Received an email from the Hormone doctor today. He listed a number of suggestions, that read as follows:

1. Thyroid – I think you have impaired conversion of T4 to T3. What was the normal for the free T3? What was the regimen of synthroid and cytomel that you were on? Can you send me some lab values when you were on both? Of the lab values you sent, were you on estrogen? I think you may need to be on less synthroid and a touch of cytomel a few times a day.

MY COMMENTS:  I have been trying to tell my doctors that I have impaired conversion from T4 to T3 since the fall of 1998. You think they would listen.  In fact, I believe that because I mentioned it, they made damm sure that they would never acknowledge that I might have a problem with conversion. Blonde Bimbo was mad when I told her that the cytomel was not working – so mad that she refused to alter the dosage I was taking. Instead of taking the time to try alternate doses of cytomel she brushed me off. My T4 and T3 have never been consistent since I started taking synthroid in July of 1998.

2. Eyes – do you have Graves Ophthamopathy. Have you seen an ophthalmologist that specializes in Graves? The Graves eye disease can persist or worsen after RAI.

MY COMMENT:  I was sent to some guy who came off the ark with Noah. The man was so old he could barely move and he called me “dearie” – big mistake.  I was told that all the other ophthalmologists in the city were booked up for the next 6 months. I never got the results from the exam.  All the old guy told me to do was buy some eye drops at the pharmacy.

3. Cortisols – Maybe you have Cushing’s.  What were the cortisol and ACTH values and what time of the day was the specimen taken?  Do you have striae, bruising, and a round red face?  Is your obesity central?  Do you have trouble sleeping?  Can you scan a picture of your face now and a few years ago and send it to me?

4. MEDS – I am not crazy about either metoprolol or HCTZ.  Both can cause fatigue.  You may have low volume inside your blood vessels but high outside.  You can check blood pressure and pulse lying down and then again after standing for 30 minutes.

5. I like the estrogen patch (climera 0.05 mg. and up) and pure progesterone (prometrium 100 mg.) better than premarin and provera.

6. Do you have endocrine problems in your family?

7. Any other medications?

8. There is something called cervical stenosis, which gives people chronic fatigue – a neurologist might help you diagnose it.

I am impressed! Now to try and convince my doctors here in Canada to look at his suggestions.  That will be a battle royal – quite frankly I think that hell will freeze over before they will listen!