[belldandy112]

in reply to: Trying to gain weight but no luck #1072483

Ohgoodlord! I just did a conversion, and girl, you’re right at about the same weight I was at when I was my very sickest! (Around 90 lbs.) Yes. Yikes …that’s a tough one … um … gosh …

Ski — Ensure tastes a lot like those canned diet drinks that my mom used to use back in the 70’s. I wish I could remember the name of that stuff, but it was VILE.

And definitely … get the "okay" from a doctor before embarking on any sort of exercise plan. Getting benched is no fun, but having a heart attack is worse!

Being too thin is more unattractive than being slightly overweight. Just my opinion. On me, anything under 110 looks bad because of my build. It’s not the numbers on the scale that matter, and people place way too much emphasis on this, IMHO. Especially those who are dieting. It’s how you look and fill out your clothes — how your face looks, and if you like what you see in the mirror. Appearing 10 years older than you really are? Pass. Changes happen to the facial muscles that I can’t really describe, not to mention the skin, and I’m talking all over. Putting it this way: you find out exactly where all the stretchmarks from adolescence are located, and some things should forever remain a mystery …

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye problems #1072475

Get thee to an eye doctor with dispatch!

I’ve been in remission for yonks, but only recently began to have noticeable eyelid swelling, both above and beneath the lid. I never had eye protrusion either. I don’t have any pressure on the eye, per CT scan, but the specialist I saw who treats TED (Graves-related eye disease) was quite clear that this can take place independent of GD itself, and that it can get very serious. I’m on a course of steroids right now. We’re going to see how well that works, and if this is going to be manageable. But I really would suggest going to a specialist if you feel pressure and have headaches … this is not something you want to just let go. Good luck, and no worries — all of the tests for this are very noninvasive.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Trying to gain weight but no luck #1072481

I recall eating a lot of rice and pasta-based dishes. But my body was craving the carbs, and that seemed to be a quick fix. (Well, that and sweets.) But you’re right — carby/sweet food is good for a quick burst of energy, but it doesn’t really tide you over. The food that really seems to stick with me the most is a big, thick steak. I can make that last all evening and even into the next day without getting hungry.

If you exercise, weight lifting can turn what body mass you have into muscle. That’s primarily how I cultivated my "bulk."

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Trying to gain weight but no luck #1072479

Uh … here. I had a lot of problems gaining back weight. When I was on Methimazole, my weight went back to where it was before I had active GD. But once I went off it, I lost weight again, even being within the range of normal (and in remission). There are literally three sizes of clothing in my closet: 2, 4 and 6. I don’t want to give anything away because I might need these clothes again one day.

I was 125 lbs and went down to around 189 very quickly; I’m also 5’3", so it was obvious. I ate healthy, but I also intentionally ate a lot of junk … cupcakes with buttercream frosting, fried chicken, etc., stuff that was high in calorie count. If you don’t want to go that route, the supplement Ensure is another option. Although it’s not too bearable. Once you’ve had Ensure, you always have that taste in your mouth.

I’m about 10 lbs. under my target weight. I just started a round of steroids, so I think I might finally get that remaining 10 lbs. back, if only temporarily.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Beer and PTU #1072495

I would definitely ask your doctor about alcohol consumption … I don’t recall any specific instructions about alcohol from my endo when I was taking meds. I don’t drink at all — not even before I was diagnosed with Graves.

I probably would play it safe rather than sorry until I found out the answer from my doc. It’s an interesting question to ask, though.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: skin problems? #1073203

I’d also recommend seeing a derm.

One thing that I have found out as a GD patient — and as a woman who is meticulous about appearance — is that there is a lot of "snake oil" on the market. It promises to work miracles, but it doesn’t, and it’s often very expensive. When my GD was active, I had cystic acne. Nothing on the market, no face wash, no toner, no drying cream, gets rid of that kind of acne. But I had to find out the hard way after buying everything I could …

For a simple co-pay, you might be able to get a RX cream from your derm that will remediate your problems. It’s less costly than buying product after product that doesn’t work!

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072536

Well, having had Lasix surgery with a tiny knife applied directly to my cornea, I doubt that would phase me too much, LOL!

It’s nice to know that all of these options exist now. That probably wasn’t the case for most patients with GD 20 years ago. And I was very cheered when I read about the laser surgery to cosmetically correct eyelid sag, which is done only with local anesthetic. I don’t know if I’ll ever be a candidate for this type of surgery, but the least invasive the procedure, the more comfortable I’d feel with it. I doubt that I would go under general anesthesia unless I had to save my vision, and it was not just for cosmetic purposes. I read stories in the news about people who die having simple cosmetic surgery procedures such as face lifts — what was the name of the popular female author who died during lipo? — and to me, it’s not worth it unless it is really needed, e.g., one’s quality of life has been compromised, such as in the case of serious burn victims or people who need gastric bypass to avoid having serious health complications in the future.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072534

Cathy — congrats on your plugs! I keep seeing pretty long hair extensions, even thought I know that’s not what we’re talking about. ” title=”Smile” />

I’ll try the Pepcid … this is a really weird type of tummy upset. It feels like that doubled-over feeling I get whenever I run too long …

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072532

Thanks for that info — I also read about direct injection into the eye. I would assume that this is for people who have really bad problems. It wasn’t mentioned to me as an option, and I wouldn’t want it. Ow-ow.

So I’ve discovered a little something … Prednisone — at least at this dosage — makes me queasy in a very strange way. Doc mentioned that I might want to get some Pepcid or another OTC medication. I think I might need to …

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Itchy skin #1072553

mamabear,

I have a veriatable festival of allergy treatments in my medicine cabinet, LOL! I was taking Claritin sublingual tabs even before they were OTC, so I stuck with those. Optivar for eye itching. A nasal inhaler — I’m still sorting through my samples to find the one that works best.

I haven’t tried the Johnson & Johnson brand anti-itch cream — I didn’t even know that it was made! I get a cluster of hives on my torso once a month or so, and I’m sure that I stratch them in my sleep. Right now, I have three festering on my right lower ribcage. I’ll give that a try and see how it works. I’ve used topical steroid cream (RX), and honestly, I wasn’t too impressed with it.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072530

Oh — another thing that this doctor mentioned was that he sometimes does radiation treatment of the eye — does anyone know anything more about this technique?

I took it that this is done for orbital decompression, as he explained it — not for cosmetic purposes.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Understanding PTU and Lag Time #1072511

Hi, Shirley. How often are you having bloodwork run? During my first round of treatment, I had TH levels done once a week the first month I was on medication — then once every two weeks. Once my levels were o.k., I still had labs done once a month until a year passed, at which point, I went off Methimazole. I had a pretty diligent endo at that time.

Might be a good time to request that your levels be checked again. It really is the only way to know. Good luck! ” title=”Smile” />

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072528

Cathy —

I know what you mean about how people perceive you. I wrote on another topic that my eyes make me look as though I’ve been either crying all night, hungover, or sleep-deprived. And in am employment situation, I cannot afford to have my employers have that perception. This position could evolve into one where I have much more public exposure. People say appearances don’t matter in job performance, but in some cases, they definitely do. Especially this one. I’ve been on the other side of the hiring desk, and yes — interviewers do say, after a candidate leaves, "Did you see how tired her eyes looked? I wonder if she’s a drinker/drug-user?"

On another note, I have tried every single concealer that I can think of for the "bags," and the only one that has worked is something called Touche Eclat by Yves St. Laurent — it’s very sheer and very liquidy, so I don’t have to push my eye skin around too much. The doc mentioned that if he did do surgery, it would be the laser surgery that they did in the office — your average lid lift, I suppose. He wants to wait a year to see what happens with my GD first. I think that’s a good idea — why waste money on a fix that’s only temporary?

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Eye exam was nonthreatening #1072526

You learn something new each day, don’t you? I was under the faulty assumption that steroids were all the same! Did you take them, and did they work for you?

As for that dry eye … there was a really nifty gel that I used when I had Lasix. They sent it home with me to use after the surgery. Worked like a charm, much better than the lubricating drops, although it does get a little messy.

[belldandy112]

in reply to: Itchy skin #1072549

I never had itchy skin with GD, but I used to have horrendous hives (due to allergies). My doc recommended Aveeno oatmeal bath. It did help a lot — in fact, the whole oatmeal product line is quite nice. One caveat about the oatmeal bath — other than making the tub disgusting — is that this stuff is very slick, and one has to be careful getting in and out of the tub. (This also helped my dry skin when I lived in Alaska, where I got really itchy-dry.)

Melissa
Austin, TX

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