[Corinne]

in reply to: Newby #1066361

Oh, I forgot to mention, the scan is helpful for calculating uptake, but its also helpful to see if all regions of your thyroid are taking up iodine evenly. It is possible to become hyperthyroid because of nodules in your thyroid that are overly active. Nodules are just small portions of your thyroid, that are visible by the scan, that are more active than other regions (they will show up lighter or darker than the rest of your thyroid). This could indicate to your doctors that they have to investigate other reasons for hyperthyroidism besides Graves, because many Grave’s patients have thyroids that evenly uptake iodine. I think Grave’s is the most common cause of hyperthyroidism though, so really still try not to be too concerned about your upcoming scan!

[Corinne]

in reply to: Newby #1066360

Hi,
Your symptoms actually sound very much like mine! My dx was a recent one as well. Honestly I thought I was pregnant. I too gained weight and the fatigue and cloudyheadedness were almost unbearable. I also used to be active but find myself making up excuses to stay home and not go out with my friends….which of course they don’t understand. But the weight gain, which isn’t as typical as weight loss, really is getting to me! I find myself hoping that I will lose it all when I get treated, but I don’t think that will happen. I also have been avoiding working out, because its not good for my body when its in turmoil, and because I get out of breath really easily.

Anyways, the nuclear scan is probably just so that the doctors can look at your thyroid and calculate how over active it is. You take an Iodine pill, with very small amounts of radioactive iodine, 24 hours prior to being scanned (sometimes this can be an injection too, but Im not sure how often they do that anymore…). The scan itself is painless, and took me about 30-40 min. You just lie there and let the camera move around you. I almost fell asleep. But, because they know how much iodine they gave you, they can calculate how much was taken up by your thyroid (pretty much the only organ that takes up iodine) and give you a percentage. My doc said that upper level of normal uptake is around 30% (this number may be a bit different for your doc) and I was at 67%. They will use this number, and your bloodwork to calculate a dosage for medication (such as methimazole) or if you choose, to calculate a dosage for radioactive iodine treatment. This is a higher dose of radioactive iodine with the goal of killing off the cells of your thyroid so you are not longer hyper. But, all in all, the scan is really nothing to be too worried about. It is helpful to have a doctor to explain this all for you! But, this website is also really helpful so I hope you find some good information!! And I hope you feel better soon.

What medication made you react badly? Is it helping at all?
-Corinne

[Corinne]

in reply to: Things that inhibit t4 to t3 converstion #1066381

I do see that birth control pills are on this list. I was wondering if anyone else has heard of a link between The Pill and thyroid issues? Being in the science industry, I worry that many of the newer medications these days have not been given the time to do long term studies. I have been on The Pill for 10 years now! Thats a long time! Obviously not everyone who is on The Pill gets Thyroid issues, because then we’d have a lot more women with thyroid issues….but has anyone heard of any links at all? I had seen something about that online, a while ago, and considered other birth control options, so thought I would ask you guys!

[Corinne]

in reply to: Scared, frustrated could use help #1066539

It doesn’t really seem like there is a "normal" behavior for Grave’s patients….but I have to admit that your daughter sounds a little bit like how I feel. I am 24 and like her, I let the book I am reading or game or tv show or whatever, consume me. I am so tired all the time and feel weak and exhausted that my house has become so messy. The only time I can get the energy to clean it is if someone is coming over, and even then its really hard to do. Lack of motivation is a big problem for me. And I can see how it would be really easy to neglect those you love the most, by not showing them the attention the deserve. I don’t have kids, but I have pets and a husband and I probably have been guilty of not showing them attention/spending time with them. I feel like this is TOTALLY unlike how I usually am. My house used to be spotless 24/7 and we would OCD/deep clean every weekend. That hasn’t happened in a really long time. I think my grave’s (being undiagnosed for quite some time) has definitely affected my emotional state, and may have even put me into a mild depressive state. I have been on methimazole for a couple months now, and it helps a little bit. I haven’t gotten into the doctor yet for blood draws, so I am not sure if my levels are where they should be. But, it has definitely not completely helped the way I feel. I know a couple months is really not long enough to know that they aren’t working, but I am really looking forward to undergoing a "permanent" fix for my Graves. (I put " around permanent because I know that RAI, etc may not actually permanently fix me, and I will always have Graves, but with how I have been feeling for so long….Im not going to lie….it FEELS permanent and like it will greatly improve the way I will feel, and quickly….you know relatively…..) How long has this been going on with your daughter? It doesn’t sound like you guys like her doctor, but have you all discussed other options for treatment? I can see if she feels like she is stuck feeling crappy like this forever that she might be really depressed and will lose even more motivation. When you feel like this it is really hard to imagine feeling better ever again! (But, with help from people on this message board, I can rest assured that it will happen, even if it takes a while to get there!) Maybe you could consider another doctor. Do you think there is any way you could get her on this website to read how other people handled it/how they dealt with their problems/etc? It was really helpful for me. I hope she feels better, and that everything works out for your whole family!

[Corinne]

in reply to: RAI treatment #1066534

Hi,
After reading your post I was wondering what medications you have been put on? I was put on Methimazole and Propananol shortly after being diagnosed. A little while after I started taking the propananol (which I started about 2 weeks before the methimazole) my ears began ringing and feeling like they were filling with liquid. My doctor was worried that this may be due to the propananol. If you are on propananol and are experiencing swelling it is a good idea to check with your doctor to see if you are having a reaction to this drug. I wouldn’t stop taking your meds without talking to your doctor first, but I thought I would mention it so that you could bring it up to your doctor!
Hope you feel better soon!

[Corinne]

in reply to: Lessons from Graves’ Disease #1066658

I am really glad all 3 of you posted this thread. Like many posts on here I have felt word for word like this. Its so nice to hear such good things…..and nice to think in that perspective!! Makes me feel a bit better on a sorta-downer day….Thanks!!

and congrats on the wedding ladybug!! ” title=”Wink” />

[Corinne]

in reply to: people just don’t understand, and i don’t either. #1066786

I also found that just knowing that Graves can cause irrational emotions helped prevent me from going completely bonkers. Before I was diagnosed I felt like if I was feeling this way it must be justifiable….so therefor I am right and my husband is wrong. I think I was suffering almost our whole first year of marriage. We have been together for 10 years and never fought like that! It really worried me. But, now that I know of my Graves, if I get emotional and we are arguing I stop to think of what I am saying. It usually results in me thinking: "Ok you’re crazy this isnt even a big deal." So it helps to try to think about that when you are upset, but its really hard to do.

I also found that I was calmer in general when I started reading and not watching tv. I think the constant noise drove me nuts so I read instead and its great. Way more soothing before bed the watching some tv. Ive read about 23 books since mid august!

[Corinne]

in reply to: people just don’t understand, and i don’t either. #1066783

Especially cause we might not LOOK sick! Argh that part of it I hate because people look at me and think…."OK, your playing hooky or something huh?". I just wish sometimes that I could touch someone and transfer how I am feeling to them, just for a moment, so they can understand.

[Corinne]

in reply to: people just don’t understand, and i don’t either. #1066782

I have definitely felt this way before, word for word!! Its really annoying. Even sometimes the people you think should understand most just don’t! I have just been diagnosed, and have just started medication, but I really do think its getting a bit better day by day! This could be that now I know there is a fairly treatable problem, and soon I can be freed of it. I hope it gets better every day for you too.

[Corinne]

in reply to: No official diagnosis yet… but… #1066798

This same thing happened to me, sort of. I was feeling crappy for a long time now, around 5 months. Even before that, as I look back on it, I was having symptoms that were annoying, but not outright crappy feeling. All in all I believe I have had graves for more than a year. But anyways, I finally went to the doctor in December. First an OB, who did pregnancy tests and then confirmed that was not my problem and she is the one that did the TSH/T3/T4 tests. Right away she sent me to a GP. My GP right away (literally had it ready for me) gave me a prescription for BB. They made me feel a bit better, because I wasn’t so jittery and my heart rate slowed. A week later, after the scan, she was able to prescribe me methimazole (once again she had it ready for me when I walked in the door). It helps tremendously, although I still feel hyper, but not nearly as bad. She gave me this even though I cannot get into the Endo for around 60 days. So, what Im trying to say, is maybe you should think about getting another appt with a GP or internist or whatever, who can look at your lab work and see if they will give you a prescription for BB at least, so you can be alleviated from some of the symptoms at least. It may not seem like much to alleviate some of the symptoms, but when there are so many getting rid of a few really makes a difference!

[Corinne]

in reply to: Graves and Future life #1066940

Thank you guys for responding!
I suppose when I posted this I had just found out I had Grave’s. Now after reading more and hearing from people I can see that I should be fine! It was just a bummer because on my wedding day my husband and I had decided that we were ok with never having kids….then suddenly we decided we wanted to, and soon. It was really exciting, you know?! I actually initially thought I was pregnant because of the cycle issues, tiredness, being hot…it really does somewhat mimic pregnancy! Then to find this out shortly later it was disappointing. But hopefully I can get this done and over with soon so I can go ahead and be excited again!

[Corinne]

in reply to: Pregnancy and Medication #1066918

This was also really helpful for me! Thanks for posting everyone.
I was wondering Mamabear….did you ever get RAI after having your kids? Or did you continue on PTU until remission?

[Corinne]

in reply to: Back Pain #1066991

Hi,
I am newly diagnosed with Grave’s, so I hadn’t put it together but I have experience mild back pain. I don’t know if its related. I first noticed it in my classes, where I noticed it seems like I can never comfortably sit in the chairs because my back would be sore. Now I really can’t sit anywhere cause it hurts when I am sitting. I am too young to really have back pain, so everyone writes it off. I don’t have terrible pain like you are describing though….I hope you feel better.

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