Aa
I'm tired of being made to feel like I'm crazy
So I went to the new thyroid doctor today and felt totally and completely blown off and unvalidated. :(
Quick background: 12 lb gain in 2 weeks, total 20. Exhausted, cold extremities, brain fog, achy..on and on. I'm trying to train for a marathon (my 4th), so I'm not uneducated when it comes to nutrition and exercise.
She pretty much said my blood work from September (TSH) was "normal" (all of my lab work is on low range of normal, including below normal for vitamin B and D) and blew off the rest of my symptoms as far as I'm concerned and started talking about calories out versus calories in. DUH! She also mentioned that I should document my food intake and make sure I'm really running 12-15 miles a week like I said I was (because a GPS watch that tracks my running couldn't possible be right). She also suggested my body is changing as I'm in my 40's and that I could just be stressed because of my dad passing away. I flat out told her I was raised by an alcoholic mother who on occasion beat me, I have never not known stress. Yes, I miss my dad and am grieving, but we also knew he was dying (not to sound cold) and had our time together and chance to say our goodbyes...and this all started before that. I take Aderral for ADD and it's a stimulant. It helps with the brain fog, but if I don't take it, I am so exhausted I can barely get out of bed. A medicine that helped me get more focused is now the only thing that makes me feel "normal" energy wise. I told her I had a big issue with that. She pretty much brushed it off. I'm tired of my fingers getting cold and numb as soon as it gets chilly, tired of being tired, of not having any sex drive at all (sorry for the TMI)....
She ordered some blood work (CMP..no idea what that is, Cortisol in the morning, and ACTH...no idea what that is, LH and Estadiol). When I asked her about testing my free T3 and free T4 she said there was no need to because my TSH looked fine and she really isn't concerned about my thyroid.
I almost walked out in tears. I don't feel like myself. I'm not even sure if I want to bother with the blood work and go back to see her. Am I being unreasonable?
Quick background: 12 lb gain in 2 weeks, total 20. Exhausted, cold extremities, brain fog, achy..on and on. I'm trying to train for a marathon (my 4th), so I'm not uneducated when it comes to nutrition and exercise.
She pretty much said my blood work from September (TSH) was "normal" (all of my lab work is on low range of normal, including below normal for vitamin B and D) and blew off the rest of my symptoms as far as I'm concerned and started talking about calories out versus calories in. DUH! She also mentioned that I should document my food intake and make sure I'm really running 12-15 miles a week like I said I was (because a GPS watch that tracks my running couldn't possible be right). She also suggested my body is changing as I'm in my 40's and that I could just be stressed because of my dad passing away. I flat out told her I was raised by an alcoholic mother who on occasion beat me, I have never not known stress. Yes, I miss my dad and am grieving, but we also knew he was dying (not to sound cold) and had our time together and chance to say our goodbyes...and this all started before that. I take Aderral for ADD and it's a stimulant. It helps with the brain fog, but if I don't take it, I am so exhausted I can barely get out of bed. A medicine that helped me get more focused is now the only thing that makes me feel "normal" energy wise. I told her I had a big issue with that. She pretty much brushed it off. I'm tired of my fingers getting cold and numb as soon as it gets chilly, tired of being tired, of not having any sex drive at all (sorry for the TMI)....
She ordered some blood work (CMP..no idea what that is, Cortisol in the morning, and ACTH...no idea what that is, LH and Estadiol). When I asked her about testing my free T3 and free T4 she said there was no need to because my TSH looked fine and she really isn't concerned about my thyroid.
I almost walked out in tears. I don't feel like myself. I'm not even sure if I want to bother with the blood work and go back to see her. Am I being unreasonable?
OMG!!!!!! I hated it the day my Doctor said "youre getting older". The only difference in your statement and me is I dont run or train for marathons, but I go to the gym 5x a week. Im talking excessive workouts, weights, cardio, kick boxing, yoga and pilates. Watch my calorie intake, still weight gain. One day I went in with a list and didnt let the Doctor up until I was finished, I told him I knew my body better than anyone and something was wrong. Finally, I convienced him to send me to an Endo. I was lucky, the first one was a charm. She was great, then I moved to Oklahoma and its starting all over. Im am so sick of Doctors going by the book (so to say) instead of the patients symptoms. Ive been lucky, the Doctor I found is now treating me by my symptoms, not the issue is to find an Endo. Ive already fired the last one. She too didnt want to go by anything but the TSH. I asked her how to they come up with the "range". She state, " they take 1000 individuals in my area, test them and set the ranges''. She said that was why the figures were different from my lab work done in California. I was pissed (excuse my language). I told her that I couldnt believe she was diagnosing me based on others. That she didnt see me as an idividual with my own symptoms and maybe, just maybe, my feel good range was different then those 1000 individual. She says, "I will not increase youre meds because of your TSH levels, why dont you call your Endo in California and see if she'll do it". Again, Im pissed. I said, "Youre fired, give me my medical records, now''. She was stuned. Needless to say, I got my records and walked out. Endos like that are the reason we are still undiagnosed. Anyways, I suggest you keep looking, you will find one. Dont put up with it, you dont need additional stress. And I hate when you tell them youre depressed the immediately prescribe an antidepressant, I refused.
I saw a special Endo in Sacramento. We really bumped heads and when I asked if he really had helped any people with Thyroid problems, he replied
"There are a lot worst off people then you!"
Needless to say that was the last time I saw him! Back to my GP who listened and give me the tests I wanted....that Dr. is young and female...not sure if that has anything to do with it...but do not give in to Doctors that will not let you have a say and tests, etc with your own health issues!!! That goes for any Dis-ease.....TS,ADD, or Cancer.
Mia
"There are a lot worst off people then you!"
Needless to say that was the last time I saw him! Back to my GP who listened and give me the tests I wanted....that Dr. is young and female...not sure if that has anything to do with it...but do not give in to Doctors that will not let you have a say and tests, etc with your own health issues!!! That goes for any Dis-ease.....TS,ADD, or Cancer.
Mia
This same story is repeated over, and over, and over again, and again.
How long is the medical industry going to keep this up. It is pure out and out negligence. There is AMPLE scientific study's concluding that TSH is crap and that the ranges are NOT reflective of proper metabolic levels.
It means nothing if most people fall into some arbitrary range when the vast majority of them are all medically sick.
If you looked at people and made a reference range of people's legs. And only threw out people who ONLY had one leg. Does that mean that the other 95% of the population had "normal" legs? So that if you had broken legs where your bones were sticking out of your leg the Dr. would look at you and tell you that you must be crazy. You have two legs and that falls into the "normal" range. It must be all in your head!
That is an analogy of what is happening in the Thyroid world. PURE negligence in this day and age!
It is an outrage and should NOT be tolerated. yet this has been going on for year, decades even. It is total madness!
How long is the medical industry going to keep this up. It is pure out and out negligence. There is AMPLE scientific study's concluding that TSH is crap and that the ranges are NOT reflective of proper metabolic levels.
It means nothing if most people fall into some arbitrary range when the vast majority of them are all medically sick.
If you looked at people and made a reference range of people's legs. And only threw out people who ONLY had one leg. Does that mean that the other 95% of the population had "normal" legs? So that if you had broken legs where your bones were sticking out of your leg the Dr. would look at you and tell you that you must be crazy. You have two legs and that falls into the "normal" range. It must be all in your head!
That is an analogy of what is happening in the Thyroid world. PURE negligence in this day and age!
It is an outrage and should NOT be tolerated. yet this has been going on for year, decades even. It is total madness!
COMMUNITY LEADER
You are right, this is an outrage and something needs to be done, but as long as the medical community has the attitude they have, nothing is going to change.. All we can do is keep trying different doctors until we find one who is receptive to the way things are - they seem to be few and far between.
If you have an idea on how to change the medical community's way of thinking, please send me a PM, so we can get working on it.....
If you have an idea on how to change the medical community's way of thinking, please send me a PM, so we can get working on it.....
The more I learn, the more outraged I get. I can't believe doctors are so arrogant that they keep their patients sick. It's just make's me crazy!
We need to get a petition going or write Dr Oz!
We need to get a petition going or write Dr Oz!
I think patients need to start suing Dr's for malpractice.
It is the lawyers they are afraid of that keep them to sticking to the lab numbers and not clinical results. So if patients can sue Dr's for loss of productivity etc because they totally messed them up by them being Immaculate TSH believers, or reference range endocrinology believers. Maybe when word gets out they will start to take notice of all the things that we "laymen" know here.
If we on this site can figure this stuff out, why the hell can't they?
All it would take is changing the reference ranges low end upward to what is now the middle of the range for FT4 and the upper 1/3 of the range for FT3. Or somewhere much closer than where they are now. Once this is done it would be DRAMATIC the changes that would flow from those 2 simple changes.
Barb you are right. All of us complaining about this here does absolutely no good. So there has to be some sort of board or agency or something that we can petition etc with research some folks have collected or bookmarked etc and try to get something done.
This is ridiculous.
It is the lawyers they are afraid of that keep them to sticking to the lab numbers and not clinical results. So if patients can sue Dr's for loss of productivity etc because they totally messed them up by them being Immaculate TSH believers, or reference range endocrinology believers. Maybe when word gets out they will start to take notice of all the things that we "laymen" know here.
If we on this site can figure this stuff out, why the hell can't they?
All it would take is changing the reference ranges low end upward to what is now the middle of the range for FT4 and the upper 1/3 of the range for FT3. Or somewhere much closer than where they are now. Once this is done it would be DRAMATIC the changes that would flow from those 2 simple changes.
Barb you are right. All of us complaining about this here does absolutely no good. So there has to be some sort of board or agency or something that we can petition etc with research some folks have collected or bookmarked etc and try to get something done.
This is ridiculous.
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