[mamabear]

in reply to: Time #1063836

shale72701 wrote:I am kind of proud of myself!

AND YOU SHOULD BE! You have done great! The best advocate for yourself is YOU! Don’t ever let anyone treat you that way! Come here to vent any time. I’ll type more tomorrow when I have a min… Great job!

[mamabear]

in reply to: Time #1063832

shale72701 wrote: I am very impatient and angry and hate having to disclose my personal issues to the drs. over and over again. I just hope that I will feel good again, logically though I know I need to go in and see the dr. not taking any medicine is only going to make things worst. I try to say to myself it isn’t a big issue to be hyper, and I don’t need to go in. I am confused, I guess I am looking for someone to come with me and to guide me through this, sounds childish, but I get so emotional and frustrated I can’t grasp what needs to be done. Sorry to be a downer.

It’s ok to have a pitty party for yourself! We all do it… NOW that you have said it, lets start with getting your head back in the game. That might be hard because HyperT makes our minds wonder and we can’t stay focused but having someone…ummmm like me ” title=”Very Happy” /> nag you about going to the dr. might help! ” title=”Wink” /> Or I can peeve you off to a point where you’ll go just so I stop asking if you’ve gone yet! ” title=”Wink” />

YES you need to see the dr., call your general dr. and get in there to see him TODAY! Tell him you aren’t feeling well and need a sick visit.
If you see your general dr. you can ask him to call one of the endo’s to get you a faster appt., tell him how you are feeling. You don’t know if he will unless you ask.
Speak over and over and over again if you must…. why wouldn’t you? THis is your life, your heart… You have TWO CHILDREN to think of as well. How can you be at your best for them if you have a rock hovering over your heard with "Pitty Party written on it"…. Wash the rock off and lay it down and call the dr’s till they get tired of hearing you and get in to see one that will listen to you!
Emotional and frustrated come with the territory when it comes to graves’, this should be pushing you harder to get an appt at what ever cost is necessary… I mean like by yelling or crying to the nurse saying you can’t deal with it anymore. I come up with some stuff, don’t I ! Hey however it gets us in there to see the dr. is all that matters. Tell the truth too, but if its not working than pull out the tears and the "i’m not sure" stuff and cry a little if that doesn’t come naturally.

Once in the appt, you can ask your questions and not leave till you are satisfied. Write yourself a note to write all questions down and ask them from the paper. You will forget, Graves makes us ramble and forget things, so having that paper helps us check off the things we are sure we want to ask.

It is not easy by any means BUT you must take control, for your own sake and for your kids.
Does your husband know what is going on?
If not tell him and get his support on this… with two kids he will need to help you or another family member. SOmeone other than you must know and if the kids are old enough then you should sit with them and explain that you are sick there might be a time where they might see you sick and you need to explain to them about getting their dad, a neighbor or calling 911 if need be. These are just precautions, you just never know so rather safe than sorry. If they are young then dont because it will only scare them.

get an appt today!!! Please!

[mamabear]

in reply to: Hyperthyroidism and the Boston marathon #1063750

I agree with Bobbi. Hyper active and HyperThyroid are two different species. I had a lot of energy as a kid. People thought I was on drugs, I swear! LOL I of course was not, I sure did have a lot of energy.
Being Hyperthyroid made me think at the time I was "hyper"Thryoid but that wasn’t the case. It was truly my regular energy level that was key, I was a basketball player, volleyball player, lifted weights in high school too. Didn’t get to go on the football team because mom didn’t want me ruining my smile that she just paid for !LOL

Being HyperThryoid made me different, my thoughts were racing, I coudln’t concentrate, I had this pounding in my chest. Funny, how I always tell people I had a "mild case" and now explaining it to you, I remember being so dang scared to death that I had no clue what was going on and all of these feelings were terrifying. I guess it was mild because I got through it better off than most people. But it was a roller coaster ride for sure.

Being competitive and determined can come to a crashing hault when graves disease hits. You have to remember one thing and you might not want to but WE all know here that there is no other choice. YOU MUST protect YOU! Your HEART is something that needs protection from this disease and you have to make that choice to do what is right for you. Running isn’t going to help your heart right now. I know odd as it may seem, since we all know running is great and keeps us in shape.

You are right in the sense of being as fit as you can be, you loosing weight and feeling great about yourself and being in shape is ALL YOU! NOT the Hyper part of Graves. Take that thought and get it out of your mind, it can confuse you and get you angry in thinking you want "that back". YOU DON"T want "that" back. You want to heal and get better and even if you never run a Boston, heck how many people can say they qualified for it!? That is a great accomplishment, that is something to be proud of!
Knowing that you are ill, you need to make that same effort and protect your body from harm. SPeak to the dr’s, get all the info you can, come to an agreement with the dr. about your treatment and stick to it. If it doesn’t work for you then change the game plan and tweak what needs tweaking.
If the dr. says no working out you are going to have to listen. This is not a disease that is forgiving.

This is a long road but we can all help !

[mamabear]

in reply to: Still no meds #1063733

Do you have confirmed allergies? If they are not confirmed I would get tested as soon as you can. Do NOT let an allergest bs you into a whole bunch of things, just go in and ask for the skin test. Even some first time visits they will do it there. I hate dr’s who say well we’ll do it next visit…. I don’t except that because I know the reason is to get you back there and get more money.

Zyrtec is a decongestant but if it is not working after at least two weeks of being on it then you might have more than just allergies. THe allergies could have caused another sinus issue.. I am well aware of them and have 4 kids that their allergies trigger a sinus infection and let me tell ya… that stinks!
If you have any colored discharge coming out of your nose or throat when you cough you need to go see your general dr., they may put you on an antibiotic. Please dont delay on this. The faster you get on an antibiotic (if that is what is is needed) the faster you will heal. Allergies produce clear secretions from the nose so if it’s green/yellow/brown please call dr.
Also, the dr. might want to do a strep test on you, although it would be rare to have a soar throat from strep this long it is a good idea to get it checked anyway.. so dont be surprised if they want to do that.
This is a General Dr. visit not your Endo visit, so please get a call in to them asap. I am sure with all the issues with sinus’ you have had you know what it feels like but with being hyper then hypo and now not sure it’s good to just have the dr. say what this sinus/congestion/swelling might be.
Let the dr. know about not being on meds for Graves and what your last lab #’s were. He himself might want to run a thyroid panel. I know my general dr. runs all my tests and if a problem then I see an endo, but I’m in remission so I dont have to worry about that right now. I do know my dr. doesn’t wait, she just does it and then if need be will let me know if there is a problem.

I would also let the Endo know about the issues you are having jsut so he knows and he can see you if your general dr. can’t.

[mamabear]

in reply to: flu shot? #1063859

The "flu" was my Trigger. I will never forget that! I had all the typical oh she must be Hyper symptoms as a kid. But blood work at 18 showed normal.

I had the flu Nov 2000 and by feb 2001 I was finally showing it in my labwork. The virus triggered it to finally show it’s ugly head.

I didn’t get the vaccine until Nov 2008. I had the flu 3/1/08 and it was bad, dh and I both had it at teh same time AND we have 4 kids youngest at the time was only 2.
I have gotten since

[mamabear]

in reply to: new to aving Graves disease #1063956

Welcome! Hoping all goes well with the appt.
Don’t be discouraged! If someone can go with you it would help a lot. Sometimes we go in there and think OMG what in the world is this dr. talking about and we don’t recall what he/she said. But having another pair of ears can help, maybe have them ask the questions you want to ask or have them remind you of some questions you have forgotten. Ask a family member or friend to be and advocate for you if you seem to be zoning out. Maybe you can if you see me repeating myself or not spitting it out touch my hand or pat my back. Sometimes that is all we need.
I will never forget going in there and I was by myself, this was after a dr. over the phone said to me that the blood work they did 3 weeks before showed I had graves and that was all they said. I went to an endo who then said yes you have graves (i had no scan/uptake) and he said do RAI and that was that.
I went home and told dh and he looked at me funny. He was lets just say… cranky! He did research on the internet, something I didnt have at the ready for help like i do now. I then researched it at the library and found out a lot of stuff.

It was my decision to leave this endo and seek another. I was told to try ADT and I did and it helped. My case was very very lucky though so I am grateful.

You will do fine! Advice here that was given was good advice!

[mamabear]

in reply to: Question about Doctor #1063889

call the dr.’s office and ask for a phone call back from him NOT his nurse.
Explain your concerns and if he feels this phone call is taking too long then you would be happy to make anohter appt for follow up care.
You do not need to start the meds without consulting the dr. first. YOU ARe the patient and they work for you, yes they are the dr’s but you are the boss of you!
If they blow you off, seek another dr.
Personally they get one try with me, if bedside manner stinks, I kick em’ ta the curb! LOL

This is standard for some dr’s but some need a wake up call saying wow they patient wont be treated that way so I better fix this. Others dont care and those are the ones that I dont go to.

Call them and ask to talk to the dr. if they say no then make appt. then see dr. and ask him why he never called you, graves is serious and you were left out in the dust with a phone call from a nurse who didn’t give you anything other than take it and we’ll see ya! What about side effects and talk about meds you can’t take and stuff like that?

You ARE your best advocate! SPEAK UP or you will be walked on. I know it stinks and it’s tough but you can do this.!

[mamabear]

in reply to: Very frustrating and need some serious help #1063926

I dont have time to type a long post… please forgive my forwardness though…
I think you might need a new DO, have you thought of an MD? or another DO that doesn’t try to put a bandaid over the issues you have. I mean who has you on Lexapro as well? Lex is some serious stuff, I know my sister was on it. If you were on it before doing the surgery I can see how you didn’t research or understand what was going on before the surgery. Lex makes the people I know who were on it numb to serious issues.

I’d think about all the meds you are on, get a list and talk to your PHarmacist about the interactions and side effects you are having. DONT go off the Lexapro without consulting your dr. IT IS TOO DANGEROUS to just go off of it, the withdrawl is horrible so please dont. Talk to dr. and get it sorted out fast.

GEt copies of all lab work
Get copies of all ER/other dr’s you have seen
Get all medical charts as well

[mamabear]

in reply to: Amitriptyline #1063980

Bmama,
First here is a link to the Physicians "Desktop" Reference The book online is for medical personnel only so it’s the library to see if they have that book or look it up at the link I put here. It’s the same company but it’s for non medical personnel.

2nd, please tell the dr/nurse who are giving you these drugs or any other drugs that you would like an information sheet along with the drug so you can have at the ready any side effects. Clinic or not they should not give out drugs/suppliments without the patient having the information that is critical. IF they dont give it to you, then insist they sit with you can read you the information.. i bet they wont have a problem giving you a copy! YOU can also go to a pharmacy even if you dont buy it there and ask the pharmacist. Tell them you go to a clinic but you need info. THEY WILL be happy to help you! and they are most up to date with all that info as well.

Hugs

[mamabear]

in reply to: Remission? What do you think? #1064163

Kim – it sure has been a roller coaster for me! I’m ready for a vacation!

Christina – you’re welcome. Please make sure that you and your dr. know about you going off of the meds completely. I am sure that is what you meant in your post but I’m just claifying it to make sure.
Usually they wait for 4 weeks to check levels again to give time for med change to take effect. Please make sure they check your labs again with this new dose and maybe even another month after that before taking you off the meds completely. I know it’s hard but it’s worth it.

Also simple hand washing and having kids and dh wash hands every single time they come into the house will help with keeping down the germs. ALL of my kids wash hands as soon as they walk in and YES I DO remind them all. I have ds15,ds7,dd6, and a dd4 and I remind them all because I know they wont if i dont. It helps a lot and I use to be afraid that I would get sick as well , use to get tested 6 weeks after a virus because a virus’ use to be my trigger but now I don’t anymore because I have been ok for a while. At this point in my life if something triggers my graves I’m fine with it, I live my life and when it happens again i’ll deal with it. Took time to feel this way about it though so you’ll get there.

Good luck with this and please please please keep us posted. I would love to hear the events that unfold for you as you go through this. Everyone is so different so hearing a time line when trying for remission from different people is so interesting to me.

[mamabear]

in reply to: I have another ?–re: exercise #1064089

Your Dr. should know this. Tell him exactly what you are doing and what it is causing when you do it and ask him if it is normal. Being that this has something to do with your heart there is no better advice I can give other than to ask Dr. You know your body and he knows your numbers. You know your weaknesses and he knows your limits. Maybe gradually doing it in baby steps might work better. But first speak with him!

” title=”Smile” />

[mamabear]

in reply to: New to GD and so many questions #1064125

somero wrote:I decided against the RAI and started on Methimazole 9/1/10
There are many dr’s who say do RAI, it’s easier in their eyes to treat you after you become Hypo from the RAI. I didn’t do the RAI either, BUT I also went into remission and haven’t had issues for a time. IF i become Hyper again and it’s bad and I can’t control it, I am not sure what I will do. I keep my mind open to options. I would suggest you do the same because you never know what will happen down the road. If this works for you then KUDOS to you! I hope it does. I did the pills too and I’m happy that I did go with the meds at the time instead of having the RAI.

The first time the symptoms hit they corrected themselves??? How can this be and can it happen gain?
LIke ski said there are times that it will show on and off before it will show for sure and stay that way till we fix it. I can look back at my whole life as a kid and know "something" was wrong but never did blood work show it did.
Not mad about it, it is what it is and it is not something that is easily diagnosed.

I have been on medication for 5 days and still feel bad
It takes a while for the meds to help, stick with it you’ll get there!

I am itching like crazy all over my body but there is no rash or bumps?
Were you itchy before you started the meds? IF NO then refer to what SKI said and please please speak with dr. I will say that your dr. might say right away that you must go off the meds due to allergy. I am not sure if he will say that because he wants to push the RAI or not but see what he says and ask him about the benadryl that SKI said and try to figure out if he is really trying to help you. BUT please don’t keep the itchiness from him, it will not benifit you if you stay on meds and you are truly allergic to them.
IF you were itchy before meds please make sure dr. knows this as well when you tell about you being itchy. Hyper/Hypo make us itchy and its no fun. If you were itchy before the meds let me know and we’ll talk about skin treatment. There are some tips that might help. AND even if you were itchy before the meds please talk to dr. about the benadryl and if its ok.

At night my body seems to go into over drive and I can not be still?
This is a tricky one. Lots of us have been there and done that, each of us have our own what to do’s about it. It helped me to gear my body up to going to sleep. A bedtime routine was in order, NO caffiene at all, (caffiene in the AM will make for a someone staying up at night!).
NO Tv/music at least an hour before bedtime, no working out or anything that will excite you or might excite you.
Reading a book is "ok" but if its an intense book you might want to wait till morning to read it because again it might make you want to stay up to finish the book.
No eating before bed time.
Warm HERBAL tea or warm milk is ok.
Get dressed for bedtime, this helps body associate going to sleep.
Lights should be dim, again the brain will associate darkness/dimness with going to bed.
Wash up, brush teeth, say prayers if you do that and get into bed.
Think of your day and be thankful for what you have but don’t excited over things you have no control over. Being thankful helps relax you and gets you into a mood of being able to be content. (being cranky over your hubby or friend being mad at you does not! LOL)
It will not happen over night, this takes time, they say it takes 14-21 days to actually get body into this. So relax and enjoy regearing your body for the sleep that it needs.
SKI is right, rest even without sleep is just as good. But do try to retrain your body to actual sleep.
These are things that helped me, you can try some of them or all of them and see if it works but remember it takes time.

THis is a journey it wont be done in a day and you wont be fixed in a day. BUT we are here to help you along the way!

If you can help with any of these questions I would really be grateful.
Thank you,

Stacey

[mamabear]

in reply to: Recurring eye infections or Styes #1064134

A sty can form for several reasons. Allergies is a very common reason, it irritates the eye, we touch it no matter where we are or if our hands are cleans and BOOM we have a sty. Welcome to my world! Hate them! My dd has gotten a few as well. They stink…period, nothing more to say! LOL

Sty’s are best helped by warm compresses on the infected area. SOMETIMES you can see where the white head is and if you are very very gentle can for a little of the puss out with a clean cotton swab. Gently just put it under the infected area after you pull your eye lid away from your eye so as not to get the puss inside it. Sometimes the puss is very hard, so don’t be surprised if it comes out like a blackhead(hard and straight).

Make sure it is a true diagnosis of a sty.
If it truly is a sty;
wash hands frequently,

check to see if it is allergy related, even if you dont usually have allergies or tested negative for them it doesn’t mean you dont have them now,

get rid of make-up you have used even from the very first sty you had, all of it !

Give your towels a good wash in the washing machine with hot water and a cup of bleach,

Wash down your light switches, door knobs, car steering wheel, and toilet handles with a bleach solution.

Sty’s can be from Staph infection, everyone has it on their body and everything we touch has it, so taking some precautions can help.

Mayo clinic has a good site on Sty

[mamabear]

in reply to: Remission? What do you think? #1064160

I am being sent for cat scan in a little while due to something un-Thyroid related… Dont have much time. saw this and wanted to post.

I AM in remission for just over 3 years now. Went on PTU, got pregnant, went off during pregnancy, had baby, got pregnant again (still no meds), had a bad bad virus, went back on PTU, went off was fine, got pregnant again, still no PTU, had flu thought i would need PTU but didn’t.

I am in remission and only wait for when I come out of it, might not be for 30 years, might not ever happen or it might happen tomorrow. I am not cured.. just in remission. I dont let it run my life either.

Being a graves’ patient when I am upset my heart tends to palpitate a bit more, I have more anxiety. I know it is from Graves, regardless of me being in remission or not, its just what graves has done. I dont let that run my life either.

Your dr. knows you best, you know your body! Go for it! But please relax because if you dont you will think it is coming back when it might not be.

Your kids will be fine, they are very resilient, we adults dont believe that but they are. Typical of their ages I am sure they are fine!

Your dr. will monitor you and KUDOS to him for seeing if you can go into remission!!!!

[mamabear]

in reply to: Optimum level to get pregnant #1064259

R,
just saw what you wrote about LH surge and checking it, didn’t see that before I sent you a PM so have sent you another. Look at your in box! ” title=”Very Happy” />

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