[healthwork] nope, fuck this

[kaberett]

I talked recently about decreasing my levothyroxine dosage. Since I made that post, my digestive system has really unambiguously started slowing down again, the nosebleeds have gone from "multiple dried clots when I blow my nose" to "nontrivial quantities of fresh blood when I blow my nose", my sleep needs have continued increasing markedly, and my productivity has absolutely tanked because I just do. not. have. the. focus. despite clear straightforward next steps. (Executive dysfunction is normal for me! Spending the better part of a week failing to open a damn PDF I know the location of is... not.)

I... am unlikely to make it back in to see my preferred local GP until, honestly, early March at this point. I could book a phone appointment with preferred-out-of-area well-trained GP (who first suggested hypothyroidism), but it would be a bit unfair to dump this on him when he hasn't seen the most recent blood results and I have no straightforward way to get them to him.

So I... think what I do is put myself back up to 75mg daily (from 75/50 alternating), watch the symptoms subside, and then go park myself back in a GP's office and say "so I've done this, and you're not going to get me to stop without an endocrinology referral."

I am so fucking bored of this.

Comments

[hydrangea]

Even though it's not recommended, it's sometimes the least painful option. :S Twice last year I went down in dosage on my meds before I met with my doctor because I just couldn't get a hold of them fast enough - and getting them to agree to letting me go down in dosage AND change med took some time. There was no way I could live with the side effects that had begun with my antidepressive after an increase in dosage though (involuntary muscle spasms, very often both night and day, and outright kicking in the night).

Hope your troubles get helped by the change! Executive dysfunction issues because of lack of correct medication sucks.

cn: weight changes

[kaberett]

My well-trained GP is at least fairly on board with "I self-med and I make the right calls about it"; local GPs are... more variable, and also I'm really fucking sick of them telling me to lose weight. (Context: dieting doesn't work; rapid unexplained weight gain in spite of no change in diet and increased exercise is one of the symptoms I'm reporting.)

Re: cn: weight changes

[hydrangea]

Co-signed, re: weight. I had to drag people with me to gyn to convince them to let me try contraceptives that stop ovulation because I can't get my weight to stay put where I left it (at home, sedentary, np. traveling or exercises? ...no.). Being on the watch for blood clots (that are NOT in the family history) versus being Very Much In Pain for two weeks a month was in my opinion an easy question.

[davidgillon]

For pure GP management* purposes, any utility in trying 2 days 75/75 to one day 75/50?

*Okay, there's a little bit of 'for science!' in there, but I'm a bit hesitant to blow that trumpet when talking about someone else's health.

[kaberett]

Unfortunately not -- thyroid is one of the things that responds reaaaaaaaaaally quite slowly to change, such that "three weeks at the lower dose, three weeks at the higher dose" is the only really sensible way to run this. It's kinda like most SSRIs in that respect, just... with fewer side-effects.

[worlds_of_smoke]

Well, at least you have data to throw at your GP. -hugs-

[sylvaine]

Fuckssake. *hugs*

[lunabee34]

I'm so sorry. Its so frustrating.

Hugs

[silveradept]

That sounds very significantly like adverse effects from the lowering. Augh. Hopefully things get better for you soon.

[cadenzamuse]

Wow, it's almost like you know how your body works and that you have a much higher hypothyroid threshold than other people! I'm shocked! Who would have known?!

[jesse_the_k]

All the +1s to this!

[cesy]

This makes a lot of sense. Sorry it sucks.

[vass]

*growl*

I'm sorry about the gatekeepers.

[highlyeccentric]

Can I ask what 'unambiguously slowing down' means, and have you got any cites on links between gastroparesis or similar and thyroid problems?

[kaberett]

Some mix of: reduced appetite and interest in food; getting discomfort in the general region of my stomach sooner after starting eating; frequent urge to go to the loo but mostly producing small quantities (with significant discomfort) of dry, hard, pellety stool that is Reluctant to Leave.

Gastroparesis + hypothyroid: have not actually looked into this one much, sorry! But this wouldn't be massively surprising, given that lower appetite + stool changes are well-attested with hypothyroidism, as it's fundamentally a condition that slows your metabolism down a bunch...

[ewt]

Urgh.

[alatefeline]

ughhhhhhhh

the health care system is SO FUCKED

<3

[sfred]

That sounds like a sensible approach, in the circumstances.

A++++ plan

[jesse_the_k]

...because you know you better than any single doctor, even "well-trained" ones (and is that *you* doing the training?)