22 Weeks Post-RAI, Finally Hypo and TED Onset

It’s been 22 weeks and I’m finally hypo!

So I took my 10 mCi of RAI back on 2/18/11. I was able to stop the PTU in early to mid-April but I still had labs showing hyperthyroidism. As of June 20, my T3 and T4 were within normal range, but TSH was still suppressed (<0.02). Endo told me then that today’s appointment would be the big decision-making one – whether to repeat RAI or opt for surgery (remission via PTU was not happening, we tried for more than a year). Fortunately, as of this past Tuesday, T3 and T4 have gone down and TSH shows hypo by the lab’s ranges (6.38). He wants me to repeat the blood work again next week at a different lab to be sure. Now all the muscle pain (despite not exercising due to a GI bug), weakness and fatigue that suddenly started in the last two weeks make sense. I never thought I’d be so welcoming of these symptoms!

Unfortunately, my eyes have been going haywire for the last two weeks as well, almost exactly the same time I started noticing the hypo symptoms. One day, my left eyelid was so swollen that I couldn’t open my eye. I went to my ophthalmologist and he said it was a bacterial infection. My eye continued to be very bloodshot and my eyelid stayed swollen despite steroid/antibiotic drops. Three days later, I was having severe headaches, pain when looking in any extreme direction, and my left eyeball started yellowing and swelling on the left/outer side. At first, I thought I blinked my contact to the corner but then realized it was my actual eye swelling like crazy. I immediately drove to the ophthalmologist and he reassured me it was not thyroid-related, but that the cystic fluid was caused by some sort of sinus issue. He gave me a stronger steroid drop (Durezol) and Zyrtec-D to take round-the-clock. I could not take it until I got home from work as it made me incredibly drowsy and nauseous. On Saturday, my right eye started the same symptoms even though he said it would not spread to the other eye. Like the left, three days later, the eyeball bulging and severe pain began. **Note: Since about August 2010 (I was dx with GD in Feb 2010), my right eye has been 4mm more protruded than the left, but more noticeably at the bottom lid. It was never an issue of my eyes actually bulging, and certainly not to the side.** The drops and Zyrtec-D and plenty of rest have not provided any relief.

When I saw my endo today, he said the issue was very obviously TED, but that he is not an ophthamologist and can’t officially diagnose it. He gave me a referral to a neuro-ophthamologist who treats all of his GD patients and when I called, they agreed to see me first thing Monday morning (3 days).

My question is, I know TED can show up at any time. My endo put me on a heavy round of prednisone before and during RAI because of the risk of worsening or onset of symptoms due to the RAI (I know this is a debated topic but he treats his patients as if it’s a fact). But is it strange that I suddenly became hypo at the exact same time that these severe eye problems began? Has anyone else experienced these two events at the same exact time?

*Edit – I have never smoked and never will.