[grasshopper]

in reply to: I’m sorry me again but think I’m going crazy #1073111

I am in no way a qualified professional such as a Dr so please take what I say as just a friend who wants to help.
If things are so out of control and you feel " you’re not going to be here when the appt comes around", it is time to go
to your local emergency room and seek help. We have to be proactive and help ourselves at times, and from what you write, this
seems like one of those times.
You are a strong person. You’re going thru a rough time now, but it WILL get better. Since you don’t give your age, could some of how
you are feeling be due to menopause or peri-menopause? I realize from my own experience that having thyroid issues can create havoc,
yet at the same time, other factors effect us also that are not due to our thyroids.
You are an example for your children and I am sure you have love in your heart for them, so if you can’t eat, try drinking..small sips at a time…do it for your kids & those who love you if you can’t do it for yourself at this time….milkshakes, protein drinks, ensure, something to keep yourself hydrated and healthy. Without sleep and food we cannot function, no matter if we have other issues creating havoc in our lives or not. I’m a very heavy person, and I love food, yet when I don’t sleep well, the next day I feel yucky and have no appetite..so please, be good to yourself…rest, eat even if it’s tiny amounts thru the day..drink to keep hydrated..and hug your kids. Let them know you love them & need them. I will bet they want to help you but don’t know how. Just my 2 cents worth…Much luck & love to you…hang in there, count your blessings..make a list of them if you can realize them better that way, and call a hot line, go to the ER until you can go see your own doctors, and know you have people out here who care.

[grasshopper]

in reply to: Bad Thoughts #1073173

I agree this site and it’s members are amazing! Today I responded to a post regarding "sore legs", and spoke about some physical symptoms I’m having
and an Orthopedic surgeon agrees with…Yet..Everytime I walk, I am very much afraid of falling, and have fallend about 4x. I and am much more sensitive to how the floor feels, if there is a pebble or twig on the ground where I am going to step, if it is a smooth, dry surface and if it is on an incline at all. I walk like I’m walking on glass..eggshells & hold on to anything I can to get around..I’m confused as to whether this is due to a true medical problem or am I nuts! I tell myself I’ve walked on the same floors at home ( I have all hardwood floors, no carpeting) but now I fear slipping as I walk. It doesn’t matter if I am in sneakers with rubber souls or barefeet..I walk with the same fear. My body tightens up and will not walk in a parking lot without a shopping cart to hold on to..That’s not the real me! I love to dance, walk on the boardwalk for hours…What is wrong with me?
Now that we’ve had snow & there is some ice to contend with, forget my going anywhere! Ice has a way of finding me…I hate this!

You are not alone..I wish I knew if it was due to my thyroid issues, a true medical condition or I have a phobia.
It has changed my life in that I can’t do my job so I’m out on disability. My boyfriend wants to go places and I have to remind him I can’t go because
of my mobility issues. Life sucks this way for sure.

[grasshopper]

in reply to: Sore Legs #1073146

Thank you so much for both of the post regarding sore legs. I am presently out on disability due to not being able to walk without pain due to my
legs being weak. I have been going to an Orthopedic Surgeon who has sent me for an MRI on my back, saying if I couldn’t lift my leg without help while sitting down, it was due to my back. Well, the MRI did show some displaced discs, but it’s not my back that hurts..it is a front upper thigh area called the Femor. I will be going for 2 more MRI’s soon..one for my hip and one for the Femor. I’ve been told I have arthritis in both my hip and knee, so time will tell what’s going on.
My point is that for so long I have felt like I’m going crazy having so many issues and not knowing what is going on. Your posts shed some light on the fact it could also be my thyroid causing some of it.
Just last week I talked to my primary doctor’s nurse, who told me my recent bloodwork came back " within range" as for my thyroid. I’ve been taking PTU for about 4 months, since stopping all medication a few years ago. I was wrong to stop taking the PTU and found that out the hard way by feeling so awful & having legs of jelly. I *think* my legs have improved a bit since then, but still disable me to the point I can’t do my work or walk well.
How long *should* it take to get the strength & mobility back IF it is due to my thyroid and not a physical ailment such as displaced discs?
I just want to work again and feel somewhat in control of my life again!
Reading your posts was a comfort & gave me some hope…thank you again.

[grasshopper]

in reply to: Iodine in Vitamins? #1073445

Thank you for your response..Sorry I was so unclear in my post. Besides everything else, I guess I have "brain fog" as well..lol
My surgery was for weight loss surgery. I still have my thyroid. I was on PTU for about 18 months before having RAI, which had no effect
on my thyroid. I went back on the PTU for another year, but stopped taking it when I had my weight loss surgery. At that time I was in "remission", as my doctor referred to it, so it was safe to have surgery, since no one would perform any surgery on me while my thyroid was so out of wack. Most doctors were afraid of my having a thyroid storm during surgery. Approximately 4 months ago, I went back on the PTU, and am presently taking 2 tablets per day. I am awaiting my blood test results and anxious to see what’s going on with my thyroid.
I have to take vitamins each day since having weight loss surgery, but wanted to know if anyone else was told not to take vitamins that have Iodine in them. It seems most vitamins have some Iodine. I’ve been taking Women’s One A Day vitamins, which do not have Iodine and will continue. I was just curious and thought perhaps I’d look into changing brands.
Hope that explains things a bit better. Thank you again:-)

[grasshopper]

in reply to: PTU QUESTIONS! #1074757

PTU is Propylthiouracil…now you know why it’s referred to as PTU…lol

~Grasshopper

[grasshopper]

in reply to: PTU QUESTIONS! #1074754

Hi Sarabear

I’m doing better, thank you for asking! I’ve been taking my meds and done alot of sleeping and relaxing for the last 4 days. I actually feel somewhat isolated since I live alone, but it’s given me time to be with myself and read, think and do things for myself to regroup.

I’ve been taking PTU for about 5 years total. I was diagnosed 7 years ago, and when I went to Brazil for weight loss surgery, my Dr. took me off all my meds the week before surgery, and since feeling so good in losing weight, I was stupid and didn’t think I had to keep taking the PTU, so I stopped.
Two years later I found out I must have been in remission, but need to take the PTU everyday as prescribed.
I’m trying to cut back on foods with iodine & trying to handle stress better, hoping that will have a positive effect as well.
I wasn’t told by my dr to cut back on the foods with iodine, just doing it from some reading I did. Do others do this also?
My dilemma is that with having had weight loss surgery, I am supposed to have alot of protein each day, yet it’s the foods rich in protein that
seem to have the iodine in them! Foods like fish, dairy products such as eggs, cheese…all good for my diet, but not good for Graves:-(
I’m confused on what to eat to say the least!
Hope you are doing well and feeling better! While I don’t wish this on anyone, it’s nice to know we’re all not alone.

Hugs,
~Grasshopper

[grasshopper]

in reply to: Muscle Loss in Legs & More #1074809

First, thank you for all your wonderful responses! I don’t feel so alone & I know your good advice comes from experience! BTW, if anyone is in NJ as I am, it would be so nice to make some new friends who understand our situation, & hang out together. Doing positive things & having some fun & good conversation seems like a good idea to me.
Does anyone have some suggestions for me? I have yet another issue:
I’m definitely trying to be more active and get some exercise in these days. I had weight loss surgery over 3 years ago, and have
gained some of my weight back, so I’ve made a fresh committment to myself to eat healthier and exercise. It figures the one symptom of being hyperthyroid such as weight loss I’d actually like to have, but don’t! In fact I am very much overweight, yet hyper not hypo..go figure!
One of the problems I’m having is that the food I am supposed to eat are the very foods I have read I should stay away from because
they have iodine in them. I need to eat protein first, but fish, eggs & most dairy seems to have iodine. I’m confused as to what to eat!

Lynne, an early Happy Birthday to us March babies going to be "seniors" this year:-) Sometimes I feel all of my soon to be 55 years+, and some days I feel 35, but that hasn’t been the case in a long while..lol.
Thank you all again. Enjoy the rest of your holiday weekend!

Hugs,
~Elise ( Grasshopper)

[grasshopper]

in reply to: PTU QUESTIONS! #1074750

I also take PTU and they taste like the white rind in a grapefruit to me…very bitter! YUK! The taste can linger, so I drink a lot of water or soda after taking them to wash it down. I have read that we shouldn’t eat grapefruit while taking this drug. Has anyone else read this? With it tasting like grapefruit to me, there must be a good reason?
If the PTU will help me, really I don’t mind taking it even if it tastes bad. It’s a small thing to deal with compared to having Graves Disease & being hyper! ” title=”Wink” />

Hugs,
~Grasshopper

[grasshopper]

in reply to: How many are like me? #1075126

You are not alone–About 7 years ago, I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism..My dr says I have Graves Disease. Before I was diagnosed, I thought I had MS or something else, not a problem with my thyroid. My legs felt so weak, I couldnt walk well and anytime I had to go up stairs, I had to be helped. I couldn’t lift my leg to even get myself up a curb! I remember driving myself to the ER, only to find that there was no handicap access, only curbs..I went home & cried. I felt like a true prisoner in my own body.
I was very itchy, emotionally anxious & couldnt sleep. I had no appetite, lost 80 lbs ( I was very heavy, so that was the only good thing, yet I looked like death according to my friends & family)
I was put on PTU, and beta blockers once diagnosed. My bloodwork was taken routinely and my Dr decided I would benefit from having the radiation treatment..swallowing radiation. I did it and nothing happened…nada, zip! My thyroid has been so difficult to control ” title=”Sad” />
Finally, after 4 years, it was under control enough to have some surgery I needed. My dr’s would not allow me to have any surgery since I could have a thyroid storm while under anesthesia, and they wouldnt take the risk, and neither would I.
Since I felt good, I was stupid ( no other way to explain it) and stopped taking my thyroid meds. I was at a point in my life where I had no insurance, and couldnt afford the meds, or the dr visits.
Now, a few years later, I have been taking my PTU again, but my legs are very weak, and I am once again having a hard time walking & getting up stairs, curbs that are only 6" high, and generally feeling uneasy when walking. My walking as if I’m walking on eggshells has made my back give me problems & I have a pain on my right side that won’t go away. I’ve lived on tylenol for the back issues, maybe that is why my right side hurts? It is where the liver is located & I know the risks & issues tylenol can create for some.
I find my memory, and concentration are effected. I cry more & feel anxious much of the time. I itch again, and get very tired. So many of the things I feel could be from other reasons, but in having been down this road before, I feel it is due to my thyroid issues. I’ll see my dr again next week and tell her what’s been going on.
I have to learn to put me first at times. I think the stress I have in my life, due to finances & relationships, & not taking good care of myself made my walking issues and other symptoms return. What does anyone else think? Am I correct? Does anyone else have muscle weakness or any of the other things I explained I have?
Do what is best for you. Take good care of yourself. Ignore those who don’t understand. I’ve found many who never heard of hyperthyroids, but know much about hypothyroids.
What other things can I do to help myself & take better care of myself?
Let’s all hang in there & get thru this together:-)

~Elise

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