At the advice of this board and the urging of my husband, I decided to find a new doctor. I live in a very, VERY small town where my new X-doctor is the only practicing physician. I have to go to a large town about 40 miles from here that is LOADED in doctors of all kinds....except for endo of course. Help! How do I narrow it down to a doctor who will be willing to help me when I know nothing about any of them! I'd like all the advice I can get!
Well, for starters, you can see if there is a support group in your state or region. Locals from your area would be better able to fill you in on how docs are in nearby towns.
You do NOT have to go to an endo to get competent care for your thyroid condition. In fact, in many places, (the Dallas/Fort Worth area for example) There isn't an endocrinologist that I have heard consistently good things about. MANY people find better care with a DO, Naturopath, MD, PA, or NP rather than an endocrinologist. I, personally, have been seeing a PA for my thyroid care, since I was diagnosed.
You can talk to lacal pharmacists and ask if they can twll you which local doctors prescribe Armour. Even if you don't want to go on Armour (it ISN'T right for everyone) knowing which docs prescribe Armour will tell you which docs are likely to be open-minded enough to treat you well.
The Armour Thyroid website can also be a good source for doctors
__________________
Danny
I am not a doctor, nor have I ever played one on TV...
Thank you for the advice! I do have a question though...What is Armour Thyroid and how is it different from Synthroid and others? I guess what I want to know is When I find a doctor, if he wants to start me on HYPO meds, I don't want to be as unaware of the meds as I was the link between all my symptoms when I first went to see my now X-doctor a couple of months ago. BTW, how quickly does TSH levels change? Mine was 5.59 a couple of months ago, but I seem to be feeling worse now than I did then. When I find a new doc, should I have new tests done and/or bring in a copy of my old results? I am NEW to this. I need all the help I can get!!
Armour thyroid is natural while Synthroid is synthetic. Armour is thyroid extract which contains all the good stuff your thyroid once made (T4, T3, the other thyronines & calcitonin), while Synthroid is just T4.
How fast TSH changes, depends on you and your particular body chemistry. TSH reflects your pituitary function, and not your thyroid function, so it really depends on how healthy your pituitary gland is.
Gotta find a Dr.-how? 
