[Anonymous May 19, 2000 at 9:10 pm Post count: 93172]

#1126207

It sounds that your doctor is not testing you enough. I was tested every 6 weeks until in the normal range. After that, every 3 months. Sounds like it is time to find a doctor who will take this more seriously. In six months, many things can happen. If you get hypo, 6 months is TOOOOO long to wait.

[Anonymous May 19, 2000 at 9:48 pm Post count: 93172]

#1038801

Linda,

Asking what someone elses levels are is not realy useful to you in particular. Many different labus use different numbers. So her numbers may not have any association with yours.

It is important that your doctor send your labs out to the same lab all the time. It is consistant that way and does not show fluctuation from lab to lab.

Jake
On-line Facilitator

[Anonymous May 22, 2000 at 8:43 am Post count: 93172]

#1126208

My endo did the T3 one time and never tested it again. So I don’t know.
She always orders the tsh and Free T4. In Feb, my tsh was .7 (range .35 – 5) and Free T4 was 1.8 (can’t remember minimum but top of range is 1.. I felt very hyper at this point and got even worse the next 2 weeks. We lowered my meds.

6 weeks later my tsh was 7.2 (hypo). Don’t have T4 for that time but I was feeling pretty good. However, started feeling hypo within a week of the test. Back up to the previous dosage.

End of April, my tsh was .33 (hyper) and free T4 was 1.6. Now I am going back and forth between the two dosages every other day.

[Anonymous July 4, 2000 at 4:50 pm Post count: 93172]

#1126209

As I’ve said, my fiance’ was diagnosed with Graves Disease close to two weeks ago, and in the past two or three days his eyes have begun to protrude. This fact I acept but te part I don’t get is that his eyes have only started to do this since he started taking medication. I’m thinking that he might have another thiroid problem and that it is maybe the medication that is doing this to him, but he is very reliant upon his doctor and won’t go to get a second opinion. I would have thought that his eyes would start to protrude before he started taking the medication and the medication would either not effect that or it would stop them from doing that, but I’m not sure. Are there any thoughts, ideas or opinions floating about out there?

[Anonymous July 4, 2000 at 5:59 pm Post count: 93172]

#1126210

I’ve never heard that ATD’s (antithyroid drugs) causing or exacerbating eye symptoms; but it never hurts to run this question by ones Dr. I do know that RAI treatment, particularly if it is done without the use of prednisone (steroids) can potentially exacerbate eye symptoms. Graves’ is more complex than meets the eye unfortunately (no pun intended). The eye symptoms can crop up anytime without warning. Before treatment; after treatment, or even after years of being in remission. In some cases one can suffer from TED (Thyroid Eye Disease) and have no thyroid involvment at all. The treatment that your Fiance’ has choosen with his Dr’s approval I presume is a course of Tapazole or PTU which is probably his best choice until things settle down hormonally. But you are right, it never hurts to get more than one opinion.

I personally was a long term user of ATD’s and I have no regrets at all.

Hats off to you for your concern for your Fiance’

Regards,

James

[Anonymous July 5, 2000 at 1:06 pm Post count: 93172]

#1126211

Actually I thought that the ATDs sometimes helped the eyes because they help the auto-antibody levels go down. Did I dream that one? Perhaps that is only if you do go into remission.

I know that they do not cause eye problems. Radioactive iodine treatment has been shown in some studies to cause a worsening of eye symptoms. I believe surgery sometimes helps but not always.

Basically, the eye disease can happen at any time and to varying degrees.

Personally, my eyes have been bad three times and those three times I was quite hyper. My eyes get back to almost normal when I am not hyper. So it is possible that your fiance’s levels are going higher and are effecting his eyes more.

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