[LillyL]

#1058973

Hello can anyone tell me what these results look like to you. I have an Endo that insists that I have RAI or Thyroidectomy. I have Graves Disease and many other autoimmune disorders and they seem to go into remission. Have any of you experienced remisssion from Graves aftr Taking Tapazole and as many vitamins and herbs as possible. Please help I appreciate all of you and wish you all health and happiness.
Kindest regards, LillyL:)

TSH A <0.06 0.38-5.5 mU/L
T4 Free A 22.0 10.5-20.0 pmol/L
T3 Free A 8.5 3.5-6.5 pmol/L

[snelsen]

#1171294

well, other than the fact that you do have Graves’ according to your labs, I am not sure if you have been taking ATD’s or not. Are you? I think it is nice to have vitamins and herbs if it is important to you to do so. I get my vitamins from food, and I don’t take herbs unless it is a herbal tea and I don’t want to stay awake. i eat very well, so I don’t vitamins, except Vitamin D. I live in a place where the sun doesn’t shine very much!

I feel pretty safe in saying that, other than you should be very aware of the interaction between the herbs you are taking, and other meds you are taking, that they won’t make a bit of difference in the course of Graves’. But this is my opinion.

I feel safe in saying that you really should treat your Graves’ with ATD’s, and that it is not safe for you to not take them and hope you get better. Remissions are hard to identify. Also, the term remission, by its’ definition, means the illness can recur.

I am not sure how you feel. If you are taking ATDs did they help you? Generally, as you know if you have been reading this site, after we are not hyper and feeling better and are healthier after taking the ATD’s the three choices for treatment are continuing with ATD’s, RAI or surgery. Has your endo suggested the latter two because the ATD’s aren’t working for you?
Or is he concerned about the lifetime, or even long term use of ATDs.

Sorry you did not get a response earlier. i just caught your email. It will be at the top now,a nd maybe one of the facilitators will respond also.
Shirley

[Bobbi]

#1171295

First of all, it is not opinion that vitamins and herbs will not affect the course of the Graves. They have not ever been shown to be effective at controlling thyroid hormone levels. And it is the control over thyroid hormone levels that is important. In the days when patients only had the options of herbal medications, a huge percentage of hyperthyroid people died. The ones that survived were not necessarily healthy, either. Hyperthyroidism — no matter what the cause — needs to be effectively treated. Taking vitamins and herbs IN ADDITION to an effective treatment option is typically fine, but needs to be done with the doctor’s knowledge.

The only methods that have been demonstrated, over time, in all patients, to control thyroid hormone levels is antithyroid drugs or removal of the thyroid via RAI or thyroidectomy. If for some reason you cannot tolerate the antithyroid drugs, then your only options are to remove the thyroid. People can live long and healthy lives without their thyroids.

We cannot interpret your test results for you. Your doctor does that. If you are questioning your doctor’s expert opinion, you really should find another equally qualified doctor to look at your labs and give you a second opinion. And, different labs do not necessarily have the same range of normal, so you need to have your own labs in front of the doctor, not just the numbers you posted here. The lab report will also include the range of normal.

[snelsen]

#1171296

Hi Lilly, here I am again, to say that Bobbi has done a very good job with her post, also clarifying a few things in my post that were not very clear.

I learned from your post that you already have a diagnosis of Graves’ from your endocrinologist. So I pretty much reflected back to you what was already established by your endo, by echoing that you do have Graves’. He told you, you told us. As Bobbi said, when we have Graves’, the path to feeling well again, are the treatments she has already mentioned. There is no other way to good health again, and being untreated is downright dangerous.

I suggest you have another appointment with your endo, learn from him/her why those two treatments are recommended for you. Since you are currently on an ATD, you are already on the way to good health. This is the first step in treatment, as you have already learned from your endo.

I have a suggestion for you, as you are just learning about Graves’. When you are in the office, tell them that you would like to begin your personal medical file at home, ask for copies of your visits and your labs. You will probably need to sign a medical release of information form giving the office permission to send it to you.

I certainly understand why you would like a simple way to treat Graves’.
But we are so fortunate to have the options we have. There are a lot of people who were in your position at the beginning of Graves’ who are not posting anymore, because they have followed this path, and living their life just fine, living very well without their thyroids, thanks to the thyroid hormone that we can take.
I wish you the very best with your decisions.
Shirley

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