[SeeSallie]

in reply to: One year from RAI #1065527

Hope it is ok to revive an old post. Here it is 2011 (November) 2 years after my start of treatment. I am doing great!!! I want everyone to know that getting better can happen. It takes time but my God, I was so down and low over the no hope issue. I thought I was never gonna feel normal again and that sort of thinking depressed me to no end.

I am still in Mexico with only 8 more months of teaching to go and I will be going back home to USA. I was right…this job revitalized me. Doing what you love most is important in my opinion. I lost weight since coming here (Yay!!!! The fresh food markets helps I think), I worked with a Dr. here (never could coordinate via fax with my Dr in USA, but it was ok and even easier to just work with one here since I’m here) and regained my muscle strength. I remember when I couldn’t even walk down stairs at one point or carry books.I needed this job to push my butt. I was sitting around back home and moping over the loss of muscle mass and gaining weight and not feeling needed. Here in Mexico, there was no time for that as my job was perfect to make me move but not too hard. I love waking up at 6 am every morning and knowing I am needed. I found time to work out. My meds weren’t going exactly according to plan at first…we had to keep switching dosages. I remembered what Ski said though…try to stick with one brand. So when dosages had to change, I didn’t switch brands even though I have to cut part of a pill with my current brand (they are segmented so it is precise).

So there you have it. I just wanted to come back and say hi and mention this. I looked for messages like this when I was going through my lowest point so I vowed if I ever got better that I would do the same.

One bad thing though…for some reason I still need atenolol for when I feel my pressure rising. I was taken off it but I think I started needing it again only because the job started getting stressful (teaching 55 kids here). So I am going to ask about that at my next appt.

oh and in case anyone is interested, I am now at 125 micrograms of KARET (a brand in Mexico of Levothyroxine that I hope I can get once back home in USA).

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: Armour Thyroid/Natural #1065072

great questions Thompson! Looking forward to more input from the rest.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: Nothing seems to get better.. #1065104

odapoda – I so hear your desperation. It was 8 months ago I was still suffering the same way too. Everything seemed to take so long but in hindsight I now know it couldn’t have been treated any faster. We have to wait on those results each time. There is one area though that was an issue for me- so if this is you, look into it: The time to see your Dr. after a lab test.

Lab tests for me were the worst because Dr’s office would schedule me too far from my lab tests. Maybe they were busy…but I don’t care. I should have found another Dr. in that case. Since I didn’t know better and was new, I didn’t fight it at first. Eventually I made a pain of myself and insisted with quicker followups. From then on…I made sure I was seen within 5 days after having blood work done.

The waiting it out between finding numbers is the hardest. I wish to goodness that wasn’t a part of this, but it is. At least we get to know there is some treatment down the road though. Hope that helps. It’s hard going through the icky waiting. I come here when I can’t take it. I’m ok now but I know soon I’m likely to hit hyper again and I dread that moment. But, I’m going in with eyes-wide open at least and with knowledge that in time, we can bring it down again. Not a perfect answer…but we are with you.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: small weight gain..7 months port RAI #1065233

Oh goodness enough3. We can’t seem to ever really predict what is going on, can we? Hope all is getting better in time though. I’m retaining water and feel ready to pop too -I’m hypo at the moment.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: One year from RAI #1065525

Thanks for the reminders SKI. You know so much. I was told all this today about taking meds on empty stomach and just remembered more details through your post. Thanks for the tip on brands. I am on the generic. Hope I can get it in Mexico.

sbigler: Maybe I confused the dosages…I’m on (0.150MG) levothyroxine but on parentheses next to it on my pill bottle it states (150MCG). lol….so maybe I’m not really on as high as it seems. I’m crossing fingers that this isn’t gonna be a roller coaster. I know it is too much to ask that I won’t have to adjust meds (did anyone get that lucky?) so I pray at least the swings won’t be drastic. Here’s to waiting some more!

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: small weight gain..7 months port RAI #1065228

enough3, so interesting that you posted that. I don’t want to generalize, but I too have gained weight the last couple of months and feel my weight is sitting in my abdomen like a balloon.

Kimberly, interesting what you posted too. I get full faster than I ever had in past. My husband and BFF both noted that I don’t eat as much as I have before (I can’t, I feel full). Well results came back that I am hypo now….so I’m having an "a-ha" moment wondering if this is related. Time will tell.

I’m still gaining though I feel full quickly and am eating less. Started synthroid today though; I expect I will start losing again soon. I hope.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: One year from RAI #1065522

I haven’t been here in sometime either and also remember some of you going through this around the same time I did.
What a Godsend this board has been. I decided to visit the boards again today after getting word from Dr. that I am now hypo. My RAI was in Oct. 2009 and I have been waiting and testing hoping for some change soon because I am moving to Mexico in 2 weeks for a job (for a year) and was worried about moving in the middle of testing. Up until now, I have been feeling normal with a few issues of tiredness but now, all of a sudden, I feel hypo. I’m glad we finally see me moving hypo because I knew it was gonna eventually happen. Yeh, I gained weight recently (yech) but I know I’ll pull it back off.

My Dr is great and is willing to take my labs via fax once I am in Mexico. She started me on synthroid today after latest bloodwork. It is gonna be tricky to adjust levels while in Mexico but since she is willing to work with me from afar, I didn’t feel it necessary to put another year of my life on hold (meaning away from my teaching job abroad). I just have to stay up on lab tests. I know my mood might shift, but I can’t let this stop me from doing what I love most (teach). It is time to get back out there and be who I am. Grave’s robbed me of a year of my normal life. I have never been low emotionally as I was last year and pray I never go back to that. Working in my old job will help me mentally too I think. I was lucky to have work here in the states while sick…but where I really want to be is back in my old job in Mexico. I took 2 full years to be back home in the states and work on this with my American Dr.

btw, I am starting out on 150MCG which seems high. She issued that dosage according to my weight…I really gained quite a bit, so I know if I bet if I start losing right away, I’ll have to adjust again. I forgot to ask her about that. But I’m confident she’ll work with me on this.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: RAI update #1067179

Thanks so much for the update. At this point I just check back here for updates. I hope others will post theirs too.
My only update is that in 2 months I’ll have my 2nd set of lab tests to show where I am since RAI. I’m exhausted daily by 2pm…but no jitters and no palpitations.
First set of labs showed normal levels, but Dr is expecting that to change soon. That was at 4 weeks post RAI.
Sallie

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: First set of results since RAI- Confused!! #1067304

ewmb, Are you on synthroid now? If so, How long after your RAi did you start it? I had a serious misconception about all this I can see. I thought I was going to be placed on synthroid immediately. Or is this another one of those, "everyone is different" scenarios and so SOME might be on synthroid in mere weeks after RAI??
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Sallie

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: 3 week post-RAI update #1067312

That is helpful ewmb. I am around the same time frame as Nick. Lots of questions. I hope to have more months of feeling like I have been lately. ” title=”Smile” />

You say it took 4 months to see number changes…but how were you feeling in the months leading up to that? Any diff?

Claudine

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: First set of results since RAI- Confused!! #1067303

Hockey- yep, that’s me too. My kitchen table has been piled for days with papers, crayons, a used cup of water…I just don’t care. I look at it and know I should clean it up…so I do, eventually. I feel no sense of urgency. I wake up and get the kids ready for school, then come home and listen to NPR for an hour, eat breakfast, do some work online (I am able to work from home thank heavens) and so goes my day. I was never laid back like this…maybe this is what I needed to be like before because I now question why I was always so ready to jump in and do 5 things at once??
Dr said she thinks this is just my body getting accustomed to being normal again (I am in currently in normal range) because I was accustomed to being Hyper for so long. So I guess. I gladly trade to this from the hyper. I do wonder why I worried so much over things in the past.

Good luck with your tests too.

Sallie

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: An emotional battle #1067295

Yes, these emotions are most likely all related to the GD.

hang in there.

Many here had that feeling of living two lives. I went into hiding so that I wouldn’t be a professional embarrassment to myself or future career.
I am now getting better and hoping to be as involved as before I got this disease.

There is a light at the end of the tunnel and You can be "normal" again. I am still recovering (only been 4 weeks since I had the radiation pill) and I am feel great most days which is a flip to my hyper days. I get tired, but man that is nothing compared to what I was going through before (I had tremors, panic attacks, heart palpitations and severe irritable moments/days).

Keep researching. I never did the thyroid meds and am happy with my route (radiation pill) but do what you feel is best for you. I might have to go on some med for hyper if the radiation didn’t completely kill off my thyroid (just learned yesterday) but all of it STILL beats the hyper symptoms of feeling stressed out, tired, anxious, high BP, palpitations etc…
Hope this helps.
Sallie

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: First set of results since RAI- Confused!! #1067300

Thanks enough3. Every input here is helpful. In fact, I don’t mind if someone disagrees with my view on this…I wanna hear it.

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: Pounding heart after RAI…few questions #1067383

Mine (dumping?) started a week after RAI and then again at two weeks I had a one day episode. Other than this…it has been total opposite of grave’s symptoms except the foggy in brain part. I get tired (a lot!) then get foggy but just for a moment… and it is a different tired than the Hyper (these are similar symptoms, I just happen to feel different since I am more calm again and recover immediately after each episode sa opposed to staying in constant fog with Grave’s). I’m scared I’m going to have recurring dumping because I am not sure yet that my thyroid was killed off (or will be in time). I’m MUCH better though.

The best part though is the calm feeling over me. I was so wound up when hyper. No longer depressed (yay!) and can use my brain again. I’m NOT with energy though so using my brain means staying home and using it…I still can’t get out without needing a long nap.

We aren’t sick of hearing from you. I’m grateful for this board and hearing what everyone is dealing with too.

sallie

[SeeSallie]

in reply to: soooo tired #1067388

Hi there,

Yes Ski, I did happen to have a standing order and will request it again from here on. I too liked being able to go in as soon as I felt weird. In a few days I get to see those results already (yay). Today I volunteered a whole day at my kids’ school. That was the first time I worked away from home (still won’t go back to teach yet but hoped I might be ready). Obviously I am not really yet ready. I crashed as soon as I got home. The hours flew and next thing I knew, hubby was home from work standing over me asking if I was ok? The kids were going wild in the living room (they are old enough with me in the next room) and wondered how I didn’t hear the commotion?? I thought only 10 mins passed but it was 3 hours later since I arrived home from volunteering. I realized I am no where near ready for my full time job again. I teach online for now and that works perfectly as I can stay in tee shirt and shorts (I live in Florida) without worrying how I look (which is tired!) all day but then wander to bed or the sofa take a nap when necessary. I don’t need to leave home to get anything done. This is driving me stir crazy on one hand as I desperately want to be ready to teach in a "brick and mortar" class again but I am grateful I don’t have to drag myself out of the home in those moments I need true rest.

Sallie

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