Hi everybody,
There’s no question this takes its toll on us ~ now, in answer to beana, if you were diagnosed four years ago, have you been taking PTU and beta blockers all this time? Or did you attain remission at some point and stop the meds? You don’t mention your current thyroid hormone levels ~ have they been tested lately? If you are still taking PTU, it’s possible that your dose needs to be changed ~ I never took PTU, but my understanding is that your dose requirements change over time, so you need continuous monitoring to keep your thyroid hormone levels where they ought to be. [Well, no matter what, we should always have our thyroid hormone levels tested occasionally (annually would be best) even after we’ve had treatment and are on thyroid hormone replacement.]
If your thyroid is still functioning at any level, the antibodies will act on the tissue at varying rates and symptoms will fluctuate. The most important contributing factor to our feeling normal is to get to, and stay at, a good thyroid hormone level. I mean stay at for months, not days. When you’re hyperthyroid, your body, every cell, is under attack. Once your body gets back to normal levels, we compare it to the situation after a hurricane. The wind is no longer blowing, the rain has stopped, but the roof is in the tree. So, you need to find your normal thyroid hormone level (however you do that, through meds, RAI, or surgery), and then you can begin to heal from the onslaught. I know it’s frustrating, but that won’t change the facts. It doesn’t sound as if you’re at a good level right now, or perhaps you’ve fluctuated a lot and your body is tired (fluctuating is almost as stressful to the body as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism).
I can probably be of more help once you’ve given us a little more information about where you stand right now. We do understand, we’ve all gone through it, and it’s frustrating. I think we’ve all found that knowing more about what’s going on has helped us get through it. Above all, be kind to yourself right now. You might not think you’re very ill, but thyroid imbalance is very debilitating. Take it easy. Also, nothing happens quickly, so get to know your patient side.
I look forward to hearing more from you…