[Ski]

#1071809

Hi, and welcome! Sorry you needed to join the club, but we’re glad you found us. Mostly, beta blockers just mask the symptoms we hate most ~ the tremors and the anxiety. They also serve a function in protecting the heart from the odd rhythms that hyperthyroidism can produce. If you have asthma, I don’t think you can take them. They don’t treat the hyperthyroidism at all, but they help us feel better (and, of course, protect our heart).

[ewmb]

#1071810

Good luck with your recovery. I am about a month out from RAI and had the two week experience that Ski was talking about too. At four weeks and counting I am feeling much more human again. Just keep on taking care of yourself a day at a time.

ewmb

[Kimmer]

#1071811

Thank you again. I now have another reason to get healthy and stay healthy. My first grandchild, a beautiful little girl named Angelina was born on Thursday afternoon, June 4th weighing in at a healthy 9 lbs 6.5 ounces and 21.5 inches long. Mother, Father (my son) and baby are doing wonderful. Came home on Saturday, boy they don’t stay long anymore, not like when I had my son.

Update to the beta blockers, doctor had me scale down to 1/2 pill for the last three days. Starting tomorrow off of them completely. Will be monitoring my blood pressure and pulse daily. Have been on the hormone replacement for two days now, haven’t noticed any changes good or bad.

Stay well my online friends…

[ely2009]

#1071812

Congrats on the Baby!! How fun!

Did your doctor tell you what to watch for as far as pulse rate goes? I just weaned off of my beta blocker – took my last half dose on friday. Since, my pulse has been in the upper 80s and low 90s at rest. On the beta blocker it was always between 60 and 72. My doctor told me it’s fine under 100.but I don’t like being able to "feel" my pulse. I’m a little anxious about it. I don’t want to go back on it because I can already notice a change in my energy level. i hope it’s just the rubber band effect that Ski’s talked about and will decreade soon.

Emily

[ewmb]

#1071813

Emily,
Is your pulse higher in the morning than in the evening? Mine is around low 90s when I get up and by the end of they day is in the 70s now. Not on beta blockers any more since RAI a month ago. I feel like it shouldn’t be so high in the morning. I do sleep but I dream a lot so maybe I’m more active than I thought in my sleep.

ewmb

[ely2009]

#1071814

My pulse is high in the morning. It makes me anxious because I feel like it should be low since I’ve been ASLEEP. I probably don’t take it as much as the day goes on because I get busy and distracted. I’ll have to pay more attention to it in the evening. I do feel pretty good though – wish I wasn’t worrying about it so much.

Emily

[ewmb]

#1071815

Thanks for letting me know. I don’t feel so strange now. I did mention it to my endo but don’t remember what he said. It could have been months ago that I asked. Hope you are feeling better each day.

ewmb

[Kimmer]

#1071816

Hello again. I have been off the beta blockers for two days now and my pulse is very irratic. It is jumping from 65 – 139 just sitting at my desk working. Just spoke with the doctor and have to go in at 8:15 tomorrow for a EKG. I was told "not to start the beta blockers again", plus they cut me back on the Levothyroxine from 50 mcg to 25 mcg until I go for my appointment on the 24th of June. This is going to be an interesting ride . Will check in again when I have more news. Kimmer

[Kimmer]

#1071817

Hello everyone. It has been a while since I last posted. I had my RAI on April 14th and it has taken a while to find the right dosage of Levothyroxine to stabilize my counts. At the six week mark after the RAI my TSH was 35, not sure what my other counts were. They started me at 25, 50, 75, 100 and now I’m taking 112mcg of the Levothyroxine for the last three weeks. Within two days of this new dosage my headaches are gone, I sleep 6-7 hours per night (this is wonderful) and I finally got my period back, I know ladies why so happy about that one ” title=”Smile” /> Overall I feel wonderful. My blood pressure and heart rate are back to normal. The doctor told me I could start walking again, baby steps. I started out at 1/2 mile and now I am back up to 3 miles. Hoping to get back to my 5 mile mark by month end. The doctor told me he can’t stress enough don’t push it, take it easy. I have found that this is very sound advise. My weight seems to have stabilized. Originally prior to the RAI I had lost 20 pounds and gained back 10 once I started the Thyroid meds. I have been at the same weight now for the last three weeks and really feel pretty good. I am trying to watch what I eat because I know the weight can jump up and bite you in the butt when you least expect it. My only real issue with the meds is my complexion. My face has broken out terribly, but only my face. I never had acne or sores as a kid but boy I do now. My Endo says this will straighten it self out once my body is comfortable with the dosage of medication that I am taking. I will be going back in three weeks for more blood work to see if the 112mcg is enough or if the dosage needs to be raised.

As I said before I feel great and just wanted to let people know that there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it isn’t always a train. Best wishes to everyone for a happy and healthy life.

[ewmb]

#1071818

Kimmer,
How did they know to change the dose when you were trying to get settled? Did you have to have blood work each time? I am just wondering as I have just started a week ago on 25mc. They said go back in 4 weeks for blood work. I am having headaches all the time. Had RAI beginning of May. Took me about 4 months to go hypo. 25mc seemed low to me but I was still on tapazole and went off that at the same time I started the levoxyl. Glad to know that you are feeling better.

ewmb

[Kimmer]

#1071819

I have had blood work done four times since the RAI in April. The first time he started me on the 25 mcg but I knew something was wrong because I felt worse than I had without the medicine. He had me come back for more blood work two weeks later. I was then raised to 50 mcg for 2 weeks with instructions to go to 75 in another 2 weeks. The next time I had blood work I was raised to 100 mcg which was a nightmare for me because I found out I am allergic to yellow dye. I had more blood work three weeks ago and was raised to the 112 mcg where I am right now, this color does not bother me at all. I will go back in another 3 – 4 weeks to see if the 112 mcg is enough. Judging by the way I feel if it isn’t the right dosage it is really close.

I wish you luck.

Kimmer

[Kimmer]

#1071820

Hello everyone. I just wanted to post a quick update. Diagnosed 4/6/09, RAI 4/14/09 started Levothyroxine 6 weeks after RAI. I started at 50 mcg and have now obtained normal TSH, T3 and T4 counts on 112mcg (started this dosage on 8/20/09). I am now scheduled to see my Endo in January 2010 instead of the every six weeks for bloodwork. From the time I had found out I was sick until after the RAI I had lost 20 pounds. I gained back 10 pounds after going hypo and starting the Levothyroxine. After being on the meds I have lost 5 pounds so am still down from original starting weight by 15 pounds. My doctor always told me everytime I asked that I would never gain more than what I had lost. I found this a bit strange since most things I had read about going hypo seemed to indicate that after starting thyroid meds most people gained a lot of weight. At this point I am okay with what I have gained back and if I continue to feel as good as I do I could deal with additional gain if that is what it took to maintain good levels. The headaches, leg cramps and overall feeling yucky has pretty much disappeared. I am happy with my decision to have the RAI and since I really didn’t have a lot of time to think about it the decision was not a difficult one for me. Even after the RAI my headaches did not go away so I was put thru a battery of MRI’s, Cat Scans and diffferent tests, because of the Graves diagnosis they discovered a growth on the left side of my brain that I would never have known about until it was possibly to late. I was very lucky that my regular family doctor paid attention to what I was saying and did not dismiss me like so many doctos do to some patients. Luckily after seeing a neurosurgeon they decided not to remove the growth as the surgery can be more dangerous than leaving it in. I have been instructed what to watch for (blurred vision, slurred speech) and other new and interesting things that might not seem normal to me. So overall for me being diagnosed with the Graves might have been a blessing for me because I had just learned to live with the headaches that I had had for years because no one paid much attention to them, not even me. Please don’t be afraid to ask questions until you understand and feel comfortable with the answers you receive. No one knows your body like you do you, pay attention to it. I wish good health and happiness to all. Best wishes, Kimmer

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