T3 Let Me Live Again
I am a 41 year old female who was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis nine years ago. For eight of those nine years I had a pretty pathetic life.
I had a huge goitre, overwhelming fatigue, muscle pain and weakness, depression, brain fog, slurred speech, migraines, blurred vision, a puffy face and a puffy body. When I was feeling at my worst my pulse was 53 and my blood pressure was 87/47. There were days when I felt so weak and depressed that I contemplated suicide. I don’t know how many times I would just burst into tears in front of my young child. Sounds bad!! IT WAS!!!!
At the time I was taking a big dose of 200 mcg of T4. A lot, considering I am a small person. My endocrinologist said that my T4 levels were in the normal range. “It can’t be you thyroid,” she said, “I don’t know what is wrong with you.” I fired that doctor and set out to find what was wrong with me.
I searched the Internet, read books, talked to others with this disease. After months of studying the disease and the role of T3 in your body I knew that without question I needed T3. Loading my body with T4 was no good to me if it was not being converted into T3 or being utilised by the cells properly.
I convinced my doctor to let me try some T3. My T4 was cut back from 200 to 150 mcg daily and in addition I took 12.5 mcg of T3. Do you want to know how it changed my life? Let me tell you!
Within one month of taking the T3 I started working 20 hours a week. The “brain fog” disappeared so quickly. I was intelligent and sharp like I used to be. It was like I had been living in a haze before. I no longer needed a two-hour sleep every afternoon.
Over a period of about 5-6 months my appearance changed. I lost that puffy look and no longer had goitre or two chins. My skin was less thick and it developed a smooth texture. I literally looked 5 years younger and felt 10 years younger. Blurred vision- GONE!! I don’t even need to wear glasses to drive anymore! Heavy periods- GONE! Just as well I didn’t have an unnecessary hysterectomy. My hair one year later is soft and shiny and my nails don’t peel and break anymore. I run on the treadmill and do weights at the gym. I have been able to lose 6kg that I could never lose before the T3 treatment. I am a small person. I knew that my weight gain was due to my thyroid levels being out of whack. I have my bright cheerful personality back again and can now work 8 hours and still have energy to go to the gym. My pulse is up around 73 now and my blood pressure is 110/70.
For 8 years I was a bloated, exhausted, depressed invalid who could hardly look after her child some days. Every single doctor I saw in those eight years seriously under treated me. I have before and after photos that would amaze you. My face was so swollen up. My goitre was enormous.
For doctors to assume that every bit of T4 you take is converted into T3 successfully is beyond me. I am not a scientist but I feel like I have proven through my testimony that some people just don’t covert T4 to T3 properly.
You get ONE chance at life and I was damned if I was going to spend the rest of my life with such poor health. My life is so different today to what it was a year ago. I could not have written this article a year ago. I must add also, that I need a higher T3 dose in the winter and in times of great physical or emotional stress. I live in my body and know exactly how much thyroid hormone I need. I have regular blood tests and when I am feeling at my best my T3 levels are always at the upper end of normal.
If you feel well on T4 alone then don’t mess with your treatment. If you don’t feel well you owe it to yourself to find a doctor who will let you try some T3. Make sure you get the slow-release form that is made up from a compounding pharmacy. If you still have a lot of thyroid symptoms then you are not being treated properly. Be assertive with your doctor. Don’t ever give up!!!
I have this to say to all the specialists that didn’t think I needed T3. SHAME SHAME SHAME! How could you look at me with my puffy face and list of symptoms and say T3 is not necessary”? For goodness sake listen to your patients and at least test T3 levels. Slow release T3 has made my life worth living again.
Thank you to the doctor that finally did listen to me, and to the pharmacy that made up the slow release T3.
Good luck to all those people who are still suffering. I hope you can live life again like I am.
-- Anonymous
