I was dx'd with Hashimoto's in about 1994. My symptoms were falling asleep in the middle of the day; I'd just feel overwhelmingly tired.

My family doc sent me to an excellent endocrinologist and he did a scan of the thyroid (forget the name, but they inject radioactive iodine) and that showed the problem.

I was started out on .75mcg of Synthroid. Then up to .88mcg (several years later) and now I'm on 100 mcg.

It's quite a balancing act.

I've moved twice since seeing my endocrinologist and I am not too happy with the doctor who watches over me now. It's my GP. He solely relies on bloodwork. I asked him about an endocrinologist and he said I don't need one....

hmmmm.

If you have Hashimotos then you have a goiter; is that right in your case?

The synthroid should diminish it.

As to the Armour...my doctors all think that is not a good idea. That has been the consensus of opinion from all docs I've gone to.

Good Luck; it is a constant battle (our health) thats for sure.

Tootsie

Over ten years ago I went thru the initial 'thyroid diagnosis' food processor. By who I now realise was a very astute GP...one clued into women's issues. My case too started out with a 'goiter'...Lots of specific blood tests and a sonogram and MRI of the affected 'goiter' area. Including a biopsy called an 'aspiration' which came out negative. My own hypothyroid was kept at bay by synthroid at many different doses...I started out at the 50 went up to the hundreds, back down to the 80's and up and down for years. Things were stable UNTIL I acquired the autoimmune CIDP. About 4-5 months later things went crazy. I was still in the CIDP diagnosis phase at the time and the GP at the time did NOT connect any immune issue 'dots'. My synthroid dose was upped a bit and all seemed fine. UNTIL I was diagnosed w/cancer with all the following surgeries and post-surgery chemo. It was the chemo[AI's] to me, that was blocking soo much estrogens...resulting in a substantial change in Osteo numbers that prompted more looking at my own thyroid. Definitely 'Hashi's' and definitely one dead thyroid. How each is related to the other? Well, Docs had the opportunities to check, but simply did not. EVEN tho I was telling them of these issues. We make do as best we can with what we have?
As for Synthroid? A good doc [endo-in this case] should be able to sort out your blood #'s on X dose and adjust things to keep you stable. Honestly I'd been told at first, and still believe, by a wise nurse that Thyroid [Hypo] Is common in pre-to post menopausal women and is, once dose is adjusted one of the simpler things to fix. Thing is, many docs don't know and don't fix. It took me 4-5 years of synthroid med adjustments to find my first happy medium, I'm now on another one [a higher one]. One has to be careful not to do too much or too little. Plus, it takes about a month on any dosage or more to see if things are 'working'. Even then it takes TIME! And? Lots of blood tests in-between.
As for going on Armour or the like? That, from all I've read should beconsidered ONLY after synthroid dose variations have been throughly explored. There are many, many variables in the production and dosages of this product and it doesn't seem to be as simple or convenient to take. IF I had to go that route? I would go to one of the few [I believe] experts in the country who advocate this therapy. Some folks swear by it? But IF you can get by on the other [synthroid] it's much simpler and easier. I DO know tho, that all of the docs who have ever prescribed Synthroid for me? DO NOT allow the substitution of a generic. They all feel that there are substantial differences in the processing and effectiveness of the real thing over the generic. I cannot speak to the use of generic here, as I've not had it?

Tootsie? I agree! It IS a constant battle! I constantly ask myself: 'Who's on First?' about this all. And, my answer always seems to be: 'I don't know!'
We are complex organisims. There may or may not be connections between things. We are also NOT hot house flowers or lab rats. For me tho? My own instincts that 'something is not right!' and the like has kept me going.
DANG!! I hate it when my body is right! Well, we just slog on and try and do something about it.

Tootsie? Does your insurance allow you to see an endo w/o a special referral? IF so? Why aren't you making that appointment? It mite take weeks to get in for that first appointment, but, once IN, hey! You are IN!!!!!!! Go for it! Hugs and all that? - j

I take a T4/T3 combo. I have had my entire thyroid removed - in two separate surgeries. The first due to a benign follicular adenoma where the discovered I had Hashimoto's but did not tell me (nice!) when I was 20, and the second, for colloid nodules and enlarged thyroid. I did not start thyroid until 15 years after the first surgery. I did not get T3 for almost 20 years. I myself cannot take synthroid as I got rashes from either the filler or the coloring so I prefer unithroid and have been very stable on it. I take cytomel as my T3. I need T3 as I have pituitary problems and do not convert well. Armour is great - but keep in mind it has a very high T3 component so you have to need that much.
What was your testing - TSH? Free T4, Free T4? The frees really tell what they thyroid is doing - the TSH just says what the pit is telling the thyroid. Why that is the gold standard, no idea because they don't test if the pit is healthy so it can be one unhealthy gland talking to another unhealthy gland.

I saw an endo in 2007 who said he was sure I had Hashi's for 30 years before being diagnosed. I started being ill with symptoms at 25 years old.

I got diagnosed with "Garden Variety" hypothyroidism in 2003. That started the worst scenario and I'm still paying for it today. That doctor under treated my condition setting me up for future problems. She never tested my Free T3/T4 levels, only my TSH. And she kept my TSH in the middle of the range. I felt horrible but didn't understand why I did. I hadn't educated myself about the disease and the worst, I trusted the doctor to know more than me. She didn't.

Starting in 2005, my symptoms worsened. In 2006, I had more problems. 2007 brought the worst with perimyocarditis and complications. I spent three times in the CCU with complications.

I saw 6 doctors by October 2007, each saying they could help me, only to throw their hands up in the air and give up. I'm on the 7th doctor and he's frustrated because I'm still not well. I've been through several medication changes, the last one causing me to go into thyrotoxicosis. I'm being referred to an endo but don't see him until mid-June.

There's still something which isn't right. I think it's my pituitary/hypothalamus. Another doctor at the same practice thinks I'm "over thinking." Yet I have some strange symptoms - drinking anything cold makes me cold and I shiver for two hours. I have to wrap myself in my polar fleece bathrobe in a 74 degree room and shiver until I get warmer. If I eat something warm I can get too warm. And recently, I have more strange symptoms with eye focusing problems, facial numbness, ear pain radiating to my teeth, occipital pressure.

Try to find an endo that is a neuro-endocrinologist so that they will look at pituitary issues.
TSH in the middle of the range is icky feeling, you need to be at the bottom to right there, your doc is an @$$.
I am not sure about the other symptoms - if they are related or not as they sound more ENT or neuro - like TMJ, migraine, etc.

I agree my former six doctors were. I'm not sure if I can rate my current doctor yet. I'll know after today when I see him for these strange symptoms.

My TSH now is around 1.0, last time it was done in April. During the thyrotoxicosis it was 0.20, too low for me.

I think I've narrowed down my strange symptoms to two things, eye movement and head movement. I'm fine when I first wake up in the morning. But the minute I have to focus on one thing, close or far, all my symptoms return esp. nausea and dizziness and occipital headache. My symptoms remind me of a severe concussion I had after a car accident in 1983.

My doctor said I had multiple nodules and he did not believe that I would absorb my thyroid medications because of the number of them and some were calcified.

I had my thyroid taken out and it had so much scarring and was attached and I had a small tumor on my larynx. My specialist only did the TSH and dropped my synthroid and my test ended up at a 33 and after a hospitalization and the ER doctor stating I need to always get all three thyroid tests, I will not get my thyroid test to a normal level for at least six months because I cannot be titered but every six weeks.

My last T4 was 15 and it should be around 5 I was told. SO all along I was telling them the symptoms I was having and my endocrinologist said my test was extremly high and my dosage needed to be lowered. Well, I stayed in the bed for six months because of her, and I do not trust any doctor just because they are a specialist.

I am having my internist following me and THREE DAYS after they increased my dose back up, my blood pressure was normal wherea it had been at stroke levels for over 8 months even with blood pressure medicine.

I reported the specialist to the AMA and my insurance company and found out that this was not the first complaint.

So yes, I have had a similiar experience and this is going to be my first post op year in August and hope eventually to have a normal lab level.

I appreciate this site because of the good advice. BJ

I had EVERY symptom of hypothryoidism and went to an endocrinologist who said I didn't have a problem. I went to a neurologist who said I had mild a hypothyroid problem. He put me on a T3/T4 combination and all these symptoms went away. The most disturbing of all was that my hair was falling out. My husband has Hashi's and he takes Synthroid. I have lurked at websites and very generally (can't stress that enough) I have noticed that it seems that women prefer (get better results) from the T3/T4 combination medications. The thyroid section at www.about.com is very good. Personally, I think it is supicious that sooooo many doctors only use Synthroid and it is especially troublesome when many women aren't getting good results with this medication and their doctors STILL are not willing to try something else. If that is the case, I think it is time to get a second opinion.

Some people can't handle the T3 meds and I'm one of them. You can't use it if you've had atrial-fib or have any coronary artery disease. I'd love to use it but it causes severe problems.

Hi everyone,
I am in need of some help. I was diagnosed in March of 06 with graves disease/Hashimoto. I have since taken the radioactive iodine to kill my thyroid. Been on synthroid and now on Levothroxn. Nothing works. I just went to my doctor this week and he says my counts are not that far off for me to feel so horrible. I am not hungry, very sleepy, sad, achy and just feel miserable. My poor husband is really trying to understand but...... Any suggestions would be gratefuly appreciated. Alley