[cathycnm]

in reply to: Eye plugs????? #1073090

Thanks Ski – very helpful!

[cathycnm]

in reply to: weight gain Pills Forever? #1073138

Cyndi – I will chime in on sleeping pills. I take them pretty regularly, even before Graves, due to shift work sleep disorder. There are many good ones on the market now that are non habit forming, etc.

I would be very cautious with over the counter herbals because sometimes these change the way your body breaks down other meds – they can cause your other med levels to be too high or too low. So, please talk to your doctor about the most appropriate prescription!

We are happier and healthier with enough sleep so I really encourage anyone with sleep issues to consider using a sleeping med. Again – a word of caution with mixing any herbal with meds without talking to your provider first to be sure there are no interactions. Also – the prescription sleep meds are actually shown to be effective and that is not always the case with over the counter meds. Cathy

[cathycnm]

in reply to: weight gain Pills Forever? #1073133

Cyndi – Welcome. This diagnosis can seem like a lot of scary change at once. I had radioactive treatment last August – now I am on the replacement and it is part of my routine to take the pill every day – I don’t think much about it. As far as weight gain, I am really making an effort to exercise and eat well, I have not gained weight. So, I think it is pretty individual. Once your thyroid is normalized, you weight should do the same.

BTW – I though mine was menopause – and I am a nurse practitioner. The symptoms are very similar.

As far as testing your sons – males get it much less frequently and having a parent with the disease increases risk but not greatly. I believe I recently learned that if your mom has it and you are female – the risk is 5% instead of 1%. Those are ballpark figures. I would ask your doctor, though, to be sure because there may be other factors they would weigh in the case that I do not know about.

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Tips for eye strain ??? #1073269

Ski – You have confirmed that I need to use the drops A LOT more often than I am. I just forget. But I now feel like I have been in a smokey bar since the semester started. I am too good at ignoring what my body is telling me sometimes. Last night when I was tired and hit 5 small type pages in succession (took 2+ hours to read and take notes) I got so angry I about threw my book out my plate glass window. Well – at least I momentarily had fun visualizing it! I used the gel after RAI – I will see if I can find that, too. I did get some magnifying glasses and a ruler that magnifies more – but needs to be held. Trial and error. I will go get a couple bottles of drops so I always have them within reach. Thanks a bunch – I will be in touch. I miss reading the posts or others and being part of the discussion but just don’t have time. We just finished the chapter on thyroid, which was interesting to read. I actually feel I have learned a great deal from this board – above and beyond some of what was presented in the book. So, I appreciate that and will be around where and when I can. Cathy

[cathycnm]

in reply to: TED symptoms and temperature #1074094

Rob – I find this interesting – because I am in the middle of a cold winter in Colorado and notice an increase in eye symptoms the last few weeks. But it is the west – where there is 0 humidity and heaters blowing a lot. My post graduate course and the reading are not helping, either. I am also wondering if I am getting more hyper again. I had dropped from 3.8 to 1.3 for my TSH between early Nov and January. I started on replacement in October after RAI.

I have headed the advise and wisdom of this board and decided to stay at my current dose until my next TSH next month so I am not just chasing it – (plus I prefer anything to going hypothyroid while still on beta blockers). I will get my tears back out. Thanks for the reminder. I have missed my visits here – between work and school, I have just not had enough energy. Hmmmm – I am also feeling pretty exhausted again. Perhaps I should get my TSH checked again sooner than the end of March.

Rob – I will be thinking of you in that heat. Wow! Cathy

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Support Group Leadership Training Feb 26-28 #1074122

Nancy – As soon as I finish my post masters in Dec 2010, you can count me in. By then, I should be stable with thyroid and have enough time to give this attention. For my tenure, I do need to be actively involved in a National Organization. Are there small roles that need doing that do not require a lot of time or training that I could start with? I would love to have this be with NGDF. Let me know.

Thanks! ” title=”Very Happy” />

[cathycnm]

in reply to: New and worried #1074315

Hello Nick and Nates Mom – I am faculty for a college of nursing and I got the same responce. Working with a crew of nurses!!!! Angry that I took the time off to be in isolation after RAI – then angry that I could not continue to be a one person show on my satellyte campus. It was interesting that my local staff (all contract nursing faculty) were very supportive. Those who know me less well and never really work face-to-face with me were the ones who got angry. And my students got angry for a time, too – but they learned a lot about Graves to take forward with them. Everyone thought I would travel 60 miles to the larger hospital where my endo practiced and come home cured.

What was hardest for me was that other faculty facing illness, etc – one had a premie and a couple lost family members during this time – was how my boss rallied around them and had the dept donate food. For me – I got yelled at! Granted, I probably was not too fun to be around – either grouchy or crying as I bounced. But it was sad. One of my local faculty just quit – and while she had other reasons – she said it was my boss’s behavior towards me when I was sick that let her know she could not continue to work for the organization. Some see it – others do not. I think the closer they are to us, the more chance they will see it – unless they have been through it. I know I have HUGE work to do to educate nurses about this illness. Cathy ” title=”Confused” />

[cathycnm]

in reply to: How can I be more supportive? #1074349

Graves mom – Wow – it sounds like your daughter has lots of reasons to feel helpless and out of control when it is prime time for her to be developing autonomy and identity.

If you have a Mental Health Center in your area, I would suggest you call them. There are lots of folks in the system other than MDs who can do an intake and start a treatment plan. If needed, they can often get folks into a psychiatrist or nurse practioner (who can prescribe meds) sooner than 6 weeks. I would call and see if they have emergency slots – as her non-compliance is a huge health issue and it does represent a threat to self.

I am on the board of our local mental health center – and they see all pay scales, etc. They have a variety of different health professionals on staff. So – it is worth a call to see if they can help or can refer you to someone.

Outside of that – what do you see as your daughter’s strengths? If you can help her identify these and use these to get her more involved with her care – that is often engaging. It sounds like there is lots of negativity and disengagement going on – stress, etc. There is some good research that says we broaden and build new resources primarily when our environment has at least 3 positive emotions for every negative. It may sound trite – but I would say anything you can do to think about times when things were better with your daughter – and ways to create that – might be a start. Let us know how it goes! Cathy ” title=”Neutral” />

[cathycnm]

in reply to: I’m new #1074447

One more thought – I am a little on the hyper end of normal again. Starting to feel it – staying up late but sleeping forever due to exhaustion. A little more irritable.

Honestly, this feels so much better than hypo did to me. So when my endo offered to back off the replacement – I really said I wanted to give it another 3 months to see. Why – I hate hypo. With a challenging full-time job and graduate school – hyper is better. So, I chuckle when I read Ski’s words – "Pretty much everyone I’ve met through this foundation has "always been the one who does everything". Yes, indeed – that is my job description and my role in my family! It is interesting that I fear hypo more than hyper (none are that great) – I think it is because I can be "myself" more when hyper. Interesting to consider. It is midnight-thirty and I will now go sleep – probably for 10 hours – and that is the cycle.

BTW – My endo mentioned that his older patients do not tolerate the lower-norm TSHs well and because I was "young" (I love this guy for that comment) he would be fine waiting 3 months to back off my thyroid replacement. I found that interesting about the levels. Cathy

[cathycnm]

in reply to: I’m new #1074446

Ski and Friend – I remember reading in one article that 80% of all patients who went to an endocrinologist for an initial visit were already on some sort of psyc med. Our endocrine system is so linked to our brain’s chemical messengers! 80% of folks think they have mental health issues and that is what is causing the symptoms. No wonder it is now standard to run a TSH before starting someone on antidepressants. I say this because I was convinced I was depressed and anxious from my job when this hit!!! I had no idea. The endos are very use to dealing with these issues!!!

Welcome to our board, Friend!!!! Cathy ” title=”Wink” />

[cathycnm]

in reply to: suffering post partum graves! #1074475

Fergi – I concur with Bobbi’s advise. I also wonder if you have postpartum depression. Both Graves and Postpartum are times when depression rates soar. The guilt, etc, would make me wonder. This absolutely needs to be treated. Not just the Graves – but the postpartum depression. Please, please, please get yourself the help you need to deal with this.

I take my students for their mental health rotation each year where they meet a woman who had severe postpartum depression and actually became psychotic. It is a story that my students never forget. It is so important to recognize how serious this is and to get help early. Women and children loose lives when this goes undetected. It is more important than ever for you to see someone about this and get treatment right away. Let us know how it goes. Cathy

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Emotions- Woman #1074538

Sara – It sounds like you have a plan. I think the Compassionate Friends site has "on-line" support groups – though I don’t know much about them. Keep typing – I think you are a huge survivor. Someone we can all learn from!

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Excellerated Graves Disease? #1074553

I just want to add something my endo told me. He said the same thing about the small but significant # of patients having more eye symptoms after RAI. He also said they had found that this equalizes and actually that those who had RAI do a little bit better by the end of the third year post RAI (I am pretty sure it was 3 years). ” title=”Cool” />

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Emotions- Woman #1074535

Sara – There is nothing worse in the world than for a mother to loose a child. I am so sorry. No wonder your female hormones are screaming at you – the woman in you is wounded.

There is a wonderful support group called Compassionate Friends for parents who have lost a child at any age. They are national and have meetings in most regions of the country.

One of my nursing students lost her 8 year old son on a Father’s Day tubing trip. She was the one who was doing CPR until the EMS got there. I cannot imagine her grief – or yours. I know she really, really felt the group helped her. I have referred many women to this group over the years. I have never heard anyone say anything bad about the experience. Here is their web site. http://www.compassionatefriends.org/

[cathycnm]

in reply to: Vision testing #1074576

Ski – Thanks. That is very helpful to know. I see myself in my photos with my granddaughter and I can tell when Graves started – my eyes are not horrible but there is a whole different tone to my face. I look sad or even "flat" compared to earlier photos. Here I am a positive psychology coach and I look sad ” title=”Confused” /> Anyway – I live in a fairly rural area of Colorado but we do have 6 opthalmologists in group practice here. Their web site says they offer eye plastic surgery. I will check it out when I see him in 3-6 months. In the mean time, I will keep smiling.

If anyone has read the book by Gladwell called "Blink" he talks about how facial expressions can be de-coded – and how each little move of the eyebrow, mouth, nose, etc means something – an emotion. I wonder how our facial codes change with the eye changes. Obviously sad. I would guess it is more than the puffiness – maybe it changes other aspects of how we move our facial muscles is slight ways. Interesting to ponder. Thanks for the info –

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