What's Up, Doc?

Before my Africa trip, I needed to see a doctor to arrange for my anti-malarial drugs.  Plus, even though I've been really vigilant about my OB/GYN-related health my whole adult life, I hadn't been to a family doctor for a good old-fashioned physical since...well, probably since my last well-child check-up. 

I know.  That's bad.  Momma gets so busy managing everyone else's health that she kind of neglects her own. 

Melanie loves her family doctor, so she recommended I visit him.  She promised me he was a straight-shooter, a trait I value in a doctor.  And she praised his sense of humor.  Bonus points!

I should've known what I was in for when one of his first sentences to me was, "So, how long has your neck been big?"

Excuse me, what?

Forget that straight shooter business.  I didn't mean that straight.

It turns out that Doc thought my neck looked swollen.  The more we talked, the more he began to wonder if my thyroid is out of whack.  He scheduled a bunch of blood tests upon my return from Africa, and he told me we'd talk again when I got back. 

So we did, last week, and it turns out my thyroid is out of whack.  Really out of whack.  He told me this is not uncommon in women mid-thirties and later, because pregnancies can be hard on a thyroid.  I reminded Doc that, including miscarriages, I had six pregnancies in eight years. 

"Oh, girl," he said.  "Your poor thyroid is up there wearing sunglasses and popping a cold one." 

I like this guy.

Several of the symptoms of hypothyroidism I've actually had for some time.  I just thought I was getting old.  And I am getting old, but a gunky thyroid hasn't been making it any easier.

Thankfully, the solution is a fairly easy one.  I'll probably have to take synthetic thryoid hormone the rest of my life, but that's no biggie.  I actually am quite hopeful (and not at all unrealistic) that I will take my Magic Pill daily and never again be tired or irritable, and The Extra Thirty Pounds, lo, they will leap off me with great haste.  But before I start the meds, Doc wanted to get a good look at the "before" picture, so today I'm going in for some more tests.  So today (Monday), I'll have a thyroid ultrasound, and I'll also have an uptake scan, where they'll inject radioactive iodine into my veins and take a scan.

Radioactive iodine!  Injected into my veins!  I wonder if I'll be glowing the rest of the day?

Anyway, I'm telling you all this in case any of the rest of you are having symptoms like these, especially if you're in you mid-thirties or older.  Get thee to a doctor, and talk to him about your thyroid.  We mommas need to take care of ourselves too.

By the way, all my other various blood levels were fine and dandy, except my dang triglycerides.  "It's from too much sugar and carbs," Doc explained. 

"Yes," I offered, "but you mentioned my thyroid can cause me to metabolize improperly, so maybe it's that?"   

He peered at me over his glasses.  "Or maybe you're eating too much sugar and carbs."

Oh, I definitely like this guy.

Comments

[Heather @ Loving Our Homeschool]

Oh my goodness, it is too, too strange that you blogged about this right now! I was reading a magazine article about hypothyroidism last week and thought "Hmmmm.....I wonder." I have several of the symptoms and will be calling my dr. to check this out! I hope your Magic Pill works wonders! :o)

[jodi jean]

hehe ... i think if you must go to the dr at least it should be a good experience. i haven't found a good general but i LOVE LOVE LOVE my obgyn (which is all i need since im preggo). but boy he sounds GREAT!!

[Cindy-Still His Girl]

I was just diagnosed two weeks ago myself! I'm hoping for the weight to fall of magically. :) I've been on the synthroid for a week and a half and NOTHING yet. :(

[Darcie]

Yep, been there, done that. I felt terrible for months and kept blaming it on work, stress, quitting smoking etc. Finally went to the doctor and found out I wasn't just fat and lazy. It was actually a relief and now I feel much better and have even lost a few pounds. You don't even realize you feel as bad as you do, until you feel better.

[kelli]

Welcome to the club sister. Synthroid is a wonderful thing ... I went through the whole ultrasound thing as well, and have a blah blah blah adenoma and several 1-2 mm cysts on both thyroids (who knew there was a left and a right one). It's really a piece of cake procedure. Much less exciting than the side effects of the anti-malaria drugs :)

Let us know how it turns out!

[Headless Mom]

Ok, Ok. I'll go to the doc. I've been putting it off but since you insisted...

[Jodi]

I'm hypothyroid as well...been on Synthroid since I was fourteen. My understanding is that synthetic thyroid meds can decrease bone density...might be something to research. At least be sure to take your calcium!

I'm not sure if I've commented here before, I think maybe after a particularly whacked out episode of Lost, but I sure enjoy reading your blog. :)

[Amanda]

Also just started the (generic) synthroid a couple of weeks ago, and am now beginning to see a few of the spare 30 start to come off. I'm not sure if it's just the synthroid, or my reducing sugar and carbs, but either way, I'm pleased. I think the synthroid is influencing a more rapid loss, because now that I'm applying myself, it's coming off quicker than it usually would.

Glad you found a straight-shooting doctor that you like, and glad you're getting yourself all straightened out. Keep us updated!

[Stretch Mark Mama]

Oh, those pregnancies. What I wouldn't give for my 17-year-old body with my 30-something mind. No, that isn't right. I'm still a little too snarky. 87-year-old mind. By then I'll be so laid back and forgetful that I can just live my life in perpetual bliss.

Magic pill, for sure.

[Barbara H.]

He sounds like a great doctor in many ways!

I had to have half my thyroid removed about 18 years ago due to a dime-sized nodule, which thankfully turned out to be benign, and have been on Synthroid ever since. It's amazing such a little pill makes up for it, but, sadly, no, the excess weight didn't melt off as I had hoped (I have that excess sugar and carb thing going on, too).

The iodine uptake was weird, but cool. I saw my thyroid on the screen looking like a neon bow tie.

If I can offer just one tip: many people do wonderfully on the generic form of Synthroid, but some have problems with it. I was having some severe digestive issues and in the process of being tested when the gastroenterologist asked if I had had any changes in medicine, and it hit me I had switched to a new generic around the same time this started happening. He switched me back to the name brand, and everything went back to normal almost immediately. He said many medicines can be switched back and forth between name brand and generic with no problem, but this isn't one of them, and whatever brand you start with you should stay with unless it is giving you problems. I'm hesitant to mention that at this point -- don't want to scare you!! And as I said, many do fine on it. But if things aren't working right when you are on it for a while, be sure and mention it to your dr. right away. I wasted several weeks of misery thinking it was something else -- if that one dr. hadn't mentioned it I would never have made the connection.

Other than that, I've had no problems in the 18 years I have been on it.

[dcrmom]

Welcome to the club! :-) Getting old, ain't it fun? ;-)

['cuz i'm the mommy, that's why]

Maybe that's what's wrong with me. I've got all the symptoms, except maybe the big neck...I'm not sure about that part, it might be a little head issue
Good luck with the treatment, keep us posted.

[HeresTheDiehl]

Barbara is right...take the non-generic!

I've been on Synthroid for 6 years now, and though it hasn't been a magic pill, it has helped. Just know that it takes a good 6 weeks for the meds to build up in your system and even start making a difference, which is frustrating!

[April]

I once thought I had hypothyroidism. Turns out I'm just cranky. ;)

[Jennifer]

I am pretty certain that the iodine thing is the same stuff they gave me (more than once) to check on my kidney stone. That being the case I thought I would forewarn you if you haven't had it before. It makes you feel really warm all of a sudden especially "down there". It will make you get a little concerned that you might have wet your pants. You might think I am losing it about now but others that I have talked to that have had it thought the same thing. So there, consider yourself warned.
I feel as thought I have done my good deed for the day.
Smiles!

[Tammy]

Not to make be jealous about your thyroid problem,I wish now at 48 that my thyroid was a problem.I could blame the weight I gained after 40 on that and the extra tiredness I experience on that also.It really is just nothing according to the doctors!!

Now I do beleive that people should get their thyroid tested at 25 and use that as a base for future testings.Not every body is the same and what may be slow for some is not the same for me is slower then at 25!!

[Lorraine]

I had Wilson's Thyroid Syndrome after the birth of my second. I just got tested for it again, and since my current PCM can't see any problem with my levels, but my symptoms all line up with a thyroid problem she's sending my to an endocrinologist for better testing and what not. So I get to wait until at least the end of April to see if I can get the magic pills this time.

[mary]

another member of the thyroid club here. i have 6 cysts, have had them biopsied. my blood work was also normal although i had symptoms. i went no sugar/flour for 3 months and all of my symptoms disappeared, my cysts shrunk in size. glad to see that you are taking care of you.

[Lisa C.]

Just another comment from the "been there, done that" club. Absolutely do NOT switch brands of thyroid meds, whether from one brand name to another or from a brand name to a generic. They all can be metabolized differently. If you have to switch for some reason you have to go in and repeat your bloodwork. I had to chew out a well-meaning ditz at the pharmacy one time, who "helpfully" filled my Rx with the generic.

Also, if after a while your doctor says your levels are fine but you are still having symptoms, you might want to get a referral to an endocrinologist. General practicioners often just go by the lab standards for deciding when your TSH levels are okay, but more and more specialists have realized that for some people, TSH levels need to be lower than "normal" for the person to feel good.

Oh, and be patient. It sometimes takes a while to figure out what the best dosage is. Here's hoping the pills do you some good!

[Dee/reddirtramblings]

He sounds like a fantastic doctor. Smart and sassy! Happy Easter, Shannon. I'm glad you went.~~Dee

[chris]

I have been on synthroid for five years now. I had a nodule that was diagnosed the same way... the dr saying, "Wow your neck is swollen." I had it biopsied and it was benign. I have Hashimotos, the auto-immune thyroid disorder.

I noticed that my energy level was better once I was taking the synthroid for awhile.

[Staci at Writing and Living]

I have some of the symptoms (especially weight gain), but my levels are perfectly normal, so no, no magic pill for me. *sigh* I guess that's actually a good thing, though.

Glad you're getting it taken care of! Good luck today.

[Randall]

My mom has the exact same thing (since she was in her early 40s) and takes synthroid. Good for you for following through and being proactive on getting this under control.

[Rebecca]

I hope everything goes well today.

[Sheila ~ To Love, Honor and Vacuum]

That's too bad, Shannon! Hopefully now that you are diagnosed, though, you'll feel better.

I avoid doctors, too. I just can't stand those PAP smears. We women have to go through enough when we're pregnant, and then they insist on doing that to us regularly.

The OB/Gyn association now has guidelines that say that if you were a virgin upon marriage and have only ever had one sexual partner you really only need a PAP every three years. My doctor won't believe it, but I take the article in anyway to say "you're not touching me now. It's not time yet".

Hope this guy didn't have to perform that indignity on you, too!

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