I haven’t checked in here in ages! I had a total thyroidectomy in March 2015 for a precancerous nodule. Since then my numbers (and my weight) have been all over the place. My endocrinologist has been of no help and I have now, thanks to my fantastic primary care doctor, fired him. I mentioned to her in June that I have just been constantly tired and run down since before my surgery. Now my endo would have brushed this off as, “You’re fine, lose some weight.” (I initially gained 20 pounds after surgery, lost 15, and gained 25 back this last year - did I attribute all of the weight gain to my thyroid? No. It was my first year of teaching and I had a torn meniscus that complete sidelined me at the gym for three months - I had surgery for that in December and have been working out regularly again, mostly classes at the small, independently owned gym I belong to with occasional cardio thrown in at a Planet Fitness).
Anyway, my endo never once entertained the possibility of switching off the generic and onto a name brand. My primary care did. When I saw her two weeks ago for a follow up, she prescribed (and gave me a one month’s sample of) Tirosint. I started on the Tirosint last Friday (just over a week ago) and I’m feeling so much better already. I’m not nearly as tired as I’ve been for the past few years and my joints have been aching a lot less. I canceled the appointment I had last week with my endo and, unless my primary care sees the need to send me to the endo again, I will not be going back. Once I began reading about the generic Levothyroxine I was horrified as the fillers that are put in the pill. I have always been sensitive to lactose (since I was a little girl) and the generic Levothyroxine contains... lactose. The dosage also isn’t as well-regulated as the name brands are, so that is another issue as well.
I go for my annual thyroid ultrasound and my follow up with my primary care in October, so we will see how things go then.
On another note, I just started a new job as a special education teacher co-teaching 11th and 12th grade English. I’m a week in and I love it so far! Teaching is a career change for me and last year was my first full year in the classroom, where I taught 7th and 10th grade English. I’ve moved to a new school this year and already feel like I have so much more support as a new teacher!