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in reply to: Introduction and frustration #1172826
Hi Mini, you have been through it! How are you feeling day-to-day lately? Looking at your labs one big question jumps out at me that maybe you’ve already asked your doc. Why are they lowering your dosage once once the FT4 just gets in range but your FT3 is still above range? It looks like your FT3 has never been in range (except once) but also never gets the chance to be. Perhaps your endos really worry about you going hypo, but right now my FT4 is in the lower half of the normal range and I’m doing “okay” relatively with my FT3 just under the top. It is posible meds just don’t work for you, also possible your endos haven’t used a dosing scheme that works yet. And of course I’m not a doctor or play one on tv, but I believe in questioning everything!
in reply to: Crying Fits…Is this normal #1172806I’d say it is definitely normal. I am still struggling with worry/fear attacks. An example that just happened to me an hour ago. I was on my balcony and smelled cigarette smoke. I instantly began to think one of my neighbors has taken up smoking. From there my mind raced to that the smoke would get in my apartment regularly, that they would refuse to stop smoking, that it would make my TED worse, and my eyes would look like the worst possible case and my doctor would refuse to operate and I’d become an isolated hermit and have a complete nervous breakdown. Don’t worry, I’ve calmed down now. But that’s all it took, one little whiff of smoke that could have come from even a passerby. I have to fight down these attacks every few days and right now I have normal thyroid levels but still suppressed TSH. So hang in there, I think it is just rough for a while and keep holding on to an “observer” in your brain who can help calm you down while the rest of your brain runs off to crazy-town.
in reply to: 2nd remission #1172818Harpy wrote:Just to balance that a bit so you don’t get the why me? victim thing going on, understand that the bulk of the population is siting on the verge of a health crisis only they just don’t know it, whether it be an autoimmune disease, heart disease, cancer, diabetes etc, etc.
We all need to be more proactive & conscious of our health.Ahhh, ignorance is bliss, eh? If I’d had any clue this was going to happen to me I would have made so many different decisions. I hope to get as much silver lining out of this cloud as I can though. There are changes I’ve needed to make in my diet and lifestyle for a long time that now feel imperative.
in reply to: Is there ever an end? #1172797Hi Hyperm, that is amazing you were training for a marathon, even if you had to stop still sounds like you got pretty far. Often I hear the mods here make the point that people post who have problems and once they feel better they go away. So please don’t judge your chance for health by reading posts. All those people in remission are busy living their lives and not posting on the net!
in reply to: Is there ever an end? #1172792Hi Hyperm, HUGS to you. Some days I feel I can’t take it anymore and I’m just at the beginning. Give yourself credit for your strength going through so much. I’ve done a lot of reading so these are just a few ideas off the top of my head. Have you had your thyroid checked with ultrasound to make sure none of it has regenerated? and to verify that your total thyroidectomy was really “total”? These things do happen and I would wonder given what’s happening with your levels. Other thought, a second opinion is never a bad idea. How long have you been with the same endocrinologist? It may be someone new might have a fresh perspective and what is happening for you. Wishing you well!
in reply to: Diagnosed today…confused #1172740Susan, you are so right about the hunger! It was one of my primary symptoms before I got diagnosed and I didn’t see it. I remember eating so much and so many things and I couldn’t ever feel full. Sadly my metabolism didn’t keep up and I gained weight – hoping to lose weight now that they crazy hunger is under control.
in reply to: Diagnosed today…confused #1172733Welcome Susan and sorry you’ve had to become a member of our club. It is hard to be diagnosed with such a disease. I went through a very difficult period when doing the research finding out that it had greater impacts than just the thyroid. I’m pursing the medication path with PTU. Part of why is that I of course hope for remission. Also I would like to be in a better place in my life to have surgery since that would be my choice if meds don’t work out. I have some TED (thyroid eye disease) and there is a risk RAI could make it worse, so if I did something permanent I’d go with surgery. I don’t think there are any perfect choices with Graves’ – every single one has potentially significant negatives and positives. Most important for you is that you feel really informed and good about the direction you choose.
Hi Elizross, I too worry about the mental effects of GD. I see little changes in what I remember, mistakes I wouldn’t have made in the past, things I wouldn’t have forgotten. I can’t afford to have my brain go out on me either! I’m pretty new to this – my levels aren’t stable yet so maybe some oldtimers here will share more. I did a post a while back titled something like “I want my brain back” that got some replies you might find helpful.
Here it is: http://www.gdatf.org/forum/topic/42591/
in reply to: 2 wks on Methimazole #1172701Hang in there Caro, it just takes some time. I noticed with both methimazole and PTU the greatest effectiveness kicked in at three weeks for me. It just takes time…I’m still trying to get to the right dosage myself. I hear you though – I so much just wish I could have my body work in a normal healthy predictable way.
Alexis, glad to hear you are doing good after the surgery – I hope you get to the ideal Synthroid dose fast!
in reply to: My Thyroidectomy #1172636Congratulations! I’m so glad it went well and thanks for sharing the experience with us. I’m talking careful note because one day I may need to do this too. Please keep us updated with how your recovery goes! A question for you, was the option presented for you to do the surgery outpatient? My endo said that’s how it would be done if I did it, yet you and others I’ve read about stayed overnight. Would you have been ready to go home the same day if they’d have let you?
in reply to: Breast reduction #1172547This answers most of your objections:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16328720
“While it has been demonstrated that prophylactic mastectomy reduces breast cancer incidence among women at high risk, many women often consider this disfiguring surgery unacceptable. One alternative approach may be breast reduction surgery. In order to evaluate the long-term incidence of breast cancer following surgical removal of breast tissue, we have extended by 9 years the follow-up period of our earlier retrospective cohort study of Swedish women electing cosmetic breast reduction surgery (n=30,444) between 1965 and 1993, yielding an average of nearly 16 years of follow-up. Cancer incidence through 2002 was ascertained via the Swedish Cancer Registry. Standardized incidence ratios (SIRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated comparing women who underwent breast reduction surgery with women in the general Swedish population. Breast cancer was observed in 443 women versus 624 expected for a statistically significant reduced SIR of 0.71 (95% CI=0.65-0.78). Analyses by age at surgery, time since surgery or calendar year of surgery revealed similar reductions in risk. Our study of over 30,000 women with long-term follow-up offers further evidence that women undergoing breast reduction surgery have reduced breast cancer risk. As the evidence from large-scale cohort studies accumulates, direct testing of this reduction in risk through clinical trials should be considered.”
in reply to: Breast reduction #1172545snelsen wrote:I imagine if breast procedures were recommended to reduce breast cancer risk, it would total bilateral mastectomies, not just reducing the size of the breasts.
ShirleyThis was recent information from one of the top breast surgeons in my entire region of the country who I was lucky enough to see. She said the reason the risk is reduced is because they take a good bit of glandular tissue which is the part of the breast that is highest risk for developing cancer. Of course if one wants to eliminate risk bilateral mastectomy is the most complete option.
Here’s an article about it:
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/releases/8858.phpin reply to: Breast reduction #1172543I’ve never heard of breast reduction in relation to Graves either but I’ve had it recommended to me to reduce cancer risk. Do you have any family history of breast cancer or were you wanting it for cosmetic reasons?
in reply to: Successful Thyroidectomy! #1172495Woohooooo! So glad for you Alexis! It sounds like things are going swimmingly and thanks for updating us. Wishing you a full and speedy recovery.
in reply to: Anyone choosing no treatment? #1172447What I was thinking of was these automatic bp/pulse takers that have memory like this
http://www.amazon.com/Omron-Bp652-Series-Blood-Pressure/dp/B004D9P1A8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1339796688&sr=8-1&keywords=omron+wrist+blood+pressure+monitor -
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