[mlomba2]

#1019890

I’m thankful I found this bulletin board. I’m a nearly 32 year old female who was diagnosed in September 2008.

I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease after I had some blood work done because I thought I was having dips in blood sugar. At the doctor, my blood pressure got up to 154/94. I’m overweight, but even when I was a smoker of this size, I never had high blood pressure. I had put on 15 pounds in a year- with little effort. My TSH came back at 0.04. I was retested, as I was gaining weight/not losing weight, so my gyno thought the test was wrong. The next TSH level came back 0.02. I took it upon myself to see an endo who put me on 25 mg of Atenonol for my anxiety and heart palpatations. He sent me for an antibodies test. Graves was confirmed. I experienced true fatigue at this point. I hated the thought of standing or moving my arms. My leg muscles ached. I think I was having a full out Graves’ attack at that point. I remained on the beta blockers, and was put on 5mg of Tapazole. I began a Low Glycemic Diet, after reading that it was helpful with thyroid issues. I was able to take off 5 lbs before my next visit 6 weeks later. My lab results came back with a TSH of 0.07. Knowing that I am working hard to take off weight, the doctor increased my Tapazole to 7.5 mgs once per day. We tried taking me off of the beta blockers- gradually- but after being off of them for a week, I did three flights of stairs and had lightening bolts in my heart. I called the on call doctor and followed up with my endo and I am back on the beta blockers.

Now, the present:

I have a constant "pressure" for lack of a better explanation that spans from my heart, to sternum, to right side. I have had some pretty awful "Graves’ Rage" episodes with my husband and mother that leave me feeling rotten. I’m approaching my 32nd birthday and my biological clock has decided to kick in which is causing me even more anxiety because I fear I will not reach remission in time for a healthy pregnancy. My next appointment is at the end of the month. I will be in my 5th month of treatment by that point. I am down ten pounds in the last two months, but that is with no exercise and only watching what I am eating and portion sizes. I was too scared to get on my elliptical in fear of having a heart attack. Today, I did face my fear and did 10 minutes of cardio without incident.

I guess I am hoping that my story will help someone else feel like they are not alone, or someone will read my post and be able to offer some words of encouragement or advice.

Thank you for reading!

[cathycnm]

#1074844

Mlomba –
Welcome to the Board and Happy New Year!

First of all – Glad to hear you did not have problems with the exercise – but be cautious with pulse, etc when you are on the beta blockers. Have you discussed this (exercise program and the tight chest) with your doc? It is really important to take small steps toward healing and be sure you are working with your doctor.

Also – take the time you need to get healthy before trying to get pregnant. Hard with the clock ticking, I know. Be sure you are talking with your docs about when you can start safely trying to conceive. While there is some increased risk with getting pregnant after 35 as far as things like Down syndrome – that does not shoot up the day you turn 35. Many women are delaying childbearing until their 30’s these days. If you are older than 35 by the time the baby is due – they will offer genetic screening so you will need to be deciding how you want to handle that. Your chances of having a healthy baby are good even after 35. Risks climb more steeply after age 40, and more so after age 45. However, take a deep breath – you have time to get yourself healthy first.

[Author]

Posts