Purpose of thyroid medication when blood work is normal

[sharon_lee]

I have a goiter, 1"x1"x 2" and a 2 centimeter nodule, it was tested negative for cancer or any inflamation, or disease.
I'm confused about why I started on 100MCG Levithroxin (sp) it took my counts to double normal, now I am on 88MCG...I'm wanting to know what the goal is in this up and down...I get so ill with each change for about 5 days.
Are we trying to take the level high, then low, then level, or what is the purpose?
My Dr. will not tell me anything, he just writes a prescription, and if I ask a question I get yelled at, I don't know anything about this, except what I have read on the Internet.
I'm also being treated for PTSD with Clonipin, and Xanax and Hyomax for Irritable bowel. Sharon

[laura1967]

Most of your symptoms should subside "when" you reach optimum levels. The correct labs that should be run are TSH, Free T4 and Free T3. Any of the other tests such as Totals, etc are outdated and not longer used. The other very important thyroid tests that should be done to see if you have autoimmune disease is for Graves and Hashimoto's autoimmune thyroid disease.
In the case of a goiter, your thyroid can actually squeeze out some extra hormone here and there and can make you feel aweful as well.
Apparently your thyroid is fluctuating from the goiter.
When mine swells I like to put ice packs on it and it really helps.  :)

[sharon_lee]

My Dr. didn't state hypo or hyper until I asked last week, which one am I? He said, definately low! I've experienced the side affects that you mentnioned, especially fatigue, and exhaustion, the past week headaches, and anxiety....I had a hysterectomy at age 27 so don't have that, now I have severe vaginal atrophy. I was treating with estrogen and Progestrone, and they stopped it, for now, until I am more level. Some of my symptoms seem to be more on the hyper side, ie. I've lost 23 lbs., of course I attributed that to the death of my granddaughter...I must be in the hypo stage now, with my count where they are, maybe not...this is all so new to me, and I have a Dr. that won't tell me anything. I have to asked and his answers are curt as he goes out the door. My daughter just suggested that I make an appointment before the one month, and talk to him about the numbers on the kidney part of my blood work...The nurse I spoke with at lenght today, was awesome, and said, that I should have a full kidney, liver and thyroid work up, and definitely a urinalisis.  Yes, I did have an ultrasound, and a 2 day thyroid uptake scan, then a fine needle biopsy. Thank you, for you note..this is all so new to me...

[blsdnsvd]

I am beginner as well...LOL...and please except my deepest sympathy in regards to your granddaughter....

You may becoming hypo due to the dosage of the synthoid...if it's too low, you will experience those symptoms. It's like a waiting game, Do you have the results of your fna biopsy??? Were there any abnormal cells at all??? Sorry for all of the questions,

[sharon_lee]

Welcome aboard, I came across this site purely by accident, or God incident, as I call them. Thank you, for your sympathies for Mandy...she was my only grandchild.

So I have kind of learned today, that I will yo yo for awhile until they get these counts back to normal range. No, I do not have the results of my fna biopsy paperwork in front of me, only what the Dr. said, He said, there were no signs of cancer, disease or inflamation. These biopsies were all taken from the nodule...they had talked about aspirating the goiter, and in a way I kind of wished they had, but have heard that whent hey do that, they sometimes come back. I was too high, and the dosage they just gave me Friday, is lower, so I will start going the other direction. The nurse said, I will go up and down for awhile, until they can get it stabalized...By the way, I am planning to go to the Dr. office and get copies of all three lab test  done at the hospital..

[blsdnsvd]

I have learned to get copies of all of my medical reports including: bloodwork, lab work , sono's, scans, fna's...everything...in the event that you have to look back or even give a copy to another doc..because they do ask for recent work that was performed... Also, be sure to keep check on the goiter and you can also go for a second opinion if your doc seems to laxed...Be Blessed!

[sharon_lee]

Hi...Gosh, I don't like this disease. I can only pray that the new  Dr. will give me more information and listen to me and ans. my question..I'm tired of this walk in the door, how are you today, to which I generally answer, I sure would not be here in your office if I felt good and had no medical problems he listens to my heart, sometimes, usese his little hammer to check my reflexes, does the range of motion stuff, writes a prescription, and out the door he goes. ...Today I have pins and needles in my arms legs and body...feel exhausted...I'll quit with the gripping, and say what I started to say....yesterday, I finally was able to pick up all of my lab work! Yeah...from now on, I will ask them to mail it to me, or go back and pick it up.
Also..great news for my family...yesterday the city called and they are going to put up two sign on the curvy, narrow, winding road where my granddaugher was killed, Sept. 18, 2006...Beneath the signs will be a rider,
      In memory of
Mandy Renee Cochran
         1988-2006.

We are going to push it further, and the city thought it a great idea, to see if the high school will be willing to use this road in their drivers education classes, and stop at the site of her death, and talk about what was going on, that too her life. The signs go up next week, and they will call us ahead of the instillation. What a glorious day that will be, for us!

Now that I have won that battle, I start the fight for my health. You see since she died, the Dr.'s have all blamed my symptoms on grief.....I knew there was more and I knew that it was physical. Every time the Dr. would squeeze my shoulders checking for tightness in the muscles from the whiplash and fibromyalgia, I would tell him, I feel a chocking sensation when you do that...he said, oh it is just tight muscles.

Thank you, all for your encouragement, and positive words, and for those who feel like they want to quit, I have been there many times..so much so that my therapist calls me daily, yes, 7 days a week.
Together we can do this! Alone is almost too much to deal with, thank God for whoever started this site...and another one I have found that I am learning from...
Blessing,
Sharon