[JFeese]

#1058676

Hey there. I was diagnosed with GD a little more than three weeks ago. I thought I could handle things on my own, but I’ve realized that talking with people going through the same problems might help me deal with all the frustration and depression.

I’m a 23 y/o guy studying Mechanical Engineering. I have always been very fitness oriented, and was at the gym five days a week. That all changed this past January. I became fatigued faster, so my workouts became less frequent. By May, i was too tired to go at all. I also noticed an alarming amount of weight loss. I asked my mom, but she attributed to stress by the end of the semester.

By mid August, when i was diagnosed, i weighed at 150 lb-m, having lost 40. My doctor Prescribed Tapazole, so things should start getting better now, and the last couple of days seemed a little better. I guess being a guy, I didn’t really open up with any of my friends about it. Now I’ve kinda developed all this fear and anxiety about what things are gonna be like down this road. How has everyone else dealt with it? Any tips on relieving all that tension?

Another huge problem I’m dealing with is body Image. A year ago, I was extremely comfortable with myself. Now i look emaciated and everyone I know asks me if I’m sick. I’m praying i can get at least have of what I lost back. I know it seems silly and most girls don’t care if i guy has gigantic arms or not, but my self confidence has really plummeted. Has anyone had a similar story? Tips?

[Kimberly]

#1169304

Hello and welcome! We do have two gentlemen here with Graves’ (James and Jake) who are facilitators, so hopefully, they will pop in. Jake wrote the following bulletin, "Graves’ Disease – A Man’s Perspective."

(Note: you will need to use your browser’s "back" button to return to the boards after viewing any links).

http://www.ngdf.org/cms/modules/files/u … 922691.pdf

A study from a few years ago showed that resistance training can help rebuild lost muscle mass in patients who have been treated for hyperthyroidism.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16876559

However, you will want to wait until your doctor clears you for activity, as exercising while still hypER can actually do more harm than good.

It’s definitely helpful to understand as much as you can about the condition, and also to connect with others (like those on this board) who really "get" what you are dealing with. We have a conference coming up in Boston Nov. 4th-6th, which is a great opportunity to learn *and* to make connections. The link for registration is up on our home page at http://www.ngdf.org.

Hope this helps!

[jrs1218]

#1169305

Hello! My name is Jennifer. I have been in your shoes (kind of) and it does get better. I had a lot of symptoms, but unfortunately I got the, very rare, weight gain with heart palpitations and panic attacks on the side. Give it a few more weeks and you will start to feel a bit more normal. My doctor has me on Methamazole. I believe that’s the same stuff you are on, only a different name.

I’ve been on it since June and feel really good on most days. It took about 5 weeks before I wasn’t weak anymore. I was falling asleep on the couch every day and couldn’t even pull weeds in the yard before those 5 weeks. My muscles just wouldn’t cooperate. Whatever you do, don’t skip pills if you can possibly help it. I always get jacked up when I miss one. It might take the doctors a few shots to get it right. I was on 10mg 2x per day and after the first 6 weeks they called and said to cut the dose in half. I had gone hypo in 6 weeks. I guess that doesn’t happen often, but now I feel a lot better on half the dose. I find out today if they need to tweak my meds more. I messed up about three weeks ago and ate shellfish. Seriously, don’t do that. For me, the iodine makes my neck swell and gives me major concentration issues.

If you aren’t already seeing an endocrinologist, it’s a good idea. Mine specializes in thyroid issues. You waited a long time to get help, so you have to give yourself a chance to heal. I understand the body image issues. My thyroid is visibly swollen so I am walking around with a fat neck. I am told that will go away too.

I came to this website to get a little support. There are no support groups that I can find around here. (Salem, Oregon) Most days I feel great, but some days I feel a bit sorry for myself and need a little pick me up. ” title=”Smile” />

Best wishes to you!
Jenn

[Kimberly]

#1169306

Hi Jenn – Thanks for sharing your story! Some patients respond very quickly to the meds. I ended up *almost* hypO after just a few weeks on 15 mg/day of methimazole.

One important issue is to make sure that your doctors are making dosing decisions based on Free T3 and Free T4, and *not* TSH. TSH can remain suppressed for quite some time in Graves’ patients, so it is not a good benchmark for treatment decisions, especially early in the process.

Wishing you all the best!

[jrs1218]

#1169307

Kimberly,
Can you tell me what those numbers are all supposed to look like (Free T3 and Free T4)? The only ongoing symptoms that I am having are that my thyroid swells when I eat anything salty, I get a starving feeling sometimes and my concentration is very low compared to where it was.

From the panic attacks, exhaustion, chest pounding, cut off breathing and numb, tingly arms, I have come a long way and feel amazing. I know everything isn’t perfect now, but I feel like I will survive now when I really didn’t three and a 1/2 months ago.

Thank you for your help!
Jennifer

[Kimberly]

#1169308

Hello – Glad to hear you are feeling better! Every lab uses a slightly different "normal" range for T3/T4, so the best thing is to get an actual hard copy of your labs and look at the range listed on the lab sheet. It should be listed as a range in parenthesis next to the actual number. For example, on my last lab sheet, the normal range for Free T4 is expressed as:

(0.8 – 1.7 ng/dL)

Your lab might have a very different range, so that’s why it’s important to get a hard copy.

[Author]

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