I have definitely Hashimotos' There is no, Not, One or any question about it! And going thru a fast and furious thyroid death is NOT FUN! When I'd first showed signs of thyroid 'dysfuction' I'd had a sonogram done. The film had almost been destroyed, which I discovered picking up other films to take to other docs.. I asked IF I could take those films to be destroyed and keep them? I was allowed to. Four years later in visiting a new endocrinologist, I brought those old films. They were useful to him and put things in perspective for me.
I have been on varied doses of synthroid for almost 20 years, and yes, it's a life long commitment? But like vascular disease or diabetes, it's an easy one to fix... Tho it mite take a a few years to get on the right doses for you at that time in your life... that can change, tho, for a heap of other medical or lifestyle reasons. Taking synthetic thyroid meds are far more stable and reliable to live with than being on the 'natural ones'? None of these meds are cheap, so that is a key consideration to boot.
It can take a lot of 'tinkering' to get a thyroid doseage right for one person? But it is WORTH IT! At first? It took me about 2 years to get it rite as my thyroid was changing.
Do not take any one doctor's word as gospel, please. [As much as I respect Dr Weil's practices] There are as many opinions out there as there is research pro and con any choice. Key to your decisions? IS learning that there are options and choices out there...and ones that can help YOU decide what you want to do! And then? What is right for you!
I wish I could readily find you a site for 'endocrinologists'? To check out? But apparently their sites are designed for 'memberships' and not for mere patients looking for help.
Good luck in your searches? You mite look up the name: Mary Shomon re thyroid issues and find something that mite help? But there are some biases that come along with the info from that site. I do like it tho and it did help me when I was first diagnosed w/Hashi's!
Thyroids are soo quirky? They get you in ways and places you simply don't expect. Along w/PN? It's hard to BE COOL about it all? But that is what you must be... cool, calm, calculating and well researched to boot. Far easier said than done? It all comes easier with practice. 'ssss - j

The thyroid works by a feedback mechanism. If one takes hormone, it will "feedback" to the hypothalamus and the hypothalamus will stop signaling the thyroid to make more.

When lower amounts of hormone are given, any adjustments are typically made by your hypothalamus to reach a "normal" steady state. If large doses of thyroid hormone are given, yes, then thyroid gland may stop producing altogether. But not normally at the lower doses. In general below 100mcg/day, and you still have your normal thyroid functions partially intact.
Keeping doses at the lowest needed is important to prevent osteoporosis...since high thyroid levels leach calcium out of bone. The goiter I had on the right lobe only, did recede finally at 75mcg/day, which is what I use now. I had an ultrasound 2 yrs ago to confirm that. (it was visible however and the test was just "extra" information).

People who have had their gland removed completely may take 150mcg a day or a bit more or less depending on their size and age, and activity level.

I have known women who developed a temporary hypo thyroid condition, after pregnancies, took the levothyroxine for several years, and tapered off and returned to normal functioning after that.

Levothyroxine is T4, and not active in the tissues. It is converted to T3 in the tissues of the body by enzymes that use zinc and selenium. Conversion issues I believe are responsible for difficult to manage patients. A big stressor, like trauma or surgery will also put hypo people into a stress situation because of the lag in T3 output to match the stress. I know when the cold comes in winter, I have a couple of "rough weeks" to get used to it, for example. Being low in zinc, therefore is not good for hypothyroid patients because this conversion is slowed down or blocked.

One has to eat ALOT of cabbage etc to affect the thyroid. Normal consumption is not that serious. Vegetarians may become low in zinc because many vegetables contain phytates which will complex this mineral in the GI tract preventing its absorption. The best zinc supplement IMO is zinc monomethionine and it is very inexpensive(pennies a day). Some drugs lower zinc too, like ACE inhibitors for blood pressure, diuretics, birth control or HRT, and steroids like prednisone. Taking acid blocking drugs every day for a long period of time will reduce zinc absorption, as this is dependent on acid in the stomach.

The doctors around me who do physiological thyroid treatment, are holistic M.Ds. This link is an example:
https://www.drbrownstein.com/homePage.php
There are even clinics now showing up in various areas of the country, that specialize in this type of intervention. So Nervous, you may find one near you. It might be your best bet as far as getting treatment without the stress of arguing.

Well said. We have some thyroid mavens here. I inadvertantly said I of yr of Hashimoto's after the throidectomy. What I should have said is Hashimoto like symptoms and myxedema. Sorry if I was misleading.

I too have found all those join here sites annoying. I suspect that there are many people out there blaming weight problems on their glands. Weight control is big business and I am sure some endos are having their doors beaten down by people blaming their metabolism. Free enterprise.

I also see alot of what I call basic quackery out to make the quick buck with an easy fix. Blame it on the thyroid.

--that I came here this morning and found a lot of action in this thyroid thread, as I have a rapidly evolving thyroid situation (and I'd love for the thyroid mavens to weigh in on it).

In the process of getting an annual physical from a new primary physician, I had ultrasound done to look at carotid arteries. They seem to be OK, but there was something suspicious with the thyroid. Dedicated ultrasound of that was down, and here is the basic report:

"The right lobe measures 5.8 x 1.5 x 1.6 cm and demonstrates a solid 5 mm nodule at the midpole. The left lobe measures 5.4 x 1.4 x 1.8 cm and demonstrates a 2.0 x 1.1 x 1.4 cm solid nodule at the lower pole. The isthmus is normal in appearance. Nodule in left lower pole should be considered for ultrasound guided FNA biopsy."

Well, I'm gonna make that appointment for FNA REAL fast.

My mother does have some spotty history of autoimmune thyroid and, especially, parathyroid disease--but, of course, I've been through this with my wife, who had antibody demonstrable Hashimoto's and then developed a papillary carcinoma in 2008 that resulted in total thyroidectomy. She is doing well--thyroglobulin and antibodies undectable, TSH down nice and low for suppressive purposes--but her ultrasound reports were always much more detailed, indicating hypo vs. hyperechoic properties, and noitng vascularity in the nodule that turned out to have the carcinoma--that factor was the reason we got her biopsied.

I'm really annoyed by the lack of specificity in the report. No mention of whether there were calcifications, lymph node enlargement, echoes . . .

I know I need an endo consult--only lab work that's relevant from the physical is a TSH of 2.58 (not especially high, and about where it's always been). Haven't had T3/T4 levels done in years (they were normal then).

My sense of the report is that is shows some degree of overall thyroid expansion, suggestive of a nodular goiter (as you may suspect, I've done a TON of research on this). But I am a 51-year old male, and the specter of thyroid cancer is worrisome--especially that "taller than wide" aspect of the left side nodule. Moreover, I am asymptomatic--my thyroid is not obviously visible below my larynx (which itself has always been fairly prominent)--not having trouble swallowing, speaking (which I do for a living). I'm not feeling fatigue, temperature sensitivity, etc. I did gain several pounds over the cold winter months, but I've already gotten rid of most of those (i tend to walk a lot more in the good weather). I do have my usual seasonal post-nasal back drip down to the top level of the larynx, and I occassionally have to bring up thick clear translucent mucus. I feel the drip more right than left--I can actually feel it around the right tonsil (yes, I still have those) quite often (this is a long-standing situation).

Any input is appreciated.

95% of thyroid nodules are benign. 95% of people with thyroid cancer that is treated recover fully with no recurrance. This is from the official cancer site. My brother-in-law had cancer and had his removed and his long term survival rate actually improved. Go figure those statistics. The problem with nodules is that they sometimes decide to produce more hormone than you need. They will do this cancer or not.

So get that test.

I teSted positive for the Hasimoto's antibody. Test ordered by my neuro doc. Level was quite elevated but she said it was not a factor in my motor neuropathy. Maybe it was elevated because I have no thyroid. Why do docs do tests they no do not apply to the clinical situation?????

I was okay until you mentioned the swallowing thing. Now, I'm a little worried.

Last week, my orthodontist observed that I have tongue thrust syndrome — that I thrust my tongue forward when I swallow — and that it is causing my front teeth to move. I have to wonder if I have tongue thrust syndrome because I have thyroid enlargement.


@ mrsD: I got two referrals from my doctor for endocrinologists. They are supposed to be good. Maybe I'll see what they come up with, then make a decision regarding conventional vs. alternative therapies. (I don't have a referral for an alternative/holistic M.D. anyway.)

The holistic MDs for thyroid use what is called physiological replacement. This is natural thyroid hormone from animals.

They don't use herbs etc to fix thyroid issues. But they do have their own criteria to see if you are showing what is called thyroid resistance. That means your own hormone is not working and another source can maybe help.

Don't confuse alternative and holistic. The holistic MDs are more medical than alternative.

This is called Wilson's Syndrome (not to be confused with Wilson's disease which is a liver disorder).

http://www.wilsonssyndrome.com/

The MDs who treat this still use thyroid hormone, just not the same type or the same way as levothyroxine treatments.

I just went over all my lab tests dating back to 1996. Six out of 14 showed a TSH of 2.5 or less. One last summer from an M.D. who was apparently using the revised 0.34-2.5 range standard showed a 1.55 result. Highest result was 3.223.

Not sure what this means. I think I expected something more conclusive. But this is beginning to look like another "borderline...maybe...we don't know" result.

I recently had some blood work done. My Vitamin D results are listed in a confusing way.

Vit D: 25-Hyrdoxy
Vit D: 25-OH Total 46.3

Vit D: 25-OH D3 46.3
Vit D: 25-OH D2 <1.0


Then, my Vitamin B6 is listed as 634.4 nmol/L.


Then, back to Vitamin D, as follows:

Vit D 1, 25-Dihydroxy 71


I suppose I could post a scan of the test results pages, if the above is not clear.

N.B. Once again, my M.D. did not request, and/or his lab did not test for, several items that I had requested. Third time this has happened, with a third M.D. How do you all keep these people on a leash? It seems like they just do whatever they want, then pat themselves on the back for having done a great job.

More blood work coming this week, from yet another M.D.

This is the major one to use to determine the correct D that the research compares:

http://www.vitamindcouncil.org/about...-d-deficiency/

The other one is more complex, and difficult to evaluate and used mostly when looking for parathyroid issues or kidney failure etc.