[SueAndHerZoo]

#1060044

I should know this since I’m an old Graves veteran but after an “unwell” episode a couple of hours ago, I started wondering if this is my thyroid or something else:

I was actually having a really good day. I woke up feeling refreshed, was in a decent mood, and didn’t feel any anxiety or sickness. (That’s a GREAT day!) I came to work and then a few hours later went home for lunch. When I got there I started feeling slightly nauseaus but figured it was the heat outside. Then after I ate my lunch I got a small dizzy spell, tried to not give it any attention, and then got a big one, the kind that makes you think you might faint. As I was barely recovering from that I had to run for the ladies room…. you know the drill. Now I’m just wiped out.

This happens to me quite a bit and I’ve almost come to accept it as part of my life and mostly have always chalked it up to my anxiety issues, but today I wondered: can and do our thyroids shoot out sporadic bursts of hormone to cause these spells? I would love to tell myself that that’s what has been happening to me for so long and that maybe it will soon be over (after surgery) but haven’t heard of anyone else having these “out of the blue” episodes that take you down. I thought we all felt consistently lousy all the time, more or less.

Thoughts?
Sue

[Gabe]

#1179883

Hi Sue. I’ve personally never had such a quick onset of symptoms you describe. I’ve had the lightheaded feeling when I was at my worse hyper and of course the bathroom issues, but not as you describe. I’m not aware that the thyroid can produce spurts/dumps of hormone to that extent. But who knows. Every day is something new!

Have a great day!

Karen

[Boomer]

#1179884

I don’t have an actual answer to your question (not that it has ever stopped me before) but I can tell you that the same darn thing happened to me this past weekend.

I was outside with the dogs doing nothing strenuous – just poking around in the sun – and it was not hot at all. We came in, I sat down, and broke out into an insant clammy sweat, felt lightheaded and nauseous, and were I not sitting down I would have had to because I felt like I was going to fall out. I no sooner recovered from that and I had to run (actually crabwalk/hobble as usual) to the men’s room.

It started out of the blue and ended just as quickly and I felt fine, relatively speaking, no more than 5 minutes later. A lady friend of mine suggested it was a hot flash but having never had one, per se, I’m not sure. It felt more like a fast drop in blood sugar to me but again- this is just guesswork on my part.

Had you eaten enough prior to this happening? Any caffiene? Something loaded with sugar an hour or so prior? The only thing that stands out in my mind that day was that I’d eaten a light breakfast instead of my usual trough of anything that doesn’t run away from me.

If something like that should happen again make up your mind right now that if you happen to be driving that you’ll pull over to a safe spot, put the car in park, and not drive until you feel 100% okay? Okay! The same goes for me too – it came on so fast I need to remain vigilant in the future.

I hope it is a one-time thing.

Health to you and yours,

Boomer

[Kimberly]

#1179885

Hello – I don’t know that T3 and T4 can spike as quickly as say, blood sugar levels, but this would be a good question for your doc! Agree with Boomer to check and see if you can find a common thread that occurs in all of these episodes. And if you feel an episode is really severe, don’t be afraid to visit the ER or an urgent care center. Take care!

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179886

Actually I think I have a touch of “something”…. maybe a bug going around. I have been excessively tired for the most part for the past three days and the stomach has been a little off, not to mention I have colitis, and the dizzy was probably just another one of my anxiety things.

I’m not going to worry about it – I kind of feel like I am now in “limbo”and waiting mode and after the TT I will start with a clean slate. I’m hoping the anxiety and the colitis will calm down within a few weeks after surgery. New start.

Sue
P.S. Yes, Boomer, it could have been the applesauce I had at lunch… maybe a sugar thing. Not sure that would cause the stomach issue but then again, EVERYTHING causes a stomach issue for me. Crab-walking may become my new signature move.

[karenz516]

#1179887

Hi Sue, that has happened to me, less these days, but I still have an occassional experience with that and when I saw my endo this week, I asked him that question. I told him my husband and I were grocery shopping and I get this woozy feeling and dizziness and that of all the symptoms that one scares me the most. I have pulled over in the car and parked it (as Boomer suggested). He asked if I am still taking the Metropolol and (as recommended by my cardiologist and endo was to initally take 25 mg. only if my heart rate went over 70) his suggestion now was to take it only if my heart rate goes above 100 or I feel like I am having a-fib or an irregular heart beat, which I can now (after all these months) know right away when things are “off”. The bottom line from my endo, since he is the doctor, stated that if my heart rate goes too low, which it has dropped into the low 50’s, can cause the dizzy, woozy feeling. I feel most comfortable with my heart rate in the mid 60’s. I bought one of those heart rate/blood pressure machines, usually around $50.00. and I monitor it myself, it is my “security blanket” to be able to keep an eye on my heart rate. I even take it to work with me. People walk in my office and there I am checking my blood pressure/heart rate, pfffttt, I could care less what they think. Hope this helps!

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179888

Hi Karen.
Thanks – your reply did help a lot. I, too, have a heart rate and BP monitor not only in my home but a separate one on my desk at the office. LOL I only take a beta blocker if my resting heart rate is over 100 but I sometimes wonder if I should take it more often. I take a very low dose and all my doctors urge me to use the beta blocker as often as I’d like, but I always try to test the waters and see if I can go without them. I now wonder if these episodes happen on the days when I do take the blocker…. maybe it goes too low. I also need to see if it happens more right after eating.

There are so many things that could be causing those spells but I think my best goal would be to stop trying to figure them out and stop giving them so much attention. As soon as one starts, for whatever reason, the anxiety kicks in and makes it all worse.

Thanks for your reply…. always feels better to know you’re not alone in these things.
Sue

[karenz516]

#1179889

Sue, yes the anxiety does rise when I get those bouts of dizziness. I have xanax but try not to use it and only take a half if I have one of those spells, it at least keeps the fear at bay. I hate when I have those episodes, a month after my RAI, when my thyroid levels were coming down I passed out, thank god I was home and my husband was here, my heart rate was in the 30s, and I ended up in the hospital for another week because my heart rate dropped too low

Karen

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179890

karenz516 wrote:

Sue, yes the anxiety does rise when I get those bouts of dizziness. I have xanax but try not to use it and only take a half if I have one of those spells, it at least keeps the fear at bay. I hate when I have those episodes, a month after my RAI, when my thyroid levels were coming down I passed out, thank god I was home and my husband was here, my heart rate was in the 30s, and I ended up in the hospital for another week because my heart rate dropped too low

Karen

Wow, Karen…. you actually fainted from your heart rate being too low? That’s so scary, both for you, I’m sure, and for me! I’ve never heard of that happening to someone after RAI or TT – was there something else physically going on to drop your rate that low?

I don’t think I’d be able to check my heartrate after a dizzy spell because the spell causes instant extreme anxiety so the pulse and BP go way up.

Hope everything is turning around for you now and that those days are all behind you. We all deserve some relief from this nasty beast.
Sue

[karenz516]

#1179891

Sue, my heart rate was 180 bpm when I was in the hospital for two weeks and had RAI, I was sent home by the cardiologist on 40 mg. of digoxcin and 600 mg of Lopressor, the Lopressor was 200 mg 3x a day, well as my thyroid started dying off the cardiologist wasn’t seeing me for 3 months. (I have since switched cardiologists), he never said anything about it going too low!!!! My RAI was 12/14/12 and through most of January I hovered between 100-120 with my heart rate but then it started to drop due to thyroid hormone dying off. Cardiologist never took me off those high of meds and I didn’t know, duh, landed up in the hospital. My endo (who I have stated before is wonderful) was at the hospital in an hour and admitted me under him. He took me off everything and released me after a week with only taking Metropolol if my heart rate went above 70, which might be once a week if that.

Karen

[linzyyyy]

#1179892

This has happened to me before. Both times after waking up from an accidental nap. First time was before Graves diagnosis, I was so scared I had to call my husband to come home bc I felt too weak and dizzy to bring the baby downstairs! Chalked it up as an anxiety attack. Happened again last week, this time I just “let it ride” and pushed through. I just kept telling myself it was bc of my current state of hyperthyroidism. I have had more minor versions of this scenario happen all the time, but those were the two biggest.

Sorry you are going through this. (Sorry we’re all going through this!)

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179893

linzyyyy wrote:

This has happened to me before. Both times after waking up from an accidental nap. First time was before Graves diagnosis, I was so scared I had to call my husband to come home bc I felt too weak and dizzy to bring the baby downstairs! Chalked it up as an anxiety attack. Happened again last week, this time I just “let it ride” and pushed through. I just kept telling myself it was bc of my current state of hyperthyroidism. I have had more minor versions of this scenario happen all the time, but those were the two biggest.

Sorry you are going through this. (Sorry we’re all going through this!)

But what do you think the cause is? I’m trying to figure out if it’s sugar/carb related because lately I seem really intolerant to those items. I know when I was low-carbing several years ago I had never felt better, and I think there is a connection between the thyroid and blood sugar levels, so try to pay attention to what you’ve eaten right before these happen.

Today I ate lousy and I feel lousy.
Sue

[karenz516]

#1179894

Sue, I agree with you on the food issues, I try to be really careful about what I eat. I do notice if I have a day of not eating well, I do not feel well and I am also working not to gain any weight, the only good think about the Graves Disease/Hyperthyroidism was a 30 lb. weight loss, I put 15 lbs back on and I would like to lose 10 of those pounds. I said to my endo I eat a salad and yogurt everyday for lunch at work and try to eat a healthy dinner, what the heck. I try to stay away from bread and red meat, and eat alot of vegtables and chicken and fish. Its hard when you work all day because I am exhausted when I get home and don’t feel like cooking anyway but have a husband and son who are usually starving. My endo feels that it is related to my heart rate going to low, I feel better when it is in the 60’s, anything lower I get the dizzy feeling. All of this is a job in and of itself, so frustrating! My anxiety jumps like crazy when I feel off and I think something is happening.

[SueAndHerZoo]

#1179895

karenz516 wrote:

Sue, I agree with you on the food issues, I try to be really careful about what I eat. I do notice if I have a day of not eating well, I do not feel well and I am also working not to gain any weight, the only good think about the Graves Disease/Hyperthyroidism was a 30 lb. weight loss, I put 15 lbs back on and I would like to lose 10 of those pounds. I said to my endo I eat a salad and yogurt everyday for lunch at work and try to eat a healthy dinner, what the heck. I try to stay away from bread and red meat, and eat alot of vegtables and chicken and fish. Its hard when you work all day because I am exhausted when I get home and don’t feel like cooking anyway but have a husband and son who are usually starving. My endo feels that it is related to my heart rate going to low, I feel better when it is in the 60’s, anything lower I get the dizzy feeling. All of this is a job in and of itself, so frustrating! My anxiety jumps like crazy when I feel off and I think something is happening.

I’m right there with you, Karen, on the anxiety jumping whenever I feel the slightest bit off (which is a lot lately). The physical symptoms are bad enough but to get anxious and focus on them is even worse.

Let’s all find the cause, then the solution, and save the world!
Sue

[maryintx]

#1179896

I had undiagnosed SVT for about 5 years. Kept having episodes like that , over time got SO tired of hearing I was having anxiety or vertigo or drank coffee or ate sugars or was having gallbladder issues, or PMS cramps, or took a herbal vitamin to cause this. One day I fainted and that made me push my GP to refer me to a new cardiologist. My GP thought I had low blood sugar. What I needed was a new dr, one that hadn’t seen me at my weepy worst with Graves.
The new cardiologist put me on a heart monitor for 30 days and said maybe they could catch something. I wore it for less then a week and the life watch people were calling the on call cardio DR for emergency. He called up and asked me what was going on during the first part where the nausea, chest pain, and lightheadedness that would come on. He said I was in AFIB and to have someone take me to the ER. It was long story short not anxiety at all but a upper left chamber of my heart that didn’t fire correctly. Electricity. I got referred to an electro cardiologist and had surgery – ablation My point is that you can have an underlying condition besides Graves but sometimes Doctors that see you repeatedly forget that and see you only as Gravesy- emotional feelings expressed as physical symptoms like when stress brings on nausea.
Thankfully I was confident about my thyroid and other hormones and so pushed the referral to a cardiologist. Right now I am shopping for a new endocrinologist who will get on board with using BHRT.

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