Who am I, and What am I Doing Here?

I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis after being sick for more than six years, and seeing four different doctors. I was one of those thyroid patients who had normal numbers, which meant that doctors ignored my symptoms.

It wasn't until I got a doctor to listen to me, and test me for the thyroid antibodies, that I finally got a diagnosis. Unfortunately, I soon learned that getting a diagnosis was just part of the battle; because the doctor who was so great at diagnosis, totally dropped the ball at treatment.

The "Gold Standard" for thyroid treatment is synthetic T4 (usually levothyroxine) and they use the TSH, Free T3, and Free T4 tests to gauge blood levels. Doctors also base their dosing on the TSH test, and as long as your TSH stays in the normal range doctors think you're good to go.

But I, and thousands of other thyroid patients, know that to be false. Many of us were "normal," and sick, long before diagnosis. We have also taken the ineffective, low-ball T4 doses only to remain sick.

In my case, I didn't stop being sick until I started taking natural desiccated thyroid at large enough doses to relieve my symptoms. Unfortunately, my doctor wasn't too happy about that because my TSH went from "normal" to suppressed. It didn't matter that I felt human for the first time in years. It didn't matter that almost all of my symptoms were gone. All that mattered was the TSH.

I knew I had to take matters into my own hands when my doctor looked me in the eye and said: "None of my patients feel good with normal levels."

But finding a doctor that doesn't live and die by the TSH number, and expect us to do the same, is very difficult. Most of them are trained to rely only on labs, I believe that others do so simply because it's easier and more cost-effective for them, regardless of how it actually affects the patient.

As a result, many of us are left to find our own treatment. We use OTC desiccated thyroid when we can't get prescriptions. We monitor our basal temperatures, we order our own labs, we take supplements for our adrenal fatigue, and we share information with others.

The reason I'm here is to share the information I have, and give people a forum to share theirs. I want people to know what works for me. I want people to hear about my good experiences with medical professionals. I also want them to hear the bad, because it's all important.