I absolutely love paying $75 per visit to be condescended to like an uninformed teenager. It’s even better when my doctor tells me I can mix medication brands and that I’ll change my mind about having children!
Completely disgusted with the way I have been treated in this office. I had been looking for a decent endocrinologist to help manage my Hasimoto’s – and certainly didn’t find that with Dr. Ali. At first, he seemed really cool, easy to talk to and knowledgeable about various dietary concerns I was having. I mentioned wanting to nail down why I’ve had stomach issues on Synthroid suddenly, though I have been taking either Synthroid or its generic (levothyroxine) since I was ten. He suggested taking iron supplements (I started taking a liquid, thinking it would be easier on my stomach), eating flax seed (whatever, can add it to my morning yogurt) and eating less preservative-laden foods (I’m a vegetarian, so I basically eat grass for fun. Not really sure where the preservatives would come into play.) I was onboard with all of that. Then when my stomach symptoms didn’t alleviate, he suggested taking vitamin D, selenium and zinc. Uh, ok… seemed like a lot of things to keep adding to my diet rather than figuring out what is causing my unnatural bloating and stomach pains. He suggested I go back on Tirosint 100mcg even though I had a rough slew of side effects while on this, including weight gain, hair loss and being unable to take a shit for five days at one point. When I told him about this, he said I could do to “gain a few pounds,” that selenium would help my hair loss, and entirely ignored my butthole dilemma. After I protested, saying I didn’t want to go through all of that again, he suggested taking Tirosint 100 and 88 together, but switching off days. I said the side effects were enough to make a person very wary about trying it again in fear of the same results, which is when he suggested switching between 100mcg of Tirosint AND Synthroid. Though I don’t have the knowledge to be one, not sure why a doctor would recommend combining two different brands. Wouldn’t that just lead me to not being able to take a dump while also losing my hair and having horrible stomach cramps? How about no.
So then, he said he could give me samples of a medication called NP Thyroid. Word. I’m down to try a different medication so that I can not poop like a rabbit while also not shedding like a dog and gaining weight like a harp seal. I had to call the office to ask what dosage I should be taking. Rather than just tell me, the receptionist claimed I would need blood work. I explained that I already had the samples in hand, but wasn’t sure what the equivalent of NP would be to 100mcg of Synthroid/Tirosint. She refused to tell me how much to take, so I called back and spoke to a male receptionist who acted like a normal human being. Great. He advises me to take 1 tablet per day, so I start on NP. Much to my horror, I break out in an itchy rash and start having difficulty breathing. I schedule a last minute/emergency appointment, though I considered going to the ER at this point since the rash was spreading. Turns out that people with Hashi’s often reject NP Thyroid since it contains BOTH T4 and T3 – do I get an honorary doctorate yet? So, I go into the office a mere five days after having started on NP. I tell him the situation and this is where my ass chaps beyond belief. Like, if you can imagine riding a Komodo dragon bareback, that is how much it got chapped.
Dr. Ali tells me to stop taking the medication (no shit.) But he doesn’t just stop there. He asks how old I am (maybe check your fucking chart, bozo.) When I tell him I’m about to be thirty, he starts talking about my UTERINE health. Yes, there was a day when I didn’t know the word “uterine” existed – and I wish it would have stayed this way. He starts talking about how I need to better manage my hashi’s so that I can have better uterine health so that I can then have babies. When I say firmly that I am not having children, he actually had the AUDACITY to respond smugly, “No. Women and men are made differently. Your clock will start ticking and you will HAVE to have a baby. You’ll see.”
Did this dude… just mansplain my own life choices to me, citing some odd biological DRIVE to INSTANTLY get knocked up and reproduce like a walking womb? Am I just a uterus, or do I have thoughts and feelings? (Right about here in the story is when I need thoughts and prayers, honestly.) I was so astounded that in 2020, a male endocrinologist would have the gall to actually make an allergic reaction shift to baby talk. Honest to Satan, I have never been so astounded while at a supposed medical professional’s office.
Suffice to say, my rash has gone away (and luckily, I didn’t end up in the ER – no thanks to their office.) I am still taking Synthroid and trying to nail down my stomach problems on my own. I am no longer attempting to return back to Tirosint, though my recent revisit caused me to gain another 4lbs and lose a nice chunk of hair. Thanks, Dr. Ali, for annoying the figurative shit out of me (too bad it wasn’t literally, because then you’d actually have been helpful.) I’ll be sure to name my first childfree period as a thirty-year old after you.