I was diagnosed hypothyroid almost a year ago, but we haven't been able to find a good dosage of meds to alleviate my symptoms, which only seem to be
getting worse. So I'm seeing an endocrinologist in 2 weeks and don't know what to expect. They said to allow 3-4 hours for the appointment, so I
don't know how much I'll be getting poked and prodded, but I'm assuming its gonna be quite a bit.
Anyone seen an endocrinologist for thyroid issues?
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 GoofyDawg0810 |
Anyone seen an endocrinologist for thyroid issues? |
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Posts: 28617 (06/28/2009 1:06 AM) |
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ChasevidWrightley |
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Posts: 2212 (06/28/2009 2:20 AM) |
i've seen one for the past 12 years (holy crap, didn't realize it had been that long til i did the math
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are you getting bloodwork ahead of time? if so they're going to go over that, check your throat/swallowing, weight, bp, ask you 1000000 questions, check some other body-related stuff (not sure what the purpose of all they do is ). i'm not sure about the 3-4 hour thing though, damn! like i said it has
been 12 years since my first appt (and i was SUPER sick at the time), so my memory is kind of fuzzy.
...sorry if that was no help at all. feel free to message me if you have any questions or anything. |
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GoofyDawg0810 |
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Posts: 28619 (06/28/2009 2:47 AM) |
No, it's cool...I appreciate it! I was just trying to get an idea of what the preliminary work ups are, you know? The only bloodwork I've ever had done
concerning the thyroid has been my TSH (almost monthly for the last year) - I haven't had antithyroid or T3 or T4 specifically done, so I suspect
that'll be in there. But I wasn't sure what else there might be to expect. But yeah, I was pretty surprised at that time frame. I assume a big chunk of
that will be talking about my symptoms, medical history, etc, but I just want to prepare myself for all the needles
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ChasevidWrightley |
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Posts: 2213 (06/28/2009 2:55 AM) |
there are sometimes MANY needles. it all depends on what the doctor orders, which i'm sure you know already. i've had as few as 2 and as many as 6
vials drawn.
i am by no means a doctor, but i've got to wonder if there's not some other underlying thing going on that's making it more difficult to get your levels right? it's unbelievable how much shit the thyroid controls/effects!!! |
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mlm704 |
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Posts: 896 (06/28/2009 2:59 AM) |
When i went to my specialist for the first time it was probably about 2 hours. They ask you how you feel etc, and go over a bunch of history and then testing.
It should only be one time that they draw blood (they may take a few viles), but they can send it out to be tested for everything.
I had the same issues, they couldn't get my dosage right and it takes 2 months for the meds to take effect, so it sucks b/c you feel shitty till they get it right. I actually stopped taking my meds for almost a year and my doctor got so mad at me, but I just didn't want to feel like shit all the time. I was diagnosed about 7 years ago and now things are better. Part of it was I wasn't responding to the generics they prescribed and now I'm on Levoxyl, which has made all the difference. They say most people are fine on generics, but a few people need the name brand. Good luck 
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ChasevidWrightley |
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Posts: 2214 (06/28/2009 3:03 AM) |
i've had two endocrinologists so far, and both of them insisted i take the brand, because the generics are way different/don't work in the same way or
as well as the brand names. there was a big controversy about certain generics (most are fine--thyroid in particular are some that are not) being so different
from name brand.
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GoofyDawg0810 |
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Posts: 28620 (06/28/2009 3:05 AM) |
Thanks, guys!
Yeah, I've been on generics (levothyroxine) which might be a reason why its been so inconsistent. In the last year, I've been raised
from 25mcg to 50, to 100, and now to 125 and still nothing. My TSH bounces all over the place, being 7.33 one month to a 3.52 the next and then 15.87 the month
after that. It's just been crazy, but I've been consistently gaining weight (about 40lbs since last August, when I was diagnosed), despite the fact
that I eat really well and do a fair bit of exercise. I don't know if its that I'm not effective converting the T4 I get from the levothyroxine into
active T3 or if the problem's in my pituitary gland...I guess that's why its come time to see a specialist. I just hope we can get it straightened out.
I'm tired of gaining weight and losing hair and being so tired all the time.
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ChasevidWrightley |
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Posts: 2215 (06/28/2009 3:06 AM) |
good luck!!!
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GoofyDawg0810 |
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Posts: 28621 (06/28/2009 3:06 AM) |
Thank you
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taniaoakley |
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Posts: 3484 (06/28/2009 4:50 AM) |
I don't have a thyroid (cancer) so I take 200mcg thyroxine tablets daily. They run me pretty high though because they want to keep my TSH at zero, which it
is. My T3 sits at 29 - 30, which is high, but it's needed to keep TSH at 0.
Are the tablets you're taking T3 or T4? |
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 jazzgirl03 |
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Posts: 1804 (06/28/2009 11:00 AM) |
I had some issues with my dosage too. I was getting really tired in afternoons. My doc didn't up my synthroid because my labs were "normal". I
was put on cytomel with synthroid, and it helped out a lot. I'm not on generic because it screwed me up a bit. There's lots of options for medications.
The best source for thyroid issues is About.com's thyroid page.
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GoofyDawg0810 |
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Posts: 28622 (06/28/2009 6:28 PM) |
taniaoakley wrote: Levothyroxine is a generic version of Synthroid, and they're T4. I have no idea what my T4 or T3 counts are, just my TSH as I've only been seeing my doctor at school. From everything I've been reading, it sounds like a T3 med like Cytomel would help, but I just don't know for sure until I see the endocrinologist. I'm just exhausted all the time, dry skin, losing hair, can't lose weight to save my life...I feel like absolute shit 99% of the time. I need something to happen to fix this. |
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babylulu |
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Posts: 26334 (06/28/2009 6:37 PM) |
I had hypothyroidism and had to see an endocrinologist too. I only had one though. I didn't spend 3-4 hours the first time I went. She just did some random
checks and that was it...it took maybe about 1 hr?
Aside from the weight gain and fatigue my symptoms were pretty mild. I' never had to take pills, I just had to do a lot of ultrasounds. Maybe the process is different if you're on the pills? |
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