[thompson91]

#1018479

Ok, I am starting at the beginning to give you a clear picture. I’m 37 w/ 4 kids. In July 2007 I lost my grandmother who was like a mother to me and I just could not get it together after that. It was very stressful. In Feb. 09 I started birth control because my periods were not regular, I had a bloodtest then and my thyroid was fine. April 09 I joined a weight loss group and lost 17 lbs. Aug 09 my husband lost his job they were going out of business and that was very stressful. End of Aug 09 I started noticing my hands shaking. First thought was Parkinsons. Recluctently I went to the dr. and did bloodwork and it showed hyperthyroid. Dr. wanted me to do a thyroid scan but I refused at the time thinking it may have just been stress. He said to get another blood test in a month but I waited till April of this year. At that time this is what the test showed
TSH 0.04, Free T4 3.8, Free T3 1314, Thyrogolb AB 33, Thymicrosom AB 2054 (not sure what the last 2 are) I then opted for an ultrasound which showed the thyroid being big as in a goiter. Not sure what the "normal" size is to be. I then just got a thyroid scan this week and its showing Graves. I go to the doctor this Friday to discuss options. I’m not into the RAI, I think I’d rather have surgery cause of putting that radioactive stuff in your body and almost get the same result (just me) I’d do the antithyroid meds since that helps the thyroid and you may be able to be in remission. I saw mamabear’s post with her remission of 3 years and thats how I want to be. At this time my only symptoms are hands shake (usually in am) sensitive to heat. I’ve lost 30 lbs in 14months but I work out. I do not want to gain it back and if meds will make me gain it back that may not be an option. I had one episode where my heart raced and dr put me on Metoprolo which I no longer take. After taking for a couple days every 3-4 hrs after my chest got tight and that never happened before, so it had to be the meds. I would really like to see a specialist and plan on asking that and alot of other ques. on Friday. Noone in my family ever had thyroid issues so I’m not sure why I’m starting. I see some people on some sights that hardly have a life cause of this and I refuse to let this get me down. However, I’ve only begun my research on this so any insight, encouragment, suggestions will help. Thanks.

[Kimberly]

#1065162

Hello – Welcome to the boards! Sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but glad that you found us. This is a great place to get support and encouragement. Looks like there was a delay in getting your first post up (all initial posts have to be manually approved, in order to keep spammers off this board), so I will respond to this one.

All three treatment options have pros and cons, so you will definitely want to do your own research as well as consult with a doctor (usually an endocrinologist). Factors that might affect your decision include whether you are (or want to become) pregnant, whether your thyroid is significantly enlarged, and whether you have eye complications. From what I’ve heard anecdotally, doctors are getting away from doing partial thyroidectomies. The original idea was that you could remove just enough of the thyroid gland to make the patient’s thyroid levels normal. However, Graves’ is first and foremost an autoimmune disease – our own immune system gets confused and starts attacking healthy tissue. The thinking now seems to be that leaving behind part of the thyroid gland can actually make the immune system’s attack *worse* instead of better.

I’m not familiar with Metoprolo, but it sounds like a beta blocker to slow down your rapid heart rate. (The one I hear about most is propranolol.) If your heart is racing, you definitely need some relief…perhaps you would do better on a different drug.

Most patients *are* treated by an endocrinologist, at least initially. It would definitely be worth your while to ask for a referral if your upcoming appointment is with a general practitioner.

As far as diet goes, the more that you can focus on fresh, whole, foods and limit processed foods with unpronounceable ingredients, the better! Also, you will want to avoid excess consumption of iodine. The body uses iodine to produce *more* thyroid hormone, so this would be like throwing gasoline on a fire if you are hypER! Seaweed is the big culprit, as it has *tons* of iodine. Some patients also choose to avoid other iodine sources such as fish or dairy.

As far as weight issues, unfortunately, some patients do struggle with weight gain after being treated…regardless of which treatment option they choose. For patients who lost weight while hypER, weight gain is actually a good thing…as the weight lost while hypER is often muscle mass. However, I was one that didn’t lose while hypER, and then struggled with extra weight after being treated. This is very frustrating…but the priority right now is to stabilize your thyroid levels. Otherwise, uncontrolled hypERthyroidism can cause complications such as bone/muscle wasting and heart problems – and occasionally thyroid storm, which is a very serious condition. Choosing a treatment option and getting your thyroid levels under control will get you on the path to good health again. Best of luck!

[mamabear]

#1065163

wanted to say welcome. I’ll post when I can after my dr’s appt today. I’m almost 37 and have 4 kids!

[Author]

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