[snelsen]

#1061521

Hi, CONGRATULATIONS on making a decision! It is very empowering,and your ticket back to being "normal," albeit it is a slow one (: It does take time to get the right dose, but not everyone waits a long time, it could be a short time!!! There are wonderful posts about RAI, and a couple of the facilitators have had RAI. There are some good posts about recent guidelines from facilitators. Toss RAI in the search engine, and you will find lots of good info and people’s experiences.

Re bone loss. Bone loss is associated with HYPERthyroidism. So, pretty soon, you are not going to BE hyper. Not sure of your age, but that is probably more relevant, plus being female. The risk if higher if you have been hyper years and years, but it seems that is not the case with you. When everyone is talking about bone loss, they are talking about osteopenia (beginning mild bone loss) and osteoporosis, which is more bone loss.

I am wondering if you have done anything different, to perhaps cause your back to hurt more. As you said, your back acts up now and then, and perhaps, because you have been hyper, and have done a lot of reading, you might be more aware of your back hurting. (

Some of the factors that make a difference for osteoporosis, are:
-your genes-good ole’ heredity-for better or worse
-weight bearing exercise, walking (good) Weight bearing walking increases bone growth.
-being sedentary (not so good.
-being female.
-menopause (estrogen protects our bones)
-age (related to menopause, plus all this other stuff, being frail
-hyperthyroidism, uncontrolled for a long time.
-Causian or Asian
-lack of Vitamin C and D
-long term steroid use

It is VERY EMPOWERING to take action, and know you have a plan, and will be better. Keep writing!
Shirley

[raventsaid]

#1017896

I had an earlier post about graves and heart issues, about 2 1/2 weeks ago, like i said in the original post my body seemed to eb going backwards, well now i know i went backwards and then some… I am having every possible problem come up, so i saw my endo today and told her i wanted to get the RAI done, again i have a very stressful job and i am slipping ins said job and really can’t afford to, i need to keep the job to keep the insurance. Anyway, I will be off the methimazole for the next 10 days then get the RAI done… now from what everyone has said it will take time to figure out what my normal will be and i understand that, but i am more concerned about bone loss… how does everyone combat that issue. I already have a bad back, I was involved in an accident and had a hairline fracture as a kid so it acts up everynow and then and i have noticed in the past week that my back has been hurting more than normal, any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[Bobbi]

#1061522

The fact that you may have back issues as a result of an event in the past does not necessarily mean that you have bone loss problems now, but one thing that you can talk with your doctor about is getting a bone density scan of some type. That will evaluate your bone content with respect to the "average" of other people of your age and race. It’s not a bad idea to discuss this issue with your GP, or endo, if you are concerned about where in the process of losing bone you currently are.

I know the next 10 days may feel like a hundred, as you get more hyper, but know that we are here to support you through it. Good luck with your RAI. I do hope you are feeling much better, and soon.

[teacherhelper]

#1061523

If your RAI goes as well as mine did, it’s very easy. I had no real side effects after I swallowed the pill. I even stopped at the store to get some lemon drop candy to suck on. My tech advised it to keep the salivary glands producing to avoid a bad taste in the mouth. It worked. If you are a big milk drinker or eat lots of dairy products, you shouldn’t be low in vitamin D. I’m 66 and just had the RAI in Sept. So far I think my bones are OK. I have HUGE back issues but they’re no more pronounced now than they were before. I also have arthritis, both osteoarthritis and rheumatoid. I haven’t felt any differently. Just keep positive thoughts, knowing that the light at the end of the tunnel is closer. I’m presently on 112 mcg of levothyroxine. I started out at 75, went to 100 and then 112. You will be able to tell right away when you’re hypo. It’s amazing how our bodies tell us when things aren’t right. Just make sure you still get some rest. That’s so important in our healing process. Right now I feel so good that I forget how badly I did feel. Take care and blessings on your journey!
Joanie

[raventsaid]

#1061524

Thanks for the encouragement and for the advise. I think I will get a bone density test after the RAI, just to be on the safe side. The only contributing factors i have is family history and the hypER Thyroidism, and no i didn’t realize we could have bone loss while in hypER – i thought it was in hyPO…. thanks for that information, I will read up on it more. Right now I am on day three with no meds and honestly I haven’t felt any side affects as of yet … i know it will come, but hopeing that it doesn’t get to bad before I go in.

Thanks again

[itaocala]

#1061525

Hello,
I was diagnosed wid GD just 6 days ago. It is amazing when you realized what was the root for all those "weird" symptoms I was having for over 3 years, not knowing it was Hyperthyroidsm. I have been reading everywhere but it a little overwhelming. Now thta I had found this group is like thinks start making sense to me …just a little bit..
I am not very familiar yet with all this terms but I can tell you about my RAI uptake test. In 24 hours my thyroid absorbed 98% of the iodine. The Dr.told me my levels were very high.. so far the only symptoms I’ve had are; tremors, left bottom eye "twitching" constantly (a little annoying at work"), my heart rate extremely fast and I had lost 40 pounds… I started taking Methimazole 20mg /day along with Propranolol 20mg every 6 hours as needed. I can tell you I feel so weird, different, very sad every day. Not sure which of those is causing me feel that way.
Anybody who can just give me ideas on where am I going to be in 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, maybe a year? I am a very possitive person who alwys give others comfort and now here I am, kind of lost in my new world.
Thank you all

[Kimberly]

#1061526

itaocala wrote:Anybody who can just give me ideas on where am I going to be in 6 weeks, 3 months, 6 months, maybe a year?

Hello – If you asked that question of 100 Graves’ patients, you would probably get 100 different answers! Everyone’s journey seems to be different. I started off on ATDs, and I actually felt really fatigued for the first 10 weeks or so while my levels were falling. Then after that, it was a gradual improvement. For others, the road back to good health is a "two steps forward, one step back" kind of a journey.

One thing you might ask your doctor about — did he/she specifically prescribe the 20 mg 4 times per day? The reason I ask is that taking 4 doses per day is more common with the other Anti-Thyroid Drug (PTU). Methimazole is more commonly prescribed 1-3 times per day.

Also, hopefully, you are scheduled to have follow up labs soon to check whether your levels are falling. It’s common practice for the doctor to reduced the dose of the medication as your levels start falling into the "normal" range. This keeps you from becoming hypOthyroid — which is a whole different set of issues.

If you don’t have labs scheduled fairly soon, keep an eye out for hypO symptoms and call the office to get in sooner if you feel them coming on. (HypO symptoms can include fatigue, joint pain, weight gain, constipation, dry skin, cold intolerance, and slow pulse). Also, when it comes time to talk to your doctor about dosage adjustments, remember that your FT3 and FT4 are better markers for making dose adjustments than TSH, as TSH can remain suppressed for quite some time in Graves’ patients.

Best of luck to you!

[raventsaid]

#1061527

Hey all, wanted 2 give a quick update. So the hospital screwed up and I actually didn’t get the rai done until 20 days after stopping the thyroid meds, got 2 say that was interesting and hard. Anyway, took the rai 6 days ago, so far I’ve only had 2 take 1 beta blocker since, so fingers crossed. Anyway my ends will c me at end of month and 2 c where I am at. Just wanted 2 drop a quick note, ill update later if anyone wants 2 know what’s the what.

[teacherhelper]

#1061528

I saw my endo last week Tuesday. I’m feeling great right now. I told him that I didn’t know how great felt until the last couple weeks. He said I’d been sick a long time. Hang in there, as you too will feel good in time. I keep telling myself Rome wasn’t built in a day and patience is good to have. Just know that we’ve all been there, done that. And you too will get there. My back seems better now that my levels are stabilized.

Joanie

[Author]

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