Yes BF, you are so right. I was so optimistic and even excited to go to the endocrinologist appointment because I thought okay I am one step closer to getting the help I need. I thought he'll get my thyroid all fixed up. In other words I had hope. And now it's the crash of facing the fact that it is a harsh reality that some doctors treat me like a number and all I am to them is an insurance claim. And how do you tell the nurse on the phone ma'am, I don't have the next 6 months to be an experiment to see if this gets better or worse on it's own. I need treatment now. My depressions can be dark, scary places. No one understands but here. Thanks for your friendship BF.

Butterfly,

Is there a chance that the first endo was hoping to get rid of you because he perceives you as being a complicated case?


Mari

It is disappointing when a doctor doesn't follow through. It's a feeling of utter powerlessness. We have a much harder time dealing with the physical problems on top of mental health issues.

With these kinds of disappointments,we feel like going somewhere,and crash with burdens that zap our strength. It's very painful.

When I feel better,I sometimes open the book of Psalms,and read,and feel better. BF

Good morning butterfly, I hope that you are feeling better today

I think so Mari. He didn't seem like the kind of doctor that would go out of his way, or normal way of doing things. He also seemed a little miffed about pdoc's opinion that TSH should be under 3. I think mdoc's egos can be inflated and they don't like pdocs telling them how to treat their patients. Even if the pdoc is right.

Thank you! I needed that reminder.

Butterfly,

I wonder if perhaps SOME people without bipolar might not be sensitive to the thyroid being off.
Many of us are sensitive to so many things.

M

I hope that you finaly get some answers some soon

Hi Butterfly...

i wish i'd got my act together young enough to have become a doctor... lol.
not that my act is together now. lol. oh well.

i'm concerned about this URI you have. getting the chest clear often takes time especially as you started the mucinex late... but i am more concerned as to how long you've been on the antibiotic so far, and whether you been improving any, i.e. fever coming down, throat less sore, less fatigue???

===> when given antibiotics, net improvement can be expected within days.

if you did not experience this, please go back to the mdoc and tell them the antibiotic is not working. if they did not do a culture, ask for one. The purpose of this is so they can:
-- identify the attacking organism (very important in case of strep)
-- test the attacking organism with various antibiotics to check for resistant strains
-- select and prescribe a safe and effective antibiotic to which the organism has been shown NON-resistant.

to avoid cultures they sometimes will take a shortcut, and give a broad spectrum like a fluoroquinolone (eg: Cipro - ciprofloxacin, and others ending in "floxacin") ... but there are some issues with this approach, not least possible resistance from prior overuse (they were all the rage for a while and highly overprescribed).

SO (reminder) if antibio hasn't shown benefits yet, on the throat pain, fever, chills, and fatigue, go back to mdoc, throw a semipolite hissyfit and request a culture.

~ waves ~

Hi again Butterfly

Regarding the thyroid issue...

Do you have a history of hypothyroidism with or without treatment, or is this the first time you've noticed your values changing?

You did indicate your TSH has shot up so, there could indeed be a problem, however that value is just barely on the high end, and if your T4 is within range still (what is T4 value?), not medicating is technially justified.

Has TSH increased progressively over time, or are you comparing a single current test with a much older one? There can be temporary variances too. This spring, my TSH had gone up to 7.xx. My pdoc called it "compensated hypothyroidism" because my T4 was normal. 2 months later a retest showed normal TSH again.

There is another thing I should mention... i've been through this. Some pdocs have actually adopted the use of thyroid hormones in cases they consider "subclinical hypothyroidism" and have reported success with mood regulation. This is neither standard practice, nor is it safe for all patients. If it is done, close monitoring is essential. If the TSH downregulates so far as to restore the original TSH/T4 values for a patient, those T4 values are most likely that individual's norms, in which case, medicating into "official range" is dangerous: in the long run, endogenous T4 production can be shut off - not always reversible. (i had a situation once with a pdoc giving me T3+T4 and my internist blowing gaskets at him in writing, on his lab copies. the meds did not keep my t4 up for long, the overall effect was that my TSH just got lower and lower...). Remember the official ranges are based on stats. individuals may have norms slightly outside of those ranges.

Getting the pdoc's perspective to the internist sets the stage for a more open approach on her part, i think. If she too wants to wait you could ask whether, in light of the psychiatric needs, it might be possible to do a "trial period" with medication. Monitoring will show whether it is actually needed or inappropriate as I described above. However, if she is firm about not medicating, do realize she is simply taking a conservative approach to protect your thyroid from potential iatrogenic damage. In compsci or car repair, we'd say "if it ain't broke don't fix it."

One thing you could do is request a lab screening for Hashimoto's antibodies. If you test positive, they will give hormone therapy.

I wish you the best. I hope your aunt's internist listens and is openminded. Most of all I hope you click with her. That really helps.

oh boy it's past my "bedtime" (HA!) again

~ waves ~