[mamabear]

in reply to: PTU option #1075188

Yes I will. I have written it before so i’ll copy and paste it after I find it and then add the new stuff, as soon as I get kids settled down. ” title=”Wink” />

[mamabear]

in reply to: thyroid illnesses and diet coke #1075443

Oh I just wanted to comment about the Coke. I drink way to much soda. I know I do for sure. although I dont have it in the house and wont allow the kids to drink it but on occasion or if we’re out, I have gotten better only because I calculated how much I was drinking in ounces and how much that added up per year in lbs.

Diet or not doesn’t really matter to me, i personally wont eat any artificial sweetener at all. would rather stick with what I know (sugar) and just eat it in moderation.

If you take a bottle of soda and look at what the ounces is on it mine says 20 fluid ounces. Lets just say that I drank one of those every week to say the least.
So 20 ounces is 1 pound 4 ounces per week Times(x’s) 52 weeks = 1040 ounces per year which is 65 pounds PER YEAR. That is what made me not drink so much of it. That is an extra 65 lbs that i didn’t need to try to work off after my Graves was under control.

Not sure this perspective will help but since you were saying that you were looking at not eating/drinking things that were badfor you and this might be your last vise…this is a very heavy vise to say the least. Is it the caffeine you are craving from it? If so a cup of coffee in the morning or espresso in the morning and one right after dinner might be better for you then all that soda. I know it seems like such a little amount (65lbs) and we work off calories all the time BUT why would you put your already sick body through more work? It already has to absorb properly and break down things and do so much, why give it more to do. Just my opinion hope it helps.

[mamabear]

in reply to: thyroid illnesses and diet coke #1075442

Well are you sure the nasty cold you had wasn’t really the flu. I WOULD speak to your Endocrinologist about it. say that you wanted to know since you just had a cold if you should get the shot.

Personally I am in remission and I have 4 kids so getting sick is always something ya know I’m gunna get ” title=”Wink” /> . We all wound up with the flu this past March and I was lucky not to go out of remission(flu/cold triggers my graves) so this winter I am getting flu shot.

You need to speak with dr. and ask him what he thinks. He is your best source for this and knows your history or at least has your test results in front of him.

have a wonderful thanksgiving!!!

[mamabear]

in reply to: My Story and My questions…PLEASE HELP! #1075202

Please read Tips on hair/skin I have 3 ft of hair as well.

I have a question, was it your peers that pushed for you to have the RAI? What was the reason you are deciding on it? Where your thyroid levels getting better with the Methimazole, was it showing improvement? If so then why stop. Did the dr. tell you that once you have RAI that you will become Hypothyroid and will always need to take thyroid replacement the rest of your life? Did he say that it will take time to adjust to a dose to make sure that you are at the right level?
Did dr. explain about the restrictions during RAI and what you have to do afterward?

I am not your dr. and if you said he was the one who said listen the methimazole isn’t working lets do RAI i’d say ok. But if this is from your peers then which one of them has gone through it and has been able to tell you first hand how it will work out? I know they are radiologist but they are the ones giving the dose that the dr. says to give. They aren’t the patients that are going through it, they dont know enough to say that that is what you personally should have done or be doing. Of course your dr. will opt for RAI because it is a lifetime that you will always be in his office. You will always go for check ups and medicine for replacement therapy. Its better for your dr. because if you go into remission on Methimazole then you aren’t in the office as much. (words right out of my dr’s mouth lol, she says that all dr’s prefer RAI over Tapazole or PTU, but she knows i wont and she is great with me, she does not push the RAI unless it’s needed).

I’m just concerned that this was a harsh decision due to peers talking to you about it and then you mentioned it to dr. and he said lets go for it. If i am wrong please please tell me, but if i’m right… I just want you to understand ALL of the info for both taking meds and also doing the RAI and of course after RAI you will need to take meds anyway.

Your hair is important to you, you have worked very very hard on getting as long as it is. You need to brush it out but have a care when you do, the link i posted will help you learn how to care for it properly and always remember that when you take a shampoo or conidtioner off the shelf look at the backfor anything that silicone in it. If it says anything that ends in "cone" that is a form of silicone and it hurts your hair making it weaker. So the more expensive shampoos that you are using and conditioners might not be good for you. Some good ones are the cheapest ones in fact. I use whiterain and Vo5 (they are the cheapest but I find that most of them dont have any silicones in them and are good for my hair.)
The graves disease is what is making your hair fall out, it will take time for your body to heal and if I remember correctly Ski one of the girls on here that knows a lot about this says that your hair is one of the last things to heal.
Stressing over it wont help you either, I know it is hard because you have worked hard but again this is your body being ill, nurture your body and remind yourself that whether you do the RAI or opt for meds again, either way your body and hair and everything inside you has to heal it will take time. But caring for it will help you feel better knowing that you are doing everything you need to do to keep it better looking. Read the link about it and I hope it helps.

I am hoping that others will respond better to this, as I am a bit confused about your reasons for opting for the RAI. Did your dr. even do another set of tests to see if the methimazole was helping, is so what were the numbers? Either way I do hope that you feel better and are able to get through this. we are here for ya!!!!

[mamabear]

in reply to: New to this #1075192

I am writing in bold black print so you can see my answers within your post.
I wrote a post called Tips on hair and skin during thyroid issues <

---

put cursor over that highlighted area and click on it, another page will come up. It’s on the NGDF.org board as well but just so I knew you could find it I put the link for you.

THat can help you with your hair and skin. Of course you being someone who takes care of hair would know some tricks already but when we are in our "crazies" is what I call them all of your training is out the window and nothing works right. So pretend you know nothing about hair and just read it and try to pamper yourself. Those tips are ones that I found to work for me and a few others I have come to know. Skin, well I have eczema so that on top of graves, i had to figure out something. lol

I have many of the symptoms, hair loss (which is hard for a hair stylist), body aches, anxiety, slight tremors, what I like to call thyroid brain,I call that the "crazies", it was just a fun name so the kids wouldn’t freak out. muscle aches and weakness, dark circles (I don’t think there is enough make-up in the cosmetic department for this),Getting sleep is crucial , you have two active boys what are their ages, do they need mommy at night? If so are you waking up at night for them? If not then get to bed early LIKE 8-9pm. Sounds funny but when we get older we STILL need about 10 hours of sleep when we have graves disease. Your body heals itself when sleeping so the dark circles might be better if you have a better sleep. Stop trying to clean because you were too tired during the day to clean and you are trying to do it at night. It wont help you, I swear it wont. If you start going to bed at 8pm and your ready to lay down at 9pm even if you wake up due to your graves several times at night you are still getting more sleep then you would if you are going to bed at like 11 or 12am. tired most of the time, and heat and cold intolerance. I am always like this regardless of having graves disease. I hate being cold but my feet can not be hot at all or my entire is hot.In the winter I wear wool socks, I even wear a hat on my head in the house at times because when my head and feet are warm my hands tend to be as well. It took me 15 years to figure that out lol. That’s all I can think of right now but I’m finding more out each day ” title=”Smile” />. When we(dh and I) first found out I had this we wrote down all of the symptoms and as I got them i checked them off and had to laugh about it. I called it the crazies to give it a funny name for our child’s sake at the time I had only one child… but I wanted a cute name for it as well because I couldn’t kicks it’s butt if I didn’t know what I was dealing with and finding out what it was was great so I gave it a name and as my symptoms got better I put a little ha ha ha next to the checkmark I had orignally put there. Basically saying ha ha I got better so tough neener neener neener!! LOL yep I was a child about it. lol but it helped. Not saying I wasn’t upset and depressed over it but I was considered mild and since it was found fairly early although I had always felt I was hyperT, doing the PTU (medicine of choice at time) helped me and I am currently in remission (no medicine at all and within normal range for over a year).
Staying healthy and eating right is always going to be key. Just doing simple stretching exercises will help you to feel that you have accomplished something. Get a morning/afternoon and evening routine going. Write it up and post it where you look the most. Give chores to your kids and husband and anyone else living with you that is human ” title=”Wink” /> Delegate!!

I guess what I’m looking for right now is maybe some direction from those that have had this for awhile as to what direction I need to go in, what things I need to look out for, things that I need to avoid. Avoid getting sick virus’ can trigger this and I am happy to say that my Endocrinologist agrees with me!!!!! She is the only Dr. that has acknowledged this and is teaching other dr.s about this and I have to send out kudos to her for realizing that a cold/flu can trigger Graves disease to show it’s ugly self.I know probably very little in comparison to all of you but I’ m learning! Any information that you can give me, any tips would be greatly appreciated. Maybe even what would help to tell my family of what they can do to help or look out for. This link called Suggestions on how to help kids understand GravesMight help you. I talk about the crazies in there too LOL LOL LOL, I am not sure of your kids ages but I spoke to a women on that thread about her kids to help her kids understand. I also have a 13 1/2 yr old son that has lived through this as well. I don’t like to be a complainer but some days I feel like a Mac Truck ran me over and I have all I can do to function, but like most I have a busy life. I work two jobs, (one of which is my own business, small salon in my home), have two active boys, a husband, a dog that just had four puppies, and an extended family that needs some help with health issues that they have going on. I can’t stress this enough……. So i will be blunt… SAY no when you have to. You are only human and you are a human with an illness, you will have good and bad days and hopefully remission some day. Life is to short enjoy your kids and husband but if someone else has a problem that THEY need to handle let THEM deal with it. If there are medical issues that you have to tend to with someone in the family then do so but if it gets to hard you must delegate that responsibility to someone else. STress is bad for Graves Disease. Dont make it worse by taking on too much, as it is you have a house full that is plenty for you period. Don’t be superwoman..she was only a character in a movie there is no such real person, and even if there is seh can keep that job, we dont want it ” title=”Wink” />

As far as your dog and her babies make sure she has seen a vet and her babies get weighed in and checked on when they are able to get to vet. Any sign of not eating/discharge in eyes/green coming from milk glands/anything out of the ordinary please get vet on phone and get advice as to what to do. Please also know that your female dog since she has just had babies will be very very sensitive to YOU. You are alpha female and since you are ill she might feel she needs to knock you down the totem poll and take care of you. This is not good for her as a dog in a pack. She needs to tend to her babies, so make sure that you treat her as though she is still the dog and she gets fed after the family gets fed, she goes out the door last when taking her for a walk. Unless she is a well trained good headed dog she might get confused if she thinks you are not able to do your job as alpha female. If she is her old self and nothing is wrong then leave it be. If she is fussing over you or growling at you then ask for help by your vet or trainer, you can ask me if you need help asap(i am always willing to help with that and love doing it.I just want to feel as "normal" as possible again and have my life be as "normal" as it can be. I’m realistic that life is not perfect and there are always bumps along the way but this is hard for me because I’m a very active person and to go from that to feeling like I need a nap or two everyday is a hard adjustment for me. I believe that we are not given more than we can handle, some days we may question things, but everything happens for a reason and what doesn’t kill me will make me stronger!!! I feel the same, He wont give us more than we can handle but some days feels like he gave too much. It’s ok to feel that way. One day at a time. One symptoms at a time, remember symptoms wont go away quickly so it will take some time for your body to heal.(Ski is better at this part then I am, i am sure she will share good info for the symptoms and such)

Thank you in advance for any help that you can give me and my family. I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving and enjoys their time with family and friends!

You enjoy your Thanksgiving as well. Remember to delegate and look at that link I sent about helping kids understand, I have some suggestions for routines up there that might help. Good luck to you. If your dh is having a hard time understanding this please tell him to join here and feel free to vent/ask questions/research/learn, he is more than welcome. Graves can lead to bad things in a marriage so learning together helps one and other get through this.

I told ya it would be long lol

[mamabear]

in reply to: New to this #1075191

I have to run ds5 up to school bus but will reply as soon as I get back. Warning though, I write long posts !! ” title=”Wink” /> ” title=”Wink” /> ” title=”Wink” />

[mamabear]

in reply to: About the holidays… #1075238

Wow Cathy!!! That is certainly nontraditional lol. Medicine is certainly something I would love to do either with animals or the elderly. I am not sure I would be able to be a ped nurse, my emotions would get the better of me and since my overbearing motherbear ways make me feel that one can take care of the babies better than I can that probably wont go well in that profession. But I certainly in time would love to take care of animals or the elderly while bouncing grandbabies on my knee and spoiling the heck of out them lol.

[mamabear]

in reply to: About the holidays… #1075236

Cathy, I will consider that when the time is right. Thank you so much! ” title=”Wink” /> What did you mean by traditional (like an RN)?

Tammy, I would have to say that you should speak with your health care provider. He/she knows you best and will give you the most accurate information for you personally.

I know that I drank in moderation during holiday and not during holiday and my Endocrinologist said it was just fine. Of course no abusing but enjoying a spirit or two should not be a problem. He knew my history and of course knew the dose that I was on for my PTU.

Have a save and fun holiday and remember that the morning after a holiday is the worst time to be on the road. Drunks are out all the time especially the morning after so please have a care when driving home or to a loved ones home or work.

[mamabear]

in reply to: Lost Post – Question About Causal Link #1075221

Wanted to say hello and welcome.

I have always thought that if taking any medicine for hypo that there is a possibility that it can make you hyperT but with adjusting the dose will bring you back to where you need/should be. Unless you have a predisposition for it or already have Graves and it is lying dormant. If you went HyperT did your dr. adjust your meds to bring your levels back to normal again?

This info is what I was informed of, i am sure if it is wrong someone will be able to correct meas soon as they see this post. ” title=”Wink” />

[mamabear]

in reply to: About the holidays… #1075232

Cathy, Thank you. I have always been interested in the medical field. I wanted to be a pediatric nurse out of high school. No money and no support at home so I didn’t. Out of high school I volunteered for a Veterinarians Office and then went full time there for two years. That sort of drilled the whole love of medicine into my brain for sure even though I am NOT at all great with math. lol I left there only never to return to any medical profession at all. I worked customer service for almost 5 years then temp’d for a while then became a stay at home mom. My thirst for medicine still rings true for me though and I am always researching things even if they have nothing to do with me. Maybe one day when my kids are older I will do something involving that but right now I can’t. I try to keep up on things that I do know and I also adore animals and of course try to keep up on that and not forget what I know. I am a nutritionist for animals and like to keep up with that as well as training them and learning their behavior. So I guess the answer is no I’m not but maybe one day would like to work with animals again. Not sure about humans lol.
Thank you, great observation. I do try to learn as much as I can even if it is a little here and a little there.

[mamabear]

in reply to: About the holidays… #1075230

Thank you Ski!!!

I would also like to comment about depression. If you feel you are in a bad place please speak with a friend/loved one or Dr about it. Don’t wait on it, don’t think your loved one or friend shouldn’t know just because it’s the holidays, if you need help ask for it. They will love you more for telling them you need help and not waiting on it.

[mamabear]

in reply to: I am in remission but… #1075244

I am currently in remission, so there is light at the end of the tunnel!!! I have been without medication for 18months and My TSH levels are within normal range.

Like Ski said your body is healing and it will take time. Some things might take longer to heal then others and everyone is different.

Remember that PMS is REAL and before your menses you might feel cranky even angry and yell, you might cry for the stupidest things and get mad at someone even when it is your own fault.(been there myself ) But that is just being a woman and having PMS. Men have to learn to cope and we have to learn that right before our periods we need to be aware that we can/do have pms and we have to learn to not eat the junk that will make it worse. (Like….chocolate, caffeine of any sorts, chips …any junk food). Hydration is key for PMS in fact your entire body is key on hydration especially while going through thyroid issues.

If you are looking to get pregnant and cant’ it will take time, although if you are looking to get pregnant you should tell your dr. so he may talk about being on Tapazole and might switch you to something else. Just make sure you dr. knows if you are looking to do that.

Healing takes time so take it day by day and you will see results.
Prayers for continued healing!!

[mamabear]

in reply to: GD treatments / to seekingclarity #1075286

Janet, thank you for sharing. I have been on PTU, Tapazol wasn’t an option for me as I was trying to get pregnant at the time. I did well on PTU and I know the side effects vs being Hypo after RAI. May I ask just out of curiosity what ATD’s did they recommend and what were those side effects?

Glad the dr’s are keeping track of her levels, when are they thinking of putting her on Thyroid replacement?

Good luck with this and God Bless!!

[mamabear]

in reply to: New Graves & Hashimotos and other stuff #1075246

Welcome!!!
Are you sure you don’t mean Reynaud’s Syndrome?
To be simple, yes you can have more than one autoimmune disease. BUT just because you have one doesn’t mean you will get another. OR just because you have one doens’t mean that your kids or grandkids will get what you have, they might get it or they might get a different autoimmune disease if they get any at all.

Do you take meds for your indoor/outdoor allergies? If not then why? If yes then good, keep it up because allergies will make you feel miserable and can cause you to be more prone to getting a cold and once you get a cold if your sinus’ are already screwy with allergies your cold can become a sinus infection. Again not saying it will but saying it might.

Watching your diet is key, you might still gain weight but you need to make sure you aren’t contributing to the weight gain of the meds or from just being hypo. No junk food, drink plenty of water, stay away from caffeine in any forms, eat dairy/meats/fruits and veggies daily. It is hard to readjust your thinking but it is key to becoming healthy. I have never been hypo but I have heard that once your levels become normal you will be able to loose weight. I don’t know if this is true or not but that is what I heard.

Your hair is important to your self image, everyone feels that way, please see Thyroid issues skin/hair treatment it might help you with your hair.

There are several people on here that can help you better with what you are going through and know more medical terms than I do so I will leave all of that up to them. I just wanted to say hello and welcome you and give you the little info that I did have.

[mamabear]

in reply to: New to Graves and struggling with life… #1075387

Hello and welcome.

I too have graves disease although in remission for 18months now with no meds. I just wrote a thread on Skin and hair treatment with thyroid issues feel free to read it. it might help.

Your hair will come back but like Ski and the others said it will take time. I personally I have about 3 feet of hair (from forehead to ends). Mine too was coming out in chunks and yes it is very very depressing. It was the last thing that started to get fixed once I was on meds. Also know that hair does come out on its own and the more hair you have the more it will look like it is a lot. Of course having Graves disease doesn’t help but your hair naturally will shed so don’t be fooled once you are better. Since you are going through this you will be very very in tuned with your body and your hair so you will notice your hair shedding, that will be normal hair shed obviously if you notice it more often then not then see your dr. to make sure your levels are ok.

I had had one child at age 21 pregnancy at age 20 with 1st marriage. When I married my 2nd husband I was 26 and it was not something he signed up for either. But this was me and that was just the way it was going to be. I did go on meds (PTU) and I did go within range much faster than most people do within 3months time. I went to see an RE(Reproductive Endocrinologist) and she helped me get pregnant. It was much easier than we thought it would be and again it was faster than most people. Some people have to have procedures done several times and use drugs to induce ovulation and such. I did get pregnant and after baby was born and 5months old started to try again with the RE and when he was 10months i would up pregnant again with 3rd child. It was wonderful to be able to get the help I needed.

In between I did go out of remission but again I was back on meds and did fine, then went off meds and 7months later while I was doing great got pregnant on my own with 4th child. It is never easy but it can happen. Just make sure you have an RE that will do testing to see where you are having a problem. A Gyno or just Ob wont be able to help, unless they do fertility in their office. If you are looking at what types of fertility tests and want to talk privately please PM me.

As far as your DH please ask him to stay informed by researching the disease. It will help him be able to understand your pain and anger and depression. THe snapping and the "SHUT UP’s!"" that will come out of your mouth. HE will be able to see changes in you that you might not be able to see. If he needs to vent please tell him to come on here as well. He willbe more than welcome. Any venting that he will do or you will do should not be personally. He should be able to have a place to vent about you and vise versa as well. This will only help you both get through it.

I have to go for now. Things will get better even though it stinks. we are here for you!!

[Author]

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