[Bobbi]

#1061620

I am so sorry that you are feeling so awful again. I have no idea how long it might take before you feel more normal. I assume that it will be quick because your thyroid cells only had three weeks to make hormone like mad. That, however, is only a guess. But the main thing I’ve learned with this disease is to take things one day at a time, no matter where I am in the process. If things are rocky, I take better care of myself; if things are good, I try to focus on it, and really enjoy it.

[fj122876]

#1017916

As I’ve recently been posting, I’ve been back and forth on what decision to make for as far as surgery or RAi. I finally made the decision to have the surgery and then my doctor threw a wrench into the whole thing. He took me off my methimazole for 3 weeks to see what my thyroid would do before we went ahead with making plans for this surgery. I understand why he did it, I understand that before undergoing surgery he wanted to make sure there was no chance of a remission. But now I feel like crap. The first week of the medicine I felt ok, towards the end of the second week I started to feel of, and now at the end of the third week I feel like I’m dying. I did the blood work this morning and immediatly started taking the methimazole again (per dr instruction) I know it will take a little bit of time to rebuild in my system and slow my heart rate down and let me get to sleep but how long will it take? Since I was on the medicine for almost a year and off for only 3 weeks will this be a quick fix? I’ve left a message for my doctor because my heart rate is so high and I’m waitng to hear back as to what to do, also will this effect how quickly I can get my surgery done? I’ve found people who can help me when my husband goes back to work and I don’t want to put them on hold. UGGGH! So tired of the thyroid drama, and was so looking foward to having it over and done with soon.

Thanks

[Kimberly]

#1061621

Hello – As Bobbi said, no one can give you a timetable, but your surgeon will certainly want to make sure that your hyperthyroidism is back under control before scheduling surgery. If you and your doc decide against starting over on ATDs, beta blockers and potassium iodide can potentially reduce the risk of thyroid storm. However, the preference is to have thyroid hormone levels normalized before doing any type of surgery.

[snelsen]

#1061622

Hi, I am sorry this happened to you. It seems that you had gone through all the decision making process, maybe even had a surgery date, possibly met with the surgeon, and now this! Knowing all this, I don’t know why your endo suggested taking you off your drugs.
As Kimberly and Bobbi said, and I think you know, that you need to way to be out of your hyperthyroid state, so certainly you are doing the correct thing by going back on your meds. Primarily, because you get hyper fast, and you KNOW that is not healthy. Dealing with the immediate situation, are you back on a beta blocker, too? Or just the ATD?
I am concerned about your heart rate, what is it? If it is over 120, you should go to an ER. Or call your endo and ask for a STAT (immediate) call back within 10 minutes, so he can call in an RX for a beta blocker that you can take in the next hour or so. Fast heart rates can be dangerous if they continue and increase. I presume you are aware of all of this from your first experience with being hyper.

I’d like to say a word or two about surgery. I don’t think any of the facilitators have had surgery, so I think I can speak to it very well about my experience if you are interested. There are some great posts about others’ experiences, too. It was an excellent one, and I liked my choice a lot. I wanted the thing OUT! I liked it because it was as fast as answer and resolution to my hyperthyroid state, and I also became hyper with the withdrawal of the ATD’s and beta blockers. As the facilitators have said and reinforced many times, the choice of the three options is yours. With very few exceptions. And there are some great posts about this subject, too. People choose different things for different reason, and sometimes, when ATD’s stop working, and/or when a person becomes hyper with a vengance when they are withdrawn, as happened to you, it is back to the drawing board, and the choices still belong to the patient.
Be aware that taking the potassium iodide drops is a routine prep for this surgery. You can talk to the surgeon about it, but what it does, is reduce the vascularity of the thyroid gland. There are many surgical procedures that have different preps for different reasons. This is a prep for this surgery.

I am responding to your email without knowing some of the evolution of how you got where you are now with the withdrawal of the ADTs before surgery. I am interested if you did see the surgeon. Did you have a surgery date? I am asking because you said you had your helpers lined up for post op period.

I sure hope you bounce back fast from being hyper, so you can proceed with the decision you made for surgery.
Shirley

[JennaV]

#1061623

I just had a total thyroidectomy a week ago, and I wanted to comment on 2 things. Before I do, I am sorry for you that your surgery date has been messed up. I know what it is like to prepare for something and then it gets changed–it is really frustrating. Anyway, here are my comments:

1. Both my surgeon and my endo stressed that thyroid levels should be normal before surgery because it increases the odds that surgery will be uncomplicated. Also, they started me on Synthroid a couple of days after the surgery, and if you were hyper at the time of surgery, I think they would want to wait, but would not know how long to wait, etc. I did not have to do potassium iodide or any other medicines for prep, though.

2. If you have kids or someone you take care of full time, I would say you definitely need to have help after your husband goes back to work. Otherwise, you should be fine to be left alone as soon as you get out of the hospital. I came home about 48 hours after surgery, and I have been totally self-sufficient. I do have 2 little kids, ages 2.75 and 1, so I need help because I cannot pick either of them up for 3 weeks (nothing over 10 lbs). Not a big deal for the 2-year-old, but the 1-year-old needs to get lifted into his crib several times per day, etc.

Best of luck to you. So far the recovery has been much easier than I thought it would be.
Jenna

[fj122876]

#1061624

Thanks for the imput, I am currently not on a beta blocker, just methimazole and a diuretic for blood pressure. I called the endo again yesterday as I said and he upped my appointment to this thursday, hopefully he’ll be able to help in some way. I am soooo frustrated right now, I can’t even put in a load of laundry without feeling like my heart is going to explode! You know I understand that the endo doesn’t want to put someone thru surgery if a chance of remission is possible, but I also know remission doesn’t mean free of graves forever and that’s why I was ready for surgery. I had everyone lined up to help in July, and had an appointment with the surgeon in a few weeks. I am just so worried that my blood pressure, heart rate, and thyroid levels are going to prevent me from a July surgery. Right now resting my heart rate is between 95-100 bpm! Hopefully it will all work out I don’t want to be on methimazole any longer than I have to, my grandmother passed away from liver failure due to medication and I worry everyday when I take that pill. I also want to be a normal person again and go for a jog or do aerobics, so frustrated!

[Bobbi]

#1061625

The medications do start to work immediately. The problem is that the thyroid makes more hormone, typically, than the body uses, and then stores it up for future needs. We don’t typically feel much better until those stored supplies are gone. But since you only had three weeks or so to build up the supplies of thyroid hormone (if any) you should feel better soon. If you are planning a July surgery, don’t borrow trouble here: you may be good to go by the time another month has passed. I hope so. I know it’s a difficult decision to make, and having made it, you don’t want anything messing it up.

Fingers crossed,

[Author]

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