[Gabe]

in reply to: My baby girl #1180172

Diane. Just a thought. Most labs nowadays have online services. I use Lab Corp and I get my results the same time my doctor does, usually within 24 hiurs. It keeps my history of all labs and I always have access to read my own results…usually way before my doc calls me.

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Armour #1180265

Hi all, I asked my endo about Armour at my first post TT appt with him. He’s not a believer and actually used the word ‘quackery”. However admitted he will prescribe for ‘subjective symptoms’ once the patients labs are within normal ranges yet still not feeling well. I asked a biologist friend of mine her thoughts on this and her opinion is that she would never take anything derived from an animal because you never know what other things you are inheriting from that animal….interesting thought. She believes any kind of hormone based replacement should always be synthetic and well regulated. My opinion is that I will consider Armour IF I find that I’m still not feeling right once levels are ‘normal’. Good discussion.

[Gabe]

in reply to: 13 years of Graves, plan to TT, right decision?? #1180231

Welcome. Many of us have journals on this forum and have recently gone thru TT (mine is under Gabe’s TT 5/31/13; Talley has one; Sueandherzoo is next week; Amy, Bill, Alexis, etc). You’ll find plenty of info on is forum. My opinion. Nothing to be afraid of. Very easy recovery…so far, so good for me.

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Hyperthyroid Symptom Question #1179902

Interesting. Just occurred to me. I was diagnosed with IBS in my late teens. Struggled with this all my life. Had my TT on 5/31/13 and have not had one single episode of spastic colon or diarrhea (sorry for the graphics!) since the surgery. Coincidence? Could my thyroid have been causing this my entire life?! I swear I’ve been hyper since my teens. Hmmmmmm. Makes me wonder…will be watching this…

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: New Member #1180226

Hi Jolilly. welcome to the best place to vent, find friends with similar situations, and gain a wealth of knowledge. Everyone of us has GD in common and everyone of us has a slightly different story or path. I’m just starting on the TED journey and its much scarier than the GD by itself. I’m happy for you that you finally found some good docs. That’s so very important. Keep us posted.

Best wishes,

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Eyelid surgery a breeze #1180192

Gatorgirly, great news. Would you be inclined to share the link to your personal blog (on forum or PM). I would love to follow the poster child of GD eye issues since I’m tracking on a similar path and am quite nervous about what all this could lead too. The double vision is VERY difficult to deal with. Thanks! Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: 3 weeks post-TT, weight gain #1180250

Hi Talley. I’m almost 6 weeks out and I’ve put on about 4 pounds total. However, I have to admit that I haven’t been watching what I’m eating nor exercising. Now that I believe I’m past the post op stuff I’ll start focusing on my eating habits. I had my labs done at 3 weeks and was already hypo so my dose was doubled to 100 mcgs, which is your starting dose (interesting).

I wouldn’t be overly concerned about your slight gain since it sounds like you are an exerciser and conscious of your weight. You’ll get this under control in no time. Don’t push your body too soon after a major surgery.

Best wishes,

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Gabe’s Total Thyroidectomy Journal – 5/31/13 #1179646

Thanks Kimberly….I will start the research. Thanks for all the resources! Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Gabe’s Total Thyroidectomy Journal – 5/31/13 #1179644

An update and a gripe session….

Almost 5 weeks post TT and its been a bit of a roller coaster. Got labs early (at 3 weeks) and was already hypo. Upped the Levothyroxine to 100 mcgs. Hot flashes are very hard to deal with and I’m not sleeping well at all…maybe 3 hours before waking. Now all this could be menopause…who knows. Have had a few bouts of crying, frustration, anxiety for silly reasons.

Generally feeling much better than prior to TT. I’m hoping my levels stabilize soon so I can start sorting out what is thyroid and what is menopause and what can I do about it, if anything! Scar is healing nicely. Not using any special creams, just sunscreen.

The most disturbing is the changes in my eyes. For those of you contemplating TT, please do NOT assume that the TT caused my eye issues. I had mild/moderate eyes issues prior to TT and I have off-the-charts antibodies (as measured by TRAb and TSI) so the timing is coincidental. Picked up my new glasses with the temporary prisms (stickers)…thanks to Shirley for the advice on Not getting them ground into the glass since I suspect they may not be working.

As bad as the hyper and hypo symptoms are…I could work thru them. I’m finding it very difficult to work thru not being able to see anything clearly or double of everything or headaches daily from the changes to my eyes. It’s definitely affecting my ability to work and to do my favorite thing…read.

I meet with the best (for my area) Strab ophthalmologist/surgeon in 2 weeks. I’m very concerned with the path this may take. If anyone has any good reading on TED, or advice, please share.

Just wondering what’s next…. Finally coming to terms with the fact that I have a chronic, live altering disease that I’m trying to remain positive and manage it vs. it controlling me. The battle continues….

Happy Independence Day to all!

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Question & 6 wk post-TT Update #1180197

Hi Bill. Good to hear from you! I had my 6 weeks post TT labs at 3 weeks because I didn’t want to go too far into hyPO. Glad I didn’t wait. TSH was already 25 at 3 weeks. So endo doubled Levothyroxine from 50 to 100 mcgs. He also tested T4,Free and it was normal (.99). I asked why he didn’t test T3 and his response was that he doses off the TSH only. Wasn’t on top of my game that day to challenge him. Hope this helps!

Happy Biking!

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Eyelid surgery a breeze #1180188

Glad to hear and good to know. I may be heading down the eye surgery path so I’m on a quest to get educated! Sounds much easier than the TT I just went thru. I’ll know if I need Strabismus surgery in a few weeks. Hope not.

Enjoy the bridal shower!

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Plummers nail #1180147

Hi Randistuart… this happened to me (my baby toenail just fell completely off while on vacation; freaked me out) while I was doing the Methimazole roller coaster. If I remember right it was during the time when I was a little hypO on meds. Had a TT recently and haven’t had this happen again. Wonder if it could be related to the Grave’s antibodies vs. the hypo/hyper status or Meth dosage? I know my antibodies are off the charts. Just a thought…
Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: My baby girl #1180155

Hi Diane.. so sorry to hear about your daughter. I’m sure as a parent you are heartbroken that she’s potentially on the GD path. Personally, if it was me I would schedule her now. Why wait for some test to tell you she’s hyper when all signs indicate. But for a slightly different number, she would officially be hyper. I’m sure you don’t want her to wait until she’s much worse than she is. And it could take a while to get the appointment. I vote for calling now and taking action now…you and she both know this isn’t ‘normal’ so why wait.

I’m not a parent so I just can’t imagine how you are feeling… hugs….

Karen

[Gabe]

in reply to: Bulletin for the HOT FLASHES CROWD! #1180132

Hi Shirley. I’ll definitely be reading and following this since I’m struggling with a surge in my flashes…more like my slow burns. They are becoming very frequent, bothersome, and I’m starting to experience anxiety with some of the them. Best way to describe them is my entire core..deep down feels like a blast furnace…my back and chest feel like they are on fire from the inside. No sweating or visible signs. I’ve been officially menopausal for 7 months (since I believe you have to be 12 months without a period before its official). So how long does this agony last? I’m sure the GD is making it worse.

Holy moly!

Karen

PS. I took a serotonin uptake inhibitor (Effexor) for many years. The withdrawal from that drug was one of the worst experiences of my life. So I would approach these drugs very cautiously. Swore I would never take another one.

[Gabe]

in reply to: Diagnosed @ 49 y/o #1179174

Hi Boomer! Glad to hear your RAI has been a breeze so far.

#6. You can charge your electronic equipment just by staring at it really, really hard!

Good luck with the inappropriate folks in your Endos office. Such a shame a great doc is surrounded by incompetence. He needs to know.

Hope the nuke works quickly for you. I’m a TTer so I’m not as familiar with Post RAI procedures. At what point do you get labs done? I’m assuming you stay on Meth until they know it dies? Or maybe not.

Cheers for a GLOWING good time!

Karen

[Author]

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