Myxedema - before and after photos over the years

[shaws]

This is the link:

tinyurl.com/ycn9aqbw

[Mtym]

Interesting, the moon face and baggy eyes of hypothyroidism seem to be very obvious on the before pictures. On NDT my moon face disappeared but left the baggy eyes sadly!

[shaws Administrator in reply to Mtym]

The most important question is how you 'feel' on your dose of NDT?

[Mtym in reply to shaws]

I feel 'back to optimum health' as Dr Skinner put it after 16 years post total thyroidectomy. This is not stopping NHS England putting me through hoops to take away my NDT and T3 on 'clinical' grounds.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Mtym]

How scary is that "to take away thyroid hormones that enabled you to recover your health". It's like being a prison sentence when you didn't commit an Act that deserved it.

I think you should write to Lord Hunt and say you're well on your doses of hormones but you're threatened it is going to be removed and it's causing you immense worry that once again you'll be ill.. You can also state how you felt on your original dose - I assume it was levo .

thyroiduk.org.uk/index.html

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/campai...

[Mtym in reply to shaws]

Hi, Thank you for your help. I was on thyroxine immediately after my thyroidectomy and tried it twice more over the 16 years with the same result that it exacerbated my inflammatory bowel disease. I have contacted my local MP but Lord Hunt is a good suggestion. The sword hanging over me is not helping my well-being.

[shaws Administrator in reply to Mtym]

It causes far more stress which we can well do without when we've to fight for 'life-giving' hormones. When hypo we should at least be able to try alternatives if levo doesn't do the trick. We have enough to do throughout our lives if healthy and all goes smoothly, without being denied options if levo doesn't work for us.

[Mtym in reply to shaws]

Just checked on the Health secretary and since July it has been Matt Hancock who apparently claims he wants to focus on the big issues and not get drawn down rabbit holes. I suspect thyroid treatment will be seen as a rabbit hole but I can try!

[spongecat]

I saw a photo of me taken in 2014 when something was very wrong and then undiagnosed and my puffy face and body reminded me of Mr Stay Puft the Marshmallow Man in the film Ghostbusters

[shaws Administrator in reply to spongecat]

I think it is awful that doctors no longer take account of clinical symptoms. They seem to be trained that only when a TSH reaches 10 are we to be diagnosed. That may take years as many doctors seem to believe that if it is somewhere between 1 and 10 we are not hypo, they fail to know or recognise that if TSH above 3 along with clinical symptoms we should be prescribed.