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in reply to: How long before TSH catches up to dose change? #1183541
Sue,
I don’t know if this helps, but I had a total thyroidectomy 13 months ago and I find the values do move around a bit. I am on 88 four days a week and 75 three days. I started at 112 and it has taken awhile to get to a good dose despite the fact my values have been pretty much within the normal range. The first six months, the TSH did not move as much while still normal. I have found it takes a minimum of two months and usually three for your body to really stabilize at a dose and symptoms of too high or too low lag behind the labs by a month. Trust me, you never want the TSH on high side, you feel awful even if FT4 is okay. I know that the TSH can stay low for a few months after TT. I would slowly reduce the levothyroxine. Also, TSH seems to be lower in morning and higher in afternoon, so when you get blood drawn may matter too. I have no patience so it has been hard finding the “perfect” dose but I am pretty much there. Take your time and make changes slowly. I have found the TSH to most accurately reflect how I am feeling so I don’t pay a lot of attention to the free Ts.I had a total thyroidectomy and it was no problem at all, uneventful surgery and very quick recovery. Thyroid storm is bad news, glad you avoided it.
in reply to: Feeling fairly hopeless #1183278You will feel good again. I have had Graves for 18 months and have the eye disease too. I found after my thyroid was totally gone via thyroidectomy I felt better right away. Hopefully once yours is no longer functioning you will quickly get into normal range and make minor adjustments to where you feel best, not just least bad! This disease teaches you patience for sure. Hang in there.
Shirley is right. It is important to find a good surgeon who does a lot of thyroidectomies. Mine was great, had it done last December. Done on a Friday at noon, back home by four that afternoon. I was given something for nausea just prior so had no issues with post general anesthesia vomiting. No sore throat, no need to take supplemental vitamin D or calcium. Minor heartburn on Saturday, back to normal activity on Monday. Cannot even see scar. Best thing was that two week post surgery thyroid labs were normal! They start you on Synthroid right away and you are pretty much done except for some fine tuning.
in reply to: Update and swollen lymph nodes #1182749I had a total thyroidectomy after seven months of messing around with methimazole dosing. Best decision, easy surgery and recovery, no spending all your time trying to figure out crazy and ever changing thyroid levels and feeling hypo and hyper. Levels immediately within range and this past year has been only fine tuning every few months without feeling terrible. I have the eye disease too, which is enough to worry about all by itself. I have never regretted having the surgery.
in reply to: subclinical hyperthyroidism? #1183247I did find this article that does mention steroids and other drugs interfering with thyroid tests.
http://www.ucsfcme.com/2012/slides/MFC13003/14SchneiderControversiesInThyroidDisease.pdf
in reply to: subclinical hyperthyroidism? #1183245I do not miss the brain fog! I don’t know if this helps, but before Graves, if I felt bad or had headaches or insomnia, I blamed it on my allergies. After Graves, I blamed everything on my thyroid levels. Some of my hyper symptoms were the same as my hypo ones. Finally I picked one or two symptoms I felt were classic for me like higher BP for hyper, and then stuck pretty much with that for minor adjustments within normal range. You did just have relatively major surgery and I am sure you are pretty stressed. Hopefully it will all level out for you. It is great that you can be on such a low dose.
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