Posts by John Adams4

Nicole Morgan55 said:At one in the morning??? After brushing your teeth??

..well, then you just suffer...

Perhaps 2-3 pickles—or even just some vinegar—and water.

I suppose I should ask—have you even bothered to see a doctor yet?

mistyhound2 said:It is good news that you have reached remission—hopefully, it stays that way. Though, as you likely know, recurrence is always a possibility; one can find themselves cycling through relapse and remission indefinitely—even for those who haven't sought treatment. It is an unfortunate reality that this illness is chronic and incurable, so regular monitoring seems... essential. 👍

Thanks for the response. 🙂

At the moment, my only real concern involves those nodules that have grown over the last year.

A couple more links for you:

mistyhound2 said:If you don't mind sharing—could you be more specific about your thyroid issues? I wonder if it was an adenoma or perhaps something else, like an autoimmune condition?

I am essentially quoting my own previous posts from this thread:

And one more link here:

"I personally suffer from Graves' disease; I actually discovered it while vacationing in Florida. After ending up in the ER—my heart rate was hitting 120-140 bpm—they sent me straight for blood work and a scintigraphy scan.
These were my initial results:
T3 7.63 nmol/l (ref: 1.29-2.60 nmol/l)
T4 201.1 nmol/l (ref: 71.2-161.0 nmol/l)
TSH 0.016 mIU/l (ref: 0.465-4.68 mIU/l)
For a year, I was on Thiamazol—which blocks hormone production—and levothyroxine sodium, which provides the hormone the body needs to function properly.

The first scan didn't show much beyond an enlarged right lobe. On the second, they noted two benign nodules, measuring 2 and 4 mm.
I have been off medication for four months now. I feel much better, and my hormone levels are within the normal range. I still get blood work done every three months; the eye issues have subsided, though they haven't entirely disappeared."

Over the course of a year, I ended up adjusting my own dosages slightly—though, prior to that, it is vital to recognize all the symptoms of hypo/hyperthyroidism.
By monitoring those signs (in my case, fluctuating vision, weight changes, fatigue, lethargy, hair loss, or nervousness/palpitations), I could tell exactly which phase I was in and adjust my meds accordingly. Of course, everything was done under medical supervision with regular blood tests.

P.S.: It was an autoimmune issue. In the meantime, the nodules have grown slightly, but my doctor insists surgery isn't necessary—I had an ultrasound just a few weeks ago—and the antibodies are no longer showing up in my labs.

nimbledriver81 said:Hormones are produced by the gland through internal processes—there isn't any food that can simply replace them.

I suppose we could just stop consuming iodine—which is naturally found in most diets—and then we might see how those glands manage to produce hormones without it.

nimbleskipper13, please—go be someone else's problem.

Jose Miller3 said:Well, if your thyroid has been removed—or perhaps just completely destroyed by antibodies, like in cases of Hashimoto's disease—then who exactly is going to produce those hormones? I suppose one might wonder if some other organ could step in to take over the job.

mon said:They removed the left side where the nodule was located.

If they only removed the portion containing the nodule, then presumably the remaining tissue should be healthy enough to handle the workload of the entire gland—at least, that's my assumption.

In any case, there isn't quite enough information in the original post to say much more than that.

Jose Miller3 said:..., but rather about completely stopping a vital hormone replacement therapy altogether!

If the body is capable of producing it on its own—why bother with replacements at all?
How can one possibly determine if the body is still capable of synthesizing a hormone if you haven't given it any chance to do so in the first place?

mon said:I was wondering if there are any natural—home remedies, I suppose—that might help support thyroid function?

There is KELPSAN, a homeopathic option from A. Vogel; it’s meant to stimulate metabolism—contains kelp algae (*Macrocystis pyrifera*)—and one tablet provides 0.2 mg of iodine.

mon said:I recently had surgery to remove a nodule from my left lobe. My current levels—T3, T4, and TSH—are all within the normal range, so I’ve decided against hormone replacement therapy, even though my endocrinologist recommended taking it indefinitely to prevent a recurrence. It seemed... counterintuitive to take medication when the lab results look fine.
Has anyone else dealt with something similar?

Surgery isn't something to trifle with—and neither is a tumor—so, I suppose I should mention again: please seek a second opinion from another endocrinologist. Just—perhaps—avoid mentioning what your current doctor suggested until you have heard their independent perspective.

mistyhound2 said:I am not entirely sure about the specific dosage charts, but the dose really needs to be adjusted based on your T3, T4, and TSH levels. Have you been monitoring your hormones regularly? And was that done while you were in the USA?

I have been monitoring them—and I still am—though I also have two benign nodules (one at 14mm and another at 6mm). Currently, I am seeing doctors in both the Netherlands, where I live, and Belgium—mostly because the healthcare there seems a bit more reliable.
The first doctor I dealt with—the one I ended up fleeing from—was Dutch.

Well, everyone here seems to be such an expert!

I dealt with thyroid issues myself.
My doctor practically forced those pills on me—I ended up gaining 40 pounds in six months—and I felt terrible. He just kept insisting I take them because "the charts say so" and that there was no way to lower the dosage.
Eventually, I went to see a different specialist. She practically threw her hands up in frustration and immediately cut my dose in half—then halved it again after that. It’s been nearly a year without medication now, and my labs are looking good.

Mon, maybe try getting a second opinion from at least one more doctor.

masterblaster said:What exactly is this? Is it prescription only?

It's just Naproxen sodium—essentially the active ingredient in many common over-the-counter painkillers you'd find at a CVS or Walgreens.

The only thing that actually works for me—and my sister, who would probably end up in the ER if she didn't get relief—is Naproxen Sodium.

rustymoose54 said:Go ahead and take it—I don't really have a use for it myself.🙂

Hypoglycemia is essentially just low blood sugar. That sugar is glucose, which the body uses for energy by converting it into pyruvate—that's during glycolysis, I believe.

Fructose can technically enter the glycolysis process, though it usually goes through the fructose-1-phosphate pathway via the fructokinase enzyme. Alternatively, it could turn into fructose-6-phosphate using hexokinase—but since fructose has a much lower affinity for that enzyme than glucose does, that path seems less likely.

When you're dealing with hypoglycemia, you need something that hits the bloodstream as glucose quickly. Glucose itself is best, followed by sucrose, then starch. Fructose probably won't help you much in a hurry.

🙏 😂 😈

I personally deal with Graves' disease—I actually found out while I was vacationing in Florida. After an ER visit (my heart rate was hitting 120–140 bpm), they sent me straight for blood work and a scintigraphy scan.
Here were my initial lab results:
T3 7.63 nmol/l 1.29-2.60 nmol/l
T4 201.1 nmol/l 71.2-161.0 nmol/l
TSH 0.016 mlU/l 0.465-4.68 mlUl
For about a year, I was on methimazole—which essentially blocks the thyroid from producing hormones—and levothyroxine, just to maintain some semblance of normalcy.

My first scan didn't show much, aside from an enlarged right lobe. On the second one, they spotted two benign nodules, measuring 2 and 4 mm.
I’ve been off medication for four months now, and I feel significantly better—my hormone levels have stabilized within the normal range. I still get blood work done every three months; the eye issues have subsided, though they haven't entirely disappeared yet.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask—or just send me a DM.

Maybe take some aspirin mixed with Vitamin C—then get an extra hour of sleep—and you might just feel like a new person. 😉

Amanda Booth64 said:Every addict currently going through withdrawal would probably love to pass that joke along to someone else.😉

Whether I find something funny or not—well, that isn't really the point.
The priority, I suppose, is providing some actual, useful advice to the guy who started this thread.
I’ve said this before, and I might just be repeating myself, but here goes.
Run—just get as far away as possible, leave everything behind, and start over from scratch, whether you end up alone or find a partner along the way.
You could always check into a rehab facility and follow their specific program, or you could head out on your own terms and try to build a new life while you recover.
If you ask me, the second option seems more practical.

Amanda Booth64 said:Physical withdrawals are just a joke????

They’re a joke in the sense that they pass—like an illness that eventually leaves you—but what lingers is the mental wreckage. That part can actually manifest as physical pain later on, almost through sheer psychological weight.
It’s like saying, "The weather is changing, and my whole body aches because I'm stuck at home."
And then, I guess, the cycle just restarts.