[sportnut2]

in reply to: brain recovery time? #1175568

I don’t post very often, but I have been doing some research on this topic because my daughter in college has Graves and she is experiencing a lot of problems with focus, concentration and memory. In the small amount of time I have had to research it, there is a significant amount of research out there that does show evidence of graves effecting brain function. And it is not always when levels are out of the normal range. More research is needed, but some researchers theorize that Graves effects the brain much like it does with the thyroid and the eyes. In my quest to obtain accomodations like extra time to complete tests for my daughter at college I am slowing learning how much more there is to this disease. While she is doing generally well, she does notice lingering cognitive issues that she did not have pre-Graves. She even asked me if I thought she had ADD! The ability to focus when studying seems to be the greatest issue right now. Her Endo has been adjusting her Synthroid 3x in last months. I am hoping once she is in the normal range that things will get better. If some of this research is valid though, this may be an ongoing issue for her.

[sportnut2]

in reply to: 18 year old college student #1175135

Thank you Kimberly! I did find that article. Maybe it makes sense for me to start a new thread using 504 and see if anyone replies. It really can be a tough area to navigate if one has no experience.

[sportnut2]

in reply to: 18 year old college student #1175133

I am so glad to find other college students on the forum. My daughter was also diagnosed as an 18 year old in her senior year of HS. She had a TT just 9 days before heading off to college. The surgery went really well and she healed and has almost no scar. She has generally done well, but it is taking some time to get her the proper dose of Synthroid. This process is ongoing. My question for the forum is: Has anyone on the forum gone through the process of obtaining a 504 PLan for a student diagnosed and being treated for Graves Disease? I am looking for help with this process in a college setting to help my daughter as she has experienced some problems with concentration, focus and memory with regards to her learning. She is seeking the accommodation of additional time to complete exams. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Hi everyone I am new here #1061252

I am also new to this board and am hoping for the best for you Debi. I was wondering if Debi had her thyroid removed many years ago, is it common for TED to show up this many years later? I am trying to help my daughter understand Graves as she was recently diagnosed and I was not aware that the eye issues could crop up even many years after the thyroid is removed. Is this common?
Thanks!
Suzanne

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Surgery-Post Op recovery times/return to sports #1061257

Dear Shirley,
We were very fortunate to get good care so quickly. When I took her family doctor after noticing her neck swollen extremely (goiter), she took blood and gave advice to see endo. Trying to get an appt with Endo I was told the first was 6 weeks away! or see another doc in 4 weeks! I took the appt and then something inside me said that this was just not right. I called the Endo back right away and got a guardian angel. I explained to her just how large the goiter was and that something had to be terribly wrong. She sensed the fear in my voice and asked if we could come in 7:30am next day. Thank goodness she did this for us as the night before my daughter played in a varsity basketball game and would have continued to play unitl that 4-6 week appt possibly collapsing from heart failure in the process! She had been trying harder and harder bc her coach had been getting annoyed at her and benched her thinking she was not trying hard enough. She herself thought she was just out of shape bc she had actually gained a little weight instead of losing like most people. (she had lost weight early on in the process and then was gaining as the goiter showed up and she was eating like a teenage boy) I was a little annoyed at the coach bc she went from being one of the first in the windsprints at practice to dead last way behind a girl who had been last all season. He never called to see if something could be wrong or never wondered why she was having such trouble keeping up. Fortunately it all worked out even though she was sad she had to miss the last part of her final season in high school because her heart was so overworked until the meds brought it down. The doc said she was running the equivalent of 2 marathons just sitting on the exam table! Unfortunately her youth and denial that something could be wrong let the symptoms go on way too long, but we also did not notice the goiter until putting Vicks on her chest for a bad cough! Turns out the goiter was 4x size of a normal thyroid! Yikes! It has been a roller coaster ride but we are grateful to everyone who has helped us and also anyone who posted their story on this board bc it does help to know the experiences of other people! Thank you again for your kind words and anyone who is reading this, keep pushing for the care you deserve until you get it!
Suzanne

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Alternative options? #1061944

Dear Shirley,
Thank you so much for your info! I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to post to this site. It has been REALLY helpful in giving more info that you don’t hear from doctors or other sites. Glad to hear that you had a great outcome!
Thanks again!
Suzanne
p.s. I did post it as a new thread and got some other feedback as you adivsed…thanks!

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Alternative options? #1061942

Dear Kimberly,
Thank you so much for the reply! I do plan to have my daughter check out the Greater than Graves bikeathon bc it is importnant to her to remain active. I think I might repost the first message I did under a new topic to try and elicit more info about return to competitive sports. thanks for the advice!
Suzanne

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Recently diagnosed with hyperthyroidism #1062251

Dear Nina,
So sorry to hear about your stay in thehospital. How are you doing now? Do you recall when you were able to return to playing sports? My daughter is an athlete who wants to return to playing asap after surgery so she is wondering when she will be able. Any advice you can give would be great!
Thanks!
Suzanne

[sportnut2]

in reply to: Alternative options? #1061940

My 18YO daughter was diagnosed 2/11 with levels this endo had never seen in his practice.
Lab Tests Range Date
2/8/2011
(TPO) Ab 0-20 IU/mL 529
T3 71-180 ng/dL >651
TSH 0.450-4.500 uIU/mL <0.006
T4 0.93-1.60 ng/dL >7.77
Antithyroglobulin, Ab 0-40 IU/mL <20
Thyroglobulin, Qn 0.5-55.0 ng/mL 179

Also large goiter. Has been on MMI 40mg, then 20 mg, then 30 mg since then. Added 75 mcg Synthroid. Levels needed to be stabilized for her to finish high school and lacrosse season and before decision surgery or RAI. She is now on 30mg MMI and Synthroid 75 mcg and wants to have surgery to resolve before leaving for college 8/25. I could not figure how to start a new thread on this since we are new, so I am wondering if anyone has experience with recovery times for surgery. Her surgeon, who is a leader in his field, said she would recover in time for starrt of college with a 8/9 surgery date and 8/25 college. Her endo agrees this is enough time. She is also planning to tryout for a soccer team which begins soon after 8/25, probably 8/29. She is an athlete who is in good physical condition and playing competitive soccer right now on this med regimen. Her levels are now stablized enough to do surgery:

TSH 0.450-4.500 uIU/mL 0.292 as of 7/2/11
T4 0.93-1.60 ng/dL 1.39 as of 7/2/11

For those that have had surgery, how soon were you able to return to work, school , exercise? This is her first year at college, so playing soccer is very important to her as it is where she is most able to make new friends.

Thanks!
Suzanne
p.s. sorry for adding to this thread, but I could not figure out how to start a new one!

[Author]

Posts