Hi. I am struggling these days. I had a TT in May of 2017. Since then I have been exhausted and achy. We have changed my medication 4 times and my most recent blood tests are all in normal range. I have been depressed and way more angry this week then normal.
When will I start to get energy back? Is there anything that you did that helped you get back to normal?
I'm not an expert like many on here, but you need to post your full blood test results and ranges for others to comment on.
For what this is worth, it is normal to be put on only T3 (Cytomel) immediately after a TT. That is what they prescribed for me. I was on T3 for about 3 months and I felt great. I remember clearly the Endo telling me that I would soon be put on "the good stuff". She was referring to Levo - it wasn't good stuff and I had to fiddle with the dose for about a year before I felt OK again, if I hadn't had a very tolerant GP I don't think I would ever have got to feel well again. Don't bother with the blood tests, go by what you feel, if you increase your dose (I needed 137mcg Levo eventually) and you feel better, then stick to that dose. Doctors will only go by blood test results - and those are only a guide, not the be all and end all, that is the way you feel.
Oh, and it is very important to educate yourself about the thyroid system. Yes, I know that is the doctor's job but they are woefully ignorant on this subject.
Yes, changing from taking Levo to taking NDT. I had gone from not being able to get off the floor without help and aching all over to walking the dogs every day and doing my Yoga.
The difference is wonderful.
Just to add it's certainly not guaranteed to be put on t3 after a thyroidectomy. Of course you should be if you had thyroid cancer but even then some people aren't. However regardless of what the actual situation is I think all post Thyroidectomy should be offered t3. T3 is the active hormone, levo (t4) has to be converted to t3 in yr body to be able to be used. Yr thyroid used to make both. They say 80% of hypothyroid people cope well on levo only but i reckon that would be a lower percentage for people with no thyroid. You also need to get proper bloods done and post here with the ranges (ft4 ft3 calcium b12 vit d folate ferritin) These things also need to be a good level post TT. Some people also supplement selenium and magnesium so do some research on these too.
Dnt forget a thyroidectomy is classed as a major operation and that in itself will take a while for yr body to get over. They just don't warn you beforehand for some reason. Take it easy and try not to stress. Stress is deff our enemy post tt as it effects yr conversion rates.
It hard to find the right dose for you, everyone is different too. My tt was dec14 and I'm not "there " yet but so much better than I was in the first year. Sites like this are v helpful. X
Hi I forgot to say my TT was Oct 2015 prior to this I was not on any medication, therefore, Levo was completely new to me I was on on it for 6/7 months and was getting worse. I then joined this site. I knew nothing about the thyroid beforehand. I read many questions and answers on this site and decided to change myself to NDT it is the best move I have made.
It takes time and patience to find your right dosage. Your body is having to cope without a thyroid which in itself is difficult enough. I wish you good luck.
The one thing to do is learn about your own condition. First step is to be able to interpret your own blood tests. It's likely that your doctors are doing a botch job. Being 'in range' is not in itself good enough. The ranges are very wide, and most well people are in a much narrower band. Most people on thyroid medication need to have their freeT3 (and probably freeT4 also if on Levo) near the top of the range.
If you've got current blood tests post them as a new thread and members will help you interpret them.
I had my TT in 2013, I was very bad at first, and am slowly getting to the point where I could have a normal life. I am self-medicating with NDT, so there are several things to try if you can't get well on Levo.
Asunnybeachday,
Can you post your recent thyroid results and ranges? 'Normal' ranges are very broad and there may be scope to 'optimise' your dose.
Thank you all for your replys...I haven't been able to get access to my reports yet so I can't post them. Hopefully by Monday I will be able to get them
Asunnybeachday,
Post them in a new post as updates may be overlooked.
It can take several months to get to the right dose before you feel well. May to date is not a long time to be feeling under par.
It took me 8 years to feel normal after my TT. That is the time it took me to realise that I was right and my GP was wrong; levothyroxine was the wrong medicine for me to take and there are alternatives to it that he never told me about. I once had the utmost faith and trust in my GP but not any more and never will.
Started on NDT, brand Thyroid-S and felt much better almost immediately. I never took any T3, except during RAI treatment, and would never transfer back to combined T3/T4 as that would involve taking T4 again, a product that I look upon as being poisonous to me.
During those 8 years I increased the dose and felt better, then reduced it as I again became ill, then increased it again.........never found the correct dose as it was the wrong medicine.
How long does it take levothyroxine to start working?
Hyperthroidism Symptoms and how long does it take to go away?
NDT - Here goes.....how long did it take you before you felt better?
How long has it take RAI to work for you?
Fluid retention - how long did it take for it to go?
