weight loss I've had has improved things or not.
But I definitely need the anti-androgen, my hair is falling out like crazy this month, oily skin and oily hair is driving me nuts !!

Crap. I HATE PCOS.

Pandora1151 · 04-26-2008, 01:59 AM

"Pandora1151, I am not sure I understand the progesterone-estrogen-testosterone connection. I see you are taking progesterone cream because your progesterone level came back low. What did your doctor suggest for your high testosterone and estrogen? Does increasing progesterone lower the other levels?

Also, what are you doing for your insulin resistance--a supplement, maybe?"

BRbangle,

Okay, I'll give this a shot. What I was told is that progesterone balances out estrogen and keeps it in check. When your progesterone is low, you get estrogen dominance - EVEN if your estrogen is also low! It's because there isn't enough progesterone to counteract the estrogen, regardless of the level of estrogen. That's why women in menopause can still have estrogen dominance (fat cells continue to produce estrogen even when the ovaries stop). In turn, in certain people (like people w/PCOS), testosterone will rise in an attempt to create a balance for the estrogen dominance.

On another note, healthy levels of progesterone are also supposed assist your adrenal glands produce the right amount of hormones somehow (sorry, I'm still learning this stuff myself so I'm not really sure "how"). So the progesterone cream is supposed to somehow level out my estrogen, which should stop the testosterone overproduction or at least slow it down and also help my adrenals produce more cortisol and relieve the adrenal fatigue. As far as the adrenal fatigue goes, I also have to eat a high protein diet, do gentle exercise, take naps, and learn stress management.

Adrenal fatigue is triggered by a variety of things, including chronic/accute stress. I've been under constant stress from a rebellious teenager daughter and dysfunctional family members (I have a psychotic, fatal attraction stepmother who came after me for the umpteenth time last summer in the midst of my son's graduation/open house - another very long story that has a 20 year history) for going on 3 years now. But in the last year I've worked really hard to get that all under control and it's paying off. I've got some good boundaries in place and my teens are both maturing and now that they understand how bad the stress was affecting my health, they are really stepping up to the plate. I'm lucky to have such good kids. Soooo...by treating the condition and managing my stress, I should get better in the adrenal fatigue area.

But I am curious if the progesterone cream will really help lower the testosterone because the doctor didn't give me anything specifically for testosterone/androgens. I can't start the progesterone until Wednesday and I'm sure it will take a few months to see a real difference. I can't help be a little skeptical over the "miracle" of progesterone, but everything else he has told me and I've done so far has been right on point so I'm willing to go along with it.

Okay, he did say that losing weight will help lower the testosterone too (I'm looking at my notes). I'm treating the insulin resistance with diet and exercise (the special diet to kill the candida yeast also pairs to control insulin/diabetes - when I'm done w/the 30 days to kill the yeast, I have been instructed to continue in this fashio but I can add vinegar, dairy and small amounts of high fiber breads/pastas back in). I take a lot of supplements and they are supposed to assist with everything (especially the EPA/DHA) but I'm not taking anything that I know of that is specifically geared for the insulin resistance. The CLA, EPA/DHA, L-Carnitine, and Chromium Picolonate are combined in such a way that they should assist me in losing fat/building muscle so I guess in a way they are also helping the insulin resistance?

Usually when a doctor tells me to lose weight and things will get better, I get angry because I can't lose weight. But now that I'm being treated for EVERYTHING that's actually wrong with me and the doctor has given me a diet in prescription form that is spelled out really well, it's working. I've lost 2-3 more pounds since the last time I posted!! I can not believe how the weight is dropping off of me. I have NEVER lost weight in my life faster than 3 pounds a month. NEVER! I've lost 16 pounds so far in 24 days and I have tons of energy most of the time. I'm still struggling in the mornings pretty bad because of the drop in cortisol I have at night.

When I was losing 3 pounds a month, I was taking synthetic bcp and spiro. But certain side effects from those meds were making me ill in other ways and I had to stop. The spiro caused my bp to drop so low that nobody could get a reading. It was really scary to lose consciousness and nobody could wake me up or get a bp reading on me. Then I would come to and fade back out again several times. I had to stop taking that medicine and switch bcp. When I did that, the weight started coming back on. Then I switched to Met and went off the bcp and the weight still kept coming on. Now I will grant that I went through several accutely stressful events while all this was happening too and the stress was wreaking havoc on me.

But I've really come to believe that most medicines might "cure" certain symptoms, but they always create new symptoms and illnesses because of the side effects. That is what made me so determined to do whatever it takes to heal my body naturally if that was possible and take as few synthetic meds as possible. I'm not a fanatic about it though. If I can't do the whole thing naturally and I need a medication, I will take that too. As long as I get better I don't care what I have to do. I was at a point in my life where I thought I would be dead in 5 - 10 years and now it looks like that won't happen and I'm very joyful about it.

Pandora1151 · 04-26-2008, 02:35 AM

Paola,

It sucks that they don't sell Armour Thyroid in Canada! I wouldn't have guessed that. Maybe you can get it online at one of the online drugstores. It's not that expensive. I get my natural progesterone cream from a special pharmacy in Detroit called Diplomat. I'm sure they could probably send you some too. I can't get this cream at a regular pharmacy because they make it specifically to match my own body's progesterone. I don't know a lot about what else they sell because I can get my Armour at any drugstore here but if they sell natural progesterone, I'm sure they probably have natural thyroid meds too.

I don't know what Cyprotereone Acetate is, but I hope you can find the dose you need and I hope it helps you!

They tested my hormones with saliva tests (I had to fill 4 vials at different times of the day) so my levels are in different units than yours and I don't know how to compare them. Understanding the levels is new to me and I'm barely catching on to what's going on with mine. I wish I could be of more help in this area. It sounds like maybe when the cysts went away and you lost some weight, some of your levels improved. That's good! Also, you have the opposite problem with cortisol than I do. Mine dips too low at night so it is a huge struggle to wake up in the morning. I alternate between insomnia and sleeping 12 hours a night. Regardless of how long I sleep I can't wake up easily but once I'm up for about an hour my cortisol returns to normal levels and I'm okay again.

Although I don't know exactly what the levels are supposed to mean, I can tell you what my doctor tested me for. I'm just copying the thyroid tests right of the lab report for you:

Free T4, TSH, Total T3, T3(Triiodothyronine)Reverse S, Anti-Thyroglobulin Antibody, and Anti-Microsomal Antibody(I'm not sure if this last one was related to thyroid or candida yeast becuase it is in the midst of the thyroid stuff but so is another candida test because they had to send some of the blood to different labs and the report is broken down by lab). In addition to this, I had to keep a record of my body temperature upon waking for 30 days and it came back in the low range, which is an indication of hypothyroid. I guess I have the tongue indentations too and I have developed a slight lisp in the last few years because my tongue has swollen somewhat.

This is what my doctor's website says about thyroid:

The thyroid gland governs the body's metabolism and development through the production of thyroid hormones. These hormones set our body's metabolic rate, the rate at which our body's cells produce and utilize energy. If your thyroid gland was removed and you were not given supplemental thyroid you would slowly die. The thyroid hormones are essential for life.

The thyroid gland is shaped like a butterfly and is located in your neck just of front of the trachea, the area commonly known as the "Adam's Apple. The thyroid gland produces two primary hormones: thyroxine, T4, the inactive prohormone and tri-iodothyronine, T3, the active intracellular hormone. Thyroxine (T4) is produced twenty (20) times more than T3. In the cells of the body, T4 must be converted to the active thyroid hormone T3 in order to be effective.

The thyroid hormones are secreted into the blood and carried to each of the 100 trillion cells in our body. It is in the cells, not in the bloodstream, that the thyroid hormones accomplish their purpose of controlling your metabolism.

Thyroid hormones are carried in the bloodstream bound to protein, primarily thyroid binding globulin (TBG). Over 99% of the thyroid hormones produced by your thyroid gland are bound to TBG in your blood stream. When bound to protein, thyroid hormones are inactive and cannot be utilized by the cells of your body. Only about .05%, that is 5 parts in 10,000, of the thyroid hormones remain unbound in the bloodstream. This is known as the free thyroid fraction (T4). Only the unbound, free thyroid can be assimilated into the cells of your body and converted into the active thyroid form T3.

The thyroid hormones are essential for normal growth and development in children. The thyroid hormones promote growth hormone secretion and independently promote growth in the peripheral tissues of the body. Insufficient thyroid hormone leads to growth failure by delaying bone growth and bone maturation.

The XXX Wellness Center uses a comprehensive program to diagnose thyroid disorders. This begins with a complete history and physical examination. Subtle physical examination findings that may be suggestive of thyroid problems include thinning of the outer 1/3 of your eyebrows or tongue indentations. We also suggest you measure your basal body temperature. Your basal body temperature is the temperature you have first thing in the morning, even before you rise from bed. A normal basal body temperature is between 97.8 degrees and 98.2 degrees if you take your temperature orally (96.8 - 97.2 if taken under your arm).

After reviewing your comprehensive history and complete physical examination certain additional tests may help us in arriving at a correct diagnosis. These are usually very simple blood tests. The XXX Wellness Center will assist you in obtaining the correct tests and in the interpretation of these tests. Many physicians will rely on only one test, the TSH test, to assess your thyroid function. When this test is returned as within the "normal" range, you are told your problems could not be related to your thyroid.

We know that a complete thyroid assessment not only requires a TSH test, but additional blood tests such as a free T4 level, total T3 level, thyroid antibody determination and a reverse T3 level. We know that to arrive at a correct diagnosis we must combine all of this information together and interpret the tests correctly to find the answers to your symptoms. The entire XXX Wellness Center staff prides itself in their ability to listen completely to our patients and obtain the appropriate testing to ensure an accurate diagnosis.

Treatment of low thyroid function (hypothyroidism) is accomplished by replacing needed thyroid hormones and supporting your natural thyroid function. We may recommend thyroid replacement with natural Armour Thyroid. Armour Thyroid is derived from animals but is bio-identical to human thyroid hormones. Unlike synthetic thyroid replacements (Synthyroid, Levothyroid or Unithyroid) natural Armour Thyroid contains both T4 and T3 in a ratio identical to human thyroid. Synthetic thyroid contains only T4, they contain absolutely no T3.

In certain patients and clinical situations Armour thyroid may not be effective or well tolerated. In these cases we will work with you to find the best thyroid replacement to ensure improvement in your thyroid symptoms and optimizing your health.

We also try to support your thyroid in a natural way. We may recommend changes in your diet along with appropriate vitamin and mineral supplementation to support your thyroid's health. Our comprehensive approach to your thyroid health will result in restoration of your normal thyroid function and improvement in your general health.

I hope this information is helpful. I used XXX for the name of the wellness center so nobody thinks I'm advertising for them but if you want their website, I'll PM it to you.

Pandora1151 · 04-26-2008, 02:49 AM

"Now, she said I am hypothyrid but I don't have exhaustion, instead I'm wired, I always feel hot and can't stand the heat, my hunger is pretty intense at times, carb cravings pretty intense at times as well.......
I asked her if it was possible that I'm hyper and she said that it can't be because my TSH is still too high.
I'm scared of starting meds if I don't have to, I mean in one month my TSH lowered from 4.34 or whatever it was to now 3.08, so I don't know if the little weight loss I've had has improved things or not.
But I definitely need the anti-androgen, my hair is falling out like crazy this month, oily skin and oily hair is driving me nuts !!"

Paola,

It's wierd that you're wired instead of tired with hypothyroid. Perhaps it's due to the high cortisol though. Did she say anything about that? The other thing that's wierd is that you're hot all the time. I am usually freezing to the point of painful shivering, even when everyone else is warm. I can't tolerate air conditioning under any circumstances. If I know I'm going somewhere with a/c, I bring a jacket - even if it's 100 degrees outside! It must be caused by something else. Make sure she is testing you for everything possible, including candida yeast overgrowth. The candida is rarely tested or thought of by doctors, that's why I mention it. I'd ask if the high cortisol is causing those symptoms because I know cortisol is a stress hormone. I think I used to overproduce it and then my adrenal glands were "fatigued" by so much overproduction and now I can't seem to produce enough to get me through a 24 hour period. I remember feeling hot all the time a few years ago and then it changed to feeling cold all the time.