I forgot to mention that my friend (the nurse), called me Friday and she had asked her ER doctor, and a few other doctors, and they highly recommend Dr. F as an endo. I immediately called to set an appointment, because I knew it would be quite some time before I could get in with him. I get to see him on TUESDAY April 27, 2010! Dang... here I go getting my hopes up again, but at least I didn't find this doctor on the internet. *sigh*
Wish me luck, I am at my wits end. All this writing may not seem like a lot, but struggling with this thyroid problem for so many years has really been a pain... can't my TSH levels just be normal? Can't I just work out and lose weight like other women? I could understand the way I feel and the way I look if I just sat down and never did anything. But I am working my butt off, and not getting anywhere, and could it just be me? Could all these doctors really not know what to do to help??? I am willing to travel at this point, just to go to a world renowned endo...
I just want to feel NORMAL!!!
Why is my health such a battle???
Will update soon...
Sunday, April 25, 2010
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 10
I had a complete and utter fit on the way home. My dreams had been dashed, from one simple statement from this doctor who knew me no more than 10 minutes. Who is he to tell me that I will never change? That I have zero chance of ever getting thin again? Is he freaking kidding me? Who the hell does that man think he is? He didn't even have any labs to go by! At least I got a few more prescriptions for my normal Synthroid. I can always use that, right?
I got very mad.
I got very sad.
I had my pity party.
I swore off doctors saying I lost all that weight before, I can do it again, and I can find herbal remedies or something, I will FIX MYSELF DAMNIT!
Good Lord if my steering wheel could talk...
... and then I got strong.
I decided that I could not give up. My health was on the line here. I have a family that needs me, and needs for me to be around a long, long time.
So I started researching, AGAIN. I started researching other big cities for a good Endo. I have a friend who is a wonderful nurse, so I asked her if she could recommend anyone and she said she would get back to me on that.
On Wednesday, April 21, 2010 I was feeling just fine. Had a very busy day, and didn't eat much at all, but I did mess up by having several pieces of chocolate from the freezer throughout the day. At night, before bed, I started feeling a little nauseous. I brushed it off for a few hours. When I stood up and went to go to bed, I told my husband I was going to go throw up, which is something I never do. I went into the bathroom, and nothing came out but I felt really yucky really fast. I laid down and couldn't lay comfortably, my tummy was upset. I woke up an hour later and had projectile vomiting, as well as water (from the other end, sorry). I have NO idea where that came from! I was fine all day, and the flu begins with several days of achy joints, right?
Needless to say I had a very rough night and by Friday I was still feeling horrid, having to sleep on my hands and knees because laying any other way was painful in my upper abdomen. My husband was getting mad at me because I didn't want to go to the doctor for something stupid like that, and we had a very busy weekend ahead of us. I don't have TIME to be sick much less go to the darn doctor!
Well, when I woke up in a heavy sweat on Saturday morning and I still felt terrible, I took it upon myself to call my husbands family doctor, Dr. P, and go in to satisfy him, and to also see if I could feel better because Saturday was too busy and I couldn't lay in bed all day feeling awful!
SO I show up at Dr. P's office and I end up leaving with a twigs and berries diet, and a wonderful new Peptic Ulcer. Ok, so can anything ELSE happen? Why is this body such a battle! Where in the world did THAT come from!? I am quite frustrated now because everything I do eat, I can't eat. But I was vegitarian 2o years ago, maybe I can go back to that lifestyle. I did like it, but I need to learn it all over again. *sigh* What's next?
to be continued... we are finally at the present!
I got very mad.
I got very sad.
I had my pity party.
I swore off doctors saying I lost all that weight before, I can do it again, and I can find herbal remedies or something, I will FIX MYSELF DAMNIT!
Good Lord if my steering wheel could talk...
... and then I got strong.
I decided that I could not give up. My health was on the line here. I have a family that needs me, and needs for me to be around a long, long time.
So I started researching, AGAIN. I started researching other big cities for a good Endo. I have a friend who is a wonderful nurse, so I asked her if she could recommend anyone and she said she would get back to me on that.
On Wednesday, April 21, 2010 I was feeling just fine. Had a very busy day, and didn't eat much at all, but I did mess up by having several pieces of chocolate from the freezer throughout the day. At night, before bed, I started feeling a little nauseous. I brushed it off for a few hours. When I stood up and went to go to bed, I told my husband I was going to go throw up, which is something I never do. I went into the bathroom, and nothing came out but I felt really yucky really fast. I laid down and couldn't lay comfortably, my tummy was upset. I woke up an hour later and had projectile vomiting, as well as water (from the other end, sorry). I have NO idea where that came from! I was fine all day, and the flu begins with several days of achy joints, right?
Needless to say I had a very rough night and by Friday I was still feeling horrid, having to sleep on my hands and knees because laying any other way was painful in my upper abdomen. My husband was getting mad at me because I didn't want to go to the doctor for something stupid like that, and we had a very busy weekend ahead of us. I don't have TIME to be sick much less go to the darn doctor!
Well, when I woke up in a heavy sweat on Saturday morning and I still felt terrible, I took it upon myself to call my husbands family doctor, Dr. P, and go in to satisfy him, and to also see if I could feel better because Saturday was too busy and I couldn't lay in bed all day feeling awful!
SO I show up at Dr. P's office and I end up leaving with a twigs and berries diet, and a wonderful new Peptic Ulcer. Ok, so can anything ELSE happen? Why is this body such a battle! Where in the world did THAT come from!? I am quite frustrated now because everything I do eat, I can't eat. But I was vegitarian 2o years ago, maybe I can go back to that lifestyle. I did like it, but I need to learn it all over again. *sigh* What's next?
to be continued... we are finally at the present!
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 9
We're getting closer to the current, but there's a few more details about the recent history.
Well I started my 5mcg of Liothyronine that Thursday. On Friday, I decided, since I am now on the right dose, and my body will be "allowed" to lose weight now, I am going to go join a gym. So I researched the local gyms and found one I liked. I went that very day and joined, and had a great 3 hour workout! Felt good to push myself, too. I measured myself, and weighed in (at home) for a great starting point to measure goals by.
I went daily, and worked out a minimum of 1 hour and a max of 3. I didn't take a day off for 2 weeks. Finally my friends told me I needed to take at least one day off every now and then or I would burn out. I agreed. Plus I noticed during the 2nd week, that I was getting winded quite quickly. As time passed, I noticed simply walking to the phone, or standing up folding laundry, I would get out of breath. By the 8th time someone asked me if I was running when I was on the phone (and I wasn't) I realized I must be having some sort of side effect to the T3. So, I went to the computer and read up on the side effects and sure enough, difficulty breathing is a definite side effect, as well as the mild "pulsating" headaches I was having.
I went back to Dr. M and told him about this and he said I needed to be on the 5mcg for a minimum of 4 weeks before he could do labs to have a true result. So I left, not knowing any more than I did when I went in, only carrying with me, orders for the labs in 2 weeks.
2 weeks came and went. So did 3 weeks. I was delaying having my labs done, but why? I think I just didn't want Dr. M to send me away for yet another 6 weeks, saying everything would be ok. My workouts had started going from 7 days a week upwards of 3 hours per workout, to 4-5 days a week and maybe an hour and hour 1/2, mostly because I couldn't breathe properly and my heart would pound terribly during a workout and I was afraid of keeling over right there in the middle of the gym! My reps on the strength machines were becoming increasingly harder too and I hated that.
March 23, 2010 I went to yet a new doctor, a true endocronologist, Dr. S thinking wow, this will be great! I can just use Dr. M for my primary care doctor and use Dr. S for my endo, right? (Dr. M was an O.D but had high feedback online from endo patients) I will finally have the answers I long for!!! I mean after all, I am not looking to be anorexic, or even 98 lbs again and I am most definitely not wanting any stupid weight loss pill... I just want to feel NORMAL for goodness sakes and maybe my exercise efforts pay off, well, at least a little! I measured on Sunday and weighed in and I have gained and I have increased by at least an inch. I was fed up and I was hoping that this doctor could at least give me some answers.
After once again giving my life history to him, and having him *scarcastic tone here* "draw out my thyroid and show me how it works" Dr. S bluntly told me that T3 doesn't work, none of his patients are on it, so stop taking it. Then he said something very interesting to me...
He said, and I quote, "Some people are simply destined to be overweight. You are one of those people. Don't go chasing mirages of ever being thing, because it won't happen. You need to live your life the way you are. But don't stop doing what you are doing because working out won't work for you in the physical sense, but it is working wonders for your cardiovascular system and keeping you from getting diabetes".
*...silence*
to be continued (in tears)...
Well I started my 5mcg of Liothyronine that Thursday. On Friday, I decided, since I am now on the right dose, and my body will be "allowed" to lose weight now, I am going to go join a gym. So I researched the local gyms and found one I liked. I went that very day and joined, and had a great 3 hour workout! Felt good to push myself, too. I measured myself, and weighed in (at home) for a great starting point to measure goals by.
I went daily, and worked out a minimum of 1 hour and a max of 3. I didn't take a day off for 2 weeks. Finally my friends told me I needed to take at least one day off every now and then or I would burn out. I agreed. Plus I noticed during the 2nd week, that I was getting winded quite quickly. As time passed, I noticed simply walking to the phone, or standing up folding laundry, I would get out of breath. By the 8th time someone asked me if I was running when I was on the phone (and I wasn't) I realized I must be having some sort of side effect to the T3. So, I went to the computer and read up on the side effects and sure enough, difficulty breathing is a definite side effect, as well as the mild "pulsating" headaches I was having.
I went back to Dr. M and told him about this and he said I needed to be on the 5mcg for a minimum of 4 weeks before he could do labs to have a true result. So I left, not knowing any more than I did when I went in, only carrying with me, orders for the labs in 2 weeks.
2 weeks came and went. So did 3 weeks. I was delaying having my labs done, but why? I think I just didn't want Dr. M to send me away for yet another 6 weeks, saying everything would be ok. My workouts had started going from 7 days a week upwards of 3 hours per workout, to 4-5 days a week and maybe an hour and hour 1/2, mostly because I couldn't breathe properly and my heart would pound terribly during a workout and I was afraid of keeling over right there in the middle of the gym! My reps on the strength machines were becoming increasingly harder too and I hated that.
March 23, 2010 I went to yet a new doctor, a true endocronologist, Dr. S thinking wow, this will be great! I can just use Dr. M for my primary care doctor and use Dr. S for my endo, right? (Dr. M was an O.D but had high feedback online from endo patients) I will finally have the answers I long for!!! I mean after all, I am not looking to be anorexic, or even 98 lbs again and I am most definitely not wanting any stupid weight loss pill... I just want to feel NORMAL for goodness sakes and maybe my exercise efforts pay off, well, at least a little! I measured on Sunday and weighed in and I have gained and I have increased by at least an inch. I was fed up and I was hoping that this doctor could at least give me some answers.
After once again giving my life history to him, and having him *scarcastic tone here* "draw out my thyroid and show me how it works" Dr. S bluntly told me that T3 doesn't work, none of his patients are on it, so stop taking it. Then he said something very interesting to me...
He said, and I quote, "Some people are simply destined to be overweight. You are one of those people. Don't go chasing mirages of ever being thing, because it won't happen. You need to live your life the way you are. But don't stop doing what you are doing because working out won't work for you in the physical sense, but it is working wonders for your cardiovascular system and keeping you from getting diabetes".
*...silence*
to be continued (in tears)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 8
I started the Liothyronine 25mcg on a Tuesday. I remember it, because it was only a few months ago. Thursday night, I started having mild headaches that lasted. Friday all day I had this headache that wasn't TOO bad, but it would not go away even with Tylenol or IB. I noticed I was sweating quite a bit, but just figured it was part of the process. I went to bed with a headache Friday night, and my heart was starting to pound, so much that it shook the bed.
Saturday morning, I woke up in a huge panic. It felt like a wrecking ball was hitting my head over, and over, and over. It was just about as bad as after my surgery! The sheets were soaked. I was shaking like a leaf. I could hardly breathe, and I stunk! OMG I have never stunk like that, even after a long run or a hard workout! Sweat? Yes, but stink?!? EEWW! I went to the bathroom and noticed my face was beet red. I went out to see my husband and he got quite concerned that I needed to call the doctor. I did, but had to leave a message, so I called the pharmacy.
The pharmacist (Mr. T) said it sounded like an overdose and he asked me what the doseage was. I told him that it was 25mcg. He said I needed to call the doctors office right away because it should have been 5mcg, and he pulled the prescription and told me he could see how it could have been misconstrued for 25mcg. I panicked, because on Sunday I was supposed to start taking 2 a day. What would have happened?
So I persisted, and finally got the doctors nurse to call me back and she said stop taking that immediately, and confirmed it was supposed to be 5mcg not 25. She said she would call in the 5mcg but she wanted me to wait until Thursday to start taking 1 a day, and then in one week, start taking 2 for a total of 10mcg.
I was more than happy to stop taking what I was taking but the headaches didn't subside completely until around Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and at that point they were mild, and I could handle that no problem, after what I had just experienced.
to be continued (things calm down... a little...)...
Saturday morning, I woke up in a huge panic. It felt like a wrecking ball was hitting my head over, and over, and over. It was just about as bad as after my surgery! The sheets were soaked. I was shaking like a leaf. I could hardly breathe, and I stunk! OMG I have never stunk like that, even after a long run or a hard workout! Sweat? Yes, but stink?!? EEWW! I went to the bathroom and noticed my face was beet red. I went out to see my husband and he got quite concerned that I needed to call the doctor. I did, but had to leave a message, so I called the pharmacy.
The pharmacist (Mr. T) said it sounded like an overdose and he asked me what the doseage was. I told him that it was 25mcg. He said I needed to call the doctors office right away because it should have been 5mcg, and he pulled the prescription and told me he could see how it could have been misconstrued for 25mcg. I panicked, because on Sunday I was supposed to start taking 2 a day. What would have happened?
So I persisted, and finally got the doctors nurse to call me back and she said stop taking that immediately, and confirmed it was supposed to be 5mcg not 25. She said she would call in the 5mcg but she wanted me to wait until Thursday to start taking 1 a day, and then in one week, start taking 2 for a total of 10mcg.
I was more than happy to stop taking what I was taking but the headaches didn't subside completely until around Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, and at that point they were mild, and I could handle that no problem, after what I had just experienced.
to be continued (things calm down... a little...)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 7
Ok. So I have ruined my metabolism, and my hard work of losing all the weight, by blindly taking a weight loss pill from Dr. J. My fault. But I tell you one thing, I will NEVER take a new medicine like that again, without researching the heck out of it. We are very lucky these days to have the internet. What amazing amounts of information out there for all of us to read to make sure what we take, is right for us BEFORE we take it! Gosh this is so very important.
I let everything settle down, and did not go back to any doctor concerning my thyroid again for some time. In the mean time, I did go to my gyno (sorry lol) and had myself tested for every std under the sun. All negative! Yippee!
In October 2009, I went to a new doctor. Dr. M I finally decided I have to get things straightened out, because now, not only can I lose, but I am GAINING! ARGH! I mean it isn't like I am sitting around eating bon bons all day! My first visit with Dr. M was basically informational, and he had me go get some labs done to check my T3/T4 levels. He went through the whole process of drawing out my thyroid and explaining what T3 ad T4's do and just how my thyroid works. I told him of my weight concern, and he told me that right now where I stand, my body is probably needing some T3, in order to ALLOW myself to lose weight.
The following week, I went and had my labs done, after fasting for 10-12 hours. When I went back in a few weeks later, Dr. M told me that he would recommend that I go on Liothyronine (T3) to allow my body to lose weight. He said my numbers were very high (2.76 when the normal should be around .02) and so along with the T3, he will most likely lower my synthroid, but he wanted this to settle in first, and then I would come back for more labs and see where we stood then. I researched the heck out of this medicine and it is sooo controversial... I really had to think long and hard about this one, but when he explained what it did and how it would help, I gave in and said OK. So I went home and started taking the Liothyronine in addition to the Synthroid.
to be continued (the plot thickens)...
I let everything settle down, and did not go back to any doctor concerning my thyroid again for some time. In the mean time, I did go to my gyno (sorry lol) and had myself tested for every std under the sun. All negative! Yippee!
In October 2009, I went to a new doctor. Dr. M I finally decided I have to get things straightened out, because now, not only can I lose, but I am GAINING! ARGH! I mean it isn't like I am sitting around eating bon bons all day! My first visit with Dr. M was basically informational, and he had me go get some labs done to check my T3/T4 levels. He went through the whole process of drawing out my thyroid and explaining what T3 ad T4's do and just how my thyroid works. I told him of my weight concern, and he told me that right now where I stand, my body is probably needing some T3, in order to ALLOW myself to lose weight.
The following week, I went and had my labs done, after fasting for 10-12 hours. When I went back in a few weeks later, Dr. M told me that he would recommend that I go on Liothyronine (T3) to allow my body to lose weight. He said my numbers were very high (2.76 when the normal should be around .02) and so along with the T3, he will most likely lower my synthroid, but he wanted this to settle in first, and then I would come back for more labs and see where we stood then. I researched the heck out of this medicine and it is sooo controversial... I really had to think long and hard about this one, but when he explained what it did and how it would help, I gave in and said OK. So I went home and started taking the Liothyronine in addition to the Synthroid.
to be continued (the plot thickens)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 6
WELL.
I decided since I was doing so well with my weight loss (I hadn't really noticed how well I was doing until September 2008), that I would go to a new doctor and give up on Dr. K, who had herself even become frustrated, keeping me on the 200 mcg, which as she said was the highest level of Synthroid out there, even though she said I do tend to feel better at the higher end of normal.
So I set an appointment with Dr. J for the following week. That day came, and I was rather excited to have a fresh start with a new doctor, who may be able to help finalize all my hard work and post surgery issues. Dr. J I found is a VERY VERY money hungry guy. He is great, don't get me wrong, but THAT DAY ALONE, I Had almost 2000 dollars in charges! He ran every test under the sun! I swear, he ran a hart stress test, had a heart ultrasound, lung xray, mri, breathing tests, everything you could think of! I was astonished, but all of them came back great, and no problems found. Well, I guess with results like that, it is ok to pay money to know you are truly healthy. So he too, pointed my problems towards the thyroid and my remaining weight. So I told him that I had just lost 60 lbs all by myself, and was so proud. He then smiled, tapped me on the knee, and said, "Let me help you with that". I had never ever taken weight loss pills from a doctor, so I thought to myself, hey, I have worked my butt off losing the first 60, what can it hurt to have a little help? So my greed stepped in, and I said OK as he handed me the prescription and told me to lower my dose of Synthroid BACK down to 175.
Oh My Goodness. 6 days later, I hadn't slept at all. I hadn't eaten and my breath stunk bad constantly. SURE I lost 5.5 lbs in less than a week! But I was doing nothing but shaking, with heavy heart palpatations, constant headaches, and GOING 300 miles per hour and people around me were starting to say... um, what in the world is WRONG with you! I went in to Dr. J's office that Monday (the 6th day) and told him something was wrong and I couldn't do this medicine anymore. (it was Phentermine 37.5mg) It was killing me. He told me to just keep at it and everything would level out soon enough. (talk about pushing that drug!). I went back home and researched it. Holy cow, this stuff is hurting people! I talked with several nurses from different places, as well as pharmacists, and they all agree it isn't the best stuff to take and that it can most definitely be dangerous, so please be careful if you are taking it. My doctor told me I had to come in regularly for heart tests, and I asked his nurse why he said that, and she bluntly told me because Phentermine can cause serious heart problems. That really made me angry, because why would he prescribe a medicine that could injure my heart much less give me such terrible headaches?
So I immediately stopped taking it. And I stopped going to Dr. J, except to get refills (from phone calls) for my synthroid until I could find another doctor that may be able to pull all the loose ends together.
Since this point, and to date, I have not been able to lose a pound. I attribute it to not only thyroid problems, but to the fact that Phentermine completely stopped my metabolism at least for a while. (which from what I was reading, it will stop a LOT of things, even if you are able to stay on it, including it's effectiveness).
To save arguements, these are my opinions, and my experiences alone. Some people may have better (and worse) experiences with the medicines I have mentioned thus far, and may mention in the future.
to be continued...
I decided since I was doing so well with my weight loss (I hadn't really noticed how well I was doing until September 2008), that I would go to a new doctor and give up on Dr. K, who had herself even become frustrated, keeping me on the 200 mcg, which as she said was the highest level of Synthroid out there, even though she said I do tend to feel better at the higher end of normal.
So I set an appointment with Dr. J for the following week. That day came, and I was rather excited to have a fresh start with a new doctor, who may be able to help finalize all my hard work and post surgery issues. Dr. J I found is a VERY VERY money hungry guy. He is great, don't get me wrong, but THAT DAY ALONE, I Had almost 2000 dollars in charges! He ran every test under the sun! I swear, he ran a hart stress test, had a heart ultrasound, lung xray, mri, breathing tests, everything you could think of! I was astonished, but all of them came back great, and no problems found. Well, I guess with results like that, it is ok to pay money to know you are truly healthy. So he too, pointed my problems towards the thyroid and my remaining weight. So I told him that I had just lost 60 lbs all by myself, and was so proud. He then smiled, tapped me on the knee, and said, "Let me help you with that". I had never ever taken weight loss pills from a doctor, so I thought to myself, hey, I have worked my butt off losing the first 60, what can it hurt to have a little help? So my greed stepped in, and I said OK as he handed me the prescription and told me to lower my dose of Synthroid BACK down to 175.
Oh My Goodness. 6 days later, I hadn't slept at all. I hadn't eaten and my breath stunk bad constantly. SURE I lost 5.5 lbs in less than a week! But I was doing nothing but shaking, with heavy heart palpatations, constant headaches, and GOING 300 miles per hour and people around me were starting to say... um, what in the world is WRONG with you! I went in to Dr. J's office that Monday (the 6th day) and told him something was wrong and I couldn't do this medicine anymore. (it was Phentermine 37.5mg) It was killing me. He told me to just keep at it and everything would level out soon enough. (talk about pushing that drug!). I went back home and researched it. Holy cow, this stuff is hurting people! I talked with several nurses from different places, as well as pharmacists, and they all agree it isn't the best stuff to take and that it can most definitely be dangerous, so please be careful if you are taking it. My doctor told me I had to come in regularly for heart tests, and I asked his nurse why he said that, and she bluntly told me because Phentermine can cause serious heart problems. That really made me angry, because why would he prescribe a medicine that could injure my heart much less give me such terrible headaches?
So I immediately stopped taking it. And I stopped going to Dr. J, except to get refills (from phone calls) for my synthroid until I could find another doctor that may be able to pull all the loose ends together.
Since this point, and to date, I have not been able to lose a pound. I attribute it to not only thyroid problems, but to the fact that Phentermine completely stopped my metabolism at least for a while. (which from what I was reading, it will stop a LOT of things, even if you are able to stay on it, including it's effectiveness).
To save arguements, these are my opinions, and my experiences alone. Some people may have better (and worse) experiences with the medicines I have mentioned thus far, and may mention in the future.
to be continued...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 5
The REAL Battle Begins...
Ok, so as of this far, it is noted that I started having thyroid problems beginning with the birth of my last baby in 2000. I became aware of the actual "thyroid problem" in May 2006. Had it removed August 2006.
So I make my follow up visit(s as in PLURAL, as in MANY visits) with Dr. C (surgeon). Each time, I have my blood drawn. Each day I am choking down 2400mg of calcium via these hugemongous white chalky pills. (gotta love it!) Dr. C told me the surgery went well and soon enough I would be able to squeak out some sounds, as through a scope my vocal cords are not damaged, but highly enflamed from the envasive surgery. That was good news. Sure enough 2 weeks from that visit, I was able to whisper (and squeak as Dr. C called it) some audible sounds, noises. Within another week, I started to actually sound like I had laryngitis. (to follow up, I was able to speak in a calm low voice only by 8 weeks out, but yelling or talking loudly was NOT going to happen). My levels maintain for about the first 2 weeks to a month. Then wham, they start plummeting. Then Dr. C puts me on Levothyroxine (Levoxyl). I was on that for about 6 weeks, when I went in yet again for further blood testing. The lab tech told me I would have to have my blood drawn every 6 weeks until they get my levels correct now that my body is void of a diseased thyroid.
6 weeks out, I went back for another lab series, and they found with me feeling not so good, and the numbers not looking right, that Levoxyl was not working for me. So they switched me to Synthroid. I began at 125 mcg daily. 6 weeks out, they put me at 175 mcg, because the numbers needed to be leveled off again. On my last visit, Dr. C put me at 200mcg and said I can start seeing my local physician again (Dr. K) because he feels I am stable enough at this point for her to maintain, without me driving all the way to Nashville. YAY!!!
So... why is the weight still here? Dr. C told me I would be able to lose weight easier once we got the silly thyroid out, that wasn't even working. Why was my hair REALLY falling out now?
Ok, so I go back to Dr. K and tell her of the situation. by this point, I had been on 200mcg for about 8 weeks (she didn't have an opening, and frankly, I was sick of being poked at this point). She told me after reading fresh labs done that day, that I really needed to go down to 175 mcg again because my numbers were on the high end of normal. So, here we go again. I stayed on 175, and my hair continued to clog the shower, and fill my brush, and my nails continued to peel... what the heck!?
HOWEVER. One good thing did come of that, I completely lost my appetite. And I walked every single day. I ate what, a half a cup of cottage cheese, some fruit, maybe a small chicken breast (baked) and some celerey each day? No, I know that isn't good, but I wasn't going to eat, when I didn't feel like it! So I went with it. Well holy smokes, from April 1st to September 18, 2008, I had lost 60 lbs! I was EXCTATIC! By this point, I was fed up with going in to Dr. K, because she wasn't helping my skin and hair and nails issues, and the basic feeling bad all over (not as bad as before the surgery but again my goal was to just 'feel normal' and have some energy.) Oh trust me, losing 60 lbs in 5 months did give me some energy, but I was still tired, and not sleeping more than 2-3 hours a night.
to be continued (the plot thickens)...
Ok, so as of this far, it is noted that I started having thyroid problems beginning with the birth of my last baby in 2000. I became aware of the actual "thyroid problem" in May 2006. Had it removed August 2006.
So I make my follow up visit(s as in PLURAL, as in MANY visits) with Dr. C (surgeon). Each time, I have my blood drawn. Each day I am choking down 2400mg of calcium via these hugemongous white chalky pills. (gotta love it!) Dr. C told me the surgery went well and soon enough I would be able to squeak out some sounds, as through a scope my vocal cords are not damaged, but highly enflamed from the envasive surgery. That was good news. Sure enough 2 weeks from that visit, I was able to whisper (and squeak as Dr. C called it) some audible sounds, noises. Within another week, I started to actually sound like I had laryngitis. (to follow up, I was able to speak in a calm low voice only by 8 weeks out, but yelling or talking loudly was NOT going to happen). My levels maintain for about the first 2 weeks to a month. Then wham, they start plummeting. Then Dr. C puts me on Levothyroxine (Levoxyl). I was on that for about 6 weeks, when I went in yet again for further blood testing. The lab tech told me I would have to have my blood drawn every 6 weeks until they get my levels correct now that my body is void of a diseased thyroid.
6 weeks out, I went back for another lab series, and they found with me feeling not so good, and the numbers not looking right, that Levoxyl was not working for me. So they switched me to Synthroid. I began at 125 mcg daily. 6 weeks out, they put me at 175 mcg, because the numbers needed to be leveled off again. On my last visit, Dr. C put me at 200mcg and said I can start seeing my local physician again (Dr. K) because he feels I am stable enough at this point for her to maintain, without me driving all the way to Nashville. YAY!!!
So... why is the weight still here? Dr. C told me I would be able to lose weight easier once we got the silly thyroid out, that wasn't even working. Why was my hair REALLY falling out now?
Ok, so I go back to Dr. K and tell her of the situation. by this point, I had been on 200mcg for about 8 weeks (she didn't have an opening, and frankly, I was sick of being poked at this point). She told me after reading fresh labs done that day, that I really needed to go down to 175 mcg again because my numbers were on the high end of normal. So, here we go again. I stayed on 175, and my hair continued to clog the shower, and fill my brush, and my nails continued to peel... what the heck!?
HOWEVER. One good thing did come of that, I completely lost my appetite. And I walked every single day. I ate what, a half a cup of cottage cheese, some fruit, maybe a small chicken breast (baked) and some celerey each day? No, I know that isn't good, but I wasn't going to eat, when I didn't feel like it! So I went with it. Well holy smokes, from April 1st to September 18, 2008, I had lost 60 lbs! I was EXCTATIC! By this point, I was fed up with going in to Dr. K, because she wasn't helping my skin and hair and nails issues, and the basic feeling bad all over (not as bad as before the surgery but again my goal was to just 'feel normal' and have some energy.) Oh trust me, losing 60 lbs in 5 months did give me some energy, but I was still tired, and not sleeping more than 2-3 hours a night.
to be continued (the plot thickens)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 4
I arrive to the hospital at 5AM for my surgery. They were running a little behind so I had to sit in the waiting room for over an hour. I was already in panic mode, so this waiting didn't help. When they finally called my name, I was literally in the elevator getting ready to leave, because I couldn't stand it anymore.
They took me back and had me change into one of those very flattering and stylish gowns. They had me put my hair up in a darling matching bonnet (lol) and started running IV lines and taking my stats. Blood pressure was through the ROOF (go figure). Then Dr. C came in and reminded me about possibly losing my voice, if not partially, then fully, due to the location of my vocal chords. He also told me the surgery would last about 2 hours, etc etc (can't remember much more than that). Finally I was left alone. I stayed on that stupid cot for what seemed like hours realizing more that I was fixing to literally let someone cut my throat! OMG what in the world was I doing!? When I heard them come in to get me, I turned over and faced the wall, and told them the surgery wasn't going to happen, I couldn't handle it, that I was scared, that I didn't...
The next thing I know, I am seeing blurry and my throat was sore, but my head was POUNDING. My 2 hour surgery had lasted just over FIVE hours. I vaguely remember hearing the doctor talking to the nurses telling them it was the worst thyroid he had ever seen (yeah, um, thanks doc). He was reminding them to check the drainage tube and to force drain it every 30 minutes to an hour and that he would be back later. My head was POUNDING!
It was just the nurse and I in the room now and I opened my mouth to let her know my head was excruciatingly painful, but nothing came out! I thought to myself, omg he was right, I will never speak, sing or laugh out loud again! Thru blurred eyes and a painful head, I motioned for the nurse with my hand and pointed at my head and made a fist symbol (ie, my head is pounding) and she said, "oh your head must be hurting quite badly right about now". She tried to give me a tablet, but it was not going to go down (um duh after throat surgery?) So she injected something into my IV and I went to sleep, for a while.
I kept waking up with severe migranes (I never have migranes but these were terrible) and her routine was to put me out again and again since I couldn't swallow or speak. She was really nice, and would often cool me off with a cool washcloth. The forced dranage wasn't fun at all, but it had to be done.
Long story a little short, I finally got to go home a few days later. Healing at home is so much nicer, in my book. The doctor had come back in before I left and instructed me to take 2400mg of calcium per day and to come back in and see him in a week, and that the stitches were desolvable.
To be continued (the real battle begins)...
They took me back and had me change into one of those very flattering and stylish gowns. They had me put my hair up in a darling matching bonnet (lol) and started running IV lines and taking my stats. Blood pressure was through the ROOF (go figure). Then Dr. C came in and reminded me about possibly losing my voice, if not partially, then fully, due to the location of my vocal chords. He also told me the surgery would last about 2 hours, etc etc (can't remember much more than that). Finally I was left alone. I stayed on that stupid cot for what seemed like hours realizing more that I was fixing to literally let someone cut my throat! OMG what in the world was I doing!? When I heard them come in to get me, I turned over and faced the wall, and told them the surgery wasn't going to happen, I couldn't handle it, that I was scared, that I didn't...
The next thing I know, I am seeing blurry and my throat was sore, but my head was POUNDING. My 2 hour surgery had lasted just over FIVE hours. I vaguely remember hearing the doctor talking to the nurses telling them it was the worst thyroid he had ever seen (yeah, um, thanks doc). He was reminding them to check the drainage tube and to force drain it every 30 minutes to an hour and that he would be back later. My head was POUNDING!
It was just the nurse and I in the room now and I opened my mouth to let her know my head was excruciatingly painful, but nothing came out! I thought to myself, omg he was right, I will never speak, sing or laugh out loud again! Thru blurred eyes and a painful head, I motioned for the nurse with my hand and pointed at my head and made a fist symbol (ie, my head is pounding) and she said, "oh your head must be hurting quite badly right about now". She tried to give me a tablet, but it was not going to go down (um duh after throat surgery?) So she injected something into my IV and I went to sleep, for a while.
I kept waking up with severe migranes (I never have migranes but these were terrible) and her routine was to put me out again and again since I couldn't swallow or speak. She was really nice, and would often cool me off with a cool washcloth. The forced dranage wasn't fun at all, but it had to be done.
Long story a little short, I finally got to go home a few days later. Healing at home is so much nicer, in my book. The doctor had come back in before I left and instructed me to take 2400mg of calcium per day and to come back in and see him in a week, and that the stitches were desolvable.
To be continued (the real battle begins)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 3
SO. I go to Vanderbilt YET AGAIN the following day to speak with a new doctor and possibly have an ultrasound. I went to several buildings (Vanderbilt is huge!) looking for this particular doctor. They took me in for the ultrasound and the doctor walked in and told me we weren't going to have an ultrasound today. He then proceeded to show me the scans of my thyroid and showed me how thick and black they were, and were almost completely cold on the scans. He said this is pretty much a determining factor for thyroid cancer, and that my thyroid needed to be removed. My mind went blank from this point on, and I couldn't tell you exactly what else was said on this day.
I went home, alone, and quite upset. I would dare tell my husband at the time, because he tends to enjoy running his mouth and telling everyone he can think of, all of my business. So I went a few months, deciding just what to do, and how to handle this, with nobody in my life knowing what was going on. Heck, I was fat and depressed anyway, so what would be different, right?
I eventually made an appointment with Dr. K and discussed everything with her. She told me to get in there immediately and have the surgery. She called Dr. C and got my appointment set up for the very next week, which was now the end of July.
I met with Dr. C, and he went over everything with me and did a workup on me for pre-surgery. I thought he was very nice, but was so nervous, I don't think I asked everything that I should have. (my MISTAKE #3 ~ always write down questions for your doctor as you think of them, before your appointment, on a notepad so they all stay together, and take them with you, so you don't forget what you need to ask!).
After this it was a whirlwind. My surgery was scheduled with Dr. C for the beginning of August, 2006. I went home, swallowed hard, and told my ex husband what was going on. He wasn't even mad that I had hid it from him. He proceeded to get on the phone with his freakin ex wife and tell her all about my "sad situation". I hate him for that. It is nobodys business what I am going through, much less his EX WIFE's??? I will leave him out of the rest of this because it only makes me angry. Guess that is one reason he is my EX, right?
to be continued (the surgery)...
I went home, alone, and quite upset. I would dare tell my husband at the time, because he tends to enjoy running his mouth and telling everyone he can think of, all of my business. So I went a few months, deciding just what to do, and how to handle this, with nobody in my life knowing what was going on. Heck, I was fat and depressed anyway, so what would be different, right?
I eventually made an appointment with Dr. K and discussed everything with her. She told me to get in there immediately and have the surgery. She called Dr. C and got my appointment set up for the very next week, which was now the end of July.
I met with Dr. C, and he went over everything with me and did a workup on me for pre-surgery. I thought he was very nice, but was so nervous, I don't think I asked everything that I should have. (my MISTAKE #3 ~ always write down questions for your doctor as you think of them, before your appointment, on a notepad so they all stay together, and take them with you, so you don't forget what you need to ask!).
After this it was a whirlwind. My surgery was scheduled with Dr. C for the beginning of August, 2006. I went home, swallowed hard, and told my ex husband what was going on. He wasn't even mad that I had hid it from him. He proceeded to get on the phone with his freakin ex wife and tell her all about my "sad situation". I hate him for that. It is nobodys business what I am going through, much less his EX WIFE's??? I will leave him out of the rest of this because it only makes me angry. Guess that is one reason he is my EX, right?
to be continued (the surgery)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 2
I arrive the next day at Vanderbilt, quite unsure of what is going to happen. Immediately after drawing some labs, the doctors in NMI (Nuclear Medicine Imaging) begin the RAI process (Radioactive Iodine treatment). I was given a pill, which I believe was for the uptake.
Following the RAI pill, I had to go sit in a room for several hours. When they finally called me back in, I was placed in a room by myself, away from everyone and then an IV was begun and the guy said it contained the radiotracer (ok, so now I am a remote control gps, right? lol). I think this was the funniest part of everything that happened thus far, because they told me to stay away from security posts at airports. I was like, mmmkkaaay? They said precautions like this are necessary because of the amount of radiation that will be emanating from my neck could expose not only friends and family to radiation, but will most likely also alert security and set off alarms, especially in the airport. What was I now, a robot? lol So I took their advice and stayed away from the airports and at least one arms length from my friends and family for the next 24-48 hours following RAI scan and uptake.
There were a lot of windows and doctors on well-lit machines on the other side of one of the walls. They told me I would be in there for 30 minutes to an hour. As soon as these funky fluids started running into my veins, I noticed I kept getting colder in my arm, and in general, and I heard over the speaker that there was a blanket in there for me if I felt cold. Then a man came in completely covered from head to toe and had me lay on a metal table with my head back, and my neck extended, and he then covered me up. He told me they would be scanning my thyroid for hot/cold spots, as well as nodules/masses/goiters, from several different angles, to see exactly what was going on.
I came back the next morning and had to sit in a chair, with this probe touching my neck for a little while as they took more images. Once that painless proceedure was done, I was told to go sit in another room for a bit as they went over the scans and test results because they found "mostly cold" the day before (ok, so is this a good thing or a bad thing??).
I was told to come back the next day to talk to a new doctor and possibly have an ultrasound. (ok, nah, this isn't unnerving, is it?) I was then placed on a low iodine diet and reminded to flush twice as my body would be ridding itself of all the radioactive stuff. FUN, I mean what doesn't have sodium in it!?
to be continued (the results)...
Following the RAI pill, I had to go sit in a room for several hours. When they finally called me back in, I was placed in a room by myself, away from everyone and then an IV was begun and the guy said it contained the radiotracer (ok, so now I am a remote control gps, right? lol). I think this was the funniest part of everything that happened thus far, because they told me to stay away from security posts at airports. I was like, mmmkkaaay? They said precautions like this are necessary because of the amount of radiation that will be emanating from my neck could expose not only friends and family to radiation, but will most likely also alert security and set off alarms, especially in the airport. What was I now, a robot? lol So I took their advice and stayed away from the airports and at least one arms length from my friends and family for the next 24-48 hours following RAI scan and uptake.
There were a lot of windows and doctors on well-lit machines on the other side of one of the walls. They told me I would be in there for 30 minutes to an hour. As soon as these funky fluids started running into my veins, I noticed I kept getting colder in my arm, and in general, and I heard over the speaker that there was a blanket in there for me if I felt cold. Then a man came in completely covered from head to toe and had me lay on a metal table with my head back, and my neck extended, and he then covered me up. He told me they would be scanning my thyroid for hot/cold spots, as well as nodules/masses/goiters, from several different angles, to see exactly what was going on.
I came back the next morning and had to sit in a chair, with this probe touching my neck for a little while as they took more images. Once that painless proceedure was done, I was told to go sit in another room for a bit as they went over the scans and test results because they found "mostly cold" the day before (ok, so is this a good thing or a bad thing??).
I was told to come back the next day to talk to a new doctor and possibly have an ultrasound. (ok, nah, this isn't unnerving, is it?) I was then placed on a low iodine diet and reminded to flush twice as my body would be ridding itself of all the radioactive stuff. FUN, I mean what doesn't have sodium in it!?
to be continued (the results)...
A Little History... well, not SO little... Part 1
My weight had always been very little issue to me. Even through my previous pregnancies and deliveries, I was able to take the post-pregnancy weight off, in no time. Trust me, this was no feat, since I have had everything from a c-section to natural childbirth. December 2000, I gave birth to a precious little baby. Everything seemed normal, however, I had put on about 50 lbs during the pregnancy. I knew from past experiences, that it shouldn't take too long before the weight once again dropped and I was able to get down to my pre-pregnancy weight, which ranged from 98 on a good day to 118 on a normal day to a max of 135 on a bad day. Yes, that is a wide range, but for me, only being 5-2 1/2, that was pretty ok in my book.
The months rolled by, and I got very busy with the children, and with my precious newborn, and never realized that I wasn't losing the weight so easily. Time passed, and soon my newborn was 5 years old. I was a HOUSE. I looked in the mirror one day and realized that I had gained more than I ever had in my life! I started walking and working my ass off to get back to my normal self. By Jan 2006, I had well broken 200 lbs. I was absolutely upset with everything that was going on in my life, and with my body. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I was absolutely exhausted ALL the time, my appetite was up and down, my mood was... well, depressed. I had given up on things that I loved, I had become a bitter, grumpy mom and wife, and just didn't care anymore. When May 2006 arrived, and I had reached an all time high of 238 (for Goodness sake almost 3o pounds gained in FOUR MONTHS even with walking and trying to eat right???).
I was a cheerleader! I was a runner! I was a gymnast! I was very active!!! I WAS A MOM!!! I couldn't LIVE like this anymore! Something had to give... but what?
Other than being as big as a house, and feeling exhausted, with no energy, and a little depression on the side, I was perfectly fine. I hate going to doctors, and I didn't want to be one of those that went to the doctor because I wanted weight pills, but I HAD to do something. I was dying here!
I called my doctor at the time, Dr. K. (I will only use initals for medical professionals). She is an internal medicine doctor, and I just used her because I didn't have a regular family doctor for myself (my MISTAKE #1 ~ always always always have a regular physician that you can go to, so they can keep a history on any ailments you may have over the years...). Dr. K asked me what was wrong, and I told her about the humongous weight gain over the past 6 years, and how I felt all the time, and how fatigued I was, and oh how I fought with insomnia, and would mainly get 2-3 hours of sleep a day, (no wonder I was tired!), and how my skin was getting bad, my hair was falling out, my nails were peeling and brittle...
Dr. K ran a series of tests on me and surprisingly enough I was fit as a fiddle (besides being OBESE mind you). She gave me the lecture on sleep habits and requested that I go do a sleep study (my MISTAKE #2 ~ if your doctor suggests something, think about it and research it, but don't sluff the idea off like I did!). She then told me she had just one more test to run, and ran a thyroid test on me, course I had to come back the next morning for this one, as I had to fast first. ThYrOiD? What the heck is a thyroid???
___________________________________________________________________
exerpt from: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/thyroid101.htm
"Your thyroid is a small bowtie or butterfly-shaped gland, located in your neck, wrapped around the windpipe, behind and below the Adam's Apple area. The thyroid produces several hormones, of which two are key: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones help oxygen get into cells, and make your thyroid the master gland of metabolism."
___________________________________________________________________
So the next day, after fasting for 10-12 hours, I came in and had my thyroid test done. It was a simple blood test, so it wasn't really invasive at all. Dr. K had the results in a very short period of time as she wanted them returned to her immediately. She came into the room and told me that my thyroid was out of wack, and that she was going to send me to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a Nuclear Medicine exam because she doesn't handle these cases. I heard her on the phone with someone at VUMC, telling them I needed to get in right away. She had my appointment set for the following Tuesday, and she let me know not to cancel or miss this appointment because it was quite important and that I had to initiate a low iodine diet until my appointment. This was my very first indication that there might be something more serious going on, and that I better take her seriously.
...to be continued
The months rolled by, and I got very busy with the children, and with my precious newborn, and never realized that I wasn't losing the weight so easily. Time passed, and soon my newborn was 5 years old. I was a HOUSE. I looked in the mirror one day and realized that I had gained more than I ever had in my life! I started walking and working my ass off to get back to my normal self. By Jan 2006, I had well broken 200 lbs. I was absolutely upset with everything that was going on in my life, and with my body. I didn't even know who I was anymore. I was absolutely exhausted ALL the time, my appetite was up and down, my mood was... well, depressed. I had given up on things that I loved, I had become a bitter, grumpy mom and wife, and just didn't care anymore. When May 2006 arrived, and I had reached an all time high of 238 (for Goodness sake almost 3o pounds gained in FOUR MONTHS even with walking and trying to eat right???).
I was a cheerleader! I was a runner! I was a gymnast! I was very active!!! I WAS A MOM!!! I couldn't LIVE like this anymore! Something had to give... but what?
Other than being as big as a house, and feeling exhausted, with no energy, and a little depression on the side, I was perfectly fine. I hate going to doctors, and I didn't want to be one of those that went to the doctor because I wanted weight pills, but I HAD to do something. I was dying here!
I called my doctor at the time, Dr. K. (I will only use initals for medical professionals). She is an internal medicine doctor, and I just used her because I didn't have a regular family doctor for myself (my MISTAKE #1 ~ always always always have a regular physician that you can go to, so they can keep a history on any ailments you may have over the years...). Dr. K asked me what was wrong, and I told her about the humongous weight gain over the past 6 years, and how I felt all the time, and how fatigued I was, and oh how I fought with insomnia, and would mainly get 2-3 hours of sleep a day, (no wonder I was tired!), and how my skin was getting bad, my hair was falling out, my nails were peeling and brittle...
Dr. K ran a series of tests on me and surprisingly enough I was fit as a fiddle (besides being OBESE mind you). She gave me the lecture on sleep habits and requested that I go do a sleep study (my MISTAKE #2 ~ if your doctor suggests something, think about it and research it, but don't sluff the idea off like I did!). She then told me she had just one more test to run, and ran a thyroid test on me, course I had to come back the next morning for this one, as I had to fast first. ThYrOiD? What the heck is a thyroid???
___________________________________________________________________
exerpt from: http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/thyroid101.htm
"Your thyroid is a small bowtie or butterfly-shaped gland, located in your neck, wrapped around the windpipe, behind and below the Adam's Apple area. The thyroid produces several hormones, of which two are key: triiodothyronine (T3) and thyroxine (T4). These hormones help oxygen get into cells, and make your thyroid the master gland of metabolism."
___________________________________________________________________
So the next day, after fasting for 10-12 hours, I came in and had my thyroid test done. It was a simple blood test, so it wasn't really invasive at all. Dr. K had the results in a very short period of time as she wanted them returned to her immediately. She came into the room and told me that my thyroid was out of wack, and that she was going to send me to Vanderbilt University Medical Center for a Nuclear Medicine exam because she doesn't handle these cases. I heard her on the phone with someone at VUMC, telling them I needed to get in right away. She had my appointment set for the following Tuesday, and she let me know not to cancel or miss this appointment because it was quite important and that I had to initiate a low iodine diet until my appointment. This was my very first indication that there might be something more serious going on, and that I better take her seriously.
...to be continued
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