[Artsygirl]

#1060638

Hello, I am meeting with the Endo. tomorrow a.m. and would like any advise on my recent bloodwork and meds.

I am 52 yr old female and was diagnosed with Graves Disease and HYPERthyroidism the beginning of this year.

I was so tired and not wanting to come off the couch for months. I had severe brain fog, and I was chalking it up to running my own business 24/7.

There is no saying how long this the disease has been going on because I received health insurance after 3 years of not having any. GP ran routine bloodwork in DECEMBER 2014 that showed low TSH 3 Gen of 0.07 … Ultra sound was then ordered with uptake scan, this showed 3 nodules on my thyroid.
There was also an ultrasound done on my liver that showed “Fatty Liver.”

I have been on antidepressants Zoloft for over 20 years and have also been diagnosed with psorias and eczema on only my hands and feet. I have noticed the redness in my calves for the last few years especially after a beach day. I have ALOT of bladder infections that do not respond well to antibiotics, and have frequent mouth sores on my lips. The puzzling fact is that I have GAINED about 50 lbs within the last year, and am now gaining MORE… I thought you were supposed to LOOSE weight! My hair is VERY thick and not thinning. The diagnosis of HYPERthyroidism is just strange as my syptoms follow HYPO.

I have been to an endocrinologist and my levels are as follows:

Dec 2, 2014
ALK PHOS/ 33-130 / HIGH@ 131
ALT/ 6-29 / HIGH@ 79
AST / 10-35 / HIGH@ 51
RBC/ 3.8-5.1/ HIGH @ 5.2
HCT / 35. – 45. / HIGH@ 46.1
TSH 3 GEN / LOW@ 0.07
CHOLT 125-200/ HIGH @ 220
HDL / 46 / LOW @44
LDL / -130 HIGH @150
NON HDL / HIGH@176

Jan 22, 2015 TSI / -140 / HIGH@452
Feb 19, 2015 TSI / -140 / HIGH@285
My TPO, T4, T3, T3 uptake FSH & LH from both the 2/19/15 and 1/22/15 are all in the normal range. I was also told that I was in “remission” after my levels dropped from the 2/19/15 tests.

May 22, 2015
ALT/ 6-29 / HIGH@ 138
AST / 10-35 / HIGH@94
RBC/ 3.8-5.1/ HIGH @5.39
HEMOGLOBIN / 11.7-15.5/ HIGH@16
HCT / 35. – 45. / HIGH@48.1
MPV / 7.5-11.5 / LOW @7.4

The endrocrinogist has placed me on Tapazole (methimazole) 5mg 1xd

My eyes are NOT bulging at this time and I pray that will not happen… they are blurry all the time though. I thought that was due to HOURS and HOURS of computer work. I have worn bifocal glasses for many years. I am VERY concerned about my eyes.
I have had SEVERE migraine headaches that have awoken me from a sound sleep.

I have also been seeing an acupuncturist started at 2x week and am down to 1x week with Chinese herbs of for my Adrenals and Thyroid, but am thinking I may have to cut back due to the cost.

Autoimmune disease runs rampant in my family as my mother has Lupus and my brother had Guilliam Barre and Myasthenia gravis and Aplastic Anemia before passing at age 40. I have also contended with many bouts of Mononeucleosis and Leukopenia in my teen years.

I hate to be a Debbie Downer, as I have seen some positive changes since starting the medication / herbs (not sure which eastern or western medicine is the answer.)

I feel I am looking for some guidance as I am a bit scared about the long term prognosis with this … Should I be seeing some other type of specialist? Am I needlessly worrying? I would love to feel 100%.

I am scared to death that I will wake up one morning with double vision or bulging eyes not to mention MORE weight gain, I would like to know that I am on the right path and any advise is appreciated.

THANK YOU SO MUCH!

[Kimberly]

#1183836

Hello and welcome! We are fellow patients here, not docs, so we aren’t allowed to interpret lab results. Here are a few thoughts, though, that will hopefully be helpful.

First, hopefully, your doctors are testing Free T4 and T3 and not just TSH in order to monitor your Tapazole dose.

Also, I would definitely ask about the liver tests that are out of range. In some cases, the hyperthyroidism itself can cause these tests to be out of range, but in other cases, it can be a side effect of Tapazole.

Definitely make sure your doctor knows about the herbals and any other over-the-counter products that you are taking. Some can actually make hyperthyroidism worse or can interact with other meds.

Occasionally, symptoms of hyper/hypo can overlap (for example, some patients do gain weight while hyper). Also, we hear from some patients who can feel symptomatic if their levels are still in the “normal” range, but they are moving into hyper or hypo territory. Getting those T4/T3 numbers could also shed some light on this.

It would be helpful for you to get an appointment with an experienced ophthalmologist. Although severe issues such as double vision are not as common, it is very common for Graves’ patients to have more minor issues such as dry eye. The dryness itself can cause blurring – so it would be good for you to get an expert opinion in this area.

In terms of a specialist, an endocrinologist to monitor the thyroid issues and an ophthalmologist for eye issues are the most common specialists; some patients need to consult a dermatologist for skin issues. Skin effects with Graves’ usually appear on the front of the shin (the texture is like an orange peel, but the color is red), but can occasionally appear elsewhere.

Take care – and please check back to let us know how you are doing!

[Author]

Posts