Thyroid Doctor

The best doctors for thyroid are usually general practitioners UNLESS you know that you have something very acute like thyroid cancer. But, if you are dealing with low or hyper thyroid function, most endocrinologist are not very useful, as they're trained to treat organ failure and not the very, very slow decline of thyroid function that many of us experience.

Your best bet is to join the Texas Thyroid Yahoo group where folks share experiences and can recommend doctors that folks on the list have had good luck with. AFAIK, there isn't one in your area and there are overall, very, very few good ones in this area. There are folks that have dealt with the whole range of thyroid issues in this group: http://health.groups.yahoo.com/group/Texas_Thyroid_Groups/

The majority of folks have gotten well using GOOD primary care physicians and those are quite rare these days.

I strongly suggest an endocronologist. They specialize in the endocrine system; of which the thyroid is a part.

Like Karla was staying, I also had a thryoid problem for many years that all my general practitioners and gyneclogists basically ignored. I also had miscarriages. They did a basic blood test that showed I had a boarderline thyroid disorder, yet the symptoms were all still there, and there is strong family history of thyroid disorder. They said I was "fine".....but I knew I wasn't fine. (Mind you, this was many doctors, over many years that did that.) They told me "lose weight". DUH, a symptom of thyroid disorder is excess weight.

Finally, I went to an endrocronlogist and based on the symptoms she did more thorough testing over the course of several weeks (taking blood work at different times of the month). Guess what....there was a point in which my thyroid went WAY below normal, and at best it was boarderline at other times. The other doctors did not pick up on this because they always tested at the wrong time of the month, and didn't use the right type of tests. She treated me with thyroid medication and I felt so much better.

If you think something is wrong, don't accept "boarderline", as a result. Ask for more than a basic TSH bloodtest.

Before you go in, read up on thyroid testing if you haven't already. It is amazing how little care most general practitioners, and gynecologists give to women complaining of thyroid symptoms. (Oprah had a show on this topic awhile back.)

Take good care of yourself.

I don't agree with the other suggestions of seeing anendocronologist. The one I saw told me I was boarderline obese - after losing all my baby weight in 6 weeks - I put on 30lbs in one month. I went to see someone else who really understood the thyriod and got on the correct medicine.. I think the response from Mary B is your best bet... I also know a couple. Let me know if you what their names.

I would highly recommend that you see an Endocrinologist (specializes in Thyroid). A GP can treat you for thyroid conditions, but from personal experience if you are having problems I would see a specialist. I went to a highly recommended GP when I was first diagnosed with problems. I was misdiagnosed several times by two different GP's before my OB sent me to an Endocrinologist. I see Dr. Henry Prost in Grapevine. I have been a patient of his for 5 years now, and I really like him.

I agree with Mary. A GP can be fine... but know that even if the GP says it's fine, it might not be. I had Hashimoto's disease... and most doctor's I went to had no clue what was going on with my thyroid hormone. I should've been on hormone years ago, but waited for many reasons and felt a world better once I got on it.

So start with a GP, and if it reads low/borderline and they don't want to treat you then go to a different doctor. If it's low and you have symptoms, you need hormone in my oppinion.

Dr. Cox at Tiena Health in Irving is a great doc. GP/Internal medicine... great doc.