I went back to the endocrinologist on Monday morning, quite smug. I was right (still doing my told ya so dance!), and ready to let him know my game plan (that I had been developing for months, and ready to implement as soon as he was willing to listen to me).
Unfortunately, he was equally as smug, and equally NOT willing to listen. I was dead set against using Synthroid, and really really wanted to be put on Armour
(Read about the differences here: http://www.ehow.com/facts_5097590_armour-thyroid-better-having-synthroid.html)
He was dead set on my using anything BUT Synthroid, and said that no doctor in the Greater KC Metro area would prescribe me Armour
(the condensed version of the argument is basically, they do not think it Armour is "pure enough". It is made from dessicated pig thyroid = all natural, and dosages can vary from bottle to bottle. As one doctor put it "one dead pig is different than another dead pig". Whereas Synthroid is a man-made chemical version of the thyroid hormone and therefore is an exact dosage every single time. However, Synthroid only takes care of the T4 hormone, where Armour takes care of T3 AND T4...and the basic reporting from thyroid patients is that when both hormones are taken care of they feel immensely better. So why wouldn't I want to take Armour again...?)
I knew there would be a fight trying to get Armour, and I obviously needed medication NOW, so I decided to take the Synthroid in the meantime, and then continue to search for a prescription for Armour on my own time.
I had a very frank discussion with Dr. Know-It-All, and was feeling a little better about him until he ended the appointment with the following:
"Erin, you'll live with this the rest of your life. Relax. At least you aren't a diabetic or something, because that is MUCH WORSE"
EXCUSE ME? How do you know? You just gave me a life sentence for a really, at times, debilitating auto-immune disease. I know its not cancer or MS or something, but don't downplay what I've been through! I fired him on the spot, took my prescription for Synthroid and left his office forever. I still had my appointment with my gynecologist in the same building, so I headed downstairs to talk to her. From that point on she agreed to take over my thyroid care until I was able to find another endocrinologist I worked better with. She also gave me the number to a Naturopath to talk about dietary concerns with auto-immune disease and some natural alternatives to wellness.
Then we had THE BIG TALK: Can I have a baby with all this business going on? Short answer, yes. Long answer, not without potential complications....
to be continued...
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