[safirary]

#1058822

I was diagnosed at the end of December; I really though I had some type of cancer with weight loss, itching all over and unable to sleep/rest. So I was happy at first that it was hyperthyroidism, and I thought I’d be feeling better by now. Since my eyes looked fine and my thyroid wasn’t enlarged, the doctor thought I had thyroiditis. I had an uptake scan and that, in combination with the thyroid stimulating antibodies confirmed Grave’s disease. I’ve been taking methimazole since Jan 5th and my FT4 only went down to 3.59 from 3.84 and my T3 is still 249 (was 279). The endo increased my methimazole from 10 mg twice daily to 20 mg twice daily last week…when will it start helping with my symptoms??? I am taking nadolol too but I still have roaring in my head when I try to sleep and am very easily startled. My heart rate is usually 60-80, so not excessively high. I took some time off of work when my symptoms really got a lot worse after the uptake scan since I was unable to concentrate and became easily upset/weepy. I’m back at work now but still don’t feel my normal self. I’m starting to feel like it’s going to take months to feel better! Any advice for me? I’m trying to eat right and avoid stress, but that’s hard to do with my job.

[Kimberly]

#1170199

Hello and welcome!

Anti-Thyroid Drugs start working right away to block *new* thyroid hormone production, however, your body will have existing stores of thyroid hormone that need to be depleted before you really start to see relief from your symptoms. Every patient is different, but I started feeling much more like myself after the first few weeks.

Having thyroid hormone levels that are less than optimal not only affects us physically, but it impacts our mental and emotional state as well. There is a great article on our web site that addresses this issue:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window)

http://gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patient-education/whats-wrong-with-me/

The good news is that you should start to see some relief from the emotional symptoms *and* the physical symptoms once your thyroid hormone levels are back in balance.

Take care — and keep us posted on how you are doing!

[KrissyD]

#1170200

Hi!

I was diagnosed officially in November after my uptake scan and had RAI about 2 weeks later. It is now the end of January and I am just now beginning to feel a little like my pre-hyperthyroid self. It is a rough ride, but I have realized that sharing symptoms, concerns, worries, and stories with other Graves’ patients will probably help a lot. After all…no one knows what it feels like to go from 0 to 200 in .1 seconds except a fellow Graves’ patient. Keep your head up and let us know how you are feeling!

[Bobbi]

#1170201

One other point to add to Kimberlys — our “healing” from being hyperthyroid really begins when we are at controlled normal levels of hormone. Depending upon how long you went undiagnosed with hyperthyroidism, that healing period can take some time. So, even when you achieve that magic “normal” thyroid reading level, you may not feel the normal that you remember right away. Try to be patient. We do get well again. But it does take a bit of time.

[Theresa]

#1170202

Safirary – I was also diagnosed the end of December. Fortunately, my symptoms weren’t bad because probably caught early…I was diagnosed by routine bloodwork (the symptoms I had I just attributed to getting older and stress). I went to the endo., and I chose to go the meds route. She put me on 10 mg. 1x day (methimazole), and said unless something changes, wouldn’t check my blood again for 7 – 8 weeks…because it would take that long. How long did your doc have you on it before checking again? I don’t know which is right…i’ll keep you posted in a few more weeks. Now that I know the signs, I still am getting hyperthyroid symptoms now and then, mainly on days i’m stressed. I’ve got to say, all in all, I am feeling better…but then again, could be the time of the month

[safirary]

#1170203

I have to say I’m feeling a lot better since the day I posted this! T4 is down to 2.21!!! My endo likes to check labs every 2 weeks to avoid going too HYPO, which I’d like to avoid also. He also encourages me to call sooner if I develop any hypo symptoms and have the labs drawn sooner.

[Theresa]

#1170204

Thats great news Here’s to hoping you continue on that path!

I’m feeling pretty good today too…I have no excuse to not get on the treadmill

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