So a four momths later here is my update:

I had to have my papers in order and get a private insurance and once those done, I made an appointment in a private clinic with a doctor specialist in thyroid. He has been one of the doctors who took part of a big research made in Barcelona years ago on the addition of the T3 hormone to the T4 treatment.

So I went there ready, with my questions and my homeworks done. I was prepared to answer all questions and I had all my previous results. It took not even five minutes and it was done. He send me to the lab for blood testing.

But I did have time to mention it that I wanted to be put on T3 in combination with my actual meds since nothing was working despite the very high number. He agreed with me that both should be given together.

I went back today, got my test results which let me confused on how to read them. The doctor impressed me by right away saying numbers were only an indication and we shouldn't fix too much our attention on it. Symptomes were the key!

I thought he will had the T3 but no, he just switch my meds from Euthyrox to Armour. Will get it in a week and we will see. They don't have it here so we have to order it from Andora.

Not a very talkative doctor but he seems to know what he is doing.

I hope you see some improvement.

All this thread left me rather confused about hyper and hypothyroid.

What I do know is that my brother developed hashimoto's thyroiditis and the doctor did an analysis of his diet - found that he was absolutely overdosing himself on vitamins (with iodine), seafood (he's mostly vegetarian but was eating seafood), and a soy milk product with seaweed extract.

A year after cutting all the iodine sources out of his diet, he was much healthier. He also had undiagnosed coeliac disease (malabsorption problems in the gut).

There is actually a class action underway in Australia after a recall of the soy product with seaweed extract - my brother was drinking up to 2 litres of the fortified soy milk a day, and that was giving him an estimated 400 times the daily dose of iodine.

He still has the underlying health problems (coeliac disease, lifetime of eating a very restricted diet) but 5 years after the appointment with the endocrinologist, and 2 years after truly going gluten-free he's competing in triathlons...

Ah interesting that this topic has been bumped up, as I was diagnosed with thyroiditis just last week. Mine is the kind that causes hyperthyroidism though - they're still testing which form I actually have and what should be done. While other symptoms are not that pleasant, I have to say that it's great to eat as much as I want and still lose weight

Until the meds kick in....

Hope that you and your endocrinologist can pinpoint a regime that gets it undercontrol, Ullainga - and wishing you all the best.

Oh I know, so enjoying a brief window free of calorie counting

Thank you for the good wishes.

So, thanks to all the testing my veins have more holes than OJ Simpson's defense and I can recommend many different medical facilities in Haut-Rhin. And it looks like it has to come out. The thyroid, that is.

Anybody had theirs removed? What is it really like? My doc says that oh it's such a simple surgery, but apparently I need 3 days in hospital and usually 2-4 weeks off work (I'm sure my boss will be happy) - sounds a bit much for a simple procedure? And what was it like after the surgery, took a long time to get the medicine dosage right?

My aunt doesn't have it anymore. I don't know much beside of what I read on Internet.

Some have a very tiny scar which disappear mostly over time. For the meds, I think it isn't much different than one who has a malfunction one. It takes time and some need to change meds until they find the good one.

I am now on natural meds. I started with Armour but because the pharmacy I order it from in Andora didn't have it so they send me Erfa from a canadian company. Apparently they have better results on that one since the reformulation of Armour. I'll tell you how it goes.

Best of luck with the surgery, when do you think it will happen?

So you doctor took you off conventional medicine (Thyroxine) and put you on Armour or equivalent? I would be very interested to hear how you get on with the new meds and good luck.

Yes, my doctor was on a big study who took place here in Barca few years ago. He trully believe Thyroxin itself isn't enough. Since it is only T4. The thyroid produce many hormones including T1-2-3-4 etc. by having only one of them, you don't get what an healthy thyroid would normally produce. Too many doctors assume that your body will transform some of the T4 into T3 but not always possible. So by having your thyroid receiving what he should usually produce makes more sense than receiving only a fraction of it.

I saw a difference since november. Hair stop falling, I have a bit more energy and I sleep like a rock at night.

The problem is to find a doctor who believe in the natural thyroid medication instead to follow what pharmaceutical companies tell them about synthetic ones.

How interesting! You are lucky to have a progressive and understanding doctor and one who is not attached to the large pharmas by an umbilical chord!!!

When I have my regular blood tests they show that the T3 and T4 levels are within range, but that the indication of the presence of the medication is sky high! My doctor always says that this is ok but I am not happy with it. I will try and get hold of one or other of the two natural remedies that you mention above.

We haven't decided yet, in a few mmonths probably. Have to find time in my schedule, but that's why the recovery time lenght is also an issue. I keep reading such conflicting opinions - some say you're as good as new the next day, just no heavy lifting, which is of course quite different from a month off.

I was on euthyrox and I was on 180mg a day which was high, way too high for my size and weight. And still nothing was working anymore. My doc had a blood test done look at the numbers, it showed I was hyper because of the TSH. But physically I was hypo. With all the hypo symptoms. He changed my meds and I began to ask about my numbers. He told me, why do you look at your numbers? Look at your symptoms!

First doctor I meet who doesn't give a damn of the numbers but actually listen the symptoms! I almost felt of my chair.

I think it depends a lot on people. Look for example, I was top shape a week after my c-section when other mothers are having weeks of recovery. By week 5 I was moving to an other country!

A lot Has to do with how YOU recover. Keep in mind that you have to take it out for your health. This has to come first.

I know that it is a delicate balance and that too high a dose of meds can send you the other way!!! Incidentally, your dose is almost twice what mine is so I am not surprised that it had that effect on you.

How refreshing to find a doctor who is prepared to make a reasoned diagnosis based largely on your symptoms and to treat you accordingly

Ullainga, have you had a second opinion?

I, too, was hyperthroid. After 18 months on meds, the endocrinologist advised me to have my thyroid removed. As it happened the surgery couldn't be scheduled for some months - and in that time I moved to another canton and had to therefore see a different endocrinologist. Who said no, I don't need surgery.

Five years on, I've not had the surgery. I'm still struggling with the hypo/hyper swings - but the new endo is still adamant that surgery is not the right choice.

Wishing you all the best.

Don't confuse "simple procedure" with low impact.

Cutting off your leg is relatively simple, but would take months of re-hab.

Good luck with the op.

No, I haven't yet, but I will before I decide. What caused your hyper? My endocrinologist actually recommended treatment first, but the lenght and likelyhood of relapse did not make it sound very appealing option either. Why does your new doctor think it's not the right option, if you are still struggling? PM me please if you don't want to discuss it here.

I had half my thyroid removed 4 years ago,to rule out cancer. In terms of the operation my experience was that I was careful to chose the surgeon very carefully. the thyroid sits very close to the vocal chords and these need to be protected during the operation so chose a surgeon who does allot of these operations. This is not said to cause concern but be aware that all operations have potential risks so chose wisely.
The neck doesn't have many nerve endings so I must say I was in very little post op pain but felt a deep tugging sensation from the internal stitches for about a month afterwards. it wasn't painful just a bit uncomfortable/unusual.
I was in hospital for 4"days and was back at work the following week. on reflection I should have taken a least a full 2 weeks off as the anaesthetic had knocked me for six.
My scar healed really well, I was advised to use a cream with Vitamin E to lessen scaring and I must say its now barely visible, it took about 3 months to settle down as it did look a bit like Frankenstein for a while but not too bad, so this shouldn't shock you as it will heal and it will almost disappear.
If you do have the op, good luck and take it easy as it is a very successful op.

I have no idea what caused the first hyper phase - one day I thought I was having a heart attack, scared me sufficiently to hop over to the walk-in clinic where the doc took one look at my eyes and guessed thyroid. Blood test confirmed it, sent me to an endo.

In retrospect, losing 20kg in a month, inability to tolerate temps over 10 degrees, muscle tremors to the point where I could no longer hold a pen, not to mention the Marty Feldman-esque popping eyes should probably have clued me in - but I'm guessing thyroid brain-buzz was also at work.

Was put on Neo-Mercazole and suddenly everything slooooooooooooooowed down. I felt like I had grown roots - every step was as if fighting against a net of cobwebs, felt like I'd lost a hundred IQ points overnight.

While on drugs I was up and down and all over the place, from hyper to hypo and back again. Couldn't get stabilized no matter how we tinkered with the dosage - which I think is why the endo wanted to do surgery.

Anyway, as mentioned before I moved to another canton during this time, so I had to switch docs. It took a very long time to get an appointment with an endo in my new canton. And lo and behold, by the time I saw the new endo the blood test showed normal values. Go figure. New doc said surgery wasn't necessary, nor was further treatment.

But even if that had not been the case, with two conflicting opinions I likely would have continued with the more conservative long medication approach anyway. At least this way the decision is not irreversible.

I still feel awful all the time - although current symptoms are hypo. Am seeing an Augenarzt due to Graves Orbitopathy, and he has several time suspected a thyroid storm due to increased swelling - but each time I go back to the endo to have the test done the endo says there is no need for treatment. I have no idea what's going on...

But anyway - because the surgery would put you into a hypo-ish state to be managed by meds longterm - and because for me the hypo phase was worse than anything else I'd experienced, I'd get a second opinion before you do anything that is irreversible. Many people seem do quite well on meds, if the various bulletin boards I've read are any gauge. Even if it seems surgery is the way to go, a second opinion would give you peace of mind.

Really hope you can get this solved - and wishing you all the very best.

Change the endo! He seems to stick on numbers while he should stick on symptoms. Change fast!