Anonymous
Hi, Angie:
It sounds like you have been going through a real ordeal. None of us here are doctors, so we can be of only limited value to you right now.
First off: concentration issues are often associated with out-of-whack thyroid hormone levels. Jake, the fellow who started this bulletin board, once posted that a “benefit” he saw to the lack of memory at the time was that he could “hide his own Easter eggs.” And, I daresay, all of us have had to develop coping mechanisms — making lists, obsessively checking lists, etc. for a while. It does get better when we get stabilized at normal levels of hormone.
As for the other problems — the “episodes” — I would be nagging my doctor to death about them. They must be very scarey. If your thyroid levels have not been checked recently, I would suggest that that be your first step. Out-of-whack thyroid levels can have systemic body effects. If, however, those levels prove to be “normal”, the next step is to ask your doctor what tests need to be run next. A problem we all have had is that we do look at thyroid problems as a first explanation. Our doctors then tell us “it’s not your thyroid” (or words meaning the same thing), and then try to usher us out of the office. That is not helpful — but we have sort of set the stage for that response by assuming that whatever is going on IS thyroid. Anyway, immediately after hearing “It’s not your thyroid,” you should simply ask, “Well, then how do we find out what it IS?” You have a real problem, and finding out what it isn’t does not help all that much. You need to find out what IS going on. Do not let anyone label you a “drama queen.” It is important to get a doctor to pay attention, and look for a reason to those times when you get faint, blurred vision, and paralysed hands.
I hope you get help soon.
Bobbi — NGDF Online Facilitator