It's been a while...

I haven't updated this blog lately since there really hasn't been much to talk about.  I did see Dr. Chahal in Iowa City in late July and just got my test results today.  I did panic yesterday when I called the office to get my TSH results and the nurse would not share them because there was a note in my file that said "doctor must review results with patient."  Yikes!  Well, Dr. Chahal called today and said my unstimulated thyroglobulin is 0.3.  This is very good.  I'd prefer it be "undetectable" but anything below 2 is good for a thyroid cancer patient.  The not so good news is that my TSH is only 0.12.  That's below normal - or hyperthyroid.  So, all the lovely side effects of being hyperthyroid are present - have been for about the second half of the summer.  I still don't know why I can take the same dosage and my TSH will just drop like a rock over time.  This happens all the time...find a good dosage of Synthroid, stay on it for two years or so then TSH drops to zero.  I kinda knew from my symptoms that I was overdosed so I was cutting back on my own.  Even with that, my TSH still came back at 0.12.
So, what are the side effects of being overdosed?  Each person is unique - but for me:  Hands shake.  Always warm.  Digestive system in over-drive so always nice to have a bathroom nearby.  Don't sleep well...as a result tired.  Some brain fog. Vertigo is worse than usual.  Anxious.  Heart beat goes from 60 - 120 from walking a flight of stairs.  So, kinda like me, being me - only moreso!!
Now for the really good news:  I get to lower my Synthroid dosage!!!  I've been asking for this and secretly do it some on my own.  But now I get to officially do it.  So, I'm planning a drug holiday - where I skip my synthroid for a couple days to slow myself down - then I'll get on the new dosage.  Doc said she wants to target the low end of normal TSH or 0.27 to 1.0.  I want 1.0.  I really want 1.5 because a TSH of 1.5 feels marvelous.  I ended up at that level a couple of summers ago when for some dumb reason I was taking the wrong dosage (grabbed an older dosage out of the pill drawer).  It was A-W-E-S-O-M-E.  So those of you who are new to thyroid cancer are probably asking "why do you have to take so much synthroid?"  TSH - thyroid stimulating hormone - can trigger the growth of thryoid cancer.  So, suppress it with an overdose of Synthroid and you increase the odds of the cancer not returning.  This is especially important in folks who had their cancer spread outside the thyroid bed and into the lymph system (folks like me).
So, all in all a good report.
I do have to do a neck ultrasound this Fall "at my convenience" to make sure things are still OK.  Constant monitoring - that's how we cancer survivors continue to survive...and thrive!
I'll update this blog again after the neck ultrasound.