Been reading different posts on here there is something's I didn't no

[Harrop]

Back in jan2017 I got my right thyroid lobe removed as it had a lump and was stating to affect my breathing still have left one. I take levothyroxine 100microgram. Never been told to take any supplements the proper way to take my levothyroxine or even to take any other meds with it. Don't no exactly what is wrong with me why it was removed. I will see my consultant later this yr. so was wondering if anybody could actually advise me on what I should ask him as since been on here there are all different thing I w think I should know. Thanks.

[greygoose]

If you are taking levo, it means you're hypo. But, that's not surprising, given you had one lobe removed. Why you had it removed is another question that you could ask : was the lump cancerous or just a cyst or over-sized nodule? But, in any case, if it was affecting your breathing, it had to be removed whatever it was.

I very much doubt if your specialist would be able to tell you how to take your levo. They don't tend to know things like that. But, you should take it on an empty stomach, with a large glass of water, one hour before eating or drinking anything but water; two hours before other medication or supplements; four hours before calcium, iron, oestrogen or vit D3; six hours before magnesium.

When you go for a test, make sure it is early in the morning, and fast over-night. Leave 24 hours before your last dose of levo and the blood draw. And, always, always ask for a print-out of your results.

Ask him to test your nutrients : vit D, vit B12, folate and ferritin. Because they all need to be optimal for your body to be able to use the hormone you're giving it. However, do not rely on him to know how to interpret the results! They don't do nutrition in med school, and are rarely very good at understand blood tests. Just post them all on here, with ranges, and you will get plenty of help on what to do about it all.

[Harrop]

Thanks. I normally get my bloods done a few days from the nurse at my gps. So the results are at hospital for the consultants when I see him. Are there certain foods etc that I should and should not eat. Thanks again. X

[Hidden]

I would recommend lots of reading on supplements as it seems Hashi's/Hypo so commonly have deficiencies (something like up to 92% of us!) due to malabsorption difficulties. Then with the deficiency we get the cycle of symptoms even though our dose is thought to be sufficient. It is key we have our nutrients at optimal levels so our body is able to convert the T4 in Levo to T3. So without having the critical results of bloodwork revealing what is happening with our ferritin, folate, D3 and B12 - we are only getting part of the picture.

hypothyroidmom.com/10-nutri...

stopthethyroidmadness.com/f...

As for diet many report gluten free is best to reduce inflammation. Worth a try perhaps!

Creat a new post as soon as you have your results OK! X rusty

[Hidden]

After I had one side of thyroid removed, my doctor gave me nothing at all. The "lump" in my case was a benign goitre which was affecting my breathing and had consequently given me several bouts of pneumonia during the previous 6 months or so.

The operation certainly solved the breathing problem, but it took 3-4 months for the remaining thyroid tissue to start working again. I suffered from extreme fatigue and could do nothing much, but it was well worth it. I was then back to normal for the next 15 years with no medication of any sort needed.

It appears to be normal for GPs and Endos to not give you complete information, a practice that is not exactly conducive to having a good doctor/patient relationship.

You need to ask for details of what your condition was; I suspect it was the same as mine, a benign goitre. You also need to ask whether it is appropriate for you to reduce your dose of levo to zero, probably gradually, in order for the tissue you still have to regenerate itself into action, so that you can have some more years of normality. It worked for me so I can't see why it is not possible for you as well.

[Harrop in reply to Hidden]

My consultant won't reduce mine below 100 as he doesn't want my other side doing all the work then eventually it packing in as well. X

[Hidden in reply to Harrop]

I fail to understand that reasoning. If he has prescribed you the levo then the remainder of thyroid may as well not be there anyway. Half of a thyroid is quite capable of supplying your body with sufficient hormones, just as my single remaining kidney is working just as well without its cancerous doppelgänger.

My remaining half worked perfectly adequately for 15 years giving me perfect health for all that time. It was only when I then developed a benign multinodular goitre in 2005 that made my body go completely berserk that I had to have that removed as well Only then did I get levothyroxine which for anybody without a thyroid gland is simply the wrong medicine. If I had been prescribed NDT following that operation my health would most likely have continued adequately.

Anyway, I have given you a few things to talk about to fill up the inadequate time allocated to a standard appointment. Hope you manage to get an answer that will enlighten you what your specific problem is and educate the doc with your newly gained knowledge, info that is unlikely to be featured in any thyroid books he may have read as it comes from true life rather than the fiction he is force fed by the British Thyroid Association.

All the best to you.

[Harrop in reply to Hidden]

Thanks. When I hve bloods done I will get a copy an put it up. X