Help- my TSH is 278!!!

[hypoman]

I had a TT (papillary thyroid cancer) in Sept and Iodine treatment in Oct.  The docs started me at 50mcg Thyroxine and then raised it by 25-50 mcg each 4 weeks.  I am up to 150mcg/day of levothyroxine now but my last TSH was a huge 276 at end of Jan.  The "hyponess" is starting to affect my mood along with everything else you would expect.  I did stay away while writing this though. My next appt. with the doc. isn't till middle of March.  I guess my question is why do the doses have to go up so slowly.  Can't you be checked more often than every six weeks or does it take that long for the higher dose to take effect.  Being this hypo has been worse than being on chemo. (which I was two years ago with lymphoma).

[hypoman]

I am feeling tired, cranky, tire, sore feet, tired, swollen hands, oh-did I say tired?
I think there is an Iodine treatment for disease but the one I had was to kill all of the thyroid cells in my body in case some cancer cells escaped.  This kind of treatment is done after total thyroidectomy because it was radioactive iodine 131-is that what they wanted to treat you with?  I doubt it, in the olden days people got goiter from a lack of iodine in their diet-that's maybe what they are talking about with you.  I would believe a specialist over an ER doc.  ER docs are trained just to stablize you. To answer your other question, I assumed that they would eventually get my med. level up to some point where I would feel normal-but now I am starting to wonder about that. I see my doc again next week to beg him to raise the dose again.  Good luck

[croak]

Your post here interests me...

the day i had my first thyroid ultrasound, bloodwork with tsh level of 328 and multi other tests etc...the emergency room doc said i needed radio active iodine right away...and told me i had multinodular goiter disease...since then i've seen the specialist and family doc, they told me i didn't need the iodine treatment cause that is for hyperthyroid issues...

now i am confused...is the iodine treated for both hyper and hypo do you know? I am hypo. I don't think I want that treatment after doing some reading on it, burning the throat...or would you recommend it as a patient who has had it? Did it help...It's something I might need to know in the future.

I am on 150mg a day synthroid also...it helps some.

Since you had your thyroid removed, how are you feeling are you getting better? and after surgery do you still have hypo for the rest of your life...just some questions to have asked and answered if you please...you've been there! hell and back...are we ever gonna be normal beings again?

good luck with ur appointment in march...i have some in march also...

[blsdnsvd]

Most docs, slowing increase so that the patient won't go into hyper mode.

I agree w/utahmomma, it seems as if you had enough time to adjust to the increased dosage and your TSH is still very high. You know your body better than anyone else, including the doctor. It's been over 4weeks since your last labs and being that they were not normal, and you feel bad, you should definitely consult to your doc asap and insist that something is done.

The question is: do you feel as if your endo is listening to you or just brushing you off, because if that is the case, you may want to get a second opinion. Being Hypo is no fun at at all and having someone tell you to "be patient" is no good.  

[utahmomma]

It sounds like you may not be reacting correctly to levothyroxine.  I have a similar problem.  Ask to be changed to a different brand.