In a message dated 2/18/2006 2:45:59 P.M. US Eastern Standard Time,  
[log in to unmask] writes:

MY TSH  is 45.6.  My endo
started me on 125 mcg T4. ..... I still  feel foggy.  I
can't spell and I am very forgetful.  I don't  think I am safe taking care of
patients but I can find no research on this  subject. >>>>
 
You would probably be hard pressed to find research on whether inebriated  
Health Care Professionals are safe taking care of patients, too. There are  
plenty of things that belong in the realm of "Common Sense" that are,  
unfortunately, beyond the ken of many docs who presume to treat Hypothyroidism. 
 
To make a long story, your concerns are VERY reasonable, and your endo is  
discounting them. As professionals, our first responsibility is to be sure that  
we are able to safely deliver the care that we need to give. In the last  
analysis, that responsibility will rest squarely on you. 
 
Hypothyroidism is very much a disabling illness, and brain function has  been 
shown to be impaired quite early its course. Even more disconcerting, you  
endo is presuming to diagnose status of the illness based solely upon  lab work 
and other factors that ignore the most important variable in the  equation: 
The Patient!
 
Make sure that you are comfortable with your level of function before you  
return to your usual work. In "The Thyroid Solution" Arem devotes a whole  
chapter to the long term psychological effects of Hypothyroidism and  
Hyperthyroidism. He observes that the mental changes from thyroid  disorders are not unlike 
those that occur after long term alcohol or  substance abuse. These mental 
impairments can continue long after the labs are  "normal." He also notes that 
because this problem has not been widely taught or  discussed, patients with 
thyroid disorders have been told that there ongoing  problems with cognitive 
function or mood have nothing to do with their thyroid  when in fact, it does. 
 
Doc Don







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