Posted by Minnie-Haha on March 18, 2004, at 18:15:52
I was referred to an endocrinologist last fall after I got really sick with the primary symtoms of severe nausea, depression, anxiety insomnia (I would go to sleep OK, but wake up in the middle of the night) and chills. This came upon me very suddenly and was different than anything I'd ever experienced before. (I have had a Bipolar Type 2 diagnosis for about 5 years.) The illness persisted for almost two months and I lost about 15-20 pounds in the first month.
My symptoms lessened after I started on a low dose of Ativan (anti-anxiety drug), but I still wasn't feeling well.Upon physical examination, the endocrinologist ordered an ultrsound on my thyroid. This was done in Dec. and confirmed the presence of
nodules. He then ordered a thyroid uptake and scan. That was done in Feb. The imaging report said under IMPRESSION: "Inhomogeneous
activity with focal areas of increased activity possibly corresponding to the nodules of active nodules without toxic condition of hyperthyroidism."The endocrinologist then ordered bloodwork: a Comprehensive Metabolic Panel, a Lipid Panel, and some thyroid tests. The results showed high cholesterol (no surprise, cause that's been going on for a couple of years), but all else in the normal/reference range. (T3 Uptake 30.8; T4, Serum 8.2; TSH 1.02; T3 Total 125)
I saw the doctor yesterday and he prescribed 0.05 mg Thyroxine (T4). He says he is not doing it for my symptoms so much as to see if the nodules will shrink. He says it may also help me to lose weight and lower my cholesterol. (I had become obese 2-3 years ago after taking Depakote for my Bipolar disorder. The 20 pounds I lost while sick helped, but I am still overweight.)
I am reading The Thyroid Solution. The author, Dr. Ridha Arem, suggests taking T3 with T4. So my question for the group is: Is there anything about my doctor's actions (prescribing T4/Thyroxine alone) so far that seem out of
step with modern thyroid therapy? I have really mixed feelings about whether this is the right way to go. I worry it could increase my anxiety, which I only recently got under control. (I am also now back on a mood stabilizer, but not Depakote -- I am taking Trileptal.)Any words of reassurance -- or of warning -- would be greatly appreciated.
poster:Minnie-Haha
thread:325810
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/20040313/msgs/325810.html