# In need of advice please...



## sickofbeingfat (Apr 30, 2013)

I went back to the endo for my 6 week follow up today after taking synthroid 25 mcg for 6 weeks. Before starting the synthroid my tsh was 3.88, after my appointment I got more blood work done to see what my levels are now and I should have those results in two days. Basically I was tired, depressed, etc and could not lose a single pound after a year of doing an hour of cardio a day and eating 1200 calories per day, and now after being on snythroid for 6 weeks I still have not lost any weight not even a single ounce. Now I only feel less tired and puffy and all my hair is falling out.

Basically I have been reading this forum for the past three months everyday trying to learn as much about Hashi's as I can. I have read the many articles people on this forum have posted and all the links others members have shared. Thank you! I did this so I could go to my next appointment armed with as much knowledge as I could.

Today at my appointment I asked my endo these questions and this was his responses:

Firstly I asked him to order labs for free T3 and free T4 because as I have learned on this forum and from the many medical journal articles I have been reading, that these are more important than tsh. Of course big surprise when I went to get my blood draw I saw that he only ordered TSH, Total T3, and Free T4! Seriously what the heck! So all he ordered labs for was TSH, Total T3, and free T4, and blood and urine cortisol.

Then I asked if he was dosing my thyroid medication based off of Free T3, Free T4, and symptoms. His response was...HE ONLY LOOKS AT TSH WHEN DECIDING WHAT DOSE OF THYROID MEDICATION TO HAVE ME ON. He tells me, "TSH is a brain hormone that tells your thyroid what to do". NO SH*T! exactly it's a pituitary hormone not a thyroid hormone!

I asked him for pretty much all the tests people on the forum have told hashi's patients to get done and he pretty much ordered none of them. He said, "I don't order useless lab tests that other doctors check, I only order labs for what's important and only for what I need to treat you" Seriously! I was shocked he said this.....

Then I asked him to check my TPO antibody, TRAb, TBII, Thyroglobulin and Thyroglobulin Ab but he said those weren't important. He says my TPO antibody is the only one that has been checked and it was "high" How high? who knows... He said I didn't need TSI checked because I don't have Graves disease.

Then I asked for a reverse T3 test and a T3 uptake test and he said I don't need those tests because they are "unimportant"..

I asked him about armour thyroid and natural pig thyroid replacement and he said he does not prescribed it because the batches are often different in their strength.. blah blah....... I think I stopped listening to him at this point

I asked him what the results were of my thyroid radioactive iodine scan three years ago, he said it was normal and there was no nodules and that the results showed Hashi's.

So then I said to him well what if my T3 is low, what if the T4 I am taking is not being properly converted into T3, and he said well that rarely happens to people. He said my T3 I think it was total T3 not free was about 100 with a range of 80 to 170 six weeks ago right before I started the synthroid. He said that was "normal" but to me it sounds low.

Basically in the end he said he was going to most likely give me a small dose of synthetic T3 and probably keep me on only 25 mcg of the synthroid. What the heck! Shouldn't he not be giving me a synthetic T3 medication if he has no baseline or even checks my free T3???

So I asked him what his goal then is for my TSH and he said he doesn't care as long as I am within the range, so I told him well I want to be between .50 and 1 and he was ok with that, at least he does one thing right then.

I also told him I have been learning more about Hashi's and thyroid disease to try to better manage my care. He said, "well don't believe everything you read online".. I said back to him I only read information from medical journals.

Oh and this is the best part of it all.... so I asked him all causally where he went to medical school, eventhough I already know (I looked it up online) and lied to me and said Unversity of Mass. That is where he did his undergraduate degree not where he went to medical school. He is a osteopathic doctor (DO) and he went to a lower teir osteopathic school. I guess he was embrassed to admit it. I think he has a major ego..... or else why would he lie about something so silly...

I told him I was going to see a new doctor and I wanted copies of all my labs. He asked me who I was going to see and I told him I'd rather not say and his response was, "Well be careful"..

Seriously what is his problem, it's like he wants me to have to no control over my care, He never once has called me back, I have to call his nurse about my test results every freaken time I get labs done, then they mail me the results but they only ever mail the ones they think are normal or important. Seriously, I don't care what they believe to be important or not, I want copies of all my labs and I will decide for myself which lab results are "normal"!!!

So should I still keep seeing this guy, I feel like he is just going to keep me sick forever if I do? Is this normal?iIs it really this difficult to get proper treatment for thyroid disease because all of this just doesn't seem right to me?

Sorry this post is so long and I sound angry, I am just really upset today after seeing my doctor. I feel like the people on this forum only the only people that understand what I am going through. In all honesty I really trust some of the regular visitors of this forum more than my own endo at this point.

Also does anyone know of a good thyroid doctor in upstate NY and Georgia (I live in NY but am moving near Atlanta GA in the next few months). I don't mind if I even have to drive an hour or two. Thanks!

I just don't know what to do anymore............:sad0049:


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

sickofbeingfat said:


> So should I still keep seeing this guy...


In a word: Nope.

You asked all the right questions, and while his ego was probably bruised, you just saved yourself a lot of time down the road, going in circles. Good for you for reading up on all of this stuff and getting educated!

Call a local compounding pharmacy, or even a regular pharmacy, and ask if any docs prescribe desiccated thyroid meds or compounded thyroid meds. That may get you closer to a good doc.

Don't throw in the towel, it does take time and research to find them, but they _are_ out there.

hugs6


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## sickofbeingfat (Apr 30, 2013)

bigfoot said:


> In a word: Nope.
> 
> You asked all the right questions, and while his ego was probably bruised, you just saved yourself a lot of time down the road, going in circles. Good for you for reading up on all of this stuff and getting educated!
> 
> ...


Thank you for the fast response! This may sound like a stupid question but what is a compounding pharmacy and compounded thyroid medication? Is that like another name for armour thyroid, etc? So all i have to do is walk into the pharmacy and ask what doctors, prescribe armour and they will give me that information? I never knew that thanks! Oh there is one woman where I live that i have heard prescribes armour but she doesn't take insurance at all but at this point i think i will fork out the $200 bucks and go see her.

I could totally use a drink right now as it's like 80 degrees here today hugs6


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## sickofbeingfat (Apr 30, 2013)

Who cares about his ego, I wasn't trying to make him feel stupid, I just want to get better, why can't he understand that... I don't care what doctors think of me anymore.. if they think I am being annoying or whinny I don't give a cr*p anymore. I need to finally stick up for myself because I am starting the realize when they don't help me I only remain sick but they go on with their day, on to the next patient and don't think twice about me but I remain sick... I just don't get it, if I didn't do my job i would be fired but that's not the case with some doctors...


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## sjmjuly (Mar 23, 2012)

Dump him like a bad habit. Get ALL your lab reports and find another doctor. I had a woman endo that treated me the same way. It was the first and last time I ever saw her. Besides, she dressed like an idiot,,,,
Keep looking until you actually find a doctor with a brain and a smaller ego.


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## bigfoot (May 13, 2011)

sickofbeingfat said:


> This may sound like a stupid question but what is a compounding pharmacy and compounded thyroid medication? Is that like another name for armour thyroid, etc? So all i have to do is walk into the pharmacy and ask what doctors, prescribe armour and they will give me that information? I never knew that thanks! Oh there is one woman where I live that i have heard prescribes armour but she doesn't take insurance at all but at this point i think i will fork out the $200 bucks and go see her.


A compounding pharmacy is kinda like a throwback to how pharmacists used to operate in the "old days". They basically create medications by using individually-available drugs. So, for example, they would be able to make someone who has a dye allergy a hypoallergenic T4 medication. Or combine T4 and T3 drugs into a single pill in a more precise dosage. Etc, etc. It's not limited to thyroid medications -- they work with a LOT of other drugs, too. They and their staff are more hands-on than retail pharmacies who essentially fill pill bottles. (Not knocking any pharmacists; they are great folks.) And I can't say if every pharmacist will volunteer up info on doctors, but it's worth a try. I have had luck asking a local compounding pharmacy.

Beware the doctors who don't take insurance. Some are legit and on the up-and-up, while others might be more of a wild card. Perhaps that doctor can do a really brief meet-and-greet with you for free, and you can get an idea if you are both on the same page.


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## haimia (May 9, 2012)

sickofbeingfat said:


> Then I asked if he was dosing my thyroid medication based off of Free T3, Free T4, and symptoms. His response was...HE ONLY LOOKS AT TSH WHEN DECIDING WHAT DOSE OF THYROID MEDICATION TO HAVE ME ON. He tells me, "TSH is a brain hormone that tells your thyroid what to do". NO SH*T! exactly it's a pituitary hormone not a thyroid hormone!


*Sounds like you went to my family doctor. Same response I got at my last visit with a low free T3. Almost verbatim!

So, I found a DO and got generic cytomel. And, I found this DO by asking pharmacist! It does work! He doses on symptoms!*


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

sickofbeingfat said:


> Thank you for the fast response! This may sound like a stupid question but what is a compounding pharmacy and compounded thyroid medication? Is that like another name for armour thyroid, etc? So all i have to do is walk into the pharmacy and ask what doctors, prescribe armour and they will give me that information? I never knew that thanks! Oh there is one woman where I live that i have heard prescribes armour but she doesn't take insurance at all but at this point i think i will fork out the $200 bucks and go see her.
> 
> I could totally use a drink right now as it's like 80 degrees here today hugs6


Consider a Naturopathic doctor; many here are pleased w/theirs.


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## DaniB (Jun 25, 2013)

Definitely dump the Doc. If you can even call him that. You shouldn't have to beg to be healthy. You also shouldn't have to beg a doctor you are paying, to treat you like a human being, not a number. I can ask my doctor when I go in on the 24th if he knows of any good doctors in Atlanta, GA if you want.


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## Danniswirl (Feb 23, 2013)

I know exactly how you feel sickofbeingfat. I'm so broke I can't afford to see a holistic doctors. Been sick with hashi and I think adrenal issues for almost a year now with no relief. I'm getting lab work done again next week so I hope I get some answers. So sad and feel beat. How can you fight when your body feels like giving up. No doctor ever listens.... For those who have good doctors, never take it for granted! [email protected]


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## debster (Jul 3, 2013)

Hello 

I live in Georgia, about forty minutes northwest of Atlanta. I will be going to a doctor that treats thyroid patients on July 29th... he's not an endo, but he seems to have his stuff together. He treats based on symptoms and not numbers, and checks for free T3 and 4, antibodies, ferritin, vitamin D... things that most doctors don't even bother to check. He's also covered by quite a few insurance plans. If you don't mind me asking, around what area will you be moving? I may be able to help you.

If you'd like I can either:
pm you with his info now
or
wait until my appointment, form an opinion, then let you know.

I read a post that says we should not mention doctors by name on here (and I understand why). So just let me know what/when you'd like a recommendation


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