My doctor has concerns I may have thyroid issues. I am waiting on my bloodwork results. Has anyone been diagnosed with a thyroid issue? Are there vitamins, or a holistic approach rather than meds. I am not one for meds. Any thoughts, feedback or info would be greatly appreciated.
My tests came back...I'm a picture of health. I requested additional testing since I found out my mom, my aunt and grandmother all had thyroid issues however the dr. stated there was no need to look any further. I still need to do a heart stress test and finish physical therapy to see how I feel, then I'll need to re-evaluate and get another opinion. Thank you all for your kind words, support and sharing of information. It really helps keep life in perspective knowing others understand and care enough to share/reach out. Prayers, D.
I had Hashimoto's, a thyroid disease. First mine was hyper,then wacko, then hypo..... I wish I'd gone on meds years ago. I waited and I think it may have contributed to my miscarriages and other problems. I've been taking synthyroid for 3 years now and I feel great.
Thyroid meds are one of the meds that are actually safe. Don't wait. Find out and get what you need.
Doreen,
My hubby is a nurse...thyroid is nothing to mess with. It controls a lot in your body and if untreated, can lead to a host of other issues. Regardless of being a med person or not, this isn't an issue for vitamins or holistic care. Some things can be dealt with that way and some cannot. If you had low iron or allergy issues, etc that would be one thing but thyroid issues, be it hypo or hyperthyroidism is a major concern. Take your docs treatment advice on this one...IF there is an issue after all. In the meantime, I will keep you in my thoughts and hope that your tests will come back clear! Good luck!
Hi Doreen. I am hypothyroid so I take a supplement daily. I take a more natural version called Armour Thyroid. I really don't know if there is any difference other than my dr. prefers this med for treatment of my thyroid issue. I have been on a roller coaster ride with it since I am also diabetic. But my thyroid has actually been leveled out with the Armour for 3 yrs now. And I was diagnosed about 9 yrs ago. Good luck on your test results. Be sure to let us know. Write to me if I can be of any help or support to you.
Hugs,
Becki~
Doreen,
You should definitely find a good endocrinologist. Do not let a general practitioner/family doctor treat you for a thyroid condition. Make sure it's someone who is willing to treat you (the patient) rather than the lab test. Normal lab values for one person may not be the same for the next person. Your endocrinologist should listen to how you are feeling rather than judge your condition through labwork alone.
I was sick for over a year with hypothryroidism before I was diagnosed because my GP didn't see any "blips" in my lab work. A year later my disease had progressed so that a visible "blip" finally showed up in my TSH level. The GP didn't know what she was doing and prescribed a level of hormone that was way too high , and I was on the couch, unable to move for at least two weeks. After that I tried go the "holistic route" and took all sorts of supplements as well as Armour. (Can you say $$$$$) Unfortunately, My Naturopathic doc and I could never find the right balance so that I felt good. I finally gave in and saw a good endocrinologist who got me on the right track. I currently take Synthroid 25 mcg(T4) once a day and Cytomel (T3) 5mcg twice a day. I too originally had issues with having to take a pill everyday (it's also a vanity thing too--I mean aren't old people the ones who have to take drugs daily?)but I realized that if that's what it takes to feel better, so be it.
Good Luck and let us know how you are doing. If you need a doctor recommendation, Patricia Hollander at Baylor-Dallas is good. I see her once a year and then let my GP do my med refills.
Hi Doreen - I have hypothyroid (for the last 13+ years). I've taken synthroid and lavoxil and it has definitely helped. I don't know if there is a holistic way to deal with it, as in my case it's my body "eating" it. There are several different kinds of thyroid problems, so who knows? I think I'd try acupuncture or chiropractic if I were going holistic. But I don't recall having any side effect problems with the drugs. Good luck!
I am hypothyroid and likely had been for a number of years before I was diagnosed about 5 years ago. It depends upon why you're hypothyroid as to whether supplements may help, but it's really not something you should do on your own.
Thyroid hormones are made up of Tyrosine and Iodine, so a natural approach would be to add those to your diet. Also, selenium and B vitamins are important for thyroid function.
Also, the thyroid prescription you might receive isn't really a drug. It's a hormone (synthetic or natural) that is replacing the hormone that your body may not be making (if you're hypothyroid, which is the most typical). The synthetic hormones are Synthroid and Levoxyl, both of which are just T4. Cytomel is a T3 synthetic. The most popular natural prescription is Armour Thyroid and it's better in that it also contains T2 and T1 and calcitonin. The latter is really important for bone building. Many people do not have complete resolution of hypothyroid symptoms unless they take something like Armour. However, some folks have allergies to Armour since it is derived from pork.
There is a Texas Thyroid Yahoo group that you should join and post your lab results (always get a copy) to get feedback from folks that have been dealing with this for a number of years. There's at least 100 years (if not several hundreds) of thyroid hormone replacement therapy experience on that list: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas_Thyroid_Groups/
Your doctor should have measured your antibodies and if you have antibodies, your thyroid problem is autoimmune which means you should be screened for celiac disease (many doctors miss this and this is actually one of the most important things for them to screen as it's believed to be the root of most auto-immune diseases).
I was diagnosed about 1 1/2 months ago. My doctors concerns starterd last year but the blood work showed nothing. This last visit he was still concerned so he did the blood work and then sent me over to Baylor for a sonogram on my thyroid. That showed everything he feared so he put me on the meds. I am still tired but he said it takes three months for the body to get use to it for it to start working. Since starting the meds I have gained about 25 lbs. and I walk quite a bit and stay active. I hope all your tests come out negative and you dont have to go through it, it's not fun.
