Mary: I was very symptomatic. I had no stamina, heart palpitations (for which my MD sent me to a cardiologist, and gave my nitroglycerin), tremors (for which she sent me to a neurologist)and severe muscle weakness. My MD also kept asking about anxiety, and gave me a prescription for xanax. The neurologist’s first question was whether my thyroid had been tested. My MD had indicated that the bloodwork was “normal” for the thyroid, so the neurologist gave me inderal. Had I started taking that medication, without the thyroid workup, I would, today, be very ill, or getting there, because the inderal masks the thyroid symptoms until you get really, really sick. But because my mother had/has? Graves twenty years ago, and because I KNEW I was sick, and not just “anxious” I NAGGED. I refused to accept the anxiety diagnosis until all the possible physical tests were done on the thyroid. It was only the uptake scan on the thyroid that showed the problem. When I was referred to an endocrinologist, SHE told me that SHE would have picked up the thyroid problem from the first bloodwork. I have no way of knowing how true that is. But I guess I’ll find out, as she reads the bloodwork from here on in as I go hypo after the RAI. : )
Wishing you, and your mom, good luck.
Bobbi
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