[jennydq]

#1017934

Hello All;

I have had graves for 3 years (had Radioactive Iodine in feb 2008) I have been on Levothyroxine ever since then. Recently I have been feeling just off, I went and had all my levels checked and the doc said that they looked great, actually better than they have looked in years (I was an odd case where medications just didn’t seem to control my graves) but I still just dont feel "right"…I’ve been having terrible headaches, and Im not one to normally get headaches either, but these seem to come and never leave no matter what. Also I find when I take my Levo I feel okay for about 4 hours then it just feels like a swing and I feel dead tired for the remander of the day. My concens obviously is that the graves has effected my eyes maybe? (headaches??) or that the medication that I am on is just not right….

Feed back would be good

Thanks

Jenn

[Ski]

#1061717

Hi Jenn,

There are a few things you may want to consider. First, once we’ve had the Graves’ diagnosis, we tend to believe that everything we’re feeling is related to our thyroid and/or Graves’, but the fact is that your symptoms may be caused by something else. Our doctors get a kind of a "pass" when we look only at our thyroid levels for hints about our symptoms, and when they proclaim them to be "normal," they pat us on the head and we leave the office. The truth is that you are not feeling well, and your doctor is supposed to help you figure out why, and help you resolve the situation, so if your thyroid hormone levels are normal, the next question should be "then what else can we test?" Point out that you are NOT well, and you will not be leaving until you have a plan of action.

Second, remember that replacement thyroid hormone is not a medication, per se. It’s chemically identical to the thyroid hormone your thyroid WOULD be putting out, if it still worked, so it’s not something foreign to your body, it’s something essential to your body, and the trick is getting just enough of it in your system. There is no debate as to whether you need it or not. A person without thyroid hormone will die, eventually. Not rapidly, certainly, but it would happen if you no longer had thyroid hormone in your system. It is literally the fuel for every cell in your body.

Finally, being within the normal range is nice, but there is one point for YOU to feel well, and that’s what you need to know. I find it odd that your doctor would tell you that your levels were normal before, and normal now, but somehow now they’re "better" than they were before. Does the doctor have a preference for a certain smaller range inside the larger normal range? I’m not sure that’s appropriate. Each of us has a different set point within the normal range, which is precisely why it is so large, but it doesn’t mean that each of us will feel well anywhere along the range, we need OUR spot. Keeping track of symptoms daily may help you to have this discussion with your doctor, so they can see all of your symptoms and their severity,and how they affect you all the time.

I hope some of this helps! I’m sure you’ll get some more cyber hugs and good advice. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[mamabear]

#1061718

I agree with ski.
Keeping track of my symptoms led me to realizing that my headaches were from PMS. My diarrhea was also associated with my menstrual cycle . Had you asked me about it I’d have said what are you nuts, but having kept track of everything I figured it out.
About 7-10 days before I got my period my dh said Oh baby, you poor thing you have pms lets order chinese food(i love chinese food). This has gone on for a very long time. I also couldn’t smell certain things that normally would be fine it would give me an instant headache and then or course the regular headache that comes right on time… this is all during PMS time.

Well now I know how to help it along the way and know that my illnesses are from that and also during my ovulation time things change and again different symptoms come and I have been able to deal with those.

I have come to learn over the years and just recently in the last few days that there are so many things that our bodies have to go through even without thyroid issues that if you were to ask me if PMS was real I’d have said no and this wasn’t that. But in fact it is and well it effects everyone differently.

Like guys don’t get a period but their hormones change as well and women don’t think about that. They think their husbands or boyfriends are being mean/nasty or wimpy and it has a lot to do with their hormones as well. So if you ever here that "he has his period" laugh about it but know it has some truth to it. It’s more like "his hormones are fluctuating" lol.

If you had said to me that I am lacking in vitamins and that is the only cause of my issues as of the other day I’d have laughed and today I think wow this might be it and Vit D issues can be serious. You learn something new everyday.

I think you need to speak with your dr and ask him to do a work up on you and make sure your complete blood count is doing well and what your hormone levels are. It wont hurt to see where your levels are.
Do you exercise? I didn’t up until today. I’ve been putting it off and putting it off and well today is the day I started.
My entire body has been in pain and achy for so long that I figured it would make it worse. Well it doesn’t, it makes it better. I feel better today, still tired but I was able to get my back bent a little more today than I have for a while.

Feel better and know that you are the keeper of you, so make sure the dr. "hears" your voice.

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