First, let me clarify what I meant last month about "rather having diabetes". I worded that question rather terribly. I didn't mean I'd rather have diabetes; I simply meant that I'd rather Graves' Disease was as well known and well documented as diabetes. Please accept my apologies for my awful vebiage. I didn't mean to offend anyone; I was just expressing my frustration at endocinological fauz pas of claiming to understand the thyroid, yet in reality, most endocrinologists understand only diabetes "the money making disease", and thyroid care takes a back seat ~ a way-back seat. My question should have been "Wouldn't you prefer that Graves' Disease were as understood in whole as diabetes is understood?"

I think I've run into another bad batch of Synthroid - or at least it feels that way. This past week I found myself suffering from anxiety attacks and opposite those, hours and hours of listlessness. Then on Thursday my eyes began to get that "chunk of gravel" feeling and by Friday morning I couldn't see, and my eyes hurt like hell. Watering yet dry, and looked like a bad case of pink eye (no poem intended:). Couldn't work on Friday because I couldn't keep my eyes open, plus I felt like a zombie ~ dead and very cold. I have an appointment with the endo on January 4th and I do plan to have an in-depth talk with him about armour thyroid vs synthroid. I really think I need the T3 supplements. There are some of us who just don't make our own, or enough of our own, or use them up - and when they are gone, they are gone! I've found that the more stressful my job is, the more listless I become. All this time I thought it was due to not enough T4, but, after doing some searching about hypothyroidism, I've discovered (very late) that there is a whole opposite world out there that deals with hypo and that world is very different from hyper. As in DUH!

All this time I've been looking at "my condition" as hyper when in reality, since I have NO thyroid due to RAI, I should have been looking at it from the hypo point of view (or at least a good portion of it). Talk about feeling stoopid ~ Actually, I feel duped! I am the sick person and I should not have to figure all this out by myself! Which brings us back to the first paragraph ~ wouldn't I rather have something popular! See where I was trying to go with that?

I am adding some new links that might help some of you in this new-found (DUH) understanding. In no particular order, find them below:

Two Thyroid Hormones Are Better Than One
Thyroid Therapy
Thyroid Disease Support Information
Thyroid Disease and Sexual Dysfunction - 03-08-99
Thyroid Disease - Dear Doctor Synthroid Vs. Armour -- A Patient's Letter -- Thyroid Disease
Synthroid, Armour and Thyrolar Update - Thyroid Disease - 4-27-98
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism -- Michael Schachter - HealthWorld Online
Brand name Armour Thyroid
Armour Thyroid and Thyrolar Alternatives to Synthroid and the Other T4-Only Drugs
http--www.the-thyroid-society.org-replacement.html
Writing Your Way to Wellness With Thyroid Disease - Thyroid Disease - 08-04-99
Wilson's Syndrome Foundation
The Cold Body Page
Losing Weight With Hypothyroidism - Part 1 - Thyroid Disease
Drug and Medication Recalls
Bulletin Board - Thyroid Disease

Anyway ~ Lost another day's work on Monday. Just trying to do the best I can with what I have left of a life. My life consists of nothing. Going to work ~ coming home ~ and "sleeping it off" ~ just to get up the next morning to do it all over again. I really hope that I have some great news in January after I see the endo and have a little talk about T3 supplements. Let's all hope I'm right this time. Could make a lot of difference to a lot of people! Any info ~ ammo ~ and etc would be greatly appreciated!! Until next time ~ you know who!