Justaseeker's Journal page 9

[justaseeker]

In addition to exercise, my focus is on getting proper testing and treatment for my thyroid. I DO get some improvement from taking the T4 only levothyroxine. But, changing to a natural desiccated thyroid hormone replacement may result in even better improvement. Several of the health issues that I am dealing with MAY be explained (in part or in total) by under treated hypothyroid, such as the stubborn weight, elevated lipids, allergies, indigestion/heart burn, and sleep apnea.

So, the thyroid will be my primary focus when I see the new doctor. Once we have optimized the thyroid function, then we can revisit these other issues and see if there is more to be done. Her clinic offers a full range of services - IV therapy (including chelation), acupuncture, massage, reiki, rolfing, nutritional support, herbal preparations, counseling, and more. Hopefully, I will be able to get a truly holistic approach to my health largely under one roof now. Finger crossed.

[Gwynn]

Justaseeker,

I think exercise is supposed to be very good for blood sugar. Exercise is the one thing I do fairly consistently.

Good luck with your new doctor! I am looking forward to hearing all about it. And, I like the idea of being largely under one roof. I told my newest doctor I like one stop shopping. He still sent me to a dermatologist.:P

Gwynn

[justaseeker]

Justaseeker,

I think exercise is supposed to be very good for blood sugar. Exercise is the one thing I do fairly consistently.

Good luck with your new doctor! I am looking forward to hearing all about it. And, I like the idea of being largely under one roof. I told my newest doctor I like one stop shopping. He still sent me to a dermatologist.:P

Gwynn

Thanks, Gwynn.

Yes, exercise is essential for controlling blood sugar. I measure my BG before and after a walk and without fail its lower after the walk. How much lower seems to depend on how much it needed to be lowered. So, for example if its 85 before the walk it may be 80 or 75 after the walk - not a lot of change. BUT, if its 110 before the walk it will still go down to 80 or 75.

The other day I had to make a really stressful, long phone call - and immediately checked my BG when I hung up. It had been 111 earlier that morning (fasting) and I was still fasting when I checked it again after the stressful call. It was 129! So, I did a few relaxing things for an hour, including going outside and working in the bulb bed for a little while. Checked it again and it was 90. Still fasting.

P.S. I think that specialists have their place in the larger scheme of things, and don't mind seeing a specialist from time to time. I just think that my new doctor has covered a majority of the health issues that are relevant to wellness in general.

In the new patient info pack they sent out she even covers topics like cleaning products and perfumes. She requests that patients not wear perfumes or highly scented clothing to the clinic, out of respect for patients with chemical sensitivities. Since I have chemical sensitivities, and avoid scented products, I was delighted to see that mention.

[justaseeker]

Well, well, well...So, I've been working on the new patient package that my integrative medicine DO sent out. Its full of good information as well as forms to fill out. On the sheet covering the office policies, she makes clear that she does NOT see patients in the hospital or for emergencies. She also requires her patients to retain their "regular physicians" who do have hospital privileges.

So, now I need to decide if I am going to keep my "regular MD internist" who I have been griping about this week or try to find yet ANOTHER doctor. Frankly, I am not so sure that I am actually going to be able to find a "regular physician" who isn't going to annoy the heck outta me. They ALL seem to be prone to miscommunication and so on. So, I am leaning toward just staying with the one that I am with now - they are highly rated compared to other choices - and work on making the communication problems better. At least I am now getting an idea of where the problems lie and some potential solutions.

[Pamsc]

I see a doctor who does women's health care and requires that patients have a family doctor. I've found that what I want in that family doctor is different from what I want in the doctor looking at the big picture. I want a family doctor who I can get an appointment with when I am sick and who will listen to what works for me. I came down with a high fever one night last fall and got in the next day. The doctor said it was not quite pneumonia (and did a flu test which was negative) and gave me antibiotics and the prescriptions I wanted to keep my cough from getting out of hand. She didn't ask me any questions about the big picture but she did take seriously the immediate issue. So my theory is that for a backup family doctor I don't worry too much about the doctor's philosophy so long as she will listen to what I know about what works for me. I now know enough that I mind less a doctor who prescribes too much or too strong medication--I can say no--than one who might refuse to prescribe something that works for me (such as asthma medicine to prevent a cough from becoming chronic).

[justaseeker]

I see a doctor who does women's health care and requires that patients have a family doctor. I've found that what I want in that family doctor is different from what I want in the doctor looking at the big picture. I want a family doctor who I can get an appointment with when I am sick and who will listen to what works for me. I came down with a high fever one night last fall and got in the next day. The doctor said it was not quite pneumonia (and did a flu test which was negative) and gave me antibiotics and the prescriptions I wanted to keep my cough from getting out of hand. She didn't ask me any questions about the big picture but she did take seriously the immediate issue. So my theory is that for a backup family doctor I don't worry too much about the doctor's philosophy so long as she will listen to what I know about what works for me. I now know enough that I mind less a doctor who prescribes too much or too strong medication--I can say no--than one who might refuse to prescribe something that works for me (such as asthma medicine to prevent a cough from becoming chronic).

I'm thinking along these same lines myself.

The "regular physician (MD)" is nearby in my community - the DO is a 45 minute drive away on the interstate. The DO does well woman care. There is a thermascan center fairly near by that doesn't require doctors orders but does require that the patient have a doctor to send the results to - which could be either doctor. I had a mammogram last year in the new system here and everything is fine. So, I don't plan to get another mammogram for several years, unless the results of the thermoscan indicate that I should. And, the MD is all about annual mammograms. I also had a full body bone density scan, and that's great, too - so no more of that for 15 years. Won't need a colonoscopy for nine years.

The MD is part of a small but prestigious health care system. My house is located about midway between the clinic and the main hospital - only a few miles away from both. The main hospital is the only Level One trauma center in the immediate area - the first one in the region. They are still the "go to" hospital for extreme cases and have cases life flighted in from all over the area.

Also, this health system has the main "go to" specialists in the area - the ones that other doctors consult with or send their difficult cases to. So, I really can't do much better when it comes to extreme care or even intermediate care that is outside of the DO's domain. Likewise, the DO should be able to focus on the issues that my MD does''t want to provide care for.

My main concern right now is that I need testing and treatment for my thyroid that my MD dismissed when I asked her about it. That's right up the DO's alley. The MD's satisfied that I'm doing fine with the synthetic T4 med because it lowers my TSH and raises my free T4's a little. However, the free T4 is still not optimal and the free T3 and reverse T3 and other aspects have not even been tested - and I am still symptomatic.

She is all anxious for me to get my cholesterol lowered - so far no mention of statins, thank goodness - but yet she doesn't see a need to test my thyroid more carefully and/or to consider changing my thyroid meds. High cholesterol can be a symptom of hypothyroid - and btw, until recent years when I became symptomatic for hypothyroidism I had excellent lipids.

I used to get my lipids tested through my fitness center and I always had results only equaled by a few marathon runners who were super skinny and never touched red meat. The doctors figured it was genetics since my parents also had lipids like that. Then, the shift happened and now its just a struggle no matter what I eat or how I exercise - and my ability to exercise has also been sliding down hill. Really, everything points towards mild hypothyroid that is slowly worsening year by year.

[Pamsc]

I'm thinking along these same lines myself.

The "regular physician (MD)" is nearby in my community - the DO is a 45 minute drive away on the interstate. The DO does well woman care.

Then you have a division that doctors are used to--plenty of women still go to a separate gynecologist as their only annual checkup but also have a family doctor. Say you are going to the DO for gynecology (and have test results sent there) and the family doctor should even back off about the mammograms.

[justaseeker]

Then you have a division that doctors are used to--plenty of women still go to a separate gynecologist as their only annual checkup but also have a family doctor. Say you are going to the DO for gynecology (and have test results sent there) and the family doctor should even back off about the mammograms.

Yep, that would work. The MD doesn't have time for discussions - and doesn't pay a lot of attention to details anyway, evidently - so I can use these facts to my advantage. She seems to think that I am "basically healthy". So, as long as I continue to see her for my lipids and other "regular lab work" - and as long as I seem to be making improvements - I don't think she will bat an eye. I also keep my file there updated with my supplements and medications, and will just continue to do so, without any commentary. If I don't point things out to her or insist on discussion, she'll never notice or care.

Oh, well, I just thought of one possible glitch. The MD told me that they keep all medical services in their own system. I don't know how she will react to my seeing ANYONE for ANY reason outside of their system. She may decide to "fire" me for going outside of the system. If she does, then I will find another doctor outside of that system for my family doctor. I'm betting that as long as I stay inside the system for the majority of my health care, including the hospital if ever needed, that will be good enough. If not, well - that's too confining for me anyway - and there are lots of other doctors here.

[Pamsc]

I bet that if you aren't using your insurance it won't count.

[justaseeker]

I bet that if you aren't using your insurance it won't count.

What do you mean?