my advice …
Posted on: March 19, 2006 | Posted in: Medical Information
People ask for my advice a lot around here. [Which is why I decided to leave the comments turned off when I brought the site back from the dead … I really didn't have time to keep up with them the way I'd like to.] So, first off, I want to re-iterate a few things: I’m not a doctor. I’m not even an “expert” on hypothyroidism… I was diagnosed back in October, less than six months ago. I have only tried one medication (generic levothyroxin) so far. I can only speak from my own personal experience, and what research I’ve done online and in books.
That said… It seems the number one piece of advice I end up handing out is: Get a second opinion or get a new doctor. And I stand by that. The number two piece of advice seems to be: Try a new medication or a different dose. I also stand by that. There are multiple medications available for hypothyroidism, and that wouldn’t be the case if only one of them worked. There are multiple doses available in each medication, and that wouldn’t be the case if it were a one-size-fits-all deal.
So. If you’re on a medication that is not alleviating your symptoms, trying a different med or a different dose would seem to be a logical step, so long as your blood tests aren’t putting you in hyperthyroid range yet. And if your doctor brushes off your complaints about your symptoms, your doctor is not doing his/her job, which is to help you, the patient, maintain optimum health. If your doctor is brushing you off, or refusing to try a different treatment, or saying everything is as good as it’s going to get, even though you still feel terrible… find a new doctor.
If you feel guilty about leaving your doctor, you’re looking at the situation wrong. Your relationship with your doctor does not require fidelity. Your relationship with your doctor is not for his or her benefit. You are going to a doctor for hypothyroid treatment so YOU can feel better, not so you can continue suffering with symptoms of a treatable illness, because you’re stuck with one of those regrettable medical professionals who are unwilling to try anything different, or who’s practice does not allow them enough time to really have a productive relationship with their patients, or who’s ego demands they are always right, even when your symptoms say it’s not right at all.
So. That is my advice. Always get a second opinion when it seems your doctor is not listening. Ask the receptionist to give you a copy of your file, and bring it to someone else. And if your symptoms return, or have not gone away with the medication you are currently taking, ask to try something else. There is more to treating hypothyroidism than getting your TSH “within normal range,” and if that’s the only yardstick your progress is being measured by, something is wrong… and that something is NOT you.
technorati tags: hypothyroidism, hypothyroid, thyroid, secondopinion, health, medical, mivox