Hypothyroidism

Dr. Raphael Kellman Patients Testimonial – Jennifer

For years, Jennifer, 55, suffered from fatigue and back pain. She had a constant sore throat, but showed no other symptoms of a cold.

Jennifer, a Franklin Lakes, N.J. resident, went from doctor to doctor with little to no help in addressing the root cause of her problems. Some of them prescribed antidepressants. But Jennifer knew something was physically wrong with her.

She kept reading and searching. She suspected a thyroid problem, but doctors kept telling her that her thyroid levels were fine.

“My body was pretty much screaming at me that there was something wrong,” Jennifer said. “I was at a cross roads: Do I want something to take away the pain or do I want to fix the problem.”

That’s when she then found Dr. Kellman through an internet search. Dr. Kellman confirmed what Jennifer already knew about her thyroid. But he didn’t stop there, she said.

He checked her vitamin levels. He asked her a ton of questions. And he listened to what Jennifer was saying. Turns out Jennifer had a number of severe vitamin deficiencies, despite a history of taking vitamin supplements since her youth.

“Vitamin C didn’t even show up on the tests,” she said.

She lacked Vitamin D, B-12 to go along with the Vitamin C deficiency, which led to adrenal fatigue.

Dr. Kellman put Jennifer on a number supplements and told her to take two and three times the dosage of vitamins she was already taking. When her sore throat persisted, Dr. Kellman suggested a natural thyroid supplement. Within three days of starting to take that supplement, the sore throat was gone.

“That to me was an indication of someone who is really listening to me, and also who is willing to take a different course of action based on what I was telling him,” Jennifer said.

A year after Jennifer started seeing Dr. Kellman, she feels great. She has lost 10 pounds, has her energy back and is pain free.

When Jennifer’s 20-year-old daughter started showing similar symptoms to the ones she had suffered through, she took her to see Dr. Kellman right away. He found that Jennifer’s daughter also had thyroid and adrenal issues, she said.

Today, Jennifer says she feels fortunate to have found Dr. Kellman. He treats the whole picture, the whole person as opposed to trying to fix just one aspect of your pain. He really does listen to what your symptom are as opposed to just reading a test, she said.

Seeing Dr. Kellman also taught Jennifer an important lesson.

“I didn’t have to continue to feel this way,” Jennifer said. “Just because you hit a certain age doesn’t mean you have to feel aches, pain and fatigue all the time.”

Dr. Raphael Kellman Patients Testimonial – Therese

Therese, 48, had major back surgery nearly 25 years ago. However, she hadn't felt right for a long time before the operation. Since that time, she has gone from doctor to doctor for her exhaustion. She felt numbness in her face and hands. Her vision seemed to fluctuate. She had muscle weakness, heart palpitations and, in general, she felt a "brain fog."

One day, she seemed to be having a normal day, and then her heart rate dropped so much that she ended up in the emergency room.

"My body basically broke down," Therese said. "I hit the wall."

Most doctors she saw wanted to help. But many didn't know where to start. Some wanted to put her on medication for depression. Some said it was all in her head. But Therese knew it was more than that.

She always had a feeling that she had a problem with her thyroid. But her doctors told her that tests showed that her thyroid was fine. Her search for a physician who could help grew more frantic.

Therese recalled her desperation: "I said, 'If I don't find somebody soon, I will die.'"

She kept looking – until finally she found Dr. Raphael Kellman.

Dr. Kellman listened to her. He didn't rush through an examination. As it turns out, he found that she does have a problem with her thyroid – hypothyroidism. He also diagnosed Therese with fatty liver disease, adrenal dysfunction, and he found that she's extremely anemic.

"It wasn't in my head," Therese said. "I wasn't crazy."

Dr. Kellman started her on vitamin therapy, including B-12 injections and iron supplements. He put Therese on medication for her adrenal and thyroid problems. In addition, Therese said, she's on a "really good diet."

As a result, Therese has seen a tremendous change. About a year later, the brain fog is gone. So is the numbness in her face and hands. Her heart palpitations are almost completely gone as well. Dr. Kellman continues to work with her to adjust her medications for her adrenal dysfunction and thyroid condition.

"I wake up feeling good now," Therese said.

She called Dr. Kellman a "great teacher" and the "most positive person that I've met in the medical field." She has seen other good doctors, but none that really fully understood her condition.

"He makes you feel like a human being," Therese said.

She called Dr. Kellman's team and staff knowledgeable and in tune with his patients. An office visit to see him is not like a "cattle call" where there's a herd of people waiting. She's never waited long, and he spends all the time that's needed with patients.

"Your time is your time," Therese said.

For her, that has made all the difference in her health.