Arthritis and Vitamin D Deficiency - The Connection

[greygoose]

healthyandnaturalworld.com/...

[Clutter]

Thanks for posting, GreyGoose.

[greygoose in reply to Clutter]

You're welcome, Clutter.

[shirleydancer]

Hello grey goose shirley dancer formerly known as hypothyroid granny, didn't know how to find you so done my best. Please now refer to me as hyperthyroid granny. completely off thyroxine, I have been overdosed, the dose was reduced to 12.5 mcg form a starting point of 75mcg. I have stopped taking it as so hyper, asked for my test results left surgery in a complete flap and didn't get them.. Going back in less than 2 weeks to see if things have calmed down. Plus going for an ECG as my heart is going mad. I have contacted an injuries lawyer as I consider this to be gross incompetence and neglect to follow me through properly.

The prescribing dr should have taken cognisance of:

1. Mildy hypo no meds for 30 years, she has my records

2. Petite slim person - visual inspection

3 My age nearly 70 - on my records

4. Mild heart murmur - on my records

She started me on75mcg some endocrinologists recommend no more than 12.5 mcg to start with given all of the above risl factors.

If I am now hyper with risk of thyroid storm and of course death, and if I can sue, I will aT LEAST MY HUSBAND will be able to retire to the carribean and find himself a voluptous healthy wife, instead of a very thin very shaky poorly wife, to compensate him for all the stress of he has had to put up with, which he will richly deserve.

Just getting it off my chest.

What a ............. fill in the gaps, how can doctors be so incompetent

[greygoose in reply to shirleydancer]

Not difficult to find me, just go to the community page (click on the Arrow above that says posts, then click on the Arrow that says community). Then scroll down and click on the 'find members' button, type my name into the search box and there you are!

I'm afraid I don't remember our last conversation, and I can't find it, but looking at the information you've given, I would say, you Don't have a leg to stand on. Sorry, but you Don't.

Your doctor did start you on rather a high dose, that's true, but not excessively so. If an endo suggested starting someone on 12.5 mcg, I would find another endo! That dose is far too low and will make the patient feel worse rather than better.

OK, so the high dose may have made you feel a little uncomfortable, but you were only on it for 3 weeks, from what I can gather. That is hardly going to do any lasting damage.

The second doctor lowered you too far - decreases should only be by 25 mcg - and that would have added to your discomfort, But, you would have got over it, eventually. However, you were then on a dose that was too low for comfort. However, it should have been increased to 50 after six weeks.

But, you've now taken yourself off it??? Well, that sounds a little drastic, and does show a lack of understanding of the way these things work. But, you did it, so you can't blame the doctor.

You said you had 'hyper symptoms', but you Don't say what you mean by that. A lot of hyper symptoms are also hypo symptoms. And I doubt you Don't need thyroid hormone replacement, or your doctor wouldn't have started you on it in the first place. They Don't do that lightly.

Not having had thyroid 'meds' for 30 years, doesn't really come into. And even if you are over 70, you still need thyroid hormone replacement if your gland is failing. Neither does the fact that you are small and slim (Don't understand why you mention that). And I Don't think a mild heart murmer would affect your dosage. Your heart will be worse off now that you're taking nothing.

However, I can't make too many comments on what you need without seeing what you had tested, and what the results were - were you tested for FT3? Antibodies?

I agree that your doctors have been rather negligent, but then, to be honest, most of them are because they know nothing about this disease. But you weren't on anything long enough for any permenant damage to be done. It's hard enough to sue a doctor when he does something drastic like remove the wrong leg, I'm sure none of the powers that be are going to take any notice of a couple of weeks of over-dosing. Even if it had killed you, I doubt there would be any blame apportioned.

I'm sure that's not what you want to hear, but it's the truth. So, why waste your énergies tilting at windmills? Why not use it to start again more sensibly. Get more tests done - and make sure they are the right ones - and remember to get the results. And post them here. And, in the meantime, learn as much as you can so that you can guide your doctors in future.

[shirleydancer]

Thank you seeing the doctor in 2 weeks time will find out more then, after such a bad start will possibly ask to see an endocrinologist, just want to get better and on the right dose, that's all.

[greygoose in reply to shirleydancer]

Of cours you do! So do we all. But you're not going to find the right dose first time.

You should start at 50 - anything lower is going to make you feel worse. Then test six weeks after - it takes that long to 'work'. By then, you will surely need an increase of 25 mcg. And you continue like that until your symptoms are gone and you feel well again. It's a simple enough protocol to follow. But chopping and changing and coming off it and going back on again are not good. You need to be on a dose long enough for you body to aclimatise before you change anything.

If you really have hyper symptoms of 50 mcg, then you need to look at your nutrients - vit D, vit B12, folate, iron and ferritin - because that probably means that they are low and your body cannot use the hormone you are giving it.

Don't forget to get a print-out of the next tests!

[shirleydancer]

My doctor said I was sensitive to thyroxine, a bit of a broad description, will ask him what that means. I know that my ferritin is 74 but again not sure what that means. He said that my symptoms were hyper and that the test results indicated this, I will ask for my results from all 3 recent tests and get results for vit D Vit B12, folate, iron and ferritin. I will ask him to explain the implications of all of these results and write it down, If they have not been tested I will ask that they are tested, and ask him what is action plan is to get me well. Currently waiting for ECG. Thank you for your help

[shirleydancer]

PS I do want the meds to work I have a very active life-style which I love and do not want to give it up because of unwellness. If taking one tablet a day at the right dose fixes it then hurrah and hallelujah.