Update

Well, as of today I am up to 150 mcg of synthroid daily. I've been taking my temperature in the mornings and I'm up to 97.5 as my average. That's a far cry from the 96.7s I was seeing before I started seeing this doctor. I'm getting closer to the goal of 97.8 to 98.0 and I'm so grateful. I am starting to feel a little better. I have a bit more energy and I'm sleeping a little more soundly.

I've not had any weight loss, despite my best efforts...but I'm sure it will come in time. I hope by Christmas I'll be up to the right temperature and feeling better than I have in a long time. Of course, I'll not feel my best until I get the extra weight off. That probably slows me down a bit.

Just an Update

Well, I've been increasing my dosage every 10-12 days. I've noticed my neck, in my thyroid area, seems to be less swollen.

Other than that I'm exhausted...I suspect that has to do with the crazy busy schedule I'm keeping. I'm having a hard time getting to bed on time and then a hard time getting up. I've been eating very poorly and not drinking my water since Monday, so I'm sure that has something to do with it too.

I work till 2pm today. Then I have a job interview today, trunk or treat at church and I need to bake 2 dozen cupcakes for Carissa's class party tomorrow. After 3pm tomorrow things slow down a little bit. Thank goodness. So my plan is to get back to eating more healthy and drinking my water and lifting weights on Saturday. I think with the dosage I'm on, I should start seeing a difference soon.

Okay...of to make some study cards for my interview. :)

Nothing New

Well, I'm not sure I can tell much of a difference on 88 mcg. I take it until Friday and then I can go up to 100 mcg.

I'm still taking my vitamins...but have been adding carbs and junk back into my diet. I'm staying within a healthy calorie range though. I should lose 1.5 pounds per week eating the number of calories I am. And until the thyroid gets under control, that may mean I lose nothing. But at least I'll be ready when it is all within normal ranges.

My morning temperatures are still in the 97s. Once a week...usually on the day I sleep in I end up hitting in the 98 degree range. I can't wait until that's everyday!

I still wake up tired...and by the afternoon, early evening I'm exhausted. I'll be so thrilled when I can go a whole day and feel good...or wake up feeling rested and refreshed rather than exhausted and run down.

A good day....

Today was a good day all in all. I'm still tweaking what I want to do as an eating program, but I did really well today and can't complain much.

I'm anxious for the day when 4-5 o'clock comes and I'm not utterly exhausted. As with most things life...the things worth anything are worth waiting for and working for!

Fat Flush Plan

Well, that didn't last long! The FF Plan was just a might to constrictive for me. Surprise, surprise....I did well for a week though...so I think I got benefits from it regardless. I'm going to stick with some of it's guidelines...like the lemon juice in the morning, the vitamins and higher protein and less processed foods. I think making those changes will be helpful.

I've been walking two days in a row and the plantar fascitis is acting up badly.

I'm not going to let it get me down though.

No big surprise either that the 3 days I've been on a higher dose of thyroid meds hasn't made any difference in how I feel...I may not see a big difference there for weeks! Patience is a virtue I'm still trying to acquire!

Appointment Results

Antibodies were twice what they should be, but not off the charts or anything. So the Hashimoto's is very mild right now, but present. So, my throid lab result levels are probably close to accurate.

TSH is suppposed to be between .2 and 2.0 per European standards (American standards are out of date): It was a WHOPPING! 28.7

Of course, all thyroid levels in my blood were low.

He did another physical exam of my thyroid gland and checked my symptoms again.

His goals are to:
1. Get my TSH to a 1.0 or below.
2. Get my symptoms under control.
3. Shrink my thyroid gland that is a visible goiter and has been for some time, since it's twice the size it should be.

He gave me 8 weeks worth of thyroid medicine.

I've been taking .075. Starting today I will take .088 for two weeks. Then .100 ... then .112 .... then .125 ....then If I'm feeling good at that level and physical symptoms have gone away he'll call in a script. Otherwise we keep on increasing the dose until I get there. Once I'm there...I'll hold at that dose for 6 weeks and then retest all my thyroid function again. So between the beginning and end of December I'll see him again.

I listed last week good indicators of decent thyroid function...but the biggie is body temperature in the morning. This morning mine was 97.0 Anything below 98 is considered hypo and anything below 97.6 is considered severely hypothyroid.

I'm excited to be on the road to recovery but feel like I'm going to have to work very hard to be patient...it takes time to get out of this situation.

I cried for half a second when I told him thank you for listening. I've been saying for almost 4 years that something was wrong and none of the 3 other doctors I saw would listen. He expressed disdain for the fact that most doctors have stopped listening to their patients...lab results are good, but knowing your patient and their history and trusting them has to come in at some point.

Now...my favorite moment...he said "We're going to give that thyroid a kick in the pants." Spoken in his cute Amsterdam accent. :)

WOWSERS!!!

I'm down a whopping 7 pounds since Monday. WHOA!!!!

I'm so very proud of myself and the will power I've shown the last handful of days! Tuesday I had a cookie. Wednesday and Thursday didn't stray from the detox program. Friday gave in and had some very cherished apple cobbler ala mode. Went to pack meeting on Friday evening and they served chocolate cake and kit kats...and I obstained! Then today I went to a birthday party and obstained from MORE chocolate cake. YAY ME!!!

I baked my heart out today...3 loaves of pumpkin bread and 4+ dozen cookies...and all I had was a cookie! YAY ME!

Anyhow, I'm exhausted with all I've done today...but I had energy to get it all done without stopping, so that's a step in the right direction!!

Okay...I'm off to goof off. :)

Feeling Good This Morning

I got out of bed dragging a bit, but once the day got going I was on a roll! I hope it lasts all day. I haven't had this much energy in a long time.

I stayed on plan all day yesterday...could that have something to do with it? Time will tell, I guess.

I spent a lot of time getting my lunch made, breakfast made and organizing vitamins this morning. I think I might have to do a weekly sit down and put all my daily vitamins for the week in separate ziploc baggies. Then I can just grab it and go. I made a salad for lunch...the dressing to go with it...and cooked the beef strips to put on top too. Boiled 4 eggs for myself (Carissa scarfed one!) Did my lemon water, made a smoothie, made my cran water. Started on the vitamins...like 5 or 6. I'm going to try breaking them up through the day...it's a lot of pills to swallow at one time and some of them are big. My gag reflex was kicking in a little yesterday. It's a might sensitive, so I'm not that surprised.

I'm right on track for today...and am hoping I have as easy a time with it over this weekend. I've got baking to do etc...so I might not be exactly perfect. But, having one little thing hopefully won't send me into a tailspin.

Okay...back to work.

Symptoms of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and where I fall

No symptoms -no...got lots.
Goiter-yup, my thyroid is twice the normal size.
Lump at front of neck-yup.
Protruding eyes-no
Low thyroid hormone level-yes
Hypothyroidism-yes
Mental slowness-yes, I can't find words that I know...I can't remember what I just read.
Physical slowness-yup
Slow pulse-no
Cold sensitivity-yes
Weight gain-yes
Coarse skin-yes, my skin has gotten scalier and scalier...I'm having to exfoliate a lot!
Dry skin-yes
Fatigue-yes
Depression-yes
Muscle weakness-yes
Brittle hair-yes
Constipation-not too much, but I eat a lot of fiber
Muscle cramps-yes, in my foot is the most frequent place
Increased menstrual flow-yes
Neck discomfort-some
Periodic paralysis-no
Myxedema-yes
Musculoskeletal symptoms-yes
Rheumatoid arthritis-symptoms yes, but diagnosis unconfirmed
Hoarse voice-yes
Dry skin-yes
Pale skin-yes
Facial swelling-yes
Weight gain-yes
Muscle tenderness-yes
Muscle stiffness-yes
Joint pain-yes
Joint stiffness-yes

Can't wait till Monday!

Well, well, well......

Well beginning on Tuesday I started cutting crud out of my diet. Don't get me wrong I had a sugar cookie and some light pringles on Tuesday. Other than that, I've been eating so much better. And today? I'm back down by 4 pounds. Go figure.

Today, however, I am starting a 1 to 2 week detox. It's called Fat Flush Plan. It's going to be HARD...REALLY, REALLY HARD. Maybe the hardest thing I've ever done when it comes to how I eat. But in the end, it is what my immune system needs, so here I go.

I am up to over 20 supplement pills everyday. This morning I had two eggs with a cup of chopped spinach seasoned with cayenne. I drank one cup of hot water with lemon. And then another cup of water just to get the rest of the vitamins down. I felt a little queasy and full after. I think what I'll do from here on out is put all of them in a ziploc baggie and carry them with me. Then I can distribute them with my meals and snacks through out the day. Then I'm never taking more than 5 or 6 at a time. That should help a bit. The problem I have is that the calcium supplement has to be taken away from the T4 and the magnesium has to be taken away from the calcium and the T4. So my plan is to take the calcium in the morning. The magnesium around early afternoon...like at 2pm when I get off work. And the T4 at bed time since I won't eat after 8pm. That'll be two hours between eating and taking it. Hopefully that will help. :)

Okay...I'm off to get myself organized.

Happy Halloween! Vitamin Therapy...

Well, today is the day...I have done a lot of research since Monday about how to boost my immune system to help with the Hashimoto's and then also how to help support my ailing thyroid as well. Vitamin Therapy here I come!

What I should be taking is a whole lot more than I've been getting!

Now, I don't have all of this down yet...but I'm making headway. I checked my multivitamin and it looks like if I take 2 daily I'll get a good start, but on some things what's in the vitamin is a drop in the bucket compared to what's recommended by thyroid and autoimmune experts.

To add to two multivitamins a day, I bought this morning:
300 mg St. John's Wort
Acidophilus Pearls
Vitamin E and Selenium together. (E 400 IU Selenium 200 mcg)
Selenium 200 mcg
Omega 3 Fish Oil (300 mg of Omega 3 and 1000 mg of fish oil concentrate)
Citracal Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D (D 500IU and Calcium 400 mg) Has to be taken at least 4 hours separate from thyroid replacement since calcium interferes with absorption.

I'm still lacking on a few things...so I'm going to do a side by side comparison in a spreadsheet and see what else I need to add. I'm hoping I start seeing a difference very very soon!!!

The book I read...The Thyroid Hormone Breakthrough

I went to the library after work yesterday...I checked out the books I could find about thyroid disorders. Of those, this one is the best...the others are all out of date and are still saying 5.0 is the high for TSH.

I cannot believe how much I didn't know. And to post it all here would take me all night. I have a hundred and one symptoms that point to Hashimoto's. I had no idea that all of these symptoms went back to this disease! I'm flabbergasted!

I made it through the book in record time. I've made a list of supplements I need to be taking and the amounts and compared to my One Day for Women's Health...I'm not even at half for 95% of them...despite the bottle saying 100%. So I'm going to need to revamp my supplement intake.

I also visited her website at work and found where she says as a person suffering with Hashimotos I need to cut back on sugars and carbs and increase my lean protein and whole grains and fruits and veggies.

Exercise is a must if I am to lose the weight...even once Dr. Devries changes my meds.

She talks about the delicate string of hormones that run through a woman's body and likens it to a string of Christmas lights. If one goes awry all the others can darken. I have to be vigilant with my testing until I find something that works and I'm very hopeful Dr. Devries will help get me there.

I got to the end of the book and this quote made me cry:

"What we do deserve is information, careful consideration from our practitioners, safe and effective relief of troublesome symptoms whenever possible, and someone who WANTS to understand the bigger picture so that we can live and feel well into our senior citizenhood!"

I added the emphasis...not a single doctor ever suggested there could be something causing my hypothyroidism. That this underlying cause has it's own symptoms that can be treated. No one ever bothered to test anything but TSH and total T4...a far cry from thorough testing to say the least. Only one of those doctors ever helped me achieve feelings of health and well being.

What a bunch of wasted money...wasted effort...wasted time. So many tears shed. So many feelings of no self-worth, so many efforts to step up my game with exercise and diet to no avail. And all of it could have been solved if I just had a competent doctor willing to listen and work with me!

Again, I repeat....I can't wait until Monday!!!!

Appointment with Dr. Devries on 9/29

I have high hopes as I drive the hour to get there. I wait a long time in the lobby reading a book about King Henry I. I figure it's worth it if he delivers!

I leave the office after a battery of tests including palpation of the thyroid, listening with the stethocope, checking reflexes, blood pressure etc. And lots and lots of questions!

He draws my blood himself!

He is sure I have Hashimotos which complicates simple hypothyroidism. Solution: Draw blood, see you on Monday!

He is an old, sweet man....he's smoked all his life and drank coffee too. Go figure.

He listens to my every complaint. I show him prethyroid problem pictures from 2003 / early 2004 and pictures from this past March. I tell him I just want to feel good...I want to get this weight off, but nothing works etc.

He is sympathetic and very kind. He tells me about his experiences and how he got into thyroid issues...he has them, his wife, his daughter. She had trouble conceiving. They checked her thyroid, started her on a good plan and she had a baby within a year.

He shows me a diagram illustrating the difference between simple hypothyroism and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. He has convinced me I have it...and he seems convinced too. We draw blood to do a battery of tests including T4, TSH and antibodies. He says he doesn't bother to test T3 right off, since if antibodies are present he knows there is no T3 so the antibody test confirms that for him.

I can't wait until Monday!!!

Dr. Devries Reviews

His reviews on the database say:

Robert DeVries, MD, Family medicine physician, 214 368 6197, SW corner of Preston and Forest. "A friendly and interesting fellow, he was a researcher in endocrine and fertility issues who now does medicine in private practice. He is hypothyroid himself, as is his wife, so he is very current on the issue and sympathetic as well. His office manager/receptionist is kinda wacky, but just let it slide. He listens well and uses quality labs for his blood work. From the Netherlands originally, his accent is a bit thick, but he has been in Texas for 30 years and speaks perfect English. I feel very safe in his hands." Submission thanks to the Moonlady News endocrine list)

Another reader adds:
"A friendly and interesting fellow, he was a researcher in endocrine and fertility issues who now does medicine in private practice. He is hypothyroid himself, as is his wife, so he is very current on the issue and sympathetic as well. His office manager/receptionist Debbie, is very refreshing and in control of the office, she is a extremely capable Manager, who usually has multiple tasks in process at once, she is very friendly, you simply must visit with her and get to know her. Dr. DeVries listens well and uses quality labs for his blood work. From the Netherlands originally, his accent is still noticeable, but he has been in Texas for 30 years and speaks perfect English. My condition is noticeably improving whereas to last MD I went to (for a year) did not have any success." (Added 11/02)

More praise from a reader for Dr. DeVries:
"After 13 yrs. of being ignored and told I had to live with the effects of hypothyroid because a stupid piece of paper said my T4 was in normal range, I have found this wonderful human who is a doctor that will treat me as a person and not that piece of paper. He is a God send." (added 1/04)

Another fan:
"I was undiagnosed for 4 years. He completed a 90 minute health history and head to toe exam. He has sure I had Hashimotos , but the blood tests revealed hypothyroidism. He is kind, compassionate, a good listener, loves people and medicine. He believes you should listen to the patient because they know their body." (Added 1/06)

More praise:
"Dr. DeVries is the one to go to in Dallas if you have Hashimoto's. Thyroid disease is his passion (he attends international endocrinology conferences). He diagnoses not only with blood tests but with the Heel Reflex Response used by physicians long before blood tests were available (If you're not getting enough thyroid in your system, there will be a subtle reduction in your foot's response to the mallet--just like the test ALL doctors do on your knee to see if your leg "kicks" in response). He will give you Synthroid samples to take, telling you to increase the dosage every two weeks until you start to feel symptoms of getting too much--rather than ONLY relying on blood tests. (He believes in prescribing Synthroid because of quality control issues with Armour and generics.) He also understands the complexities of T3 and T4 balance. After having to BEG my previous doctor for an increase in my 25mcg Synthroid prescription, I was relieved to find a doctor who takes my SYMPTOMS into account as well as my TSH level (now almost zero, which doesn't bother him in the least!). Dr. DeVries even increased me from 175 mcg to 200 mcg just to get my cholesterol level down some more. He orders a FULL range of blood tests, but takes most insurance plans. Though he's listed as a family practice physician, he doesn't do gynecological exams or examine young children, so you'll need to go elsewhere for those. But if you're infertile from hormonal (not physical) problems, I would recommend him over a reproductive endocrinologist." (October 2006)

More input:
I just want to give a great feedback on Dr. DeVries, I read the good feedbacks in this website but once I met him my life changed, no one understood my conditions as well as he does and I felt I was in good hands, after he examined me I gain strength I was able to do my shores at home. I have hypothyroidism and I feel weak depressed but after I met him I felt much much better. I definitely recommend him."(August 2007)

A reader writes:
"Robert A.C. DeVries, M.D., PhD., has been my internist and endocrinologist since 1992. Dr. DeVries is a highly compassionate practitioner who cares deeply about his patients. His "old world" medical schooling (he is from Holland and received his first medical degree from The University of Amsterdam) is most apparent in his approach to his patients. Dr. DeVries know medications/drugs better than some pharmacist because, as a medical doctor in Holland, he had to learn to compound medications for his patients who lived too far away from a chemist (pharmacy). He is a naturally affable man who can diagnose illness by talking to and LISTENING intently to his patients (something most doctors do NOT do), examining them and then, at least in my case, has been proven correct by empirical tests. Dr. DeVries tries to give samples of a medication as opposed to prescribing it to help the patient defray the cost of the drug, in case it does not work or is inappropriate. Once it is decided that the medication works, he will then write a proper scrip for the drug. Until fairly recently, whenever I was admitted to the hospital where he has physician rights, whether or not he was on call, he would come to visit me every evening in the hospital, look over my charts and reassure me as only he has ever been able to do. Pressing family matters have caused him to discontinue his hospital visits, however, he always refers his in-hospital patients to physicians he trust. So far, they have been extremely competent and reliable, though they don't have his personality or his gentle assurances. I have recommended him to many friends and acquaintances and, without exception, he has helped them all in finding out their problems. He is honest and forthright, and if he feels he cannot handle your particular medical problem, Dr. DeVries will refer you to another physician he knows and trust (quite often his own personal physicians). I cannot say enough about what a kind, caring pe" (Added October 2007)

Summary of Where I was as of 9/23

In 11 1/2 years I have seen a total of 9 doctors. Two were work related physicals and two were for prenatal care. The others were just regular doctor's visits for allergies or symptoms I was having that couldn't be explained. The first time thyroiditis was suggested to me was when I was 15. The doc said I had an enlarged thyroid and asked my mom if I'd been tested. No test was done at that time, but he suggested it in the future. That was when I was 15! SEVENTEEN years ago! I am now convinced that I have had hashimoto's disease for at least that length of time...likely longer since it takes time for a thyroid to enlarge. When I was 18 and paying my own way I did opt to be tested and everything came back "normal." What I would give to see those lab results now.

I was not tested again until I was nearly 22 (4 days before I turned 22 to be exact.) That was after a work related physical 5 months prior indicated I had an enlarged thyroid. I told the doctor then, that I'd heard that again and again, but since I have never had any corresponding symptoms no test was done. He highly encouraged me to watch my symptoms and gave me a list that included hair loss among other things I can't recall now. Sure enough, in April a week or so before my birthday I realized I was shedding like crazy. Went in, got tested. He called me April 20th to tell me I am hypothyroid. I didn't know what in heaven that meant. Thank goodness ask jeeves existed. That was 1998, and there just wasn't much available to me. But before hanging up the doctor said... "Don't worry. If there's any disease in the world you'd have to have this is the one to pick." From then on I didn't worry too much about it. He put me on levothyroxine which was supposed to replace my T4 hormone that my body wasn't producing enough of. Once my TSH was in the normal range we kept the dosage there. I stayed there for three years in which time I began eating healthy and lost the weight I'd gained and even managed to have a baby without any changes in my tsh level. At that point I really thought the doctor was right!

After that baby I could not lose the weight for anything. I made a move with my husband which necessitated a new doctor. This new doctor was great. But even then my thyroid problem was never explored further than just a tsh and slight increase in my thyroid replacement. With that increase I found it easier to get the weight off, but a lot of symptoms lingered. I just chalked them up to just being the way I am. Once the weight was off and I felt a bit better, we still kept the thyroid placement there at .088mcg. Originally I was on .075 so even that small change made a difference in how I felt and functioned. What did my doctor do? He listened and made a change. Maybe if he'd done an antibodies test, or I had kept better track of it, I could have saved myself the following 4 years worht of heartache.

Then in 2004 I went through some stressful life experiences that included finishing my put-off-for-birthing-children college degree. Once I graduated I found it hard to find a job that met my education level because of being in a rural area. I became depressed...did the thyroid cause the depression or did the depression cause the thyroid problem? Who knows...point is, I gained weight, TV became my best friend, not to mention the inability to get off the couch, the problems I had waking each day and getting out of bed. I woke tired and never feeling rested. My allergies were in high gear. Everything seemed broken...well, except my husband and children. I stopped seeing friends or answering calls. Stopped volunteering at the school. I read books and watched TV almost continually. This stopped for a brief period when I felt a bit better and ended up directing a community play for children. Then I went right back to it.

Then in the summer of 2005 we moved again. Again for my husband's career. The depression like symptoms continued. I continued to gain weight. Finally in January of 2006 I saw a new doctor. She tested me...yes my TSH was high. I got put on .075mcg. I've been there ever since. The weight continues to pile on. I saw my doctor again 6 months after my tsh was in the "normal" range. I complained of not feeling well despite eating right and exercising and I was really frustrated with my inability to lose weight. I went in once having palpitations and dizzy spells. She had an EKG done. Her solution? Eat less, exercise more-I need to lose the weight. Oh, you are? Are you sure? Well, if 45 minutes of exercise 5 times a week isn't doing it then maybe you need to do 60 minutes 7 times a week. Never once did she suggest looking at doing doing other thyroid tests besides the TSH. Never once did she suggest I had something other than hypothyroidism and that being the case the TSH was the determining factor of my treatment.

In the fall of 2007 she refused to refill the thyroid meds without a tsh. At that point I decided I needed a new doctor since I was having severe clotting during my menstruals and I never felt good, I was constantly tired and lethargic. I couldn't lose weight despite regular exercise and low-fat dieting. I was up to exercising 1 1/2 to 2 hours 5 times a week. Somedays I even managed to get 3 hours in.

At that point I got online and started doing research again. I learned a lot. Found myself a new doctor. She's young and I figured she'd be more up to date on thyroid treatment. Her solutions: keeping my thyroid replacement at .075 and birth control pills to basically eradicate my period completely. 3 days later my TSH came back at 3.55, within her labs normal range. I called back asking for an appointment to discuss lowering that to under 2.0-or at least under 3.0 as per the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists recommendation. I go in...she says doing that won't change anything and instead gives me her diet to do...and keep up the exercise.

In February I go back for a check up having lost not a single pound and still not feeling better. We change birth control pills that won't take the period away, but will help with the acne, the cramping, and "unbalanced" hormones. We retest the TSH-now it's at 3.64 no change-according to her.

I decide I need to find a doctor who will listen to me. I see a new doctor in March of 2008. This guy I go to church with and naively think maybe I'll have a little leeway with him. Lab results in hand I sit in the lobby and see a handout from the manufacturers of synthroid also recommending TSH should be no higher than 3.0. I think to myself "YES!!! Finally a doctor who knows this and recognizes it." Much to my disappointment he tells me the same thing my former doctor did. Oh, that doesn't have anything to do with weightloss. You're so close to under...this .64 does matter. I'm thinking to myself...wait, if the healthy range is a total of 2.7 points and I'm off by .64...that seems big in proportion. I mean that's nearly a third of the range that it should be in. So I tell him that and I ask if we can at least try to get below 3.0. Not right now...let's see you again in 4 weeks and see if there's a change. By the way, at this point my allergies have been the worst of my life...since September the previous year. I'm talking using an inhaler up to 10 times a day. We did address those by throwing a bunch of expensive medicines at it. Medicines I can't afford! By blood pressure was also registering high and so we through a $60 a month prescription at that too. I was up to nearly $300 a month out of pocket for medication each month.

April 2008: We retest the thyroid and I tell him that I have a constant tickle in my throat and wake nightly coughing and clearing my throat. My husband says I clear my throat even in my sleep. Solution: wait for TSH results and try a new blood pressure med. At this point I am at 180 pounds. A week later my TSH comes back at 3.69 and he still refuses to make a change to my dosage.

Since then I have put on 20 pounds, putting me at my highest weight ever. My allergies are little more under control. My ankles swell almost on a daily basis and I've developed symptoms pointing to plantar's fasciitis...which makes it very hard to exercise. I've been trying to lift some weights and getting a weekly walk in on the day I actually feel up to it.

Last Tuesday, on the 23rd , I told members of my fitness club that I felt like giving up but part of me won't let me do that. I'm just too stubborn and my flame of hope hasn't quite died out. I'm convinced all these troubles have something to do with my thyroid and that I just need to find a doctor who will work with me.

Wednesday I get to work and decide to visit Mary Shomon's websites again. I discover she has a handy dandy doctor finder! A database of doctors known to dig deeper and think outside the box when it comes to thyroid disorders.

I make an appointment for the following Monday (yesterday) with a Dr. Robert Devries. The supersticious person inside thinks finding a doctor named Robert will make a difference since my brilliant-no seriously genius IQ-son's name is Robert. I am hopeful again!

A New Beginning

"Knowledge comes by eyes always open and working hands; and there is no knowledge that is not power." --Ralph Waldo Emerson

I am beginning this blog with the intention of tracking my progress with Hashimoto's disease and corresponding thyroiditis. Beginning today I am making a committment to my health. Components of that committment are as follows:

-updating this blog at least weekly, if not more. Updates will include how I am feeling emotionally and physically; what I have been doing for my health, including exercise, food intake, supplement intake, water intake and stress relief efforts.

-keeping a running tally of lab results and doctor's appointments. That includes words of advice from my doctor as well as, things I learned that day and changes to medications.

-exercising regularly.

-eating in such a way that promotes my health and overall well being. Drinking plenty of water and continuing to obstain from coffee, tea, alcohol and tobacco.

This blog will be my go to spot for stress relief and times when things aren't quite right and I'm feeling beaten down. I will then visit here and re-address what I'm doing and what I can change.

Let it be so!