[runlacie]

in reply to: Wow, updates…. very positive :) #1068517

WOW, Krystal!!! I am so happy for you! You have come so far these past few months, it is wonderful that things are finally going your way! Keep that great attitude and keep on living life to the fullest, okay? Definitely keep us all posted! HAVE FUN!!!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068702

[size=150:yqn6b7pn][color=#FF00FF:yqn6b7pn]HAPPY, HAPPY BIRTHDAY, KIMBERLY!!! Desserts DO NOT count on your birthday! ” title=”Wink” /> [/color:yqn6b7pn][/size:yqn6b7pn]

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068700

Good afternoon! Just checking in to say NO LABS YET. They have them at the doc office but won’t tell me until the doc reviews ’em. Boy, I’ll tell ya’, if the doctors office wasn’t half an hour away and I hadn’t just worked all day I would be there staging a sit-in! I said to the nurse "can’t you just read me what the report says the T3 and T4 are? I already know they are high, you don’t have to tell me what normal is… just read me the numbers." Her, "sorry, nope, I don’t think I’m allowed to do that." Grrrrrr. I guess who cares, anyways, huh? Labs are labs and I still feel kinda normal, so OH WELL they’ll call me when they get around to it, huh?

I was good today. Ate a "pure protein" bar for brunch and just came home and had a small piece of salmon. Just finishing up 2 cups of coffee with yummy french vanilla creamer for a treat and to get my butt back moving again for the night! Anyone else caffeine addict? I know it’s not the best thing to do with thyroid issues, but sorry. Not giving up coffee or running ” title=”Smile” />

Sue- that stinks about parting with the clothes. Look at the positive, now you can lose weight and buy all brand new ones, right?

Deb- Hi and welcome! I had rai 5 wks ago today, so you are 3 wks behind me. I’m feeling much better, but I do get some crazy spells here and there like somebody turned the hyper switch back on! Hopefully soon you will start seeing some gradual improvement.

ewmb- woo hoo on the 2 pounds!!! How are you adjusting to your son being gone? Will he be home for weekends or not ’til Thanksgiving? I’m glad your HR is staying down ” title=”Smile” />

Kimberly- STEP AWAY FROM THE COOKIES ” title=”Smile” /> haha, easier said than done. Don’t be depressed, you did a really great job last week. Did you ever notice how sometimes it takes several days of paying attention to what you eat and eating less food to make the scale move the right way? But then once it starts moving it goes fast? Betcha you lose this week!

Calling hyperm and Krystal… where’d you girls get to? I bet you are both feeling great and enjoying your new thyroid-less outlooks on life and that is wonderful! We miss you so check in and say hi soon!!!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068693

haha, laughing about the wild coyotes! It’s so true!

Well, don’t look now (cause tomorrow I’ll probably feel like crap) but today I felt like a normal person. This morning I ran 4miles and my heart rate stayed okay. Then I got a bunch of stuff done and was in a good mood all day. Hmmmm. Maybe Graves’ was all a bad dream after all??? I ate way too much (we have company) today, but since I have to work the next 6 days straight and I hardly eat at all at work, I can make it up. Weighed in at 138.5 today which I think is half a pound down. My skinny clothes just barely still fit me and I can’t afford to buy new clothes! They are tight so I really need to get a couple pounds gone. Plus, weather is getting cool here now and I’m not going to make it in my jeans at this weight! I bought protein bars at the gro store today to have in my car for brunch this week. Hopefully that will keep me from eating everything in the house as soon as I get home from work!

Lab results tomorrow. Having fun and guessing that that TSH will still be undetectable but that my t3 will be 7 (it was 11.2) and my t4 will be 2.6 (it was 3.44).

Goals for the week:
1. As long as I continue feeling okay- to run 25 miles
2. Crunches, pushups and planks everyday. Weights MWF.
3. Lose a pound.

My biggest obstacle will be work. Usually I don’t work 6 days, so finding time for exercise will be key.

Have a great week everyone!!!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Heart damage? #1068551

Hi Joseph! Sorry to hear of your recent diagnosis. It sounds like the beta blockers are working for you since they are bringing it down. I’ve done some researching on potential heart damage because I am a runner and it has been one of my concerns. Being hyper can cause some problems in addition to the tachycardia you are currently experiencing- including atrial fibrillation, mitral valve prolapse, and abnormal rhythms. The excess hormones can also make a pre-existing heart condition worse. The good news is that most of the time, everything will return to normal once you are treated. The longer you stay hyper, the larger chance you have of any damage being permanent. It is also more common for the elderly to continue to have permanent problems. It can take up to 6 months after normal levels are achieved for your heart to recover. The beta blocker you are taking while you await treatment will help to protect your heart from the excess hormone. Definitely talk more to your doctor about all of this.

[runlacie]

in reply to: Does age impact ATD’s? #1068555

You should make your own decision and do what you want. Certainly, if you are having good results with the ATD’s and no side effects, and you want to try for remission, you ought to do just that. I know they used to hesitate doing RAI unless you were "older" than 40, and then that changed and it became the norm for even those over 20. Now it is even sometimes used in older children, though maybe not as a first choice. I have read that going into a long remission with ATD’s is more common if you are younger, have mild disease, small goiter and lower antibody levels. But I certainly wouldn’t let age alone alter any decision to continue with ATD’s and try for remission. And being 38, I don’t think even makes you considered "older." One thing you might consider is if you are done having children- with RAI you have to wait a certain length of time following treatment to conceive. And at 38 that might not be something you want to wait very long to do. BUT possibly you can only use PTU when TTC or pregnant, so there’s that, too. Good luck and keep us posted!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Im new to the Graves Disease Foundation #1068809

Yes, Gayle, I think that is correct. Doesn’t matter which, it’s based on the size of the dose. Not sure why they usually (?) give 123 for scan and 131 for ablation. I bet someone here knows or else you could search it.

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068691

hahahaha I ate the peanut butter. and entenmanns donuts. and plain croutons since I’m out of triscuits (i am addicted to them, too). I don’t feel any better, but my tummy is full! and i haven’t exercised for 2 days. what a slug.

My weekend is going to get better from here on out. Even if I am hyper I won’t let it get me down!!!!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Im new to the Graves Disease Foundation #1068806

Hi Andi!

I hope you take the vacation and have a good time! Summer has gone so fast, hard to believe it is already school time again- we start Aug 31, and I have to work every single day (except Sunday) until then. Try not to think about panic attacks (I know, easier said than done) but diverting yourself might help? Also, at least you will be near your husband should you have one. WHen I had panic and anxiety it always made me feel so much better knowing I’d have family around. Where are you thinking of going on your trip?

I am near New Castle. My cousin lives in Erie, going to LECOM. Wish she was done so she could be my doctor, lol. My family doctor works out of an office near Boardman, Ohio and when all of this happened he got me in very quickly with the endo who works out of that same office. Ironically, I do have an endo at the Cleveland Clinic who I do yearly follow-ups with due to an adrenal tumor which was discovered by accident (I had a CT for something else and there it was). It’s benign. Anyways, I didn’t really want to make the drive to Cleveland and kind of thought it would be an easy fix so it wouldn’t be necessary. I now wish I would have at least tried to make an appt in Cleveland, as I am frustrated and might have different results had I chosen that route. My gyne is a UPMC doc near Pittsburgh, and I have also been in UPMC hospitals. I just was going to the BOardman doctor because my husband was working over there and he found the doctor and really liked him, so I switched. UPMC and CC would both be good choices, I think. Is there no place in Erie you could go? Those are long drives from up there. But my Mom always says, well- we go far away for shopping at different malls, so why WOULDN’T we go far away to find a good doctor?

My rai was now one month ago. I have felt pretty good with some slight bumps over the past month. However, today I am feeling very hyper. My dosage was small and I am very afraid that it wasn’t enough to kill my thyroid. One of the things that they sometimes do before you have RAI is to do an uptake and scan. You go in, take a pill, go back a few hours later (mine was 6 hours later) have a scan, then go back 24 hours after the pill was taken for another scan. The pill contains a very small amount of radioactive iodine and they can see on the scan how much your thyroid has sucked up. The scan doesn’t hurt it’s just like a little machine taking pics of your neck. I have never heard of having an IV for this, but maybe I’m wrong there- I know I didn’t have one. It was a whole month after my uptake/scan that I had RAI.

Oh, and I really didn’t have to stay away from everyone. DH was kicked out of the bedroom for 48 hours (lol, and he flew outta there thinking I was gonna glow or something haha) and the radiologist said to keep an arms length from people during the first 2 days. Like it was okay to be in the same room, but wouldn’t want to go a long way in a car with small children or pregnant women. My son is 7 and they were not concerned at all about him. You might have a bit of difference with your son being only 2. And also, like I mentioned I got a really small (too small???) dosage.

Well, I hope you get it into remission and you don’t even have to worry about RAI! Have a fun vacation and let us know how it goes, okay?

Take care!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068689

I am supercalifragilistically hyper today. More hyper than I have felt since RAI. Even shaking again! What the heck is happening here?!?!? It’s been a month, so too long for TS. Also, feel MAJOR PMS symptoms. Worse than I have had for months or years. TOM due in 6 days but feel like it’s on the way sooner than that. This really sucks. Freaking RAI not having me better by now. No test results til at least Monday- not that it matters cause even if labs are improving that doesn’t mean I’m not going the wrong way now!!! OMG, seriously- my head hurts and I feel like I’m spinning, hung-over, shaky and hot! I can’t live like this. If this isn’t gone by Monday I am asking for ATD’s. And if it keeps up at bedtime I’m taking a BB- and I haven’t had to take one in a month now. SORRY for that RANT !!!

I think I’ll just go drown my sorrows in some peanut butter now.

[runlacie]

in reply to: Weigh-in (just for fun) #1068687

ewmb- glad you had a good day! Great that there’s no rash! Good news, good news!

hyperm- where are you? and Krystal, too?

Madame X- those dance lessons sound fun! I have always wanted to learn to dance, maybe some day I will try it. haha, I think you SHOULD be a rockette!

Not a bad day today. Worked this morning, went to lab, then gro store. Have out of town in-laws coming this wknd so I’m working on the guest rooms. Did a bunch of gardening in the heat this afternoon, so I’m going to skip my walk tonite and see about running in the morning. If I could just stay busy all the time maybe I wouldn’t think about carbs so much. Oh, and I’m pretty sure I’m addicted to peanut butter. PB bananas, PB sandwiches, PB crackers, PB straight from the jar,- I have like 10 jars of PB in my pantry, I’m hoarding it, that can’t be good. I guess I won’t get my results til Monday since my endo is closed on Fri.

[runlacie]

in reply to: Surgery done!! #1068582

Congratulations! Glad your op went well and hope everything goes smoothly on replacement. I had rai one month ago and am also waiting on hypo and to be done with this beast! Keep us posted on your progress. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[runlacie]

in reply to: New to Grave’s Diagnoses #1068600

Wow, Deb!

Sounds like you have been through the wringer these past years! Lots of those symptoms you’ve had ongoing sounds like hyper Graves’ and it will be interesting to see how many disappear now that you’ve been treated. Super that you got treated immediately- I waited several weeks here in the US. Many people here are under the impression that the Canadian medical system is very slow, but I do not believe that at all.

I had rai one month ago, and have felt kind of bad (more hyper) a couple of times since then. Overall, I think it is working, though. You have a little time to see how you feel before you make a final decision on your winter. Maybe you will be "lucky" and go hypo rather quickly and get things squared away first? Ski’s suggestions were great about getting the prescription filled before you leave. Really, that’s all you’ll need is replacement hormone, you just don’t know the dose yet. And you can be in contact over the phone with your doctor to adjust dosages. If you can’t get your labs paid for while you’re here, that could be a problem. I used to live in Florida and it seems like with so many elderly Canadian snowbirds that there must be an answer out there or how would they be able to stay so long? I hope you get it figured out and that you feel better soon!

[runlacie]

in reply to: Newly diagnosed & have questions please #1069166

Hi Jessica! Basically if you have GD, you have 3 choices- RAI, anti-thyroid meds, or surgical removal of thyroid. I don’t think there is really a "natural" option. Maybe if you keep your thyroid and take anti-thyroid drugs, you might get it into remission and then maybe some of those natural things might help you stay that way. I don’t know, but some of the people on the board who have been successful with ATD’s (James comes to mind) may have some ideas along those lines. What does your doctor say? Did your doctor give you an option to take the anti-thyroid drugs? Keep thinking about it. It’s up to you, but I wouldn’t do anything until you are sure what you want. All that being said, I had rai one month ago, so far so good. Our disease is very treatable and most outcomes are very positive, so try not to be toooo nervous. Keep asking questions til you figure it out, OK?

[runlacie]

in reply to: 4 weeks since RAI update #1068666

I did some searching on the rai dosages and found a bunch of different studies on pubmed. Some used doses as low as 5 mci, and those had the most failure rates. But they also show that gland size prior to treatment also plays a part. I guess what I wonder is- if mine fails and next time I have to have a larger dosage, that just makes my radiation exposure that much higher. Wouldn’t just giving me 10mci in the first place make more sense? lol, not to mention the cost of that little pill was about $1700- not including the radiologist or doctor costs. Oh well, I guess I’ll just keep hoping they got this right the first time!

I went to the lab and they said results back tomorrow. But my endo is closed on Friday, so I guess I’ll have to be waiting ’til Monday to find out.

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