Amanda H.

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Well, I went to Dr. Gorospe's seminar, and it was very informative.  I just could not hardly understand a word he said.  And as I was looking over all the paperwork I realized I have'nt made sure he is in the network, so I called my insurance company  today, and he isn't in network.  So, I got scheduled for a seminar in Little Rock for Dr. Mark Gibbs.  It's on October 26th.  He must be good, because the seminar for September is already filled up.  I can wait though.  I am just glad to have good insurance that actually covers the surgery.    I also checked with the insurance company about him and he is in network and so is Baptist Medical Center where he performs his surgeries. I have been reading all the testamonies about Dr. Gibbs and they all seem positive.  I really got a kick out of one, she said he wears jeans and cowboy boots!  Just my type of Doc!  I'll update as I know more!

     Hypothyroidism is the disease state in humans and animals caused by insufficient production of thyroid hormone by the thyroid gland. It affects about 5% of the United Kingdom population over 60 years of age. As of 2006, more than 1% of the United Kingdom population were receiving T₄ (Thyroxine) replacement therapy for hypothyroidism.

     
   

There are several distinct causes for chronic hypothyroidism. Historically and, still, in many developing countries iodine deficiency is the most common cause of hypothyroidism world-wide. In present day developed countries, however, hypothyroidism is mostly caused by Hashimoto's thyroiditis, or by a lack of the thyroid gland or a deficiency of hormones from either the hypothalamus or the pituitary.

Hypothyroidism can result from postpartum thyroiditis, a condition that affects about 5% of all women within a year after giving birth. The first phase is typically hyperthyroidism. Then, the thyroid either returns to normal or a woman develops hypothyroidism. Of those women who experience hypothyroidism associated with postpartum thyroiditis, one in five will develop permanent hypothyroidism requiring life-long treatment.

Hypothyroidism can also result from sporadic inheritance, sometimes autosomal recessive. It is a relatively common disease in purebred domestic dogs as well, and can have a hereditary basis in dogs.

Temporary hypothyroidism can be due to the Wolff-Chaikoff effect.

Hypothyroidism is often classified by the organ of origin.

    

The ability of Hypothyroidism to mimic a number of medical conditions originates in the vast functions of the thyroid hormones, which are absent in this case. The functions of thyroid hormones include modulation of carbohydrate, protein and fat metabolism, vitamin utilization, mitochondrial function, digestive process, muscle and nerve activity, blood flow, oxygen utilization, hormone secretion and sexual and reproductive health^[6] to mention some. Thus, when the thyroid hormone content gets out of balance, systems covering the whole body are affected, and that's why hypothyroidism can look like other diseases. Conversely, sometimes other conditions can be mistaken for hypothyroidism.

    

In adults, hypothyroidism is associated with the following symptoms:

Early symptoms

• Poor muscle tone (muscle hypotonia)
• Fatigue
• Cold intolerance, increased sensitivity to cold
• Constipation
• Weight gain
• Muscle cramps and joint pain
• Thin, Brittle fingernails
• Thin, brittle hair
• Paleness

Late symptoms

^[7]

• Slowed speech and a hoarse, breaking voice. Deepening of the voice can also be noticed.
• Dry puffy skin, especially on the face
• Thinning of the outer third of the eyebrows
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Low basal body temperature

 Less common symptoms

• Heat intolerance, increased sensitivity to heat
• Impaired memory
• Impaired cognitive function (brain fog) and inattentiveness
• Urticaria (hives)
• Migraine headache
• A slow heart rate with ECG changes including low voltage signals. Diminished cardiac output and decreased contractility.
• Reactive (or post-prandial) hypoglycemia^[8]
• Pericardial effusions may occur.
• Sluggish reflexes
• hair loss
• Anemia caused by impaired hemoglobin synthesis (decreased EPO levels), impaired intestinal iron and folate absorption or B12 deficiency from pernicious anemia
• anxiety/panic attacks
• difficulty swallowing
• Shortness of breath with a shallow and slow respiratory pattern.
• Impaired ventilatory responses to hypercapnia and hypoxia.
• Increased need for sleep
• Osteopenia or Osteoporosis
• Irritability and mood instability
• Yellowing of the skin due to impaired conversion of beta-carotene to vitamin A
• Impaired renal function with decreased GFR.
• Thin, fragile or absent cuticles
• Elevated serum cholesterol
• Acute psychosis (myxedema madness) is a rare presentation of hypothyroidism
• Decreased libido
• Decreased sense of taste and smell (late, less common symptoms)
• Puffy face, hands and feet (late, less common symptoms)

 Pediatric

Hypothyroidism in pediatric patients can cause the following additional symptoms:

• short stature
• mental retardation if present at birth, and untreated.

 Severity

The severity of hypothyroidism varies widely. Some have few overt symptoms, others with moderate symptoms can be mistaken for having other diseases and states. Advanced hypothyroidism may cause severe complications including cardiovasular and psychiatric myxedema.

 

      I am so excited!  Tommorrow is the seminar in Tulsa!  I can't wait to meet Dr. Gorospe.   Me and my hubby are going up there, and my little sis and mom are going to babysit for us.  I got some bad news today from my Doc.  I had some labwork done last week, and I have an underactive thyroid, which I believe is called hypothyroidism.  It can cause weight gain, depression, cold hands and feet, lethargy among other things.  I am going to post some info on my blog about it.  My little sister just found out she has it too.  She went to the children's hospital and Little Rock and they ran tests.  I have to start on synthroid probaly for the rest of my life.  I also have high cholesterol (suprise suprise) and she wants to start me on Lipitor for that.   Well, I am going to go for now.  Wish me luck tommorrow!  I will try to post when I get home and tell everyone about it.

Well, my hubby got his paycheck today, and it had $112 taken out for spousal insurance.  So, we called his insurance company, and sure enough, im on it!  So, I went to my PCP and they said I have one of the best insurances they have ever seen!  They only require me to pay a 300 dollar deductible and then they pay 90 percent and 100 percent of anything over 5000 dollars!   I called Dr.Gorospes office and got set up for the seminar, and it's Sep 18.  I decided to go with him because he has a lot of experience.  He has done over 5000 surgeries!  I am so excited.  Oh I also asked the insurance if they pay for the gastric bypass, and they said as long as your doc sends a letter of medical neccessity!  I am finally going to get to have the surgery!  I will keep everyone posted.

     We went to the park today and took Colton to play.  We decided to take a walk, and it was'nt very far until I was out of breath and my legs and back were killing me.  I had to wait on a bench and have my DH bring the car to me and Colton.  I am so sick of being in pain all the time.  I wake up in pain, I walk and im in pain, work im in pain, sit im in pain, clean house im in pain etc...  I love to clean house, but in the last year, I have really had a hard time with it.  After I had Colton my health started to deteriate. (sp?)  I had him in November 2006. Just 8 weeks after I had my C-section, I found out I had gallbladder disease and  had to have my gallbladder removed.  I had never even been in the hospital before I had my baby.  So, I went through a depression with all those life changes and surgeries, and I am just now bouncing back.  The only thing that bothers me is being so heavy.  I am not happy with myself, and sometimes I take it out on my DH.  I feel so bad.  I know this surgery is not going to fix all my problems, but I think it will make me feel better, and change my life so I can do the things I want and not hurt all the time.  I weigh 327 right now.  I was 292 when I found out I was prego.  I was actually on a diet at the time I found out.  I was eating really healthy, and eating 3 sqaure meals a day with snacks.  I went up to 342, and after I had him I lost to 313 in 2 weeks.  Now I am starting to gain it back, partly because of my birth control and partly because I am not eating but a couple times a day and not healthy at all.  And not drinking enough water.  I know after the surgery I am going to have to change my whole life and I am ready.  I have been researching this for 5 years now.  Well, I am going to go now.

Well, I got my letter from work today saying I will be losing my benefits.  Only thing is he put down I was eligible for Cobra coverage??? I don't know what that mean, but hopefully it's not a bad thing.  So, my hubby is taking the letter to work tommorrow.  Im trying to stay positive...sorry so short but im tired and im going to bed.

Well, for some reason, I have a good feeling about all of this.  I feel like it's really going to happen this time.  For the past 5 years, I have been waiting, trying to lose weight, and failing, regaining the weight, dealing with crummy insurance comapnies, and now, I think it's going to happen.  I am just getting this scared feeling, like omg it's really going to happen.  I know they will approve me, because I have seen all the approved people on the insurance page.  A new lady just posted that she got approved with EPS/Healthsmart.  So all I have to do is get something from my job tommorrow saying that Im losing my benefits, and my hubby will turn it in, and they will send my card in the mail.  Im so excited, and im not even approved yet! 

Oh man I am getting so close!  My hubby's insurance won't sign me up on his insuance until I lose my insurance at my job or wait till October.  Well, I am going to part time because I am going back to college, so I am going to lose my benefits.  I don't care because they have an exclusion for the surgery.  But my hubby's insurance pays for the surgery as long as you have a BMI over 40.  So, all I have to do is get something from my job saying they dropped my insurance, and they will add me on his insurance!  I will do that Monday.  My surgoen is going to be Lana Nelson or Ronnie Keith in Norman OK.  I have already seen the seminar.  They sent it to me on DVD.  All I am waiting on is my insurance!  It's getting down to the wire.  Im getting excited!  Pray for me please...Amanda

Well, I started back to work on May 29th after being off since August of 2006.  I had been staying home since i was pregnant with my son.  He is 8 months now and growing like a weed. I am depressed because I hurt my back and I am pain and the hydrocodone they gave me isn't working.  I hurt my back a week ago, and have been in pain ever since.  I clean this man's house after work, and I was bending over a lot and a swept and mopped his whole house, and after I was done, I could tell I hurt my back.  I started getting muscle spasms and they are very painful.  I went to the chiropracter, and he says i strained/sprained some ligaments in my back.  I told him about wanting to have the gastric bypass, and he said he thinks I will do great with it.  He said thats really what i need to do to help my back get better.  He put me off of work until the 30th. It suck because I really like working.    But i can't do it, since im a home health aide and i have to lift patients and do lots of bending.  And it hurts extremely bad when I have to bend.  I can't even put my pants or panties on.  My DH has been helping me, doing laundry and dishes and helping with Colton.  He is a godsend.  I am waiting to get signed up on his insurance in August when they have open enrollment.  Then I will be able to proceed with the surgery.  I can't wait!  I can't take much more of this.

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