[Anonymous June 18, 1998 at 11:35 pm Post count: 93172]

#1050570

I had problems with swelling too when I became hypo after RAI. Several things come to mind. the first is what does your doctor mean by saying your test results are ‘normal’? Are you at the top, middle or bottom of the normal range? When my TSH hit 4.5 that was in the normal range yet I still did not feel well and had all the same hypo symptoms. I had a lot of swelling in my feet and hands also would bloat after eating, even if I ate a couple of crackers. The doctor told me water retention and gas were major problems for hypo people. Blood work done in years prior to the onset of Graves’ showed that my TSH was 1 to 1.5. The doc increased the dose of synthetic thyroid hormone so my TSH would drop to 1 or 1.5. It worked. My TSH level stayed between those 2 numbers for 7 months yet I still had hypo symptoms and felt about 70% of normal. The doc then said I must have some other autoimmune disease like Lupus or rheumatoid arthris. Off i go to see 3 specialists who decide, after every test under the sun, that I do not have any other autoimmune disease. Back to the endo – he says if I want to feel better I must take Prozac. i did not feel this was appropriate for physical illness so I found another, highly rated doctor. She switched me from synthetic thyroid hormone to a natural hormone containing T4 and T3. Within 3 hours of the first dose my joints and back quit hurting for the first time in 20 months. At the end of the first week I lost 2 inches from my waist – no weight – just inches. Apparently it was retained water, and yes, I did spend an inordinate amount of time in the bathroom that week. Over the last 6 weeks all the hypo symptoms have gone. for the first time in 20 months my blood pressure is back to normal, 120/80 and my cholesterol is back to it’s pre-Graves level of 118. In 10/96 my cholesterol was 118. In 12/96, one month afterRAI when I became hypo, my cholesterol shot up to 239 and has stayed there until now. When my hairdresser cut my hair last week she said none of it fell out for the first time since 11/96 and she noticed some new hair growth in the bald patches I developed when hypo.
You do not mention what type of meds you are on (I know we are to use brand names). Perhaps a change in your medication would help. I do not understand the attitude that ‘one size fits all’ when it comes to thyroid medication. If I had a simple cold or strep throat there would be dozens of medications the doctor would choose from in treating me. Yet when it comes to thyroid we are told there is no choice. The major brand of synthetic did not work for me. Many people do well on it. Some people do better on generics, some people do better on a synthtic T3/T4 combo and some of us do best on a natural supplement. My blood work showed I had a high level of T4 and very little T3. My previous doctor would only test TSH and he refused to prescribe any thing other than the name-brand synthetic. Look at it this way: if you had an infection and the doc treated you with antibiotic ‘A’ and it didn’t work wouldn’t s/he then move on to antibiotic ‘B’ or ‘X’ or ‘Q’. I quess I am rambling on because I am sick and tired of the ‘one size fits all’ dogma that is shoved down our throats (no pun intended). I wanted to be well and feel good yet was offered what I felt was no choice but to feel like crap for the rest of my life and to heavily medicated with anti-depressants. I do not feel good now, I feel great! Please e-mail me if you would like more info (brand names, etc) as I’ve taken up enough BB space. BTW, I’ve finally started to loose weight – no change in diet, simply an increased activity level.

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