[Ski]

#1070578

You DO have a good chance of still losing that 30 pounds, if you are extremely careful.

Many of us have said "I have no symptoms," and after we’re treated, we see that we actually did. The changes come on slowly, and over time it just appears as if we need less sleep and we get more accomplished ~ super me! ~ but the fact is that we’re kind of "set at 100mph." If your doctor found abnormally low levels of TSH in your bloodstream, the highest likelihood is that you are hyperthyroid, and the vast majority of hyperthyroid patients are this way due to Graves’. With your family history, your doctor is likely considering it a slam dunk. There are more elements to the equation that can help you confirm the conclusion your doctor has made ~ the uptake/scan gives one set of data, and you can get antibodies tested as well. For some people, they are hyperthyroid due to a transient condition, thyroiditis, which typically resolves completely at the six-week mark. If you continue being hyperthyroid past six weeks, chances are this is what you’re dealing with. The ATDs can actually get you dialed into a normal, stable level of thyroid hormone rather quickly, and you can get back to planning the wedding, even exercising. Exercising is not a great idea while you’re hyperthyroid.

Get a copy of your blood test results, and if you can, get a historical copy (years’ old) of your thyroid hormone levels, so you can see if there’s been fluctuation, and how far your levels have moved. The extra advantage to having prior levels is that you’ll know where your normal level WAS, and you can aim for that during treatment.

[klinn]

#1019285

I was diagnosed with GD about two weeks ago. So far, I’m not very happy with the way I’ve been diagnosed. First of all, I don’t have any symptoms. My GP tested my TSH because my mom was diagnosed with GD when she was pregnant with me, and she (my GP) thought it was time to start testing me for it. I received a message with the test results and my GP’s office scheduled an appointment for me with an Endo. When I saw the Endo, he poked around at my neck for a while and told me to have another blood test and uptake and scan test. He didn’t take any time to discuss anything with me or explain what might happen. When I left his office, the nurse gave me a piece of paper with a phone number and a code on it and told me to call the message center a few days after my last uptake test. I called the message center and had a message saying I have GD, the Endo wanted me to start a medication, and to come back and see him in 6 weeks. I have no clue what is going on. I had to call the Endo’s office to get the prescription ordered, they didn’t even try to contact me to do it. Like I said, my mom had it, so I’m fairly familiar with GD. However, it’s also the reason I’m an only child. When my mom was treated with RAI, 31 years ago, the doctors told her it would likely cause birth defects in any future children, so she chose not to have any more. So, now I’m very nervous about RAI. I’ve read several medical websites that all say it’s been proven that RAI does not cause birth defects in future children, as long as they are conceived several months after treatment. I’m still nervous though. Other than "RAI does not cause birth defects or infertility," does anyone have any more information about that? I know that 31 years ago is a long time in the medical field, but why would my mom have been told that it would cause birth defects? Was it still unknown at that time? She even went as far as having her tubes tied to make sure she didn’t get pregnant again. I just can’t see a doctor letting her do that if it wasn’t absolutely certain that RAI would cause problems.

I’m also concerned about the weight gain thing. I’m getting married next summer, and I really don’t want to be overweight on my special day. It’s my first marriage and the man of my dreams. I want to be perfect for it, and him. I was just starting a diet and exercise plan when all this happened. I was really hoping to lose about 30 lbs before my wedding. I was hoping that maybe because I don’t have any symptoms, that it was caught early, that maybe I’ll have better control over the weight gain. Do I have any chance of losing that 30 lbs now?

[klinn]

#1070579

Thank you for the hope about the weight. I’ve been worried about that.

Now I’m kind of concerned about the Methimazole. I’ve only been taking it for 5 days now, but I’ve had a constant headache and my eyes have been burning since the 2nd dose. Acetaminophen has helped to lessen the pain a little, but I have not been able to get rid of the pain completely. My stomach does not handle anything stronger than acetaminophen, so I don’t want to try anything else. I’ve tried calling my Endo’s office twice today, and no one answers, not even voice mail. I am going to keep trying, but I was wondering if anyone has had a similar reaction and what their doctor did about it?

[ewmb]

#1070580

Don’t forget that you can call your pharmacist too to ask questions about normal and rare complications and side effects. If the pharmacist tells you something that seems to fit then you can have something more to say to the doctor when he calls you back.

ewmb

[Ski]

#1070581

Issues with your eyes may be related to Thyroid Eye Disease, not directly to Graves’ or your thyroid. It’s a related disease, but doesn’t react to thyroid treatment. You may want to find an ophthalmologist and get a baseline appointment.

[klinn]

#1070582

I finally heard back from my Endo’s office, and he suggested the same thing. This doesn’t make sense to me though. Yes, my eyes have a burning sensation, but I also mentioned that I’ve had a constant headache too. The headache does not seem to be related to my eyes, it’s more in the top of my head, not from behind or near my eyes. The information I got with my prescription from the pharmacy says one of the side effects is a headache, but if the headache is severe or persists to contact your doctor. Well, at this point it is severe, and it has persisted since shortly after my 2nd does of methimazole. I’ve also noticed in the last 12 or more hours that my resting heart rate is around 120 bpm. I mentioned this to the lady who called me back from my Endo’s office, and she just said again that I should see an ophthalmologist. If it all seemed in relation to my eyes, I would understand, but it’s not so I’m really uncomfortable with this information. Any other suggestions for me?

[julies]

#1070583

Get a second Opinion,

Jules

[ewmb]

#1070584

Are you on generic methimazole and not Tapazole ( brand name )? Sometimes there are fillers etc. in generics that bother people. Generics do not have to go through the same FDA process as the original drug. In other words to keep costs down they change the inactive ingredients a lot of times. You might ask your doctor for a scrip for the brand name drug and try switching if you are on the generic. PTU is the other choice as well. I don’t know if this is available in a brand name vs. generic.

I would call back and leave a message for the nurse or the doctor and say you need help and going to the opthamologist is on your list but the headaches are causing a lot of stress and you’d like to try changing your medication or whatever you want to do.

Good luck and I hope your headaches go away soon. I had horrible leg pains when first on PTU. The doctor on call told me that my dose was too high and we cut it in half and after a very painful and non-walking day it went away.

You are important so keep looking for help until you get it.

ewmb

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