[Anonymous]

#1052135

Hi everyone:

I have a question: Back in September/October, I was diagnosed with Grave’s disease. Symptoms (from the head to toe) were: Dandruff, hair very dull, dry and falling out (lots), NO MEMORY, some irritability, feelings of being “wired”, blood pounding in the ears, breathlessness, tiredness (feelings of just having run a marathon when I just woke up in the morning), dry skin, heart rate over 100, and others less noticeable symptoms. My endo put me on PTU (mid-November). By the beginning to mid-December, I felt fine. Then around Christmas, I started getting the breathlessness again, first just here and there, and then more often. I had blood work done at the beginning of December, and my endo said that me levels were getting higher, and that she’d see me at the beginning of January. At the beginning of January, the breathlessness had sorta gotten worse, and I thought it was because the medication wasn’t taking hold as fast as she thought it might. So I postponed the appointment for two weeks. Symptoms of breathlessness and irritability and feeling “wired” increased throughout this time. I thought for sure that she would increase my doseage. So I had my blood work done last week, and I go see her this morning, and GUESS WHAT — although my TSH isn’t in the normal range yet (.20 in a range of .32…. – ?), my T4 is TOO LOW!!! Which means that I’ve gone hypo! Now, my question is this, why am I having HYPER symptoms when my blood work says I’m sorta HYPO. I haven’t read up much on HYPO, but the only thing that even remotely resembles HYPO is that I’m sleeping a little bit longer than usual. Other than that, I could have sworn that I was going HYPER! Does anyone know what the deal is? Can you explain it to me? Thanks so much for your help!!!

[Anonymous]

#1153309

Kathy My endo said that Iwas going hypo also, but Ifell same syptoms you do. Benn on ptu for about 1.5 years and had dosage changed many times.
She wanted to know age and thought maybe it is menopose, I”m only 41
Has anybody else had our problems.

[Anonymous]

#1153310

Hi, Kathy:

I am making some educated guesses here, not being a doctor, but this has also happened to me (the T4 being in the normal, even low-normal range while my symptoms and TSH are shouting “HYPER!”) . From the research I’ve done, the only thing that I’ve come up with is that the T4 is a RANGE, and that it is a very broad range. According to one endocrinology text I read (and marked up), because the range is quite broad, it is theoretically possible to halve, or double, the amount of T4 in your blood and still remain in the normal range. The text went on to say that simply being in the normal range does not necessarily make the level of T4 “normal” for the individual. If your pituitary (TSH), and symptoms, indicate hyper, then you are probably hyper. It is, for example, possible to have normal levels of T4 but higher levels of Free T3 (the active hormone, the chemical needed for cell metabolism). Tests for Free T3 are not always included in the thyroid workup, because the combination T4/TSH testing that is done, usually shows the problem.

There are other things that can throw the whole thing out of whack, though, too, so the best thing is to try to get your doctor to explain what HE/SHE is thinking about all of this. Various different parts of the endocrine system can interact with what is going on — it is a complicated system.

I hope you’re feeling better soon.

Bobbi

[Anonymous]

#1153311

Hi Kathy- I was on PTU for a year before opting for RAI. I cut back my dose considerably from the first few months but I was always on the edge of hyperness. My TSH was barely detectable but my T4 was always in the normal range. My doctor didn’t seem to think T4 counted much. The Grave’s thyroid puts out much more T3 proportionately than a normal thyroid. Normal thyroids poduce mostly T4 and just a little T3. The rest of the body(mainly liver) turns the t4 to t3 as we need it. Grave’s thyroids are vastly over-producing and make much more T3. Your T4 levels could be normal or even low and you’ll still be clinically hyper. Your doctor should know this of course.
Sue R-K

[Anonymous]

#1153312

Does anyone else notice that when they go a little hypo (still within nor
al range though) that they get a rumbling stomach, diahreah, headache-not
pain but dull pressure. achey muscles, heat intolerance( i swear i cant handle
the heat anymore until the fall–and then i just think i can!) , have anxiety
probably because everything seems overwhelming- even too much noise!!! and
atually feel so tired at night your muscles sort of twich when you do lay
down??? HAVING A BAD TIME OF IT…..GEEEEEEZZZZ….thanks….

[Anonymous]

#1153313

I’m with you on all counts! It almost seems more aggravating than beeing hyper. I can also add horrible nightmares to the list. Hang in there!
April

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