[lkmanley]

#1019727

Hi everyone, I have had Graves for about 8 months. I am taking 2.5 mg of methimazole currently. I started out on 10mg, then 5mg, and this is where I am at. My blood work has been stable and now I am taking the low dose. I felt really great once the medication leveled things out. But now I am feeling nauseated again after eating and sometimes I feel hot and then cold. I often have a flushed feeling. I talked to my endo about it, but this didn’t sound common. The "sick" feeling also comes and goes. I will feel okay for awhile and then not so good. It is tiresome and I am confused about what is going on with my body. I’m not sure if the lowered does has something to do with it and I am sure a new blood work up would not reflect what I am experiencing off and on. Anyone else have problems like this? I’m also worried about my eyes. There is not much info out there on the eyes and Graves, what to expect, how to prevent the bulging or know if it’s coming on. I know no one else that has this disease, so any advice is truly appreciated.

[DianneW]

#1073721

Welcome, glad you joined us!

Did you have the nausea before you were treated, or is it a completely new symptom? How long have you been on the lowered dose and feeling less well than before? How long do you have to wait to be tested again?

I can reassure you quite a lot about the eye disease. Only about 5-10% of patients will have serious enough eye involvement to need medical or surgical interventions; and for the rest, any eye symptoms range from moderate to completely unnoticeable. Since the majority of patients who have eye involvement experience its beginning within six months before or after the thyroid disease begins, you’re already statistically past the most dangerous period.

There is little a person can do to prevent Thyroid Eye Disease. The only risk factors known at this time are cigarette smoke (first and second-hand), and having abnormal thyroid levels (especially hypOthyroidism). Too much still remains unknown about the causes of TED for much to exist medically in terms of prevention strategies. By keeping your levels under close management and avoiding all forms of cigarette smoke, you’re doing everything possible at this time.

It’s a good idea for everyone with Graves’ Disease to get a baseline exam so you know where your eyes are to begin with. Your ophthalmologist can do a measurement of how far your eyes normally protrude, and when you go back a few months later he can tell if they have changed. There’s a little instrument called a Hertel exophthalmometer used for this purpose. CT scans or MRIs may also be used, but generally are reserved for when clinically obvious signs of TED are present.

Changes in the eyes happen so subtly that it’s greatly helpful to have objective measurements of any kind. I had no idea I had TED even though my eyes had undergone drastic changes. I saw myself in the mirror every day and simply didn’t notice the minor daily changes. All I knew was that I hated the more recent photographs of myself, but I couldn’t say why that was so. (I even had problems with vision and eye pain, but explained all those things away to myself as well.)

Early symptoms of TED might be a feeling of grittiness in your eyes, sensitivity to light, or noticing that your eyes are watering all the time (actually a symptom of dryness–your eyes are trying to compensate for being overly dry). However, these could be a symptom of mild TED, not necessarily a serious form. Double vision or limited ability to move the eyes up and down, or from side to side, or changes in color vision are more worrisome and warrant an immediate appointment with an ophthalmologist.

But as I noted earlier, at this stage you’re unlikely to have to worry about the eye disease.

I hope you start feeling better, or at least, find the cause of the nausea.

[dewdrops]

#1073722

lkmanley wrote:But now I am feeling nauseated again after eating and sometimes I feel hot and then cold. I often have a flushed feeling. I talked to my endo about it, but this didn’t sound common. The "sick" feeling also comes and goes. I will feel okay for awhile and then not so good. It is tiresome and I am confused about what is going on with my body. I’m not sure if the lowered does has something to do with it and I am sure a new blood work up would not reflect what I am experiencing off and on. Anyone else have problems like this?

I too have experienced these sick feelings. I thought I was going through early menopause. Yes, it is tiresome, confusing, distracting and disturbing, but there is a way of dealing with this.

First of all, my endo gave me a disclaimer about bloodwork, saying that just because it shows up normal doesn’t mean it’s always normal. The hormonal system of a person with GD can be very erratic, and various daily stressors, and even the things you ingest, can trigger fluctuations that can cause us to feel sick one moment and fine the next. Even in a normal person, thyroid hormone levels change throughout the day. It calmed me down a bit, accepting this reality, and knowing that my endo wasn’t just dismissing my symptoms.

The other thing about thyroid hormones is that they affect multiple systems in the body (to quote my endo), so eventually, my doc had to refer me to other specialists as the "uncommon" symptoms arose. The other specialists treat me on the basis of my (digestive, neural, cardiovascular, reproductive system) symptoms (mostly to suppress the unpleasant symptoms) while referring to my thyroid bloodwork. Our bodies are adjusting to our hormones at every instant, and multiple systems are affected by this, producing a variety of symptoms.

Maybe the solution to your flushed feeling and nausea is just another harmless pill. The important thing is that you are sticking to your thyroid management plan, avoiding stress, and eating the foods allowed in your condition. The rest of the "uncommon" symptoms (like nausea) can then be handled by other specialists better trained to address your needs.

[lkmanley]

#1073723

Thanks for all the information! It is so helpful and I now feel a little at ease about what I am experiencing. My guess is it will be touch and go when meds go down and then possibly up again. I did have some of the stomach nausea beforehand, but I related to the Graves, because it was better for a good while after the medication started. I had finally gained some weight. As far as the eyes, I am experiencing the watery, grittiness, itching, etc. I have been to the eye doctor and my current eyeglass prescription had to be changed because my sight had worsened slightly. Either way, I think I can build off the comments posted here and look at what others are experiencing too and learn from it. Thanks so much for the information…

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