[mjessie1985 October 3, 2016 at 4:46 am Post count: 7]

#1060783

My name is Mandi, 3 and a half weeks ago I was a happy person for the most part, what you would call normal. I had some anxiety but it wasn’t to the point of non functioning. I have a wonderful husband who has his flaws but don’t we all, that I love to pieces, I have 3 beautiful children ages 4, 3, and 4 months. At the worst of this, for the first 2 weeks I wasn’t eating hardly at all, and was having panic attacks day and night for hours, if I was lucky, I might have a couple “decent” hours. I have been in and out of the hospital 3x in the past 3 weeks. My heart rate was very tachycardia and irregular and is now being regulated by beta blockers. I currently take 10mg of methimazole 2x a day. They say my levels have already improved a little. I am itching like crazy from this medication, started having headaches, my chest feels heavy, sometimes tight, and like I can’t breathe, I’m constantly feeling new little aches and pains and my mind automatically goes to the worst. I admitted myself into a psychiatric facility for 4 days and they changed some of my medicaions to help me with the panic attacks and being able to sleep better. I hate this! I feel like I am a different person. I can’t enjoy my children, I really can’t even take care of them a lot of times. I just want to be happy, I don’t want this life forever. Please someone, tell me this gets better. I’m scared that what if I don’t go into remission and have to take the radioactive dye or take out my thyroid completely and then be in an even more depressed state. I do believe I am super sensitive to A. medications, and B. hormonal changes in my body. I cry a lot, my kids see me cry. I don’t want to be like this. The stress in my life is through the roof with 3 little ones and I know it but what can I do about it? I got my eldest in preschool so hopefully that helps some. I would like to get my 3 year old in headstart but they have a waiting list. I’m just so unbelievably sad and hate all these physical and emotional changes that I’m going through. I don’t want to just “get used to it”. I don’t feel like anyone around me understands what I’m going through. I want my symptoms to go away or AT LEAST make them tolerable for me to live my life happily again. Please don’t scare me with posts, please only supportive posts. I don’t like to hear how you’ve had this condition for 30 years and still suffering, that doesn’t make me feel better, but I am very sorry for you if you have been suffering with something like this for 30 years and my prayers and thoughts go out to you. I just need some words of encouragement. I was on suicide watch when I was in the psychiatric facility. I don’t want to die though, I want to live, I just don’t want to live like this forever. I want my husband to hold me and me to feel something other than saddness, I want to hold my babies and feel something other than saddness. I am a Christian, I do believe in God, I do have hope, but I also know that sometimes he allows things to happen for a reason. I just hope that he chooses to heal me. Please pray for me.

[KimberlyOnline Facilitator October 3, 2016 at 11:35 am Post count: 4288]

#1184755

Hello and welcome – Yes, things *do* get better. Antithyroid drugs (like methimazole) start working right away to block the production of *new* thyroid hormone, but the body still has to burn off its existing stores of excess thyroid hormone, which can take a few weeks before you really start to see relief.

Hopefully, you will be back to enjoying your little ones soon, but keep in mind that your body need some time to heal from being in a hyperthyroid state. Any non-essential tasks or responsibilities for the near future that you can “dump or delegate” will be helpful in reducing stress levels.

Most patients do well on antithyroid meds, but if for some reason, you need to pursue surgery or RAI, we have regular posters here who have had success with both options.

Take care – and keep us posted!

[flora October 3, 2016 at 11:50 am Post count: 133]

#1184756

Hi Jessie,

You have come to just the right place for encouragement and support – and, believe me, all of us here remember just how awful the start of this journey was! For me, it was 8 or 10 weeks of feeling pretty much like you – plus loneliness and “disconnection” or something – sort of like watching from behind a plate glass window, while everybody else sailed happily along with their lives. BUT, it got SO much better after those first few weeks (which at the time felt like an absolute eternity).
So hang in there – you’ll hear from more of us, who’ll all be rooting for you, too!

All the best,
flora

[mjessie1985 October 3, 2016 at 1:42 pm Post count: 7]

#1184757

Thank you Kimberly, the antithyroid meds they put me on are making me itch like crazy, I feel like I’m bugging the doctors by keeping on telling them all the side effects I’m having and I know they’re getting irritated. What bugs me about this WHOLE thing is this. I had a baby 4.5 months ago. I didn’t have ANY symptoms of hyperthyroidism until I went to the dr and said I wanted something for mood to make me less irritable, so they prescribed me wellbutrin. I find it to be a HUGE coincidence that after being on wellbutrin for 5 or 6 days I woke up in the middle of the night with my FIRST EVER panic attack in my entire life. I didn’t know what it was so I went to the ER, thought I had ingested something bad and that I was dying. Then, they tell me it was just a panic attack. They still didn’t check my thyroid levels at that point, a few days later, my leg had progressively been hurting more and more so I thought I might have a blood clot, so I went to a regular dr and she referred me to the ER where they cleared me of a blood clot but my heart rate was very irregular and got up in the 160’s. So they did all kinds of tests on me including a chest xray with dye so they weren’t able to do the iodine uptake test to confirm I had Grave’s disease but they started calling it that anyway. I went to an endocrinologist, she said that yes I’m hyperthyroid BUT she doesn’t see any signs that I have Grave’s disease, that it could very well be post partum thyroiditis which the medicine will not help. BUT they’re leaving me on the antithyroid meds just in case and so now I’m having the side effects from that medication, diarrhea, nausea, headaches, itchiness on top of the hyperthyroid symptoms. So they have to wait another 5 weeks before they can do the iodine uptake test to either confirm or deny that I have graves. I mean, what if I’m allergic to this methimazole and it does something harmful to my body or something in the meantime?? I know I’m talking like a paranoid crazy person but I’m telling you, I’m not normally like this. I normally have anxiety and a little paranoia but not anywhere NEAR this extent. Every little twinge of pain or ache I get, I think I’m dying. Yesterday I had a shooting pain in the back of my head up to my forehead, today I noticed my neck hurt on the left side and my lymph nodes are swollen, could be a minor infection but my mind assumes the worst. What do I have?? Graves, or postpartum thyroiditis? I just want to know so that I can know how to treat this but I know I have to wait until they can accurately do the iodine uptake test. My antibodies for Graves were in the normal range, my hands aren’t shaky, I don’t have the bulging of the eyes, she didn’t hear swishing in my thyroid area from extra blood flow, no goiters, and this endo said she didn’t feel like my thyroid was enlarged, they did do an ultrasound and one doc said it was slightly enlarged but the other said it didn’t feel like it. I know….. I’m babbling, I just needed someone to talk to who knows what I’m going through. Either way, I’m hyperthyroid, now whether or not the wellbutrin contributed to that, I don’t know for sure but I think its a good possibility because it says online that it can do that. But all the doctors don’t seem to believe me when I say that. Anyway, thanks for just listening.

[mjessie1985 October 3, 2016 at 1:44 pm Post count: 7]

#1184758

Thank you Flora for your support, I hope and pray this gets better soon. My body is doing so many things both physically and emotionally and I know I’m not happy and I’m making everyone else miserable too I’m sure just from being sad all the time and complaining about everything. My poor husband has had to step up to the plate so much. He’s such a sweetheart. Thanks for listening

[KimberlyOnline Facilitator October 3, 2016 at 5:00 pm Post count: 4288]

#1184759

Hello – A couple of notes…

Exposure to contrast dyes can increase the risk of developing hyperthyroidism. Here’s some info from the American Thyroid Association:

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://www.thyroid.org/patient-thyroid-information/ct-for-patients/vol-5-issue-7/vol-5-issue-7-p-7/

The upper threshold for antibody tests is set so that it will correctly diagnose as many actual cases of Graves’ as possible, while giving the fewest number of false diagnoses. So there is some gray area right around the actual cutoff. If your antibody levels were zero, though, that would certainly point to other causes.

Itching can be a side effect of methimazole, but it can also come from hyperthyroidism itself. Ask your doc about taking an antihistamine in conjunction with the meds.

Talk to your doctor about the Wellbutrin. Does he/she thing you still need it with the hyperthyroidism diagnosis? (The symptoms can sometimes overlap). Is anxiety a common side effect? And if so, is there another available med that could give you some relief?

You are the customer, so don’t worry about being the squeaky wheel if you aren’t feeling well! Your pharmacist can also be an excellent resource for info on side effects.

[Liz1967 October 3, 2016 at 8:38 pm Post count: 305]

#1184760

Sorry you are having such a bad time. Wellbutrin works on dopamine, unlike the seratonin uptake inhibitor antidepressants. If you stop it suddenly, it can cause problems, but is usually easier to get off of than the SSRIs. Was postpartum depression a factor in this? Depression can cause anxiety too. If the hives are an allergic reaction, they can switch you to another antithyroid medication until things get sorted out as long as you are not pregnant.
Sounds like you have a lot going on and stress just makes it all worse. If it is Graves, it is treatable and you will get things adjusted and feel normal again, either with meds or a thyroidectomy or RAI. If it is thyroiditis, that will go away. Either way, these are fixable conditions. It is hard to think straight when you are hyperthyroid, but it is temporary, it is treatable. Hope you get things adjusted and feel better soon.

[mjessie1985 October 5, 2016 at 8:30 pm Post count: 7]

#1184761

Thank you, It’s very difficult to stay level headed right now with all these emotions going through my mind and all these stupid physical effects on my body. I hate it. I do know that I have come a ways since this first started. At least I’m not having panic attacks 24/7 now and now I can eat some and sleep some. So this is good news. I really hope that all this evens out soon though because its all freaking me out and my kids and my husband too I’m sure. Today I got a tremor in my hand but it was only in my left thumb, I took one of my anti anxiety pills because it freaked me out so then the tremor stopped, not sure if it was because of the anti anxiety or what. I’m applying for evening jobs right now because I feel like crap in the evenings. I do much better when I’m busy, doing something, it makes me not feel sad or depressed or anxious, I know I’m opposite from some people on that but hopefully getting an evening job will help me feel better and get through this. I won’t get to see my eldest much for a while because he goes to school during the day but at least I’ll get to see him in the morning when I take him to school and on the weekends, and this is just a temporary thing I’m hoping, I WILL get better to a more functioning individual that can see straight and then I’ll be able to be a full time stay at home mom again, or get a day job that way I can see all my kids in the evening. God’s got this, He’s all powerful, He’s going to get me through this. I keep playing that song in my head you’re an overcomer by mandisa. Love it, highly recommend it. Thank you again

[mjessie1985 October 5, 2016 at 9:00 pm Post count: 7]

#1184762

luckily I’m completely off of the wellbutrin, I talked to my dr when I had that first panic attack and told her I needed off of it, she told me to take it one more day with a anti anxiety pill and I had another awful panic attack that night, so I told her I couldn’t do it anymore, she agreed. So then a few days went by and I was okay then I started having basically non stop panic attacks for a couple weeks straight, I might have a few hours where I felt okay then right back at it again. They say the wellbutrin can take several weeks to get out of your system, I’ve also read that wellbutrin can cause some patients to go hyperthyroid, and I’ve also read that some medications can mask your thyroid levels or something to that effect sooooooo who knows what exactly is going on with me lol. I really appreciate your support though. I hope that one day when I get all better that I can help be supportive to someone going through the same awful things as I am. Hugs! Thanks again

[KimberlyOnline Facilitator October 6, 2016 at 8:24 am Post count: 4288]

#1184763

mjessie1985 wrote:

I’m applying for evening jobs right now because I feel like crap in the evenings. I do much better when I’m busy, doing something, it makes me not feel sad or depressed or anxious, I know I’m opposite from some people on that but hopefully getting an evening job will help me feel better and get through this.

Hello – Just a thought…is there something that you can use to fill your evenings that isn’t quite as permanent (or stressful) as job? If you feel poorly in the evening, getting a job *might* take care of the need you are trying to fill, but then on the other hand, it could make you end up feeling worse!

Maybe you could try volunteering just one night per week? If it really does make you feel better, then you could expand your commitment from there.

[emmtee October 6, 2016 at 7:25 pm Post count: 148]

#1184764

I’m so sorry you’re going through this. I wish I could reach through the internet and give you a hug. I went a little hyperthyroid over the summer, so all the symptoms are fresh in my mind. The worst thing for me was what you seem to be experiencing – a lot of anxiety and heightened emotions. Be assured that it does get better.

Some of the best advice that I got here when I was first diagnosed was to get copies of all my blood test results. Usually, doctors will just tell you that you’re high or low, but I like seeing the actual numbers so I can understand how they compare to the lab’s normal ranges. (Various labs have different ranges). I like to make spreadsheets, so I have a spreadsheet of all my labs for the last five years. I think that having copies of all my labs helps me to feel more in control and less like a victim. Also, when I ask my endo for copies, it lets her know that I want to be an active participant in my treatment.

I like Kimberly’s idea about volunteering. I used to volunteer at an animal shelter, and it was very fulfilling.

[SueAndHerZoo October 7, 2016 at 7:12 am Post count: 439]

#1184765

Hello, Jessie….. you’ve found the right place for reassurance, comfort, venting, and information. Been there – done that, and it DOES get better – the stage you are going through right now is horrible but keep reminding yourself…. “This too shall pass.”

Good luck, and keep the faith!
Sue

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