I’m totally pissed right now, and I’m going to bitch. It’s my blog, so I can do that.

I saw a new doctor yesterday because since the move, I haven’t had a primary care provider. My ob/gyn clinic won’t cooperate and be my PCP, either. Bitches. :grin:

Anyway, I go see this new guy. I liked the clinic overall — they seem very aware that patient care these days isn’t just about fixing problems; it’s also about customer service. The new doctor seemed like a very nice man. BUT he wasn’t listening to what I was telling him about my thyroid issues. He, like most other GPs, wanted to wait and see what the lab results said.

No. No. And no. I feel like shit. My bloodwork could come back well within the “normal” or “acceptable” range, and that doesn’t mean dick to me when I’m still suffering symptoms like:
hair loss (including pieces of my eyebrows, oh joy);
brain fog (I don’t have ADD — I have a bad thyroid, but that’s a lot harder to explain to people);
joint pain (I feel like I’m 80 most days);
inexplicable weight gain (let’s not even go there);
dry skin (we refer to my heels and elbows as the “Heels of Death” and the “Elbows of Doom,” people, because they are so dry and rough — no exfoliation plan in the world can fix this shit);
high cholesterol (up nearly 100 points since my test a year ago with no significant change in diet or exercise);
puffy hands, face and feet;
etc, etc, etc.

And let’s talk about the fact that my TSH and T4 levels could be just fine but my free T3s could be low as hell. So their labwork would show that I’m “okay” when, in actuality, I’m getting next-to-no benefit from the drug therapy. The problem here is that, outside of endocrinologists, doctors aren’t aware that patients with hypothyroidism need their T3 checked, in addition to the “standard” testing. (Most doctors don’t test T3 unless a patient is hyperthyroiditic.)

This leads me to my next bitch. I asked him about switching from Synthroid (a drug that only replaces T4) to Armour Thyroid (a drug that provides T3 and T4). He tells me he’s “not sure” if nursing moms can take it. WHAT?! It’s made from dessicated thyroids, FFS. It’s a *natural source of thyroid hormones. If you can shove a man-made replacement on me, you can give me Mother Nature’s version. (Much research verifies that I’m correct here.)

So, I ask him to at least increase my dosage of Synthroid since I’m still suffering multiple symptoms. Nope, he wants to see the bloodwork. And not only that, I tell him I RAN OUT of my thyroid medication (yes, I’m stupid), and he won’t even write a scrip to replace *that without seeing the lab results.

I’m about ten minutes from ordering the drugs online and medicating myself because I’m so tired of dealing with doctors on this deal. Seriously. I just want to be normal and go to the doctor when there’s a *problem. I really don’t need the reception staff to know my face so well they know my name. Really.