Hi again Lynne,
It is rather mystifying to hear that a doctor would proclaim "no Graves" because your eyes are not bulging. Perhaps it’s a matter of semantics. Some doctors only use the term Graves’ Disease to refer to the eye disease, when actually that is just one symptom group in the "syndrome" of Graves’ (syndrome being the newest way to refer to Graves’). You’re right, not everyone who has Graves’ Thyroid Disease has the eye disease symptoms (we typically refer to it as Thyroid Eye Disease, because it can be connected to at least one other thyroid disease, Hashimoto’s), so that should not rule out Graves’. If you feel comfortable with your family doc, there’s a high probability you can be successfully treated with him. You may have to learn together, with some of the details, but a doctor who is willing to learn is a treasure.
We aren’t allowed to judge your test results, for many reasons. Different labs have different "normal" numbers, and different countries use different measures, so it’s impossible for us to know exactly what’s up with your tests. If you have a copy of the test results, you should be able to see whether your T4 and T3 actually do fall within the normal range at your lab. The TSH seems suppressed, that’s a very low number for any lab. Basically, T4 is thyroid hormone in your bloodstream, T3 is the active thyroid hormone (your body makes it from the T4 when needed), and TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone, sent from the pituitary gland in response to the thyroid hormone levels it perceives. If the TSH is very very low, it senses too much thyroid hormone in your bloodstream and is trying NOT to stimulate the thyroid to release any more. If the TSH is very very high, it senses too little thyroid hormone in your bloodstream and it is trying to tell your thyroid to release lots more. Think of them like a teeter-totter, if one is high the other ought to be low.
As for an initial RAI recommendation for a person who does not feel very sick and has few symptoms, good instincts on your part!! There’s no reason you shouldn’t be able to use meds to bring your levels into the normal range and then look more closely at what’s going on.
As far as exercise goes, I’m not up on the technical terms, but our muscles are constantly being torn down and rebuilt, that’s what makes the strength. When we are hyperthyroid, the tearing down is accelerated, and the rebuilding is suppressed, so when we exercise vigorously, we accelerate even further the tearing down, and since the rebuilding is suppressed, we just lose MORE muscle mass than if we were not exercising. In addition, our heart is a muscle, so exercise would do the same thing to the heart, which could be truly dangerous.
Just ask your doctor what they would recommend in terms of exercise. Typically, while hyperthyroid, almost everything is discouraged. You can do gentle stretches to keep muscle tone, but you don’t want to risk more damage. Your body is working VERY hard, being hyperthyroid. It’s like putting a brick on the gas pedal in your car. You can probably still walk the dogs, but you might need to shorten the walks a bit.
It’s a good idea to get a book ~ we have some recommended books on the main website, they are full of terrific, basic info.
Keep asking questions! ” title=”Very Happy” />