Can I get an AMEN for Dr. Maxwell?!?

I've got a lot of ground to cover in this post and I haven't been feeling intelligent enough to articulate my thoughts (that darn brain fog again), but here I am, trying at 5:00 AM, thanks to my insomnia, which has enticed me enough to begin writing at this moment.

First, I received the results of the blood work that I discussed in my last post.  I am still waiting on the Anti-Adrenal Antibody test, but the others came back and I was surprised to learn that my B12 was actually high.  Many people with Hashimoto's actually have low B12 and vitamin D. I certainly have symptoms of low B12, such as numbness and tingling in both of my hands and feet, muscle spasms, weakness, etc. I have a hunch that my body is not getting the B12 from a cellular level, but I cannot seem to find any medical information on it, so I am not sure if that's even a possibility.  B12 is not fat soluble, rather the kidneys get rid of the excess amount via urine.  My diet rarely consists of the items that have B12, like meat, eggs, and liver.  My vitamin D came back low, which is not surprising because it is chronically low.

We had our first appointment with Dr. Craig Maxwell, who we found after researching thyroid doctors in our area.  After reading so many horror stories, combined with my own experiences, I went in to his office unpretentiously expecting anything, but quickly learned that he was probably sent from God.  He spent about an hour with us and humored us because he answered many of our questions, and explained his methods to us as if I were his only patient that day.  SIDE NOTE: If you want to avoid having your own horror stories about uneducated, misinformed, and unwilling doctors, I highly recommend searching forums and befriending Google in your quest because they typically use dissected/natural thyroid replacement options and consider their patient’s health from a functional perspective.  Look for clues that they combine holistic with modern approaches to medicine.  In other words, they aren’t just LAB OBSESSED.  Find out if they prefer to use desistec thyroid replacement medication, like Armour, Naturethroid, and Westhroid.  

Dr. Maxwell agreed 100% with my Hashimoto’s theory and we decided that it was best for me to start on Amour.  He was surprised at how much I had taught myself about the disease and I felt that I went in prepared to battle for my health, and it turned out that I never had to break out those 'weapons.' Although I've had a lengthy battle in diagnosing this disease, I am confident that I have found the right doctor, and that I will have a shorter battle in finding the best treatment option for me. Not so many patients of this disease can and we are so thankful that he came in to our lives at this time. 

The doctor also ran some additional blood work, including a liver panel and serum cortisol, though I intended on getting the more expensive 24-hour saliva test because many claim it to provide the most accurate snapshot of the cortisol level. We may end up purchasing that test, though it’s quite costly.  I’m still waiting on him to contact us about the results, but I had the lab email them to me. My liver enzymes are more elevated than they’ve ever been, including my bilirubin.  A few days ago, I was fearful that I may have Autoimmune Hepatitis, but I have since calmed down and have found comfort in knowing that it’s common for Hashimoto’s ‘victims’ to have elevated enzymes, and they often decrease with proper treatment.  

Here are some of the recent test results:

-CA125 (Cancer Antigen 125) - 16.7 (reference range-0.0-35.0)- I was not familiar with this test. It is a biomarker for ovarian cancer detection, and also is used for other abdominal cancers. I believe doctors are concerned when the levels are very high.

-BUN- 6.0 (7.0-17.0) - Slightly low.

-Sodium- 137.0 (137.0-145.0) -Normal, however I usually test either slightly below normal or barely normal, such as in this case. Most Americans consume too much sodium and I do get enough in my diet, however something is affecting it.  I am going to bring this up to my doctor.

-Potassium- 4.10 (3.50-5.10)

-CO2- 21 (22-30)- Another test that turned out to have a ‘slightly’ low result.  This one actually concerns me because it can be an indication of either respiratory acidosis or metabolic acidosis. We will discuss this level with the doctor.

-Total Bili (Bilirubin)-1.80 (.20-1.30)-This one is almost always elevated.

-SGPT/ALT-<3 (9-52) - An elevated level is more cause for concern than a lower level. I was unable to locate much clinical data regarding the dangers of it being low, but apparently I should not be concerned with it. I also wonder if this level is affected by Milk Thistle, which I take religiously every day.

-Total Protein-8.6 (3.5-5.0) - This was the first time that my protein level was high.

It’s amazing how thyroid diseases can affect almost every system in the body. From the heart, to the kidneys, liver, bladder, gallbladder, etc., it is a powerful autoimmune disease and many in the medical world underestimate its strength, disregard its course of action, and simply don’t give it enough credit.

So, on that last note, I feel the need to suggest this webpage for those of you, who are interested in learning more about how Hypothyroidism (Hashimoto's is the #1 cause of it) can rear it's ugly head.  It's a long read (but well worth it!) because it details all of the symptoms and clinical findings of the disease from birth to death. I found some of the text eerie because they explain many illnesses that run in my family. 

Since I just started taking the Armour, I'm going to wait it out for a few more days before posting anything about it. The doctor explained that it can take about a month to make a difference in my body. Crossing my fingers! :)

I'm also praying for my cousin as she gets her test results back tomorrow.  She has not been feeling well either and suspects that she has a thyroid problem too.  She also informed me that her dad (my mom's brother) had a goiter removed years ago. 

On our 2nd trip to Italy. I put up a good front because I was really sick in this picture.