Okay, time to write about my visit with the endo yesterday, and I can’t say I was too impressed with her even though she did acknowledge that my personal normal could be higher than the standard range and that yes, the medication can cause anxiety.

She said she didn’t think the cholecystectomy was involved and that she thought it was a matter of inconsistent dosing because Levothyroxine is an off-brand despite the fact that medication sold in the US must be regulated. In other words, if I was getting blanks or at least partial blanks, you would think they would have picked up on that. But she said that with the off-brand, you never know how consistent it is or what country it was made in, etc.

Then she told us to contact a pharmacy (all the way in Lakeland) to get Synthroid which is the name brand and that they would work with our insurance company. However, when we went to the site, we found that Synthroid is the only thing they sold and they wouldn’t have anything to do with insurance. You had to pay out of pocket only. While we certainly can’t say anything for sure, it made us wonder if she was possibly getting kickbacks. Especially since we found we could get the stuff from Walgreens and pick it up in person for a little less.

She told me that taking a more consistent medication couldn’t crash my TSH down too low and tried to convince me - perhaps a little too adamantly - that we’re only talking about going from 15 to about 10. I asked my doctors for their opinion as to whether or not it could drop my TSH too low and they said there was no way to know but should be good all around. They also offered to test me sooner than 3 months from now if I wanted. The endo gave me an order to get tested in 3 months and I’ll see her again at the end of January unless I decide not to.

The endo also told me, when I asked to confirm that the fatty tumor on the end of my adrenal gland couldn’t be a problem, that an ultrasound couldn’t see that.

Then I did a little research and found that Synthroid shouldn’t be any better than Levothyroxine, Levoxil, and the other off-brands. They’re all supposed to be the same except that Synthroid doesn’t have any fillers, and I’m not allergic to fillers anyway. But I found that they should all work the same and effectively.

For the last few days, I’ve had the runs and didn’t think much of it. But then yesterday, I noticed that I’ve been feeling warm and my HR is on the rise, sometimes spiking to 120. I appreciate the pound I lost and the extra energy I’ve had these last few days but here’s what I think has been going on. I think the cholecystectomy did indeed affect thyroid absorption because as the GI doc said, it can take the body 4-6 months to adjust to life with no gallbladder. The timing is just too much of a coincidence. I think that now, however, it’s getting the hang of how to absorb the Levothyroxine without the gallbladder in the picture. Despite being a progressive disease, I can’t believe my thyroid would die off that much that fast.

So I’d like to get into the lab ASAP to see where I’m at. Again, I get that I don’t have the doctor’s training, but I have lived in this body for nearly 58 years and I know what’s normal for it and what’s not. I’m also not sure I want to switch to Synthroid or deal with this doctor. I just don’t trust in-person doctors as much as I trust my virtual docs, granted I understand that some things can’t be virtual like HIDA scans, etc. But I think my docs and I can manage this together. She told me if I had a problem to call the office and wait two business days to hear back from her but when you’re really feeling that bad, you don’t want to wait! The last time I took 88 every day when I still had a gallbladder, it dropped my TSH to a 2 which is much too low for me and I want to know if I’m heading back in that direction again, based on my symptoms. So that’s why I asked to take up their offer to go to the lab.

The nurse, who was the only one from here (receptionist sounded English and the doc was Indian), tested my blood sugar at 101 which was pretty good after eating.

Instead of “strangling” me to feel the thyroid, this one pinched my neck in 3 different places along the front and it didn’t tickle. I asked her if she felt I needed an ultrasound, and she said no, even though it’s been 9 years. So with all the doctors that have felt it over the years, I’d say that no, it’s not enlarged.

Just heard back from my doctor. Like I would ever hear back from my endo that fast! LOL. Anyway, they said they have no problem with repeat labs and were concerned with some of my symptoms, particularly the heart spike, and know I’ve had that problem before. They asked if I’d seen the cardiologist yet and as I told them, that and the echo is next month. I also said I don’t think my TSH is at 2 yet, but I worry I could be heading there. Plus, this dose where I take 88 every day isn’t fully ramped up in my system yet.