Upcoming Endo Appointment

I have an appointment with my endocrinologist's nurse practitioner at the end of this week.  I have known my endo for 20 years - since I was 9 years old.  I've known her NP for at least 15.  They may not always agree with my decisions (declining flu vaccinations, for example) but they have always shown me respect regarding my obviously well-thought decisions.

And yet I'm nervous because I haven't been there since December which, as you know, was before I went on NDT through my new MD. 

My endo previously handled all of my thyroid care.  At my appointment in December, I showed her a list of a dozen symptoms that I had jotted down and told her, "We've GOT to do something else!" 

I asked about NDT, T3, more labs.  She very quickly gave me reasons why NDT wasn't a good idea ("I have a problem with putting ground up dead pig thyroid inside of you") and T3 ("Your body doesn't need T3 because it automatically converts T4 into T3"). 

I don't even remember where the conversation went after that and why she didn't order more labs. (Because she wouldn't know what to do with them, probably.) 

I'm nervous because I get to half-fire her - because I don't want her to handle my thyroid care, but I do need her to help with my diabetes care. 

I also have this great opportunity to tell the NP about Stop the Thyroid Madness and Recovering With T3 and how effective it is.  I think that I could make a pretty decent argument in the mere fact that something I am doing with NDT must be right if I have had 77 symptoms dramatically, including chronic long-term depression (despite the fact that I went OFF my Prozac when I started NDT) improve in just a few months.

At the same time, I'm not sure if I want to deal with the stress of the appointment.  What a dilemma.       

Preparing for doctor's appointment

Appointment with the doc 

Monday, March 26, 2012

1.  What I'm taking:

• Natural Dessicated Thyroid - 3 1/2 grains total:
• 8 AM - 2 grains
• 12 PM - 1 grain
• 4 PM - 1/2 grain.
• 8 AM - 2 Adrenal Support capsules

3/12 – started multi-dosing NDT 2x daily
3/16 – started chewing NDT - BIG difference right away
3/19 – started multi-dosing NDT 3x daily - DEFINITELY helped

2.  Does his NDT have cellulose?

Concerns about absorption.  Canada's Thyroid by Erfa. 

3.  Temperatures

Previous showed a variation of 1.01 degrees:

97.5
98.2
98.25
98.51
98.17

Most recent results (Friday 3/23 was 5th day) showed variance of 0.5 degrees:

98.66
98.20
98.16
98.31
98.42

4.  Cortisol results: Need to raise morning and noon.  Need to lower evening and nighttime.

AM 18.2 (ideal = 33.7) LOW
Noon 6.9 (ideal = 14-17.8) LOW
PM 5.4 (ideal = 6) LOW - not bad but could go up a bit
Night 2.3 (ideal = 0.3) HIGH

DHEA noon to PM average is 4.1 - (range being .8-7.5 ng/7.5) GOOD

5.  Adrenal Treatment: I want to take T3

I want to take 5-10 mcg T3, and I will take it 1 1/2-2 hours before getting out of bed, backing it up by a 1/2 hour each week.

I would also monitor each change in dosage with blood pressure readings, pulse, and temperatures. 

This is Dr. Paul Robinson's T3 Circadian Method (T3CM).  Later I might take an adaptogen to help lower the PM and Nighttime levels.

6.  SYMPTOMS:

Gone:

•         morning and daytime fatigue & flu-like achiness

•         hair loss

•         itchy legs and feet

•         easily winded

•         racing heart

•         shaky

•         insomnia

•         difficulty waking up

•         needing caffeine to wake up

•         failure to ovulate

•         scalp ache

•         confusion

•         hyper feeling, jittery

•         fatigue isn’t “extreme” anymore

•         Dry eye

Worse:

•         late afternoon—HIGH cortisol

o       sinking feeling

o       achy

o       fatigued

o       heavy eye lids

•         acne

•         sensitivity to sunlight

•         low appetite

•         anxiety

•         depression

•         fixation
•       

•         angry outbursts - irritability and anger are VERY BAD.  Help!

•         Suicidal ideation

(I've been talking with other patients who have tried the Circadian protocol - and also Dr. Robinson, although I don't tell the doc that - on the STMM Facebook group.  I think this will help my high morning cortisol levels.)