Misdiagnosis for 22 years !

[Wljs]

Hi just dropping by to let you all in on the reason many people are treated for an underactive thyroid gland but have little response to treatment. To start i was symptomatic 4 years before the lab values confirmed hypothyroidism. I was prescribed synthroid by a rheumatologist who diagnosed me. My gp for three years tested my tsh and said that unless my tsh was out of wack a full panel was not nessesary ... SO VERY WRONG. So finally with ANA antibodies of 1/100 he sent me to a rheumatologist who did the full panel. So synthroid i took for 22 years still symptommatic ... finally my dt decided to test the two hormones t4 and t3. My t3 was none existant. It is your active form of thyroid replacement. Your metabolism! The conclusion was made that i was missing the conversion factor. I was soon supplemented with synthetic t3 as well as a low dose of t4. My symptoms improved a bit but four years later i decided synthetic is just that man made not natural. I have been on naturethroid for 5 years and have never felt better ...even menopause is a breeze for me. So people be your own advocate for your health ... if your dr. Is not willing to do a full panel for diagnosis then how do you really know how to treat the discrepancy. Also natural replacement has t1 ans t2. Not sure what these hormones do but i am sure the bodies needs them. So basically folks this is my analagy...They flooded my car with gas (t4) but i could not burn (use) it as it was not in its active form ... i had wasted so many years that i could have felt great all because some health givers just dont get it. Conversion of t4 to t3 is very important for optimal health. Always remember you dont put desiel in a gasoline engine for a reason !

[shaws Administrator]

Thanks for your advice and post. Many of us also have found out the truth of taking synthetic levothyroxine and through excellent websites and now this forum the message is spreading. Even T3 added to T4 works wonders for members.

I am gland you are now well and many of our doctors tried to persuade the British Thyroid Association that many patients were suffering due to their insistance on the TSH having to reach a certain level (10 in UK!) These doctors were rewarded by appearing in front of a Panel to explain why they were prescribing NDT or T3 (they always had done so) so one resigned his Licence and the other died through a stroke his patients believe were caused by the strain. The fact now is that doctors are afraid to prescribe anything but levothyroxine.

Once you get onto a thyroid hormone replacement that works for you it is incrediable that it took so long and that doctors are ignorant of the effect of optimum hormones.

[Wljs in reply to shaws]

Yes now i am menopausal and battling all kinds of deficiencies ...b12, vitamin d

[shaws Administrator in reply to Wljs]

Why do doctors not test vitamins/minerals especially when patients are complaining. I think they just shut their ears and aren't doing the very basic tests to eliminate deficiences.