[dressagehughie]

#1059003

Heres my story and maybe you guys can give me some direction:

Im 32 y/o, I have been a percfectly healthy (outide of a few flying leaps off of horses and diagnosed w/ ADHD as a child)… slightly heavy my whole life but always active and in good shape… I went in 2 weeks ago for what I thought was an ear infection that turned out to be an abcessed tooth. While there my GP noticed my throid was enlarged and ordered tests…

Tests Results came back hyperthyroid, most likely graves… he started asking questions… and i quickly realized thing I had r/o as getting older, injury or weight related were actually all things I had just been ignoring- like the rash on my leg that i thought was poison ivy… Tremors, severe heat intollerance, profuse sweating, sleep deprived, sever anxiety to the point of paranoia, headaches, heart rate jumped with the least bit of activity – ie: walking across the arena… 60 ft, and quite frankly– feeling like I am just going plum crazy!! At this point he sent me to have the Thyroid Uptake/ Scan done.

My results:

FT4: 1.72 ng/dL (0.52-1.21)
T3: 7.39 pg/mL (2.20-3.80)
TSH: 0.04 uIU/mL (0.34-5.66)
Thy Scan: 25 hour uptake of 48% (normal = 10%-35%)

Now I am waiting to get into the Endo- they are telling me its a month to 2 month wait– is this normal!?!? I am in Raleigh, NC, we have Duke (who I am currently with), UNC, etc… This seems excessivly long…

I guess I just dont know where to go from here… From what I have read, options for Tx are medication, RAI, and surgery… Is there anywhere I could find pros/ cons of each Tx option? ANY thoughts/opinions/etc.. are welcome… I am just a little lost here…

Thanks everyone!

Michelle

[catstuart7]

#1171499

I had to wait a long time for the endo too. I was really quite shocked that they would make someone with a serious illness wait over a month but apparently that’s “normal” in our health system. In the meantime your GP can start you on methimazole or at the very least beta-blocker to help your symptoms. Others might know of a single article that sums it all up but I’ve just been reading and reading and reading everything I can find to try to come up with a complete picture. This site itself has a lot of great information. So start reading! Good luck!

[snelsen]

#1171500

I suggest you go to your GP, as catstuart suggested. is that doc the one who ordered the labs? I think, with your symptoms, you should not go unprotected for two months without a beta blocker and an ATD. Can you discuss this with your GP? I also suggest that you call back, say that you have DIAGNOSED Graves’, and you are very hyper, ask to be seen earlier for that reason. Leave this message, with your symptoms (email is best if you can do this, and list as you did in your post) as ask to be seen asap to begin treatment.

There are lots of reference on the three options, their pros and cons. Many on this website, from the experiences of others, and I am going to lean on Kimberly to give you some good references, cause I am walking out the door right now for the evening.
It is really a relief to find out that there is a reason we feel the way we do. And a bigger relief to know that we can get better again.
Shirley

[Kimberly]

#1171501

Hello – I just added some good references to the “Treatment Options” post in the Announcements section at the top of the board. Hopefully, this information will be helpful.

Unfortunately, long waits to see a specialist are common in many parts of the country. Could your general practitioner help you get a more timely appointment? Another alternative is that if your schedule is flexible, you can call the endo’s office and ask them to notify you if they have a cancellation.

Take care!

[Harpy]

#1171502

As others have said,
It is iportant that you get the Beta Blockers ASAP to control the hyper symptoms, primarily the heart rate.
Along with all the good information available on the site, there are many individual stories, experiences and opinions in all the threads.

Another site I found quite good was “Thyroid Manager”, big load of information on the history, science, treatment protocols, lots of science and medicine.
I think it is maintained by thyroid researchers for practitioners to refer to.

[Bobbi]

#1171503

A word of warning. We are not doctors, so take any medical “advice” as suspicious. Beta blockers are NOT universally prescribed because not all patients can safely take them. They can be helpful with alleviating symptoms (tremors, for example), and they help to protect the heart, so they can be useful in patients who can safely take them. But you, dressagehughie, need to discuss with your own doctor whether or not it is a good idea.

I would suggest you read the article Kimberly posted on treatment options (at the top of the bulletin board’s first page).

I would also suggest that you try to find (in a library/bookstore) any book recommended by GDATF, and use links provided by GDATF for web research. There is a whole lot of bogus medical information on the web. Our organization tries to provide links to sites with good information.

One thing to keep in mind, because I know right now you must be feeling overwhelmed….in shock even: Our treatment options typically do work to give us back our health. So take a deep breath and try to relax. And, yes, talk with your GP about any medications you might be able to take until you get to your endo appointment.

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