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Viewing 15 posts - 106 through 120 (of 171 total)
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  • Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Talley. Making a decision is one of the hardest parts of this journey. Sounds like you’ve made a good decision. Enjoy Italy and keep us posted. I plan to start my TT journal this week for my surgery on 5/31. I wish you the best!

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Hi Bill. Thanks for sharing and glad to see your sense of humor is back! All these details are so hopeful. When I log off I’ll be on a mad search for all my limited supply of deep v-neck or button up shirts. Hiding the scar isn’t important to me until I return to work. Don’t want to frighten my staff!

    And in my last trip to the grocery store I’ll buy some Metamucil….something I’ve never had to do before…interesting..

    Have a great 6th day!

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182
    in reply to: Cyclist post-TT #1179465

    Hi Bill. Hang in there. Getting the blues sounds OK to me after a surgery, suffering from GD, and suffering a lifetime with your parental units! Focus on your boys, your dogs, and your new lease on life. Hopefully each day gets better.

    Thanks again for posting…it’s powerful stuff.

    Cheers,
    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Butter999. So very sorry for your loss. How sad and tragic. I’m sure you are a strong advocate for your other family members who are battling AI diseases. Your wife’s story is a great example of why we all need to be active participants in our treatment and become very educated on all options. Especially since the lack of clinical data on AI’s, particularly Graves, is appalling.

    My best to you and our family,
    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182
    in reply to: Cyclist post-TT #1179457

    Hi Bill. Thank you so much for the detailed post. I’m glad to hear you are on the mend. I’ve heard that as much as you would like to be feeling better and up and about, those first few days your body says different.

    I can imagine the wait will be the hardest part. I’m already anxious waiting for my day. I really appreciate you taking the time to post.

    I hope each day gets better for you! Get some rest and dream of your favorite bike ride….

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Howdy and welcome. Sorry to hear your mother has had such a struggle. Please make sure her doctor is also actively treating her GD properly. Saying her GD is ‘mild’ and putting her on thyroid hormones and not much else could mean that the underlying GD is adding to her TED issues. It might not be mild. What labs has she had done, have they repeated them, are they adjusting her anti-thyroid drugs (ATDs)? Is she experiencing other GD symptoms?

    There is great access to research and personal experiences on this site and forum. I wish you and your mother the best,,

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182
    in reply to: An old pro? #1179446

    Hi Andrea. Welcome to the best place to get some answers and find open hearts and minds! Your recent symptoms sure do sound like hyper symptoms to me. Kimberly has great suggestions…maybe your RAI didn’t work sufficiently. I’ve heard that can happen. A more comprehensive panel of thyroid tests could give you the answers you need.

    Keep us posted. I wish you the best….

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Hi Sue. In my pre-op interview I was told to take all my normal meds the morning of surgery with a little sip of water. The only meds I take are Meth and Metoprolol. If you are on different meds, add this important question to your long list. Since I also take Xanex at bedtime as needed, they even told me I could take one in morning if I felt I needed it for anxiety.

    I really felt better after the pre-op interview. It was conducted at the hospital when I went for all my pre-op lab work (or it can be done over phone). The nurse was great. I got printed, clear instructions on what to do (or not do) leading up to the surgery and the morning of the surgery, including how to dress, what to bring to hospital, etc.

    Have a great Memorial weekend!

    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Congrats Cycle! Good to hear your positive vibes so soon after the surgery! Keep us posted as you continue this journey.

    These kind of real life experiences, both the good and the not so good, are so helpful. Especially since I’m 1 week away from the same surgery.

    Thanks and best wishes,
    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Hi Sue, welcome to the TT club! It’s a difficult decision to make but if and when you make it I believe you’ll feel a sense of relief that there can be a real light at the end of this ugly tunnel. I had a list of many questions that I pulled from the “treatment options” big boring medical paper that Kimberly keeps on this forum. I also searched on google and ‘my guy’ answered ALL of them beyond my satisfaction AND he had an appropriate sense of humor. I skipped out of his office all smiles that I had found Mr. Right!

    People will judge you and make stupid comments but hang tough and be strong. They are not the ones waking up with this crap every day.

    Forewarning: even if you make the decision, be prepared that as you get close to cutting time, you will question your decision and get naturally nervous. I’m a week away from my big day and my anxiety is a little higher than normal. I’m determined to focus on the positives!

    My best to you, Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182
    in reply to: Hi #1179373

    Hi Barbra. Welcome to the best place to get some answers, vent if you need to, and to learn from others experiences.

    My first suggestion: GET A NEW DOCTOR….if you can. Endocrinologists are the most versed in this disease, however, not all endos are created equal (haha) and some PCPs are fabulous at treating this disease. Regardless, the more you become educated, the better you can help your doctor manage YOUR disease. Quite frankly, the options can be confusing, the labs can be confusing, and on top of that, while you are in an active stage, you are feeling miserable.

    This forum and us on it have a lot in common and yet each one of us experiences this disease very or slightly different. So grab some paper, make a folder, start clicking thru this website, post your questions and I promise… you will be glad you found us!

    Best wishes, karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Hi Amy. I was wondering where you’ve been and thought maybe you were having some post-op adjustments. Thanks for being so candid and sharing. I know it’s not all easy and perfect with the TT and fully expect to have the same adjustment issues myself.

    Hopefully the adjustment in hormone will work as quickly as the nosedive did!

    You’re my inspiration so hang in there!

    Best wishes, Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Hi Cycle… I’m 7 days behind you on the TT so I definitely feel your anxiety. Mine is scheduled for Friday, May 31st and as it gets closer I get more nervous. I know logically that I’ve made the right decision for me but that doesn’t matter when emotions and fears and doubts start invading the brain!
    You have been thru this much longer than I have so I feel a little silly saying that I could not deal with 5 months of Graves nevermind 15 years. Meds are not for me and neither is RAI (mostly because of my eye involvement). I want this to be over and done with. Now.
    I’m a bit older than you (54) and menopausal (you have no idea how that complicates Graves!) and I’m not nearly as active as you are. I’m hoping to get back into a physical lifestyle once this baby is gone, gone, gone.
    I wish you the best and will be looking forward to reading about your journey. I’ll send positive vibes your way on Thursday!
    Karen

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Thinking back I think I’ve been hyper most of my life. After a physical in December 2012 and a resting heart rate of 130 my PCP did all the right tests and was diagnosed Graves in January 2013. The months since then haven’t been pleasant. Ups and downs — hyper, hypo, miserable, menopausal, eye involvement, rage, foggy brain, irritability, etc. Decided early on that meds were not for me since the side effects from those complicate my Graves. So had my surgical consult and am scheduled for a TT on 5/31/13. Confident in my decision but naturally nervous. My goal: the last half of 2013 and the rest of my life will be much better than these last 6 months. I want this craziness in my rear view mirror!

    Karen

    PS. Boomer, thanks for finding us on this forum…every one of your posts makes me laugh out loud and that’s really good medicine!

    Gabe
    Participant
    Post count: 182

    Welcome Boomer. Thanks for bringing your sense of humor! Your posts actually make me LOL. Sounds like you were very close to a storm. Glad you got yourself checked out before you checked out!
    While we all have GD, each of our stories can be so different and what works for one doesn’t work for the next. The ATDs and BBs are a common and great treatment and do work well for some long term.
    Best thing is that you quit smoking. Hell Yeah!!
    Karen

Viewing 15 posts - 106 through 120 (of 171 total)