Long time no see! How are u guys doing? Ever since I started on Erfa I started feeling better still not 100% better better than death warmed over .....
So the reason I am asking this question is.... I will be utilizing my insurance to it's FULLEST this year (literally) I will be having surgery for my endometriosis on the 18th, I already had another ultrasound of my thyroid (my goiter has grown since last year) and I'm going on a search in the morning for a neurologist for my headaches..... My GP has a "try this and wait and see aproach" and I'm just not digging it anymore so I'm just gonna bypass her and go straight to a professional!! LOL I want an MRI done because I'm almost positive the problem lies in my neck/base if my skull.. Anyways, I got off track here. I don't have my copy of the ultrasound report yet, BUT I was told it is larger than last years ultrasound report and beings I have hashi's I was just thinking about suggesting removing it. It doesn't work anyways, my body is making anti-bodys and attacking it so why keep it around?
What do u guys think>? am I nuts? is this logical thinking? or foolish? I just don't want to be told next year or in 5 years for that matter "Jen we are gonna have to do a thyroidectomy" and I will say well we could have done it back in 2011 when I was doing everything else! LOL and it would have cost me sooooo much! LOL
I don't really understand your post. Are you trying to get your thyroid out for no reason or do you have nodules?
Every surgery has danger and risks---as does thyroid surgery. If you have nodules or a large goiter that makes you uncomfortable, then it makes sense to consider surgery with the advice of a surgeon. If you have a goiter that is large and obstructive, a surgeon may agree with you.
I don't know if there are studies or statistics on removing the thyroid in terms of reducing antibodies for hashis (maybe graves?), or as a prevention....you would have to talk to doctors and research that.
I wouldn't take risks --- and neither would a good surgeon, unless there's a medical reason, and removing the thyroid will only make you feel better if it's obstructive.
Last edited by Reece; 03-08-2011 at 04:32 AM.
The Following User Says Thank You to Reece For This Useful Post: luvmy2girls (03-09-2011)
Don't rush into surgery that, like all surgeries, has the potential for death or even worse, a vegetative state. It's true that I'm a "glass half empty" sort, but I've known too many people who were made worse by certain medical procedures to be cavalier about any of it. And most especially.... Don't rush into it just for economic reasons!
If you aren't feeling 100% better, your levels aren't optimal. If they were, as cd says, that goiter should be shrinking or at least getting no bigger.
My vote is nay.
The Following User Says Thank You to midwest1 For This Useful Post: luvmy2girls (03-09-2011)
Thanks for your replies guys! It basically sounds to me that its "too risky" to get it removed without probable cause..
CD I don't have my copy of that us report yet so I can't tell u how much it has grown since last year. I don't have any nodule just a plain ole goiter......... as far as labs go these were done Dec 28 2010
TSH 0.18 (0.45-5.4)
FT4 1.1 (0.54-1.8)
FT3 399 (230-420)
I was taking 90mg Erfa and she decreased me based on my tsh to 60mg. I almost immediately felt the difference in a not so great kinda way so i called and told them I wasn't happy that they decreased my meds without even talking to me or even asking how I felt. So they agreed to meet me in the middle with 75 which has been doing pretty good.. anyways just had a tsh and ft4 done 3-3-11 and the tsh is 0.28 and ft4 0.80 and she is okay right now with leaving me on this dose if I feel okay..
So my main reason for asking about suggesting to getting the thyroid removed was for economical reasons. I will meet and exceed my maximum out of pocket so everything will be covered at 100% and I want to utilized my insurance to its fullest this year.
I was just wondering with the goiter still growing and with my the hashi's if in the future its gonna have to be removed? and if it is ever then why not do it now kinda thing.
It's quite obvious to me why your goiter is growing - your FreeT4 was on the low side when your dose was reduced. Now, I do know that natural thyroid can have this effect on FT4 since the proportions of porcine T4/T3 are different than human production.
Some people fare well with this.....some don't. Those that don't will add some levothyroxine.
Your FT4 has dropped even lower since the dose reduction.
Most people taking any type of T3 (either in the form of Cytomel or natural thyroid) very rarely have measurable TSH.
The mechanisms of this were explained very well by another member here:
Surgery is completely your decision. However, if your doctor continues to dose you based upon TSH, you can expect to be miserable after surgery because you will be undermedicated.
Very often, people wind up with NO TSH to speak of post-surgery....think about it, 1/3 of the HPT (hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroidal) feedback loop would no longer be there.
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Dx'd Graves' June 2007..used ATD's, achieved remission Nov '09....went hypo Mar '10
Last edited by cd37; 03-09-2011 at 06:04 AM.
Reason: typos
The Following User Says Thank You to cd37 For This Useful Post: luvmy2girls (03-10-2011)
You know, it's almost medical malpractice that your FreeT3 wasn't checked after the dose adjustment...you are taking a med that contains T3.....knowing that level is vital for proper treatment.
Your FreeT3 was in a good place on the higher dose - I wonder how much it might have dropped after the dose reduction.
I tend to "feel" my levels AFTER I've hit them (if they moved)....I think this is due to the body having to "re-set" itself as it adapts to the change in thyroid hormone levels....another case in point for proper maintenance of THYROID hormone levels (vs. PITUITARY hormone level - TSH)
__________________
Dx'd Graves' June 2007..used ATD's, achieved remission Nov '09....went hypo Mar '10
Last edited by cd37; 03-09-2011 at 10:53 AM.
Reason: typos
The Following User Says Thank You to cd37 For This Useful Post: luvmy2girls (03-10-2011)
Thanks for your responses CD I truly appreciate them!
So do u think I should I ask for her to give me some T4? Do u think that will help? Help with the goiter? help with the how I feel? I need to tell u that I am still Vit D deficient and just received a subligual spray that I will start using in hopes to bring my numbers back up. I know midwest said that when that level gets back to where it needs to be my body may better utilize the thyroid meds. I dunno. I do like my doc. She and i don't agree on things and thats fine with me... However, she is willing to try things my way after I have tried them her way and they have failed... So thats a good quality of her I think.. I was surprised that she didn't want to lower my dose again based on the tsh being low! LOL and i actually think that if I talk to her I might be able to get her to let me take 90mgs again.
Do your eyes hurt? Sorry, I've never read any of your other posts, but I think I have a thyroid problem. You can read my post on it for all my symptoms, which no one has seemed to reply back to. Well, I get these poping noises behind my skull, eyes and sinuses (behind nose). My eyes have constant pressure and a burning sensation. It's hard to focus on things, making watching TV almost impossible. Because I have to constantly move my eyes to adjust to the picture. It's not so bad on the computer. My eyes feel like they're being pulled back into my head. They're VERY sensitive to light. It's not so bad all the time, but sun light can NEVER be looked at. Even on a cloudy day, looking outside a window makes it feel like I'm being stabbed in the eye. Can't really describe it. Also seeing lots and lots of floaters. Please let me know if this is a symptom of a thyroid problem. Thanks.
Thanks for your responses CD I truly appreciate them!
So do u think I should I ask for her to give me some T4? Do u think that will help? Help with the goiter? help with the how I feel? I need to tell u that I am still Vit D deficient and just received a subligual spray that I will start using in hopes to bring my numbers back up. I know midwest said that when that level gets back to where it needs to be my body may better utilize the thyroid meds. I dunno. I do like my doc. She and i don't agree on things and thats fine with me... However, she is willing to try things my way after I have tried them her way and they have failed... So thats a good quality of her I think.. I was surprised that she didn't want to lower my dose again based on the tsh being low! LOL and i actually think that if I talk to her I might be able to get her to let me take 90mgs again.
thanks again
I think you should do whatever it takes to feel better again. Now, if the 90mg of natural thyroid left you feeling awesome and without symptoms, I'd ask to go back to that dose.
If things still weren't optimal, then I'd be inclined to work on getting your FreeT4 and FreeT3 levels to the "most commonly comfortable" places....towards the high end of the range.
Too bad you can't get your doctor to ignore TSH, as it should be....and definitely please work on her to run FreeT3 every time....very easy logic there - you're taking a T4/T3 product so should be monitoring both levels.
__________________
Dx'd Graves' June 2007..used ATD's, achieved remission Nov '09....went hypo Mar '10
The Following User Says Thank You to cd37 For This Useful Post: luvmy2girls (03-10-2011)
Should I suggest getting my thyroid removed? 
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