[Anonymous]

#1047354

Hi Jodi, i am here to encourage you because i must’ve had the worse RAI experience…I had RAI on January 11 and just went hypo this weekend…i took my first thyroid replacement pill today, which means it’ll be for the rest of my life but I am so glad to be here…..I had RAI and thought i would die from it, i had soooo many different problems related to it, i first started with mouth sores, a yeast infection, a sore throat that lasted, headaches, i couldn’t get out of bed, stomach pain and severe acid reflux…..and my heartrate got so bad i ended up in the emergency room thinking i was having a heart attack…..i was so depressed that i ended up in a hospital for 5 nights and on Zoloft, so i can totally relate to you….i thought i would never ever see Hypo….it had been over 2 months and i was still quite hyper, i was on Propranol also for my heart rate and shortness of breath up until last week….the waiting between doc visits is the worse…..but i gained 19 pounds in 6 weeks and figured i had to be going hypo and sure enough my T3 showed 87 when normally for me it was well into the 300s….50 to 150 is normal, anything below is hypo, and above is hyper so ask to see your T3 levels, those would help you understand mostly…anyways, i had 87 a week ago Thursday and started feeling more tired and constipated, my hands and feet were colder than normal so i asked for another T3 test this past Thursday….well this time my T3 was 66 which mean i was almost hypo……my doctor put me on a thyroid replacement pill because i was definitely going hypo and didn’t want me to go any lower……i really thought and felt deeply that i would end up having radiation again and i dreaded that thought but trust me Jodi, give it a little time……it took me just about 3 months so wait the next 6 weeks and i bet you feel better…it is awful waiting but i am proof that it does get better……please feel free to write if you want, i would be more than happy to talk to u more if u want………take care and think positively, you’ll get there soon……

Best of Luck,

Lori

[Anonymous]

#1142041

I hate to be a bummer on the list today but I’m feeling kind of discouraged. On most days I feel like I can handle the whole Graves thing, the change in eating habits and all that, but there are days like today when I just wonder if I’m ever going to be “normal” again. I’ve been aware that I have Graves for two years now and it’s only now that I’m starting to learn all that’s involved with it. I’ve been reading this bulletin board every day since I joined NGDF and although I get a lot of comfort in finding that there are others with symptoms like mine I also get kind of depressed. This just seems like such an uphill battle.

I’m the kind of person that tends to push myself a bit and I wonder if I need to reevaluate my actions in order to deal with Graves a little better. Whenever I’ve had a problem in the past I’ve wanted it to be fixed immediately. With Graves I know that can’t happen and it gets me discouraged. Does anyone have any suggestions for how I can learn to deal with this better? I’ve been trying to read some of the thyroid books that are recommended by NGDF but since I’m a full-time graduate student that doesn’t leave with me with a lot of extra reading time. So, I’d appreciate any quick suggestions.

I think I’m feeling extra discouraged today since I just got over a sinus infection (finished up the antibiotics on Saturday) and today I started getting a sore throat and sniffles again. Seems like I get one right after another.

[Anonymous]

#1142042

Hi,
I’m sorry you are feeling so rotten. You sound a lot like me a year ago. I wasn’t diagnosed until June of ’99 but the two years prior to diagnosis I had a sinus infection from hell. I took every antibiotic 2 and 3 times and still when I would finish them up it would come right back.

It was really weird because I had been thinking for a while that there was something more serious wrong with me and it was a matter of time before it would come to claim me and it did.

The only hope I can offer is this. I was diagnosed, had the surgery and am currently being regulated on replacement meds and I have never felt better. I was so sick before being regulated I couldn’t fight off anything. My endo tells me that when I am regulated I will be back to normal. I had to look at old photos to remind myself of just how sick I really looked. It was horrible but I couldn’t see it then.

It really helped me to appreciate when I look back to see where I had come from.

Good Luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Pam

p.s. Jan told me about the get togethers they have every so often and I can’t wait til we can all meet face to face. Fun times!

[Author]

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