Where to for help?

Hi

I have had my thyroid removed in the last year and as I live in Scotland with our weather I was advised to take Vit D.  Reading posts from others it seems that it might be connected to a thyroid disorders. 

I have learned a lot on this site about how to manage the symptoms and you will find that people who have a great deal of knowledge on this subject will advise you and no doubt be in contact soon.

have a good day

Hi. I believe there is a link as you say - the whole endocrine system is complex and I don't think a narrow focus will help either. Boosting your entire body with the minerals it craves I think is a good route to health rather than the established medical practice of dealing with individual symptoms as they come up. Our bodies function synergistically and one system relies on the next to support its function. I'd look into raw veg and fruit juicing as a nutritionist suggested to me. My research online has come up with how vital magnesium zinc iodine and selenium are for instance- of which magnesium is deeply undervalued at the moment - and none of which appears on the ingredients list of medicines from the Dr or endocrinologist. I also recently read an article that states the recommended daily dose of vitamin D is actually much too low to give the body adequate support. Hope this helps.

Hi,  My situation may be similar to yours.  You do not say what kind of operation you had but if it was any kind of gastric op. I would suspect that you could have the sort of problems you are now encountering with the GP.  I had half my thyroid gland removed in 1986 and was put on 100mcg Oroxine and was fine for 27 years.

I am living in NSW Australia, in 2010 I had a right hemicolectomy to remove the right side of my colon due to bowel cancer.  This also included the removal of the ileocecal valve (which connects small bowel to colon).  After the operation my recovery was normal but over the coming months I felt that I was not quite myself but did not think too much about it after such a large operation.

My regular yearly thyroid function tests had been missed for two years due to being busy with recovery from the op and a small amount of chemo. 

The next thyroid function test was done in 2013 and the TSH was 0.08 which was a drop from the usual 0.68.  The doctor insisted that my dose of Oroxine should drop to 75mcg.  I asked to be referred to an Endocrinologist who told me that he agreed with the drop in medication.  When I told him that I did not feel good on this dose after second visit he told me that I would be thanking him in about six months and that this would be right for me.  In six months time I felt like I had one foot in the grave.  No exageration!  I was freezing cold and very sick - I took my temperature thinking that it must be raised for me to feel this bad .. but got a shock when it was 35.8 .. later dropped to 35.2.  I dragged myself to the computer and started googling .. discovered that I was in a very hypo state.

I was taken to the GP and another blood test was ordered - TSH 2.4  I told the doctor (a different one) that I was putting the meds up again .. and I did.  Since then I have adjusted the Oroxine up again .. I take 100mcg five days a week and 125mcg Saturday and 125mcg Sunday.  The reason for raising of the medication was figured out by my colorectal surgeon who did the op.  She said that the medication was going through my system too fast due to the removal of the ileocecal valve.  She suggested that I should increase the dose and see if I feel better - and I do.   

If your T4 is normal and you feel ok then that is the main thing.  TSH is unreliable but GP's rely heavily on it for diagnosing.  It's up to you to manage your health and speak up for what you think is right when it comes to thyroid matters.  Do not let doctors change your medication based on TSH alone.  

BTW I have been taking HRT for eleven years and it's great.  It has nothing to do with the problems I have mentioned above.