well, this is the bi- yearly results blog. and i got a pretty good check up this time. i was hoping, for some reason, i guess because i finally have gotten rid of my thyroglobulin antibodies, that i could go to once yearly testing. but my doctor said because i had a fairly aggressive section of the cancer in my neck area ( my tumors became unencapsulated, and were diffuseley infiltrative; translation: the tumors burst open and spilled out into my lymphatic system) that she felt better with the six months check up schedule for now. o.k. i get it, and i appreciate her concern and care. better safe than sorry. if i need to have more of the RAI treatment or whatever, better to catch it early.
my numbers, the ones all thyroid patients live by, you might say, were as follows: t3, free: 3.5 ( range is 2.0-4.4); anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, less than 1.0 ( which is negative, yea!!); TSH- 0.005- my endo wants to keep this at zero so that just in case there are any thyroid cancer cells lurking around, they will not be stimulated. T4- 2.58 ( this is high; range is 0.82-1.77). i am not having any unpleasant effects from this.( this number makes me technically hyper ) .this is where my endo is so good, in my opinion. other practitioners might see the numbers and freak out. my doctor asked if i was having any heart palpitations, nervousness, difficulty sleeping,etc. and i am not. she listened to my heart and i am not having arrhythmias. i feel good on this dose, and she wants to keep my TSH suppressed, so she repeated the blood test on the T4 and is awaiting the results before she does anything with the dose. my doctor listens to how i am feeling and does not just look at the numbers. i am taking 137mcg levoxyl now. i was taking 150mcg levoxyl two to three days per week ( alternating the dose), but i stopped this because i did not feel well on the 150mcg dose. i have lost 11 pounds since my last visit, but i think that this is because of the kidney stone ( nausea, pain) that i was dealing with, and is not related to my thyroid dose. i would love to say that it was diet and exercise. i have been trying to eat healthier, but i have not been able to go to zumba in a while because of my kidney stone, so i can not credit exercise. i am planning to return to zumba next week, hopefully, as the exercise helps my mood as much as my health, in my opinion.
my vitamin d level was 58.7 ( range is 30-100). she wants her thyroid patients, especially those who have had cancer to have a number near 60. i take 50,000 units prescription vitamin D twice weekly. in the summer when i can get outside, i might reduce it to once weekly. when i first started on vitamin d supplement, my level was near zero. there have been some studies that suggest a low vitamin d level may be present in cancer patients. i know that since i have been taking the vitamin d, my energy level is improved and i have less aches and pains. i am a vitamin d fan, you might say. it is not without side effects, and patients need to have their levels check frequently to make sure that they are in the correct range. a really high vitamin d level, probably over 100, could cause harm to the kidneys.
my cholesterol was 134. this is good, because hypothyroid patients tend to have high cholesterol. this may be somewhat related to my diet- i am a partial vegeterian- i have not had any red meat in 30 years, but i do eat some chicken, and fish on occasion. i am wondering since i will need to increase my dairy intake a little,( i need to supplement a little calcium for my bones, and since i have had a kidney stone i do not want to take calcium supplements at this time ) if my cholesterol will go up. i have a little room to play with, you might say, so hopefully things will all work out.
so that is about it. i already have my appointments for my lab work and ultrasound/ doctor visit for october. my doctor will let me know what she wants to do about my T4 . since we talked about it, she knows how i feel ( i want to stay on the 137mcg for now). i know that she will take how i feel into consideration before she makes a decision.
interesting side note here. she wanted to look at my pathology report from may of 2010( after my surgery). it was not in her computer for some reason. but i have records in a special notebook of ALL of my tests since my diagnosis. i told her that i would mail her a copy. this is a good example of what i always try to tell everyone: keep copies of all of your tests. you never know when they might come in handy.
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