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in reply to: Am I headed in the right direction? #1067511

Yes thank you. I will keep on keeping on as I have no choice but to think that it is all helping as you point out. For those out there who are getting ready to go through RAI or have just done it don’t worry. This really is easier than being hyper it just seems hard in the moment. Life doesn’t stop either when you are getting better so I have to deal with that too…… Thanks for the reply again Ski. Tomorrow is another day to get over the flu and have my levels settle out.

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in reply to: Am I headed in the right direction? #1067509

Thanks for the reply. What do you mean by emergency responses? I feel like I’m a little hyper feeling when I change doses. My BP goes a little hay wire and I’ve had a few high pulse readings and a night sweat since I started a new dose three days ago. Is this my body thinking that it’s getting too much again even though it’s not?

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in reply to: two weeks post RAI #1067531

Yes, you can really have BP changes and swings during the time after RAI. I did and it’s one of the things that I monitored closely. When I went Hypo finally my BP top number would be really high and the bottom number low. Now that I am getting closer to my correct dose of replacement things have been evening out on my BP.

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in reply to: graves and adjuvanted vaccines (esp. H1N1) #1067533

I do not know the answer to your question about the vaccine but wanted to put my two cents in about the H1n1. I am recovering now and it’s been a whopper of a flu. I have never felt so bad from a virus. It really did wipe me out about like my worst Graves times did two years ago. I am glad that you are going to get the vaccine. My cousin is pregnant and didn’t go get hers when they had it in her town. Now she has to wait again. My uncle is really worried as she already has two little ones at home and lives in a college town. Good luck with getting what you need as quickly as you can.

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in reply to: Am I making a big mistake?? #1067563

Dream,
I finally had my RAI on May 8th and am now as SKI says on my way to being a lot healthier. It has taken its ups and downs and I have had to guide my endo along even though he has dealt with Graves patients in the past. Keep thinking that time is passing now going toward a better you instead of the unknown! Hope you have a good weekend too.

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in reply to: Scared high TSH #1067575

Hyperm,
I got my new numbers back yesterday and my TSH is 33 and my Free T-4 is almost normal so my endo is taking me from 50 mcg of replacement per day to 62.5. I wish I didn’t have to cut tablets in half! On top of all that I am fairly certain that I have the H1N1 flu now. All the right symptoms etc. and it’s been going around my daughter’s high school. I have been disinfecting everything, doorknobs, light switches. etc.. Husband slept in a different bed last night. Threw away toothbrushes etc.. I wish there was an easy way to go through all this HYPO business but I keep thinking back on my HYPER days and reflecting that they were way worse.

Said a little prayer for you last night. Hope that you are feeling better today.

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in reply to: Scared high TSH #1067570

Hyperm,
Dont’ know the difference in the scales for TSH but my last reading was 62! I am still feeling very hypo too. Had levels drawn yesterday and the endo didn’t seem too worried that I was having hypo symptoms. I know that my level of medication should be higher but he is taking me up so slowly that I feel like it’s not helping enough. Sounds like it’s a good thing to raise yours with all the symptoms you’ve been having. I understand your panic about the levels etc. but your scar should reassure you that that isn’t going to be the case ever again unless you take way too much medication. Keep on bugging them about the way you feel. You are important and you know your body best. Hopefully you’ll feel a lot better in a day or two.

Take care now,
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in reply to: frustrated #1067614

When was your RAI? If your levels haven’t started to normalize I don’t know that this is the time to try and start to loose weight. I have been on my hormone replacement for about 7 weeks and I started doing my WW again on my own just to try and get my liquid in and to get my emotional eating under control. I have lost about 5 pounds but don’t expect it to go much further yet as I can’t really exercise on any consistent basis yet. I know that I am way weaker than I was before I got sick about two and half years ago so I expect it will go slowly. I am focusing on feeling better even though my extra weight is bothering me. I know that my bowels aren’t back in shape either so I get bloated and have troubles. I expect that’s from still being hypo right now. I will go up on my dose again next week. I was told that it would take at least 6 weeks for my synthetic hormone to build up in my system so that my body could have a more reliable supply. There are lots of ideas about how to loose weight when you are hypo or have been hypo. The about thyroid web site has lots of things about weight loss. You might try looking there.

I hope you start to feel better soon.

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in reply to: The rollercoaster- am I hyper again? #1067627

Lacie,
I am experiencing the same kinds of what if feelings. I am now on the hormone replacement about 7 weeks and I have some good days and some bad days when I think oh no my HR is up again and I think it’s all coming back. I think there is a real adjustment for our bodies and it makes sense that things go up and down. On the otherhand your sore throat may have nothing to do with your thyroid. There is a lot of stuff out there to get right now. I feel like I am getting a cold right now. It’s hard to know what to attribute to which thing for me. I did end up at my GP a few weeks ago and I had a UTI so it wasn’t just hypo making me feel yucky. If it continues maybe you should go make sure you aren’t harboring STREP or something else. Do you have a fever? Swollen lymph glands? Swollen tonsils if you still have them?

Hope today is better for you. I am noticing things changing for me slowly. My skin feels different and my fingernails aren’t as ridgy as they were earlier. My eyes aren’t puffy and I do feel like I have an upward trend in energy.

Hang in there.

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in reply to: Chronic fatigue #1067675

hi Hyperm,
I too am struggling to get back into shape of any kind after my RAI and going on my hormone replacement. I too know that I am not taking enough. I go back next Tuesday and the endo is already certain he’ll raise my levels. I have had fibromyalgia for 15 years so I know what it takes to get back into shape physically and it will take me months. I did 10 minutes of an exercise tape today and am already sore and achey. My pulse is staying low which is good but it’s still weird. I had a UTI infection last week which took a lot to get over. The medication made me feel worse than the infection.

I have made sure I’m taking my VIt. D and magnesium and calcium everyday. YOu might want to ask your GP or endo to check all these type things and make sure that you aren’t Vit B deficient or something else that can cause some of the fatigue.

I am a good bit older than you are as well. Oh and I am still making myself rest at least an hour on the couch each afternoon after lunch. Sometimes I still fall asleep. I am not having any trouble sleeping at night so I guess I still need the naps.

Take it slow and easy as you can. I hope that they do raise your medication if your numbers are still showing you are low.

I have to remember how long I was really sick, two years + and should realize that it will probably take me that long to get back up to speed. I know you were sick a lot longer.

Take care,
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in reply to: neck pain post RAI – how long til it goes away? #1067729

Hockey,
Glad to hear that you are doing well. I took four months to go hypo. My throat and neck area did hurt for the first week. You probably have some swelling that is taking a while to go down. I wouldn’t worry too much unless it gets worse. You probably won’t start any hormone replacement until you really can show it with the numbers that you need it. Take care and have fun with the birthdays.

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in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068768

Kimberly,
I am doing the number of points for my height weight age etc. with no activity level added for loosing. When I was on maintenance a few years ago when I was hyper I was eating whatever I wanted. I am using my extra points each week sporadically. I am not counting any activity points at this time either so for me that’s 21 points per day right now. I am making sure to get all my liquid in for sure and am making myself eat up to my points every day even if I’m not hungry.

My leaders over the past have said that a plateau can be kick started with lowering your points for two days and then going back to your regular points for two days and then lowering again for two days but then you should try and be steady for a while. I haven’t ever had to try that so don’t know if it really works. You might go back and redo your initial assessment of how many points you should be getting per day again from your beginning book if you still have it. I have aged up since I did it years ago and know I am not active at all really. I will get there some day.

I have been trying to eat more nuts and using olive oil and eating peanut butter too. The Prevention Magazine has a flat belly list of foods that seem to help get rid of the bloated belly. I have noticed a difference. I’m not doing it all but am taking bits and pieces from it.

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in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068764

Just checking in too. I have lost 5lbs on my WW regime again. That feels good but I don’t. Still probably too hypo. Another two weeks and then I can go up again on my levoxyl. I have a UTI and the medication is making me sicker than the infection. The first one I was on made me hurt so much that I had to come off it. This one is giving me headaches and wooziness etc.. I know that it will pass. Had my regular flu shot as well. That made my arm hurt for a while but didn’t do too much I think. Hard to know what’s what when you don’t feel well from an infection.

Keep working on things day by day and keep smiling when you can.

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in reply to: Still experiencing symptoms…but labs are normal? #1067788

Hi,
It does affect the amount of estrogen that you have in your system. I can’t remember where I read it but I was always telling my doctor’s the same thing. My gyn finally told me that I was right. He said he didn’t understand exactly how it worked but that having more or less estrogen affected the amount of thyroid hormone that was available to be converted or something like that. I wrote a few other posts about it when I was writing a lot more on the board at one point. You can click on my signature to see all my posts at once. Keep telling them what you feel. They don’t all know what they are talking about and I got bits and pieces of useful information from several kinds of doctors when I was first really sick.

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in reply to: RAI four weeks in OH BOY #1067881

julies,
You are on your way. Glad to know that the RAI seems to be doing its job. Take it easy when you can.

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