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in reply to: Post RAI 8 yrs on Synthroid #1173733
Hello and welcome!
I’m sorry to hear that you are feeling so poorly. I think your first priority is to contact your endo and your PCP to get them on the same page and clarify which meds you should be taking, as you seem to have conflicting prescriptions!
Synthroid is T4 only, while Cytomel is T3 only. Naturethroid is actually a combination T3/T4 drug. It’s really important that you get these docs to agree on which meds you should be taking and in what dosage!
I’m not aware of any specific diet recommendations for patients who are hypo, except for the usual recommendations around taking replacement hormone (i.e. spacing out your meds from food/coffee, and especially from soy, iron, and calcium).
Foods that are high in iodine (such as seaweed wraps) should be avoided in patients who are currently hypER, but I have not heard of any issues with patients who are hypO.
Take care – and please check back to let us know how you are doing!
in reply to: Just another newbie #1173739Hello and welcome to the forum. The guidance document that you pulled from thyroidguidelines.net actually has some great info on subclinical hyperthyroidism. The guidance notes that treatment is recommended for patients who are experiencing hyperthyroid symptoms. (See page 25 of the PDF document / page 617 of the journal article).
Statistically, the patients with the highest likelihood of remission are female, have low antibody levels, small goiters, and mild disease. These are just statistics, though – we have a moderator on this board (James) who has been in remission for 9+ years.
In terms of dosing, every patient is different depending on their circumstances, but I started on a dose of 15 mg/day of methimazole, which was cut in half after a few weeks.
There isn’t a ton of info out there that is specific to men. However, I’ve heard that men who get thyroid eye disease tend to have a higher risk of more severe complications. Also, a presenter at last year’s conference in Boston noted that men tend to have a higher failure rate for RAI than women do.
Hope this helps!
Wow, so sorry you are going through this! Another option might be to call the doc’s office and give them permission to leave a voice mail message with the results, just in case you miss the call.
in reply to: Donations & Membership? #1173748Hello – Thanks for asking about membership!
For patients who attend the conference, the $35 will be deducted from registration fees, so you will fully recoup the membership.
The membership also comes with a twice-yearly newsletter, although some publications may go out to everyone on the GDATF’s mailing list, at the Board’s discretion.
Funds received go towards helping the Foundation continue its patient education and support offerings, including this bulletin board, local support groups and patient education events and phone/e-mail support for patients.
Take care!
in reply to: TRAb vs TSI #1173742Hello – It’s quite common for labs to use slightly different “normal” ranges…that’s one reason why it’s helpful to get a hard copy of your lab reports so you can see for yourself what range is being used.
TRAb measures total antibody activity, while TSI is more specific to the antibodies that cause stimulation of the thyroid gland. I have not heard that one is “better” than the other for purposes of diagnosis and treatment, but this would be a good question for the docs at our upcoming conference!
in reply to: Thyroid Peroxidase Ab #1173745Hello – The presence of TPOab is considered a marker for autoimmune thyroid disease. Many Graves’ patients do test positive, but a certain percentage of the population with completely normal thyroid function will also test positive for TPOab.
I don’t recall seeing any studies on a link between Hashi’s and thyroid cancer…and I have not heard of TPOab being used to determine treatment options for Graves’ patients.
in reply to: I don’t think the Prednisone is working #1173206Hello – I agree with gatorgirly’s comments that you don’t want to have surgery while your eyes are still changing…unless it’s necessary to preserve your vision. The reason is that if you have surgery and your vision keeps changing, you could be faced with going through the same surgery *again*.
You mentioned concerns that you are “losing vision”. Are you having issues seeing colors? Are you losing some of your peripheral vision? If you could be more specific with your doctors, perhaps they would be better able to assist you in making a decision as to whether immediate surgery is warranted.
in reply to: ~~ HypoT Symptoms ~~ #1173449Carito71 wrote:Did you ever experience hypo symptoms? Or where you able to achieve a level that was comfortable w/o having your #s fall low?Hello – I never went officially hypo, but my T3/T4 were scraping the bottom of the “normal” range a few weeks after I started treatment. That’s been almost 5 years ago, but the biggest symptom I remember was *extreme* fatigue.
Hope this helps!
in reply to: Well, here goes! #1173470Hello – Having thyroid hormone levels out of balance can absolutely affect emotions, memory, and mental processing. This bulletin from the Foundation talks about some of the mental and emotional changes that can occur with Graves’. It’s called “What’s Wrong With Me – I’m Not Myself Anymore”.
(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).
http://gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patient-education/whats-wrong-with-me/
As for why anyone gets Graves’ (or any autoimmune disease), the current theory is that certain individuals are genetically predisposed to getting an autoimmune condition and then some “trigger” actually activates the disease. The trigger might be stress, a viral illness, something in the environment, or physical trauma. It’s not well understood why women significantly outnumber men when it comes to Graves’.
By the way, if you have an interest in attending a support group in AZ in September, here is the info for the time/location:
http://gdatf.org/groups/scottsdale/
Take care — and please keep us posted!
in reply to: ~~ HypoT Symptoms ~~ #1173446Hello – Every patient is different, but common symptoms of hypo can include fatigue, joint pain, unexplained weight gain, constipation, dry skin, cold intolerance, and slow pulse.
If you feel these symptoms coming on, definitely contact your doctor’s office to get an updated set of labs done.
in reply to: Went to Blood Analysis Today #1173462@VanIsle Gal – Per the forum’s policy, I had to edit the link out of the above post.
For information on the posting of links, see the “New User? Read This First!” thread in the announcements section of the forum.
In order to promote a specific product on this forum, we would need to make sure that our Board of Directors was comfortable that the medical research indicates that it would be both safe and effective.
I would run the suggestions from the analyst that you visited past your own doctor.
Adrenal fatigue is a subject of some controversy in the medical community. Here is a piece from the Mayo Clinic:
(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/adrenal-fatigue/AN01583
On the slapping issue, I have never heard of this or seen any research on it. However, there is research showing that blunt trauma to the thyroid gland can potentially bring on complications such as thyroid storm and hematoma, so I would definitely suggest running this past a medical professional.
I do wish you all the best on your path to finding healing, but keep in mind that because the GDATF is a 501(c)(3) charitable foundation governed by a board of directors, we have more stringent rules here on content than other online forums.
For other posters, when it comes to supplements, definitely make sure all your doctors are aware of all supplements you are taking. Some can be toxic if taken in too high of a dose, and others can potentially interact with prescription meds.
in reply to: liver function and methimazole #1173426Hello and welcome to the forum.
All new members have to have their very first post manually approved by a moderator before it shows up on the forum. Unfortunately, we have to do this to keep spammers from completely clogging up the boards.
I’m so sorry that you and your daughter are going through this. We are fellow patients here, not doctors, so your own doc is in the best position to speculate on what is going on.
However, I do know that hyperthyroidism in itself can cause liver function tests to go out of range, and I don’t know how quickly you can expect them to go back to normal after hyperthyroidism resolves. And the test results generally need to be significantly outside the “normal” range (2-3 times the upper limit) before there is concern that it’s the meds that are causing the issue.
Hopefully, you will see things settle down over the next few weeks, but make sure that your doctor keeps you up to date on symptoms to watch out for that might indicate potential liver problems — and what action to take if you do spot these issues. These can include itching, rash, yellowing of the skin or eyes, light-colored stool or dark urine, joint pain, right upper abdominal pain or abdominal bloating.
Take care — and please keep us posted.
in reply to: Cycle touring post RAI #1173433Hello and welcome! Hopefully, you will see some responses here, but you can also use the “search posts” feature in the top right-hand corner of the screen. (You do have to be logged in with your username and password in order to use the “search posts” feature). You might try keywords like “travel”, “bike”, “bicycle”, “international”, etc..
Wishing you all the best!
in reply to: First post-thyroidectomy lab results – help? #1173421Hello – I haven’t personally been through this process, but I would make it a point to note how you are feeling within the next few weeks. (At that point, you should see the full effect of the dosage adjustment). If you start feeling hypO symptoms on the lower dose, I would call and ask for a set of labs *before* the 3-month mark.
Take care!
in reply to: Vitamin D & Autoimmune Thyroid Disease #1173411Just a quick note to stress the importance of working with your doctor to get tested prior to adding a Vitamin D supplement. My own endo does this testing and has recommended supplementation in my case, but there can be toxic effects if you get *too* much Vitamin D (as is the case with most other vitamins/minerals).
@klm – Hello and welcome! Please note that your post was approved with the link removed. We do allow the posting of links here, but they need to come specifically from medical journals or medical organizations. (You can read more in the “New User? Read This First!” thread in the announcements section of the forum.) -
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