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in reply to: New Labs on Synthroid #1176510
Alexis, it takes time for the body to heal after being hyper and then hypo. And it has nothing to do, typically, with enough T3. Which, according to your labs, is also in the normal zone. We need to be at controlled levels over a period of weeks or months for the healing to take place and for us to be able to GRADUALLY increase strenght and stamina. I think it’s great that you can do some exercise like you used to.
in reply to: PTU effectiveness vs Methimazole #1176434It strikes me that to have credible evidence of the swings, you would have to do blood tests in between doses, every eight hours — which is probably not practical. What is known, is that the manufacturer information states that PTU’s viable period is 8 hours. That is what needs to be taken into account. I’m not sure that anyone knows what our levels are after 75 minutes, etc., for the same reasons. But what I do know is that if I did not take my PTU religiously every eight hours, I had periods of hyper symptoms in between doses. I also had serious brain fog — which might be explained by Naisley’s hypothesis about things. But, again, without really rigorous blood testing, I don’t know how anyone could “know.” As for why docs have gone to prescribing it twice a day, instead of three times a day, there could be any number of reasons, including a desire to minimize the liver side effects….if that were possible.
in reply to: Sports Injuries and Graves Disease #1176498I tried to do research long, long ago about the muscle issues with Graves. it appeared from what I read, that while hyperthyroid, the muscle biochemistry was different than normal, and that this could lead to problems if the individual exercised too much too soon. That included things like shin splints.
in reply to: New To Graves’ Disease #1176300They start work instantly to block the production of “some” thyroid hormone. But (and there’s almost always a “but”) the thyroid not only produces new hormone, it stores hormone previously made and not released. The ATD doesn’t do anything with the already-made hormone, so until the stockpiles of that are released you won’t feel much difference.
Another “but.” The first dose we are put on is a guess-timate made by the endo. It is an educated guess, but a guess nonetheless. It is typical to need adjustments from that first dose. Until you are on “the” dose…..I sometimes call it the “Goldilocks” dose, i.e. just right…. which is the dose that blocks just enough thyroid hormone production to bring you into the normal zone, your body will not begin to heal. And it takes time AT normal levels of hormone for the healing process to work.
It helps if you look for progress rather than any absolute sense of “normal.” We don’t have a pill that makes us feel good all at once, and it can sometimes be a very frustrating process calibrating the proper dose of medication.
Wishing you good health soon,
in reply to: Memory Tips and Tricks… #1176364Thanks, gatorgirly!!
in reply to: Memory Tips and Tricks… #1176361That’s a good idea, Amy. Now to find that feature. Or is it a separate app? My memory issues now have to do with age more than thyroid.
in reply to: Frustrated with doc #1176211Something that worked well for me, WWW12, when I was in your shoes, was to think about the meaning of the Serenity Prayer. It made me focus on whether or not whatever was happening was anything I could do something about. If it wasn’t, I let it go. So, you cannot take your ball and go home. Sorry. I wish you could. But there may be other things you CAN do to help yourself. Warm baths with scented salts; sitting on a park bench in the sunshine (well, maybe, if you live somewhere warm in winter like I do); listening to your favorite music. Something you feel PAMPERED about.
While we’re in the early stages of Graves/hyperthyroidism our emotions are out-of-whack, and we feel everything more intensely than normal. (Yes, oh, great, one more thing this stupid disease does…..) So feeling overwhelmed, angry, especially feeling tired, all of that is part of the disease process until you get your hormones completely back under control long enough for your body to heal. So, that’s kind of a “this, too, shall pass” type of issue. Hold tightly onto the thought that you WILL get well again.
While in the depths of this disease, when you feel especially low, is there a favorite movie of yours that makes you laugh and laugh? Rent it, or buy it, and play it LOTS. I am particularly fond of “Jumpin’ Jack Flash” with Whoopie Goldberg, and I played it so much while I was in the process of recovering that I probably know the dialogue by heart. Laughter makes us feel better, no matter what is going on around us. And in that wee window of laughter-induced “feeling better” I could put things back into perspective — at least temporarily.
It is a hard thing you are going through. And I do hope you are feeling MUCH better soon.
in reply to: Subclinical Hyperthyroidism & Graves’ Treatment #1176321I don’t know if you can get back issues of The Bridge, which is the publication that used to come out from the ATF (American Thyroid Foundation). I used to keep them all, but I moved last year and….. well, let’s just say a lot of my “keep”sakes were foresaken. Anyway, I remember a doctor’s article in one of the issues, talking about subclinical hyperthyroidism. In that article the doctor wrote that it was becoming apparent that subclinical hyperthyroidism needed to be treated; that the bad stuff that happens with the rest of us who have clinically proven hyperthyroidism (bone and muscle loss, for example) also happens to those of you who are subclinical; and that, as a result, it needs to be treated. I don’t know if that is any comfort to you now, or any help in figuring out how to navigate the situation you are in. Also, it seemed to my reading of your post, that your doctor recommended TT because of your eyes, not because of the nodules. If I didn’t misread that, then you need to keep that rationale in mind. RAI does not cause the eye disease (at least that is the current state of knowledge about things), but it has been shown to aggravate the symptoms of the eye disease in a minority of patients. Having discernable TED usually steers folks in the direction of TT, unless they want RAI with a concurrent dose of prednisone for a few weeks.
in reply to: Happy New Year #1176318Hi, Sue:
Cytomel isn’t typically prescribed, because it has a very potent effect, rather immediately (even if your body doesn’t need the boost right then), and a very short life span. It can however be a help in certain circumstances. I was on it for a while — I could only tolerate half of the smallest pill once a day — but then it started to create heart issues, and I was taken off. Strangely, when I was taken off the symptoms I had been put on it to stop did not come back.
As for your eyesight, you need to see an eye doctor to determine what is going on. There can be lots of reasons for vision to change. When we are around 40, for example, most of us start needing reading glasses for near vision. That is pretty normal: our lens’ lose their ability to adjust between near and far vision. But the only person who can determine what is going on in YOUR case is an opthamologist. While I go to an optometrist to get my glasses prescriptions, I go to an opthamologist when I have questions like yours.
The thing about beta blockers is that we have to wean ourselves when we quit them — if we quit them all at once, there is a rebound of all of the symptoms that they’ve been suppressing. So, if you have tried going off them all at once, with no success, that might be the reason.
Also, beta blockers are prescribed for a lot of folks who do not have Graves. And having Graves does not mean that we might not have the condition for which these medications are prescribed for others….It may not seem “fair” but the reality is that we can get other problems in addition to the Graves.
in reply to: Singers and TT #1176277The nerve that works the vocal cords (sp?) runs through the thyroid, so it is possible to have damage to that nerve, which would affect the quality of your voice after the surgery. The incidence of damage to this nerve is usually slight, and depends — in some part — upon the skill of the surgeon. You need to pick a surgeon who does lots of thyroidectomies without this particular side effect happening. I’ve heard that there is some type of electronic gizmo that can alert the surgeon to the proximity of the nerve, but I’m not sure that is true….you could ask.
in reply to: Paralyzed by anxiety #1176223Just fyi: although lots and lots of folks did well on PTU, I did not. I had normal labs, but felt utterly rotten. My primary complaint about it was that my brain felt like molasses all the time. (That is obviously NOT “anxiety,” like you are reporting.) I believe that different folks respond differently to the same meds. So it is important for you to try to weed through what is going on, and try to figure out whether these meds are for you or not.
The active chemical in replacement hormone IS thyroxine, is chemically identical to the body’s own T4. I have never heard of kidney failure while taking it BECAUSE of it.
I have a lot of respect for nurses, but in a situation like this, I would like the doctor to see me. Immediately. To begin the process of trying to determine what in fact IS going on. There may be many different things to look at — including thyroid — but finding out what is happening quickly is important.
I don’t know of any support group for hypoparathyroidism, but perhaps Kimberly does.
in reply to: Achy and paranoid… O.O #1176241Agranulocytosis is extremely rare. Not that that helps completely, I know. I hope you are feeling better soon.
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