Janet’s story

Janet, with peri-menopause symptoms and continuing hypothyroid on T4 meds, took the bull by the horns and found a doctor who listened. She is now on Armour and doing wonderful.

I was having full-blown symptoms of perimenopause – hot flashes, “foggy” thinking, sporatic menstrual cycles, inexplicable weight gain (to the tune of 10 lbs in one month at times).

Back in my more active days, I used to weigh somewhere in the vicinity of 138-140 lbs; which was great for me. And I felt okay back then. I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s when I was 22 and took either Synthroid or Levoxyl for the next 20 years.

I started having all these weird symptoms around the time I turned 38 (I’ll be 43 this Saturday). From the time I was 38 to the time I was 42, my weight went from 155 lbs to 203 lbs after losing 2 pregnancies. And no matter what exercise I did or what I ate, I simply could NOT get that weight off – I only went higher. I FELT horrible all the time – I just KNEW something was wrong with me. But, I couldn’t pinpoint it.

At the time, I was under the care of an endocrinologist (thinking that was the best I could do for my thyroid maintenance). As a matter of fact, this guy was even a specialist in metabolism, as well. But, every time I approached the subject of my bouts of weight gain, he told me to “get walking and stop eating” – as if I hadn’t already done that. It really made me mad. And with all my perimenopause symptoms, he still ignored my pleas for help.

I was tired and LOOKED tired all the time. My hair was falling out so quickly that I swear I should have held stock in Liquid Plum’r. I was GROUCHY and my PMS symptoms lasted at least 3 out of 4 weeks of the month.

The only time I DIDN’T have these issues was when I was pregnant with my 2nd baby. …That’s what clued me in – my hormones were more in balance while I was pregnant. It WAS hormones – just as I suspected. So, I started searching the internet for answers. That’s when I found STTM – and it really changed my outlook as well as my life.

In an effort to get started on the “right” medication ASAP, I called my endocrinologist and asked to be taken OFF Levoxyl and put on Armour. His response was, “I can change you to Armour, but it’s not going to make any difference. Your levels are fine.” The second that came out of his mouth, I knew I had to find a different doctor – one who would support my decision to change and increase my dosage to a point where I FELT better finally.

I found my doctor on the Top Thyroid Docs website and made an appointment right away. He talked to me about my concerns (and he LISTENED TO ME). He said that 1/2 of his diagnosis would have to take into account how I feel – not just some numbers on a piece of paper from a lab. It was then that I knew I was in the right place. I went from taking 90mg to 240mg over the past year (which is where I am now). I actually feel younger now than I did when I was 38.

Oh, and I forgot to mention – libido. I had absolutely NO libido between the ages of 38 and 42! NONE! Thankfully, it’s back and my unbelievably patient and understanding husband is much happier. 🙂

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