Sisterhood of the Uppity Thyroid

Agreed w/eva on the mammo. Not to knock butts with your md, but time matters. Consider a second viewer of the mammograms. (My real, fairly fast goodie manifested itself with two minute calcifications, which signalled the radiologist to do an ultrasound and then order a needle biopsy, all in about fifteen quite horrendous minutes, looking back.)

What - I wouldn't wait a year.

I don't mean to scare you, and let's all presume I am flurrying at you over nothing. But, given family history, you should be being paid attention to on this.

Most bc is slow. Not all is.

I've been taking Synthroid for 20 years and have no symptoms
whatsoever with it, and I take a high dosage like Eva does.
While living close to the ocean stabilized my dosage, it never
will reverse to a stage where I could leave off the medication
altogether.

Additionally I take 1000 mg of calcium supplements, as Synthroid tends to deplete the bodies calcium resources.

Eva, one question: why do you take your Synthroid at night?

To restate -- not sure if it was clear -- doc said wait a year, I said no NOW, and he said OK (after some reassuring-type noises that I wasn't having) and gave me a referral. I scheduled it right away, and it's for February 16th. 9 days.

The mammogram, that is.

More encouraging news on Synthroid, thanks, CJ.

Because if I plan to take it in the morning, I inevitably forget and leave the house in a rush without taking it. Now it's my routine...I tell myself that I cannot go to bed without taking it. It just works better for me.

I don't feel any different if I take it at other times of the day, though. Do you?

Oh...and about the brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc. They just told me not to OVEReat those. Which frankly, I wouldn't have anyway. Now, if they had said chocolate, I would be in deep trouble! <LOL>

Oh...FEBRUARY 16, Soz. Sorry, for some reason I was thinking March. Nine days is good.

Eva, I always take it in the morning, as I think it is most
effective then. Taken at night, it can lead to insomnia.

I don't follow the suggestions for brussel sprouts (yikes)
and cabages either, I do buy iodized sea salt though.

Nothing substantive to add, Soz. Just reading and sending warm thoughts.

On the b/c front, the only thing I can imagine that would elicit that type of response from an M.D. is that it must feel more like a fluid cyst than a solid mass. I've lived with fluid cysts for years and although I do get an annual mammogram to keep an eye on things, they've never been a health problem. Do get your mammogram, but I would hope he would have been jumping up and down to get you in immediately if it felt like a solid mass.

I missed there would be a follow through, and what J_B says makes sense. Ok, then...

Insomnia? Hmm. I hadn't heard that. The only times I can't sleep are when I'm wound up about something (usually deadlines) and that's fairly rare. My doctor told me it didn't really matter when I took it as long as I was consistent...not morning one day, afternoon the next, y'know...try to space it about 24 hrs. apart but you don't have to watch the clock.

Iodized salt is probably a good idea for you and others needing supplemental thyroid hormone, CJ. However, thyroid tissue is the only thing in the body that can take up iodine, and since I haven't a single thyroid cell left, iodine is completely useless for me. But THANK YOU for reminding me about the calcium. I always forget that.

I'm going in for a pappagram tomorrow.

Wish me luck.

Careful gus, I hear those hurt like hell.

Oh, gustav is going to the sperm bank. Have a good one, dear!

I'll take your avatar along, Jane, in case I need some "visual stimulation"

Eva, look here http://www.drugs.com/synthroid.html
Somewhere down the line, it mentions insomnia. If you
don't have any problems, then by all means continue
taking them at night.

I would use J-B's but lungwort doesn't do it for me.

No need to gustav, they'll furnish you with great Hugh Hefner magazines.

Think of the squeezebox for the pappagram...

I definitely think of squeezing -- kind of a water balloon between vises sort of thing...

Have fun, Gus!

Thanks for all the kind words of encouragement, folks.