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A One-Time Event
Dear Thyroid,
I get it. You are probably what’s making me sick. But if it is you, can you do me a favor and have my numbers actually come back as abnormal? You did it once, which is how this whole thing got started, but all my doctors’ do is look at the numbers and say “actually you’re fine now!” But I’m not! I’m gaining weight, I’m tired all the time, my hair is falling out, and you don’t want to get me started on the state of my swollen ankles.
My new GP at least touched my neck (none of the other doctors did, as you know, dear little butterfly gland) and sent me to a new endocrinologist, who I’ve been waiting months to see. So, little thyroid (or should I say, enlarged thyroid), let’s get you fixed, so I never have to write a letter on the Internet to you again.
With love,
-Adrienne=
Bio: Adrienne is a graphic designer living in Chicago and just trying to get by. My place on the web and twitter @solarpowerspork
Tags: Dear Thyroid, Dear Thyroid Letters, hair falling out, hair loss, normal TSH and symptoms, swollen ankles, thyroid community, thyroid diseases being misdiagnosed, thyroid misdiagnoses, thyroid support, undiagnosed thyroid patients, weight gain
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11 Responses to “A One-Time Event”
Leave a Reply to Linda
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adrienne: i can’t tell you how relieving it is to read your letter. i have truly gone through the ringer with doctor after doctor just telling me that i’m depressed or that i eat too much, etc. then when they finally tested/diagnosed me, it was all about the numbers. shouldn’t the fact that i’m miserable mean anything to you?? make me feel better! don’t make the numbers look prettier!
needless to say, i really appreciated your letter today. it was exactly what i needed.
I know how hard it is to wait for months to get in to see a new doctor. My biggest wish for you is that you have found an Endocrinologist that takes everything in to consideration when coming up with a treatment plan. Don’t let them tell you it is in your head! Good luck!
Hi Adrienne,
Sorry to hear that you are feeling lousy. Maybe the new endo will be worth the wait and will treat you based on your symptoms in conjunction with a full panel of bloodwork. We can hope! Are you going to get your labs done right before your visit so the endo will have something current to work with? I hope you can find the time and energy to be fully prepared and ready to fight the good fight. You might want to check out some of the links here relating to intrepreting labs and what bloodwork is needed to give a better picture of how you are truly feeling. Melissa (a part of the awesome DT Team)wrote a good article yesterday about doctors and building a good relationship, maybe that will help. Thanks for sharing with us and good luck! Hope you feel better soon or better yet, are already there!
Donna
Adrienne,
I feel your frustration. There is nothing worse than having a doctor tell you that your numbers are perfect, yet you know you’re feeling just not right. Add in the exhaustion of having to explain over and over the way you feel and no one will listen. Arrrggg!
Hang in there. Stay persistent. Be kind to yourself.
☮ ♥
Monica
Adrienne, thank you for sharing your frustrations with us. I truly hope that the new endocrinologist will actually hear you. I know the wait must be torture, but we’re here to support you. Please keep us posted!
xoxo,
Joanna
Great letter , I love your attitude.
After all, if your thyroid won’t co-operate to make you feel well, it may as well co-operate to get you treated well!
Thanks x
Great letter, great attitude. Been there, done that, finally being treated! I hope your new doctor takes “everything” into consideration and does not rely totally on numbers to make a decision. Write every problem/symptom that you are experiencing down (even if you don’t think it relates) and be persistent. Be your own advocate!
Hang in there and keep us posted.
Sherree
It took me 15 yrs to get my thyroid problem dx’d. I went to doctor after doctor telling them all I thought I was hypo. They would all do the “end all..be all” TSH test and tell me I was fine. When I finally found a doctor that believed me, my TSH was only 1.2, but he did more extensive testing and put me on meds. Right now I am taking 4 grains of compounded Armour Thyroid and my Free T3 numbers are still a bit low but I am working with a wonderful doctor and I am sure she will tweak my meds to get my numbers in the correct range. Oh and my TSH is now 0.01 but I am in no way hyper.
Hi Adrienne, I asked that question for 4 years. My hair was falling out diffused. I had to cut it shorter and shorter. I was nearly bald in early ’07 and had to wear a wig. My first endo in ’03 I told my hair was shedding and I was tired and my ankles hurt. IMO I diagnosed myself b/c I looked up hair loss and I had more symptoms of hypothyroidism. I asked the endo and he said my tests said I was fine. I moved onto an integrative specialist who eventually saved me IMO and I’m still with. But to him my numbers were fine too. I had EVERY thyroid symptom but one. I had hair loss, weight gain, dry skin, painful ankles, sensitive eyes, ringing in ears, joint pain, excess yawning, swollen throat, short term memory prob’s, brain fog, slept up to 15 hrs a day, panic attacks, depression, poor handwriting, swollen eyes, bottoms of feet hurting, and of course fatigue. I told him all this but for a while he was only treating my adrenals. Finally Feb’ 07 he put me on Armour (most of the symptoms went away, and enough hair grew back to take off my wig). So yes, I diagnosed myself. Yeah.
Adrienne –
Thank you for writing this Dear Thyroid Letter. When you know something is wrong – and, in this case, it’s your thyroid, you just want answers. You want a diagnosis. You want to start some kind of journey back to yourself.
I hope you will keep us posted and that you find a great doctor. Keep fighting for quality care. Don’t give up, kid.
If it’s time to break-up with the existing doc, please let us know, so we can point you in the direction of a new doc.
GET WELL. KEEP ADVOCATING FOR YOURSELF.
xo
DT
Adrienne,
I do hope your Endo looks at the whole you and not just some numbers he sees in front of him, because normal to them is within range be it high or low in that range why do they wait till things progress and you are either Hypo or hyper? I ask myself this all the time.
Good luck, thanks for sharing your letter and hope and trust your appointment goes well but please don’t be surprised if it doesn’t.
Lolly