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cathycnm wrote:Positive – I trust my intuitions about what is going on with me more and I am more assertive with my physicians! C
No kidding! I used to just roll over and do whatever the doctor told me to do. My allergist could sell me on anything … anything! Any new medication, any new treatment, blah, blah … well, they get kick-backs from the pharmaceutical companies, we all know that.
I have learned how to tell my endo, unequivocally NO on the RAI treatment. After researching the topic and arriving at the conclusion that this was yet another pricey procedure used by docs largely to rake in insurance money, I made my decision and stuck with it.
” title=”Smile” />Christy,
Hiya! Weighing in here just a little bit late, but better late than never!
” title=”Very Happy” />It gets better. What you must have: PATIENCE!
” title=”Very Happy” />That’s really all there is to it. You might not feel great tomorrow … or next week … or next month. But you WILL feel better. And you will probably even feel like yourself again! Just keep your eye on the ball … keep on the medication … know that there are going to be really bad days … but eventually, you’re going to be okay.
It might be really soon, too. My GD was so incredibly manageable after I got my medication dosage right, I couldn’t even tell that I’d ever been sick. It was like a bad dream that never happened. And since that first time, I have never really felt truly sick. Keeping up a normal routine, getting back to work, getting back to exercise and all of the normal things really helped.
I don’t think of this as a "handicap" at all, even though one endo had the gall to suggest that I file for disability so I could stay home longer and "get better" — LOL! Are you kidding me? There are people with far worse diseases than Graves who go to work every day of their lives (one of my bosses had cancer; a co-worker had M.S.), and they manage to have careers, families, friends, hobbies, etc. As long as I think of this as a "condition" rather than an illness, it seems to make a great deal of difference.
Patience, patience, patience! That’s my key ingredient.
” title=”Smile” />Melissa
Austin, TXFood can make all the difference — I just found that out when I started taking Prednisone, which I never had any problem with in the past.
I didn’t have any problems with the Methimazole at all … but you know, I felt so bad at the time I started taking it, I’m not sure if I would have even noticed. I spent the entire first two weeks of my treatment bed-bound …
” title=”Sad” /> Definitely call your doctor and see what’s up … could be just an initial response till you get used to it in your system. Some people cannot tolerate this medication well … I too was warned about that. Good luck … and ((Hugs!))
Melissa
Austin, TXP.S. The label on my script said "Take with food."
Dianne, is the sinus pressure relief worth mentioning to the eye specialist or my allergist? When my GD was active, I had nosebleeds all the time.
My eyelids are getting pretty close to what I would consider "normal" today. I still have swelling along the browbone, but that appears to be going down, too.
” title=”Smile” />Hello, Oh, Canada! Sorry for the slight goofiness — you live in my favorite part of the world. Most of my friends live in Ontario. I read up on Diane Finley when I found out she has Graves — glad to hear that she’s doing okay these days.
” title=”Smile” /> I have GD and have probably had it for more than 10 years. Currently in remission and have been for a long time now. I had no eye issues until late this winter, when my eyes started to get puffy, first on the top lid, then underneath the eye. I assumed that it was a part of allergic conjunctivitis that I get each spring. But it was largely Graves-related — the allergic response just made things much more difficult.
You can have puffy lids, but that doesn’t mean that there is pressure going on behind your eyes — the type of pressure that pushes the eye out. My CT scans show no pressure on the orbitals. The way it was explained to me by my eye specialist is that the tissues that make up the eyes are very similar to that of the thyroid. And for some reason, the eye tissue gets "confused" and starts to react much like the thyroid — to swell, that is. Your eyes might not "pop" like your mother’s. You might just get swollen lids.
I doubt that a doctor will give you cosmetic surgery at this juncture. This thing needs to run its course. I just started Prednisone tx. to relieve the puffiness. There are other options, but this seems to be working extremely well. If I need it, I’ll have the laser surgery, but only after all of this resolves. As the doc explained it, I’d be wasting money to have the lid lift if the puffiness returns again. Make sense?
There are a lot of other people here who have had a variety of eye treatments and surgeries. My little Prednisone treatment is uninspiring compared to what they went through. They should weigh in. I would definitely see an opth. who specializes in Graves Disease.
Not only with my eyes, with my sinuses and allergies overall. The pressure in my sinus cavities is considerably less. Hives are almost gone. At least this treatment will fulfill a dual purpose — treat the pesky TED symptoms AND get me through the "blooming" season.
Oh — I don’t get nauseous as long as I take the Prednisone after eating. It’s giving me more energy, like the doctor said, but I haven’t noticed a change in appetite. I do think I need to cut down the caffeine drinks while I’m on this stuff — I got way too amped after the morning caffeine.
” title=”Wink” />Methimazole worked really well for me … it got me back to my pre-Graves weight. I think I remember going five pounds over my usual, but that wasn’t any big deal. It’s not like I was cumbersome.
I’m really torn on the issue of eating high-carby, sugary foods, or "snacking" too much. What I keep in mind is that I’m forming eating habits when I do this. If I ever go hypo — and that’s a probability — I don’t want to carry over any bad habits, such as eating pizza, cake, etc., or snacking a lot. So I’m trying to eat healthy and eat plenty, if that makes any sense. For example, choosing foods that I like but that can be modified into a low-calorie meal. My current favorite is grilled chicken Caesar salad. The dressing and croutons = nothing but carbs and fat, but the rest of the salad is actually comprised of stuff that’s good for you. Same thing with hamburgers. I’m getting accustomed to eating them without the bun. So if or when I need to watch my weight, it will be an issue of portion control and not having to "eliminate" foods.
” title=”Smile” />I’m very cold intolerant, too. Living in Alaska was a nightmare. Sub-zero weather is bad enough, but when you don’t have any fat padding, it felt like dry ice was being rubbed all over my body whenever I went outside. I also had a lot of pain at night because my muscles seized up; I think this had to do with the sudden change from arctic temps to in-home temps.
In Texas, there is extreme A/C in all of the buildings during the summer. Yes, 100 degree weather is hot, but I don’t know why businesses feel they have to crank it down to 65 degrees inside. At one workplace, I wore winter gloves with the fingers cut out because my hands got too cold to even type or write. I don’t expect my superiors to accommodate me at the comfort of others, but honestly? Some public places are kept way too cold. No wonder the U.S. consumes so much fossil fuel. I keep my A/C set at 78 degrees, and that’s about fine for me in the summer, but for most, it’s a sweatbox.
I prefer winter clothing to summer clothing — all those cute jackets, sweaters, and boots. Cardigans look darling, IMHO.
” title=”Smile” />twhite — the one thing that will make me itch to high heaven is chlorinated pools. And I do think that the drying effect of it on the skin makes a lot of difference. I had a heckuva time with itching in Alaska, but reasoned that the climate is so dry there that it was to be expected. My face was the worst. Now I’m wondering if the combination of dry skin, dry climate, and drying agents in water could hasten itching along?
I made a New Year’s resolution this year to start using a good moisturizer all over my person, because I’m very lax about that (and I dislike the feeling of something "coating" my skin). Thus far, I keep my bargain with myself about 50 percent of the time.
