[Kimberly]

in reply to: Ref: Graves eye disease light sensitivity #1185831

Hello – I wish we had better treatment options for light sensitivity. In the meantime, good sunglasses can provide some relief – preferably a wrap-around style. A ball cap or other hat with a wide brim can be helpful when outside as well.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Tsh .06 anyone else have this with normal T4 #1185826

Hello and welcome – I’ve not seen any research that the flu vaccine suppresses TSH. Is your doctor planning to do follow up labs? If you have normal T3/T4 with suppressed TSH, that’s referred to as “subclinical hyperthyroidism”. It’s usually a “watch and wait” situation to see if T3/T4 go out of range as well. The exception is that your doc might recommend treatment if you are having hypER symtpoms or if you are at high risk for bone loss or heart problems.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Dealing With Depression After Thyroidectomy #1185819

Hello and welcome. Sorry to hear that you are going through this, but glad that you found us. Sometimes, thyroid imbalance can mimic symptoms of depression/anxiety, but in other cases, there *can* be another underlying condition that can benefit from separate treatment. This video is one of our most popular – The Emotional Impact of Graves’ Disease – and will hopefully be of interest. Perhaps your doc and psychologist would be interested as well.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CB8_5rbCso8&t=2s

Testing TSH alone is great for patients who are stable and feeling well, but since you are still symptomatic, it might be helpful to get a read on your T3/T4 as well, just to see where those are.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Treatment with Tepezza #1185780

@NikkiL – The first step would be to contact your ophthalmologist to determine if TEPEZZA (TM) is a good option for you. From there, you can contact your insurance company, and if needed, there are patient assistance programs that your doctor can connect you with.

If your double vision is not too bad – and if it isn’t getting better or worse from day to day, eyeglass prisms might be an option.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Need info for Radioactive Iodine Therapy #1185815

Hello – Sorry that you are dealing with this, but glad that this was caught post-thyroidectomy. Hopefully, you will get some responses here, but also check out thyca.org – they provide excellent credible information on all things thyroid cancer. They also have a free low-iodine cookbook. If you have the time and energy, suggest taking a whole day to pick a few recipes and freeze extra portions, as it’s harder to rely on convenience foods when going low iodine.

You might consult with your endocrinologist and an ophthalmologist as well to see if they have any concerns about thyroid eye disease. I’ve *not* heard of any issues with this with thyroidectomy+RAI – but it would be worth getting an expert opinion.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Muscle spasms with Graves Disease #1185806

Hello and welcome – would you be able to reach out to your thyroid surgeon? Muscle cramping *can* come with hypoparathyroidism, which can happen if the parathyroids are damaged during surgery. The effect is usually temporary. Here’s some additional info:

https://www.uclahealth.org/endocrine-center/hypoparathyroidism

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Muscle spasms with Graves Disease #1185804

Wow, that is SO frustrating, but it’s good that you have a doctor who is willing to help you get to the root cause of these new symptoms. Please keep us posted.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Graves Disease and Radioactive Iodine Treatment #1185720

Hello – Hopefully, you have followup labs scheduled to see if the issue persists. TSH can be an early warning sign that T3 and T4 are headed out of balance, even if they are still in the “normal” range.

It’s not uncommon to need a tweak in dosing as we age – plus, the reformulation probably made things extra challenging. It would also be worth it to report these findings to the pharmacy in case others are having the same issue.

Did your doctor provide any guidance on the nature-throid? It’s a desiccated product like Armour. He or she might have concerns about starting you on a product with T3 (which is the more powerful and active form of thyroid hormone) with your TSH already suppressed.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Feedback on Online Events for 2020 #1185813

Hello – The first step would be to get a specific diagnosis of TED from your provider and a determination as to whether this is the right course of treatment for you. The next step would be going through your insurance company – and if they don’t cover, your doctor should be able to direct you to an assistance program.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Feedback on Online Events for 2020 #1185811

Thanks to everyone who completed our survey regarding future online programming! Our community members overwhelmingly preferred to have a series of 90-minute webinars, rather one full day (or two half-days) of online programming. Two new poll questions…

What topics would you like to hear about?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GDATF/status/1291078496123412481

Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/events/1642048682736535/permalink/2669476706660389/

What is your preferred breakdown of presentations vs. Q&A?

Twitter: https://twitter.com/GDATF/status/1291079091077046272

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/events/1642048682736535/permalink/2669478029993590/

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Feelings and emotions with Graves Disease #1185691

@AZGravesGuy – Great to hear from you. Hope all is well!

Just to clarify, a TSH of 22 warrants an immediate consult with your endocrinologist or primary care doc (and a followup appointment to recheck labs), and not a dose adjustment on your own.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Muscle spasms with Graves Disease #1185801

Hello – Hopefully, others who have experienced this will chime in here. One thought would be to get levels checked if it’s been a while, as both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism are potential causes of cramping. However, there are other potential causes as well, so definitely mention this to your primary care provider or your endocrinologist.

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Graves Disease and Radioactive Iodine Treatment #1185718

Welcome, Reah! You might also check out our Facebook group (you can search for GDATF) or our social wall at oneGRAVESvoice.com if you’d like to hear from other patients, as this forum is a little more quiet than the other two.

Hope all goes well!

[Kimberly]

in reply to: Treatment with Tepezza #1185776

Great – be sure and answer all three questions when you join the Facebook group. If you don’t see all 3, you can email us at info@gdatf.org. (The questions are to confirm why you want to join, that you understand it’s a moderated group, and that you agree to abide by the group rules.)

[Kimberly]

in reply to: How long does it usually take to get hormones balanced after Thyroidectomy and on medications #1185792

Hello – We’re fellow patients here, so I would ask your doc about specific dosing instructions. My own doc’s instructions were more geared towards honoring the waiting period before breakfast, rather than recommending an exact time.

[Author]

Posts