Expert: Robert Arnone, DC - 3/17/2009

Question
I wanted to get some advice- I am currently in the military and the medical advice I can recieve is limited. . . can you give me an idea of what to expect?  My husband and i have been trying to have a baby for a year and a half.  I went to my PA, who did a physical, and took some blood.  He checked my thyroid, and said it was enlarged for someone my size, and the right side was larger than the left.  He has scheduled me for an ultrasound.  My TSH levels came back as 16.5 (0.46-4.68 normal) and T4 was 0.78 (0.71-2.19 normal).  Looking around online, this sounds like hypothyroidism, but if you saw me, you would never have guessed it.  I have plenty of energy, am very thin, have a fast heart rate, etc.  If I am asymptomatic, is it hypothyroidism, does it need to be treated, or can it be something else?  Food/congestion seems to collect right where the thyroid is, so that may be a problem.
The real question is- what could this be, does it need to be treated, and if it does, am I looking at taking medicine for the rest of my life?  Will it affect my chances of having a baby?  I'm not looking for a diagnosis, just some information on the possibilities, since right now I am pretty much just going off what I read on the internet.  Thank you.

Answer
Jennifer,
At this stage of the game I would recommend that you hold off on getting pregnant and get your self healthy first.  I do not recommend medicine, because there is no medicine that can help correct the cause of this problem.  There is however something that can locate and correct the cause of your ill health without harmful drugs or surgery which we do in our office every day with tremendous success on Thyroid patients.
Don't worry just yet, there is hope, but you will have to act in the near future for the best possible outcome.
In Your Best Interest,
Dr Robert Arnone
St Louis, MO 63141