|
There are no words
to describe the relief and difference I have felt since undergoing the
treatment for Wilson's Temperature Syndrome. I not only feel better physically but
also mentally.
Where do I begin with
my story? When I first read of the treatment, I was more than skeptical,
to say the least. When I read the list of symptoms, I thought, "Come
on, be real—all these symptoms just from thyroid?" There were
so many of my own symptoms listed there. But I had had good medical treatment
and had been on Synthroid for years so surely I was just imagining these
symptoms, wasn't I? This was what I had been led to believe for over 30
years.
Now since I feel so
much better, I look back on the years when I was so very, very tired while
raising my children and waking each morning more tired than when I went
to bed; of wanting to just pull the covers over my head and cry; of aching
all over and having to concentrate so hard just to remember how to rise
from a chair and not wanting anyone to know because you think it must
all be in your mind.
You are only 25 years
old and look great except your feet and hands swell and you are a little
bit overweight since the children were born. No one knows you eat very
little and must go on a starvation diet to lose any weight at all. You
are able to keep a reasonably clean house and are active with your children's
school, and even take a full-time job so your husband can go back to college.
Even though each day you must push yourself physically and just will yourself
to keep going.
All the time you keep
these things to yourself because you don't want to complain, and your
doctors cannot find anything physically wrong with you other than a low
thyroid and you are receiving Synthroid for that, so that ought to fix
what ails you. In fact, to go back a little bit, before the doctors gave
me Synthroid for my problem, they sent me to the hospital for treatment
with radioactive iodine, twice.
I look at many people
now and wonder if they could be suffering form the same condition as I
had, excusing it as stress, getting old, every day life, and a host of
other titles.
I believe my condition
was not ordinary, due to the fact that neither Dr. Wilson nor anyone else
could determine just how much thyroid tissue had been destroyed because
of the radioactive iodine. However, after I finally figured, "What
do I have to lose?" I called and made the appointment to see Dr.
Wilson. Upon my consultation visit with him, he told me all the symptoms
I had felt over the years. I was impressed. Remember now, I was real skeptical,
and as I said before, I had had good medical treatment over the years,
but simply received either blank stares when I related my problem or the
feeling of "Quiet, woman, I'm the doctor, there is nothing wrong
with you," or, "I'll determine what is wrong with you."
Or as one very kind doctor admitted, he just couldn't figure women out.
So with a shrug of the shoulder, I went on my way and felt, "What's
the use, just live with it. Everyone must feel this way, they just don't
mention it." And I wouldn't either.
My grandmother, who
was a very intelligent person, but very cranky and at times seemingly
uncaring, had her thyroid removed at Ford Hospital in Detroit around the
turn of the century. She never received any medication for her condition.
Now I can see that perhaps her complaints were not unjustified, and her
short temper was perhaps due to her physical condition of low thyroid
or no thyroid. She is gone now. I wish I had been more understanding.
My normal body temperature
has been 96.0 degrees for as long as I can remember. One doctor told me
if my temperature went to 98.6 I should consider this as 2 degrees of
fever and treat it that way.
I thought of myself
as cool, calm, and collected, although I was on high blood pressure medicine.
I guess I wasn't too cool, calm, and collected. Dr. Wilson took me off
Synthroid and started me on T3 medicine for approximately 10 months. After
that time, he weaned me off all thyroid medication. I have been off both
Synthroid and T3 for six months now, and the thyroid blood test done last
week shows that both my T4 and TSH are within normal limits. After 30
years my thyroid gland is functioning properly on its own, and I'm doing
much better now than when I was on thyroid medicine. I have lost 40 pounds
and reduced my blood pressure medicine by 1/2. I have kept the 40 pounds
off for the last six months with little or no effort.
I hold the position
of executive secretary for a very busy public figure and pride myself
on being a good wife, a very efficient secretary, a great mom and grandmom,
and very active in several volunteer organizations. What more can I say,
Dr. Wilson, other than I wished you had been around 30 years ago.
|
