[snelsen]

#1062052

Hi Polly,
What a great medical team! You can rest assured that you are being very well taken care of! I am sure they ordered another CBC on Saturday to be sure that your count is not continuing to drop, or is at least stable. I am very familiar with WBCs for I had my WBC checked carefully and frequently when I was taking a buttload of chemo for breast cancer. It began climbing a few days after my last chemo. But that is a whole different subject, too.

I am suggesting that is good care, and they do not want to wait a few weeks. It takes a few days to see a trend. And you do have another option for ATD, and I imagine you will be hearing about it. Methimazole is usually prescribed as a first line ADR, and the other one is PTU, propylthiouricil. But your major concern is the reason for the leukopenia. As you were told, there are two most likely causes to "rule out." And you OTHER major concern is your hyperthyroidism! What a ay!

I am sorry that you did not receive the information about the signs of a possible decrease in your WBC’s, and the resulting leukopenia. The pharmacist definitely should have addressed that. I imagine it is in the accompanying literature with the drug, but those inserts say so much, that the important stuff can get lost!

I am not sure how long you have been on methimazole. It is the standard of care with both ADT’s to check labs for liver function, and CBC (cell blood count.) Did you just begin this drug or have you been on it a long time?

Do check your BP and heart rate and record.
Believe that this will all settle down.
Keep in touch!
Shirley

[rpolly30]

#1017987

On Saturday I suddenly developed extreme fatigue, fever (averaging 101.5 but waxes and wanes) and extreme sore throat. I thought that I had just come down with either a virus (lots of that going around here right now) and figured I’d wait it out a few days… Since Saturday I have had no relief of my symptoms and decided to do some good ‘ol Google research. I found out that fever and sore throat are warning signs when taking methimizole (something I didn’t know, I was only warned about easy bruising). I called my endo today and was advised to go to urgent care.

After being told that I probably just have a virus (the strep test was negative) the doc tried sending me home. I told him, that I really feel like it is something else and asked him to consult my endo…HE DID! He came back to the room and said, "seems you need a CBC, which I think is resonable."

About 90 minutes later her returned, pulled up a chair next to the hospital bed that I was laying on, and proceeded to tell me that my WBC’s are "pretty low" and the neutrophils are also "pretty low". He said he left a message for my endo but for now to stop the methimizole and wait for her call. He also said that I should stay home and minimize contact with anyone so that I do not acquire "strange infections."

I heard from my endo’s nurse a few hours later and she said that yes I need to stop methimizole. She said that they want to recheck my CBC on Saturday to see if it is drug-induced leukopenia or viral-induced leukopenia. In the meantime I’m to stay home but notify them if I have any worsening symptoms.

So, here I am sitting with a fever of 101.9 and freaking out a little bit. I cannot do that RAI right away because of my eyes (the opthamaologist said I’d have to be on steroids until my TSH is normal…unfortunately, I have NO TSH and the methimizole hasn’t even yet controlled my T4 or is it T3 they look at, I can’t remember). So, I’m not sure if that means i will have to have surgery? I don’t know…I’m a little freaked… I mean, what if I go into Thyroid Storm due to suddenly stopping the anti-thyroid? UGGH

I am a bit confused because they are rechecking on Saturday. I read online that it can take 2-3 weeks for the WBCs to return to normal after stopping the medication. Does this mean that she is checking to see if this is caused by a virus, with the theory that it should be normal by Saturday you think? I feel confident it is not a virus, I have never felt this way before… ” title=”Sad” />

Has anyone else had this happen to them?

[Bobbi]

#1062053

Thyroid storm is a relatively rare event, so I would suggest that you not actively fret about it. (Yeah, I know, easier said than done, right?) You might try rearranging your life temporarily to really bring down your stress level. Bring in tv dinners. Get some other family member to do the chores for a week. Arrange for entertainment that makes you laugh — like putting on a dvd of a comedy movie that you particularly like. Avoid situations that cause you stress. Does the nightly news make you want to yell at the television? Turn it off. That sort of thing. Your current situation is temporary. But everything you can do to help yourself right now, is a step in a positive direction . As Shirley pointed out, your medical team seems to be working together to provide you with good care.

As to which thyroid removal option is best for you, however, you need to listen very, very carefully to your doctor’s advice. Sometimes we have to do a treatment that is not our primary choice, for very good medical reasons. If you are going to override your doctor’s reasons, you need to be understand about the possible consequences.

I do hope you are feeling much better, and soon.

[rpolly30]

#1062054

Thanks Shirley and Bobbi….

I was diagnosed about 6-7 weeks ago and have been on methimizole since. So this is all new to me. The doc thinks I’ve had the condition for quite sometime however. Bobbi, your suggestion to just take it easy is exactly what I’m doing. My boss agreed to let me work from home the rest of this week rather than having to take time off (helps with the stress). I am just going to relax as much as possible, something that’s hard for me to do. My friends have been suggesting massage. My wife (yes, I am a man) is very supportive and suggests that I just take it easy as well….

Thanks again
Ryan (Polly’s the last name…but Shirley no big deal, that’s an easy presumption given women are much more likely to have Grave’s).

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