12/15/2025
I want to put this out there to clarify something: I am not a physician, although I taught medical students for decades. I am an informed patient though. I’ve had Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism for more than half of my life. My mother had it too. We share the same genes for it. She had type I diabetes though, I don’t. Thus was confirmed on a 23 and me test I did once. She had the genetic predisposition for both conditions, I only had it for one: Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism.
The issue is that most doctors don’t know how to interpret thyroid levels. The normal range is something like .5 to 5.0 tsh. However when this range was established, a large number of hypothyroid patients were included in the sample population so the normal range is highly skewed. Most patients feel healthy with a TSH less than 2.0. Most doctors don’t look beyond the TSH levels. When I’m healthiest , my TSH is less than .1 but all of my other thyroid hormone values are within a normal range. My weight and cholesterol are normal and cognitively, I’m sharp as a tack. I sleep well and have an excellent diet. Many people mistake me for 25 years old and I’m 66.
The other problem is that most doctors prescribed Synthroid, which is a synthetic version of one thyroid hormone. It is cheap. I take a prescribed natural thyroid hormone that contains all the thyroid hormones. It is taken with food and more readily absorbed. I pay out of pocket for this drug but it is worth it. Don’t accept less than excellent medical care. I bring articles to my doctor’s appointments and make sure that it is a collaboration. I follow the instructions of my doctors and never take more medication than prescribed. Combined with a healthy diet and regular exercise, I’ve lost 50 pounds in the last two years. I’m the healthiest I’ve been in years. I recently fired my P*P because she abandoned me while I was hospitalized this summer. They substituted Synthroid for Armour Thyroid because the former was on the formulary there. While hospitalized, my TSH was 20 —I can’t even read the medical records, they are that traumatizing. I almost died while I was in the hospital. I gained 32 pounds in three weeks and contracted COVID bronchitis while I was there since i was profoundly immunocompromised. Since then, I’ve heard of other people that the exact same thing has happened to and it has resulted in them being in a coma before someone interceded.
I’m in the process of suing my P*P because she abandoned me due to the fact that I was hospitalized at a place where she doesn’t have admission privileges. I almost died while I was there. I called her several times while I was hospitalized and she ignored my calls because she was too busy expanding her practice. I am furious at her and she never apologized. I’m going to sue her because she risked my life. I almost had a heart attack and died there. This has been confirmed by my cardiologist. I know as much about thyroid disorders as most physicians because I’m an educated consumer and have had the disease for 30 years. I’ve always followed my doctor’s recommendations and taken the medication exactly as prescribed. Fortunately, I’ve now lost the 32 pounds that I gained while hospitalized and have received an all clear from my cardiologist. It is very difficult to find a competent physician these days, believe me. I had put my faith in and she nearly killed me. I’m now searching for a new P*P to treat my medical conditions. It is difficult to find one who knows as much about thyroid disorders than me and will look beyond the superficial and instead at the whole person. I can’t believe how stupid most MDs are. I recently asked my cardiologist to recommended a decent P*P and he couldn’t think of a one name. I’m not kidding. It is a full time job just getting adequate medical care these days and I have excellent insurance as well. Also, I don’t prescribe any medication whatsoever. I just encourage my patients to advocate for themselves wherever possible and to think critically about anyone who doubts their experience. I always tell them to trust their instincts. They will seldom lead them wrong. It is a full time job to get decent healthcare these days.
Picture is of a unicorn. Once a patient said to me when I was counseling him about sleep apnea “you’re not an ordinary psychologist, are you?l” I’m not. My sister, said to je once “why don’t they just give you sn MD degree already?” She seems to have forgotten the fact of my extraordinary medical knowledge last summer when I was dying. But I’m finally starting to recover from this nightmare. I guess I am a unicorn after all.
