[emmtee]

in reply to: New labs #1178738

That’s good that she tested your Vitamin D. Did she advise you to take a supplement now that you know you’re low?

[emmtee]

in reply to: First blood work since diagnoses #1178801

Don’t worry about it. Your blood test results look great for being on your medication for such a short time. Your doctor won’t change your dose based on TSH this early. It can take a really long time for TSH to catch up with T3 and T4.

When I first started on methimazole, it took 4 months and 2 dosage increases for my T3 and T4 to get into the normal range, but in all that time my TSH didn’t budge. Then, my pituitary gland suddenly woke up and I went hypo. The normal TSH range for my lab is .45 to 4.5, and mine went from <.006 to 12.7 in 5 1/2 weeks. My endo decreased my dosage twice, but I kept getting more hypo. My TSH was 64.96 when my endo finally took me off the methimazole completely. At my next blood test 7 weeks later, I was hyper again - right about where I started, with TSH back down to <.006. I've been back on methimazole at a much lower dosage for almost 7 months now. My T3 and T4 have been normal since December, but my TSH didn't even budge until March, and even then it was still low (.014). I just had another blood test on Monday and don't have the results yet, but as of March, I had been diagnosed for 17 months and had yet to ever have a normal TSH.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Graves Tremors #1178918

My tremors started in my right leg, and over time I noticed them in my right hand, then in my left leg, and finally in my left hand. Initially, they would only happen when I was mildly stressed – like when I was in a hurry to do something. Later, I started noticing them when I was at rest as well. I don’t wear nail polish, but I had a terrible time with mascara, and the eye liner was even worse. I always seem to be running late, so getting ready to go anywhere was enough stress to cause the tremors.

My tremors were always worse on my right side. I also had eyelid retraction only in my right eye, and I have a couple of pink spots on my right leg that I believe to be pretibial myxedema. I asked my endo if it meant anything that all my symptoms seemed to be on the right side of my body. She said it was just a coincidence. My right side is definitely dominant, though. I’m right handed, my right eye is dominant, and even my right calf is larger than my left.

I was already on a beta blocker for my blood pressure when I was diagnosed. My doctor increased my dosage, but it didn’t really affect my tremors. After I started taking methimazole, my tremors gradually became less severe and less frequent until one day I noticed that I wasn’t really having them any more. It took several months for my T3 and T4 to get into the normal range, but the tremors were gone long before that – I think it was just a month or two.

[emmtee]

in reply to: sleepy sleepy #1178402

I was sleepy like that when I went hypo for a while. Are you also having aches and pains – particularly muscle cramps? Those were my main hypo symptoms, along with the weight gain.

I’ve also felt sleepy like that back in my 30’s when I was having really bad migraines. I think the medication I was taking for them made the sleepiness worse. The fatigue from the migraines was even worse than the fatigue from being hypo. The only way I can describe it is that I needed sleep the same way I needed air. Trying to stay awake was almost painful – kind of like holding your breath for too long.

One other thing that tends to make me extra sleepy is when I’m fighting off a cold or flu. I find that I’m extra tired for a day or two, then I get my energy back and a couple of days later the cold symptoms appear.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Diagnosed this week, finding only negative info #1178417

copper07 wrote:

my dr tried me on tapazole for 8 months before doing RAI. it took 5 months for my levels to change and then it was up and down. at one point, i was taking 60 mg of tapazole/day which i believe is the max for this drug or very close to it. i was also taking beta blockers for the terrible tremours and heart palpitations. Talk about needing patience.

Copper07 – It sounds like you and I followed similar paths. It took me almost 5 months on Methimazole (Tapazole) before my T3 and T4 were both in the normal range, and that was on 60mg. I was concerned about the high dose and asked my endo. She said that it’s a high dose, but we could go higher if needed. I did actually meet someone (she was drawing my blood for one of my blood tests) who had been on 80 mg at one point. I didn’t stay on 60 mg for very long. I suddenly went hypO. Now I’m on 10 mg and my T3 and T4 have been in the normal range for several months.

kkavich – Don’t worry – the first few weeks are the worst because anxiety is one of the symptoms of the disease. I think everyone should give the drugs a try before they consider a more permanent treatment. When you’re first diagnosed, you’re just not emotionally fit enough to make such a big decision. You can always go off the drugs, but you can’t undo RAI or surgery. One thing that is really hard to face is that it may take a really long time to get back in the normal range. Your body doesn’t care about calendars and timelines. It will take as long as it takes. Trying to rush will frustrate you more.

I’m satisfied with my methimazole for now. My endo said it’s unlikely I’ll ever go into remission because of the size of my goiter, but my thyroid is actually smaller than it used to be. I’m hoping that this reduction in size will make any future treatments easier.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Just for Fun – The “Off Topic” Thread! #1177848

Thanks! I had seen other peoples’ photos of sea turtles on another bulletin board, and really wanted to get some pics of my own. I couldn’t afford a new camera, but I read about a waterproof bag made for cameras called a “DicaPac.” I remembered that my regular camera (not waterproof) had an “underwater” setting. I think the water filters out some of the light spectrum, and the underwater setting corrects the color.

This was my first time snorkeling, and I never got very comfortable with it. Also, I was so blind without my glasses, I had a tough time getting pictures. Most of the time, I was aiming in the general direction of the blurry swimming thing and pressing the button. I really only got a few good turtle pictures. Next time I go snorkeling, I want to get my own good quality snorkel that fits my mouth and a mask with my glasses prescription.

I only have one cat, and she’s my baby. I volunteer at the local animal shelter, though, so she’ll have an adopted sister or brother eventually. She’s not crazy about other animals, but I fostered some kittens last summer, and she eventually learned to like them.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Uncaring husband(have to share) #1178102

Was he like this before you developed Graves’ or is this new behavior?

[emmtee]

in reply to: Hoping this isn’t too personal #1178145

LOL! Ah, yes. Good old Aunt Flo. Before I was diagnosed with GD, I had been recovering from surgery, so I had assumed that was the reason for her infrequent visits. Eventually, her visits became regular again. At one point, my methimazole dose was too high and I was hypothyroid and she stayed much too long. The last few months, her visits have become irregular again. My thyroid levels have been normal, so there may be other factors at work. I’m approaching the age when she may stop visiting altogether.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Auto immune trigger – questions #1178040

adenure wrote:

Sometimes our bodies get so used to a crazy lifestyle, that when we get to relax, it doesn’t know what to do. When I was dealing with daily headaches after my TT, I went to a headache class through Kaiser. The neurologist said that this is normal- that when we’re “on” all the time, we’re fine. As soon as we can relax, the headache hits. The body keeps up as long as it can and then when it can finally relax, maybe it just sort of falls apart a bit.

The first time I ever heard of this was when I heard Susan Olsen (who played Cindy Brady) speak about her migraines. She had them even as a child. She’d be fine while they were filming the Brady Bunch season, and then she’d have to miss the wrap party at the end because of severe migraines.

They’re common enough that they have a name: “Let Down Migraines.” I get them too. Years ago when my migraines were worse, I spent many Christmas afternoons in bed.

Stress is a pretty common migraine trigger as well. When we talk about stress, we tend to think of emotional stress, but I think physical stress is a factor as well. When I got my first migraines in my early 20’s, I remember it was after I had two really bad colds a month apart. Both times, I pretty much stayed in bed for a week and was really tired and headachy. My migraines always make me really tired (sometimes the fatigue is worse than the headache) and I think those may have been my first migraines.

Regarding stress being a Graves’ trigger – I wonder if the stress might be cumulative. Unfortunately, most of us will never really know why we won the Graves’ lottery.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Just for Fun – The “Off Topic” Thread! #1177842

I snorkeled with turtles in Barbados last November. It was amazing. [img]http://im1.shutterfly.com/media/47a3da27b3127ccef2992765e6d700000030O01AbM27hi0cswe3nw4/cC/f%3D0/ls%3D00309041873620130407010546975.JPG/ps%3D50/r%3D0/rx%3D720/ry%3D480/[/img]

I’m not interested in keeping turtles as pets, though. I’m happy with my cat.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Auto immune trigger – questions #1178026

Carrie – I haven’t heard of any correlation between gluten and Graves’. Maybe a moderator can comment? There are certainly other autoimmune diseases that are worsened by gluten, though, and we may be at increased risk of developing them. I don’t think it would hurt anything to try avoiding gluten for a while and seeing how you feel. I don’t know all your health issues, though, so you should probably check with your doctor to make sure this is okay.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Auto immune trigger – questions #1178025

Christina – You made a good point. It may not be possible to get rid of the Graves’ antibodies, but maybe we can do something to avoid getting an additional autoimmune disease. The only real trigger that I’ve read about is stress, but I’ve read that there may be some correlation between low vitamin D levels and developing autoimmune diseases. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that I had had low Vitamin D levels in the past and had been taking a D supplement for years. I remained healthy while I went through 2 moves, a broken ankle, the illness of my father, and the death of my sister/roommate. After I was laid off the job I loved, I started working a job I hated and stopped taking my vitamins. That’s when my symptoms began.

Momof5 – It wouldn’t hurt to have your Vitamin D levels checked. This deficiency is becoming very common. When my doctor found my deficiency years ago, she had been testing all her patients and about 50% of them were deficient. I live in Phoenix, and one might assume that we get plenty of sun here, but it’s so hot that we stay indoors more.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Auto immune trigger – questions #1178022

I understand your thinking, but I don’t think it works that way with Graves’. Lots of diseases have triggers – like migraines. I know that one of my migraine triggers is a lack of sleep. If I keep to a regular sleep schedule, I get fewer migraines. But migraines are caused by low seratonin levels, not antibodies. Once you develop the antibodies, they’re part of you. I believe my Graves’ Disease was triggered by stress (being laid off of a job I loved) combined with low vitamin D. Eliminating the “trigger” in this case would be like trying to unshoot a gun. Your antibody levels may go up and down on their own, but there’s no way for you to control it. That being said, I think that living a healthy lifestyle makes people feel better in general, and even if they don’t feel better, they’ll be healthier and possibly avoid other health issues down the road. Emotionally, it’s good to be able to maintain control over something (our diet and exercise habits) when so much is beyound our control.

[emmtee]

in reply to: Well, I’m getting hyper again… #1175676

You still have a couple of weeks. I’m sure there’s something your endo can do.

I had to go off my methimazole for a while over the summer. Not only was it making me hypo, it was affecting my kidneys (which it isn’t really supposed to do, but it did.) I felt good for about a month before I noticed the hyper symptoms coming back. I went to a family reunion when I was hyper. It’s a good thing my family loves me. I kept them all up late with my insomnia, and my moodiness caused me to say something so uncharactaristically bitchy, that my aunt was a little shocked.

Even if your endo can’t adjust your dose, don’t cancel your trip. Look on the bright side. You can eat whatever you want!

[emmtee]

in reply to: How long does a Methimazole dosage change take to reflect on a blood test? #1175490

Thanks, Kimberly. I knew you’d have an answer, and as my group leader, you know my history. I went ahead and took the blood test Tuesday afternoon. I’m pretty sure I waited long enough for it to reflect what the 10 mg dose is doing to me based not only on what the BP monitor is telling me, but how I’m feeling. The last few days, I’ve been headachy and lightheaded. My feet keep feeling like they’ve fallen asleep, and now my left pinky is feeling numb. I think it’s due to poor circulation from my heart rate being too low. I can’t wait to get the call from the endo’s office. Hopefully, I’m just a little hypo and she’ll just adjust my methimazole dose. The tests included the comprehensive metabolic panel, so she’ll be looking at my kidney function as well. It was good once the methimazole cleared out of my system before. Hopefully it will still be good at the lower, 10 mg dose and I can stay on the drug. I felt fine on 5 mg.

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