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in reply to: Help with understanding test numbers please #1175739

Just following up. GP says let’s raise levoxyl to 112 from 110 mcg since the TSH is high. He wasn’t worried about the T4 being high and we did not have a T3 # to look at so we’ll see. I go and pick up the new prescription today. The GYN says that I am on the down side of the worst of the peri-menopause. This means that I probably did go through the worst of it when really hyper in the past several years.:rolleyes:

We’ll see in 6 to 12 weeks how the dose change works. I am very sensitive to changes in meds so not looking forward to this but it may be the right thing to do.

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in reply to: Help with understanding test numbers please #1175738

Thanks all for the help. As to Shirley’s questions about menopause I actually feel much better with those symptoms like hot flashes etc. than I did over the last three years. I know that at 49 I might be an early bird to menopause. I know that the weight gain and the tiredness and not wanting to wake up and the cycling with constipation is worse over the last six months. The hot flashes seemed to have stopped and my Nurse practioner who does my breast exams said I felt menopausal. I have always had very lumpy breasts and felt pain in my monthly cycles and that is all gone. I hope that the GP will do my FSH, folicle stimulating hormone levels. I had them done in 2009 and they were high but the endo I saw then said that could be a false high with my graves being active at that time. I am functional but not comfortable in my new body. I also have an appt. with a gyn. in a week or so. If I learn anything brilliant I will share it here. I am really grateful to have a place to chat with confidence about thyroid issues.

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in reply to: Help with understanding test numbers please #1175730

Thanks for the help. I have not had the appt. with GP yet. I have the lab values. T4 12.8 top is 12.5 on this lab. T3 uptake 31.2 top is 37% on this lab. Free thyroxine index 4.0 3.9 is top on this lab. TSH 4.633 4.5 is top on this lab. So I am not way over on any of these values but still can’t figure this out. I read your link but I am post ablation so did not think it applied to me too much.

I am probably going to ask for the GP to consult with the endo just to make sure what we should do regarding medication changes. My GP is great. He was the one who guessed thyroid issues in 2007 when I was really ill. I like him a lot since he is willing to say I don’t know and I am not sure. If you can find that article from Kimberly please post it. I tried a search but nothing came up that seemed to fit.

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in reply to: Help with understanding test numbers please #1175728

Thanks for your story. I am glad to hear about other’s experiences. I am still not sure which numbers I should be paying more attention to at this point. The last time, a year ago, I had tests done they ran tsh and two different measures so I can’t really compare them.

Do the numbers for the T4 and T3 uptake being high mean that I am not processing the T4 to T3 well enough? Would that make me feel hypo symptoms?

If that’s so what do I do about that medication wise?

Which books, articles etc. have you found most helpful and insightful? I gave all my hyper books to a friend several years ago and he did not return them. I have. few hypo books but they have not been very helpful.

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in reply to: Levoxyl Dose Changes with weight gain/menopause? #1175609

I got my blood results today and hypo all the way across. With the menopause being a reality I think I will discuss tweaking my dose when I get to my appointment. My GP is taking over from my endo now and I know that he will probably ask me what I think. It’s not the whole reason I have put on this weight but I think it has played a role that I did not think about until I remembered that I am a hypo patient now.

Also looked into getting an eleptical machine to have at home. Anyone had experience with those? I know it is supposed to be better on my arthritic knees than some things.

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in reply to: Levoxyl Dose Changes with weight gain/menopause? #1175604

I hate the weight gain as well. Mine is more on the order of 20 lbs. I know that my body is changing what it used to do, be ready for babies, and so I am aware that things will change but this is not fun. I am hoping that some of it is my levels being off right now. I lost a lot of weight in 2007 when really sick and then gained that and more back with getting things right after RAI. I had lost the overage and was back to a weight I could live with but the last 6-7 months have been up, up and up on the scale.

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in reply to: Levoxyl Dose Changes with weight gain/menopause? #1175601

My middle is larger too and the tops of my legs have really taken on weight as well as irritatingly my pubic area. All this makes my pants feel really ill fitting. Thanks for the link to the article. I forget sometimes that I am essentially a hypothyroid patient now after RAI 4 years ago even though I have Graves. I need to do some more reading.

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in reply to: Levoxyl Dose Changes with weight gain/menopause? #1175598

I have noticed the same with my legs and had not thought about the sodium and water retention. Did you try to limit salt? I just went and had blood drawn today. I will get TSH results tomorrow. I wouldn’t be surprised if I am hypo now but I can’t always go off symptoms.

I had FSH done several years ago when I was thinking I was going into early menopause and it showed that I was but my endo at the time said that Graves can cause FSH to be falsely high. Now I am thinking that this time it is real. I had RAI in 2009 and have been pretty steady on levels after I finally got the right dose of levoxyl.

I am struggling with the weight being in different places than it has been over the past so I think that is another clue as well.

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in reply to: Levoxyl Dose Changes with weight gain/menopause? #1175597

I don’t see a link to the article. Where do I see that?

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in reply to: Red stinging legs? #1175065

Thanks for the reply. Did it come on you really suddenly the first time? I thought my legs were prickly from something when I first noticed it. I did try not to touch it today but thought I might try some hand lotion on it to see what happened tonight. It’s made it worse. Maybe from the rubbing? Also the skin seems to feel really tight. I am headed home tomorrow so I hope I can get to someone next week if it’s still around. How long do your flares last? Some of the places look bumpy and some it seems just red. I am far sighted and even with my glasses on I am not sure of the exact look of what’s happening. Bobbi mentioned that her’s looks like orange skin.

I have not had the eye involvement as of now.
My husband takes fish oil for his ezcema and has had some success with that. He has sjogren’s another type of autoimmune disease.

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in reply to: Post ablative Hypothyroidism in elderly #1063019

Shirley,
I am feeling a lot more normal but my TSH says I’m still off. My periods are wacky and since I am in perimenopause that’s par for the course. Dry skin, constipation are my other symptoms so I think I really am a little hypo now. My Dad is so hard to get to go to the doctor and I live three hours away and wasn’t driving long distances for several years, I’m still not really. The problem now is that his memory is so bad that he can’t remember things from one day to the next and my Mom doesn’t drive etc.. It took her several months to get up the courage to sort of force him to go to the endo. This endo is really just out of school but was the only one they could get an appointment with close enough for my Dad to drive there. Their primary is old too and my Mom thinks he’s no good but…… One day at a time. I know that stress isn’t good for my levels either. Son dropped out of college for a semester, in an odd office situation at work, senior high school autistic daughter not able to get into college at this point, test scores not good enough, snow and cold so a little pitiful today. At least I’m in a warm house and have my husband home with me today.

If you don’t mind me asking, how old were you when you started the synthroid?

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in reply to: TSH that won’t behave #1063016

This is for me. My Dad isn’t on anything at this point. I have always been very careful about the things that you mentioned Bobby. I have not changed brands, timing etc.. I take all my other supplements in the evening so I don’t that that’s the problem. I had to cancel my appt. today. Going to see someone I don’t know next week but that’s what happens with the snow……

Hopefully it’s what Bobby said that I am just needing more hormone from going a little more hypo.

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in reply to: Its a boy!! #1063340

Hooray! Hope that you really do get more settled now. That’s terrific news about the new baby. I too am on 100mcg most of the time , 50mcg once a week and I’m feeling whole lot more like myself these days too.

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in reply to: I Choose RAI I-131 #1063417

Good luck,
I had RAI in May 2009. I am now feeling so much better than I did while sick. It will take time but you will get better.

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in reply to: Panic Attacks? #1063476

I had panic attacks several years before I was diagnosed. I realize looking back that I was probably having other symptoms of Graves then too, weight loss, GI issues etc.. They will get better if they are just from the hyperthyroid symptoms.

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