[Madame_X]

#1074677

This is rough; I am sorry this happened to you.

I was diagnosed at the start of November last year: my only symptoms were a very high heart rate and a loss of 10 pounds in a time span of maybe 6 weeks (I thought the weight loss was from a lack of appetite — I had a bunch of things going on that I was trying to cope with and I thought the lack of appetite was the cause for the weight loss). They gave me meds in the emergency room to slow my heart.

A cardiologist that was a consultant in my case told me "you’d be suprised how many people ignore the high heart rate and burn their hearts out."

My "regular" physician originally diagnosed me with dehydration. He told me to go home and drink a lot of water, blah blah. After four days and 10+ pints of water a day, my heart rate was going nowhere…but up at the end of Day Four. That’s when I went to my local ER.

Can your endo prescribe something to slow your heart rate?

[Bobbi]

#1074678

I know it is hard to believe at this point in time, gravessufferer, but the treatments CAN make us healthy again. You are supposed to feel well, not ill, both physically and emotionally. That is what you should be expecting. Graves is a very serious illness, but it is also very treatable.

If your heart rate is elevated, you need to be taking those beta blockers that have been prescribed for you. And your heart rate should normalize as your thyroid levels normalize. You need to make sure that you see your doctor regularly for the required blood tests to make sure that you are on enough carbamzole to put your thyroid levels into the normal zone. There is no one-size-fits-all for this drug: the dose must be tailored to your own needs. Sometimes it can take months to find the appropriate dose.

Emotionally we become more fragile while the thyroid issues are out-of-whack. It is very normal to be much more emotionally volatile while this is going on. We cannot "trust" our immediate responses to things during this time. But it does pass — once you have normal levels again (controlled, over time) the emotional side of things settles down.

I do hope you are feeling much better soon.

[sarabear0508]

#1074679

WOW!
I just turned twenty and I have just recently been diagnosed. I began by getting up in the morning and start throwing up. Once I started I couldn’t stop. I was a prisoner in my own body. I had the scope because they first thought it was my colon, the they thought it was an ulcer. During that time my son passed away and I was going through a terrible divorce with my toddler Blake who is three. I literally thought about volunteering to go to the psych ward if it meant I could live in my own skin! I felt I had lost it and would never get back to normal. The vomiting continued. So one day I saw my gastro doc and just broke down crying because I was sick of the results ALWAYS showing NOTHING! I lost twenty lbs and weighed 100 lbs by then. I went wks with out eating just about anything. Maybe some bread or crackers. They said I would eventually be hospitalized because my body was shutting down. He said…" wait…have you ever had your thyroid checked?" I said no, I hadn’t. After that I had my blood taken . I didn’t hear back so I assumed that those test, like the others came back normal. I happened to have an appt with my general practitioner two wks later and she said well lets discuss your test results. ( that same doc left the practice and I had to see another doc who was terrible.) That’s when I found out I had a thyroid problem. SO after many tests, I was diagnosed with Graves. WHAT A RELIEF! I started meds and a beta-blocker. With the PTU I’ve stopped loosing my hair and I am regaining my intestinal health. I havn’t thrown up in a month.! I’m extremely tired and have other symptoms but nothing like it was. I completely understand where you are coming from. I am divorced now and my stress levels aren’t what they were, and that has help considerably.

Keep your head up. Get a good endocrinologist and find coping skills that help deal with the stress.
Best of luck.

I’m here if you ever want to talk.

[gravessufferer]

#1019870

i was diagnosed with graves disease in October 2008 and had been ill for around a year, in the months before diagnosis i was extremeley ill, was throwing up regularly and around 20 to 30 times in one evening, i lost over a stone and was in an awful state…..i had to have an endoscopy ect.. to try and discover what was wrong and obviously the results were that there was nothing wrong, it seemed nobody believed how ill i really was and was questioning my mental health.

My local gp was absolutely useless and only added to my stress then one day my consultant noticed i had a huge goiter when i leant back complaining of severe neck ache. From there i had the thyroid function blood tests and it showed it was extremely overactive my T3 was around 48 and my T4 was around 46 one nearly ten times the normal amount and the other doulble. I was extremely scared to discover i had this illness, i have been on carbizmazole up till now and on beta blockers on and off, my physical state has defiantly improved since being on the medication, but i feel that mentally i have gotten worse.

I often am just breaking down emotionally and am finding it very hard to cope with all the stress, i have been very scared , especially to do with my increased heart rate. I found this site as i am trying to find people who are experiencing the same thing as me .

I am only 19 and my university work has suffered so much as a result, i feel it has affected my entire life.

[TaraPetit]

#1074680

Re: about the heart The last few years though, have really been turmulous. So when my heart really did it’s reving racing, I thought it was anxiety attacks, and ignored them.

I can believe about people burning out their hearts, just thinking it is an anxiety attack and all in their head.

TP

[mammaw]

#1074681

Welcome to the site. I’m so sorry about your problems at such an early age. The good thing is that they will be able to help you while you are young, which should make it quicker for you to heal, and you will have a better life ahead of you.

I’m not sure what the statistics are out there for how many people actually come down with this disease, but, just from coming here for the last 3 years, I know that a lot of people are misdiagnosed. You would think that more doctors would be able to catch this earlier. I don’t think the blood tests are that expensive. It should just be routine every year at your physical.

You will get better over time, a long time. Just be patient and don’t stress out. Stress is very bad for you. It delays the healing process. My daughter started showing signs of thyroid problems when she was 28. I hope she stays on top of it. It seems to run in the family.

[gravessufferer]

#1074682

I am on beta blockers to slow down my heart rate and to make me feel more relaxed and as my levels come back to normal so does a lot of other symptons, my heart rate is measured regularly and is not out of control the worry is just in my head reallly.

I have a really great endo who genuinally cares about people and takes a real interest in his work, i was just wondering is there anyone who does alternative therapies to help themselves such as yoga…or meditation…ect

thanks everyone

[Louisa]

#1074683

Dear Graves sufferI was diagnosed 3 years ago but suffered 10 years before that but the Lord sustained me. In every desert of trial God has an Oasis of comfort,
When He leads through some valley of trouble, His omnipotent Hand we trace, for the trials and sorrows He sends us are part of His lessons in grace.
Help is only a prayer away.

[Mickey65]

#1074684

Yikes…^

Well, I don’t believe in God, but after noticing my hands were shaking all the time for a few months, and noticing I had lost some weight (about 20 lbs), I went to the doctor in Nov 2008 and got blood work done and found out about my Graves.

I had the RAI 3 weeks ago, and my shaking has almost stopped. Some days I shake – but for the most part, I’d say it was about 70% gone now.

Also my heart rate is down in the high 80’s to mid 70’s too – when it was in the 90’s before the RAI.

I’m just telling you, once you get treatment, slowly you will start to feel better. The quicker you get help, the quicker things will change for you.

Maybe praying is a comfort for some, but medical treatment is your best option to get healthy again – physically and mentally. ” title=”Wink” />

[Ski]

#1074685

Yoga and other, similar activities will definitely help to center a patient, to alleviate some symptoms, and to give us some sense of control and peace. They will NOT affect our thyroid hormone levels, but each and every thing we do that sends us in a positive direction is a good thing, as long as we are also treating the thyroid hormone levels.

We find that the things that work FOR YOU are the best. In other words, don’t force yourself to do yoga because someone else gets a lot of benefit out of it, if you do not. Do the types of things that give you satisfaction, that give you peace. It’s different for all of us.

Take heart, you will get through this! Be patient, forgive yourself, and do everything you can to alleviate your symptoms as well as treat your condition.

[gkarcher]

#1074686

My daughter was diagnosed with Graves about one year ago due to excessive weight loss and pain in her throat. Needless to say we were astounded by the news. She has been under a lot of stress from her husband/now ex husband want to be husband again and he doesn’t care that she doesn’t need to be under more stress. She has two young children and does not have the energy to look after them. She has had to move in with me so that I can help her out because she is sleeping about 15 hours a day.

She has been on medication but her hands still shake, she is losing her hair but her weight seems to be under control. She has massive pains in her abdomen which no one can seem to find an answer to. Is this also a symptom or side effect of Graves? The pain is so bad she is one full time pain killers which still don’t seem to be working. The pain is 24/7. No different at night, day or evening. No difference for food. Pain is worse during periods. They put her on lupron because they suspected it was endrometriosis but no change.

She was diagnosed by one doctor with Celiac but she exibits none of the symptoms and when we put her on the gluten free diet for several months there was absolutely no change in the pain. We are awaiting a new test since gp agrees the diagnosis may have been made incorrectly by the specialist.

I am just praying and looking for answers to my daughter’s pain. She is further stressed because she knows she can’t be the mother to her kids by being in bed but she can’t get up. Recently went on a Carnival Cruise who told her she had to drop her kids off at the day care because "she could walk" and she couldn’t have anyone else do it. That hurt her so bad she has been in worse shape ever since.

Thanks.

[Ski]

#1074687

If her hands still shake, it seems likely that her thyroid hormone levels are not correct. Once she arrives at, and maintains, normal thyroid hormone levels, she will BEGIN to heal. It would seem to make sense for you to attend her doctor’s appointments right now, because she needs an advocate, she needs someone who is paying attention (she may not be paying a lot of attention at this moment), and she needs someone who can help her manage through the day. You’re doing a lot already, I realize that, but the way for her health to return is to manage her levels correctly. Doctors seem to have a pretty narrow view ~ if your levels fall within the normal range, you’re normal. The range is ENORMOUS, and what is normal for me is not necessarily normal for anyone within 500 miles of me. A year out, she should be much closer to normal than your description makes her out to be. We take a while to return, but usually once we begin treatment we get at least a little better all the time.

Typically abdominal pain is not associated with GD, and it’s good that the doctor is still evaluating the cause (beyond celiac). I did have one bout with completely unexplained abdominal pain following my RAI, and it was awful. It alleviated within about a week, for me, but again, no one ever could explain where it came from, so I can’t even say it’s related to GD, and I certainly can’t relate it to what your daughter is going through.

I wish you luck in this process. Please do come back and let us know how your daughter’s healing is going.

[npatterson]

#1074688

I am guessing that you are from England? There is an excellent organization over there, The British Thyroid Foundation (BTF). Janis Hickey is their President. If you can’t locate them, here is her e-mail address: j.l.hickey@btf-thyroid.org. Their website is btf-thyroid.org. They have meetings in many places, on a regular basis.

[Author]

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