I mentioned recently that I was having my cortisol levels checked, desperate to figure out why I can't lose any weight. It turns out my cortisol is fine, according to the easiest, most inaccurate (and cheapest) test. So, moving on....
My doctor - bless her heart - is actually willing to prescribe a desiccated thyroid hormone. Few doctors will. Why? Well...
Synthroid, the typical synthetic thyroid hormone that most hypothyroid patients get put on, is easy to prescribe. And if you're hypothyroid because you have no thyroid, it's super easy to prescribe, based on your weight. But Synthroid contains only one of two thyroid hormones and some patients don't naturally convert that one hormone to the two you need for your metabolism to work properly.
But there's an alternative that is controversial for a few reasons (none of which bother me): desiccated thyroid, which is made from pigs. That freaks some people out. But because it's natural - from pigs - it contains both thyroid hormones and other natural ingredients that help the thyroid. The other reason - besides the pig factor - doctors are hesitant to prescribe it is because the dosing is very different from synthetic hormones. That means it takes a while to figure out the right dosage, which means blood tests until it's accurate.
They can have all my blood if they can get my hormones right! So, I'm now on the desiccated hormones. I'm hoping to actually have some energy (which has been decidedly lacking) and lose the bit of "thyroid weight" I've put on. Those are my two goals. So far, so good - I think I have a bit more energy.
I'll let you know how I progress!
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