[SueinBC]

in reply to: Heartburn #1175538

Hi,
I have had something similar, and have wondered whether the symptoms are linked to Graves, or are an independent problem. I get an ache on my left upper chest, that can radiate slightly into my arm. The location of the pain triggers all kinds of “heart attack” fears. Various testing has been done (blood tests, ECG) and my heart does not seem to be the cause of the pain. This ache was the original reason that I went to see my doctor two years ago, when I was diagnosed with Graves. When I began treatment for hyperthyroidism, the pain went away, and I thought it was dealt with. Lately the pain has come back. My doctor doesn’t have an easy answer. I am beginning to suspect that it might be related to heartburn/indigestion. As a separate (?) issue, about four years ago I went through a period where it felt like something was stuck in my throat. For example, if I would swallow something like a pill, I would spend the next 12 hours feeling like the pill was sitting in my throat, even though it wasn’t. That problem was around for a long time and definitely got better after my hyperthyroidism was treated.

[SueinBC]

in reply to: Endo appointment with a new doctor, WOW!!! #1175151

Khadijah wrote:

I don’t want to be experiencing weeks of feeling bad because I need to adjust my medication frequently, as well as wait for it to kick in.

Khadijah,
I haven’t had long stretches of feeling bad when my dosage of methimazole is adjusted. Each time the doctor has lowered the dose, I have had a few days of feeling “hyper” – main symptoms for me are that is my heart gets racey, and I feel cranky and on edge. Within a week, I seem to adjust to the new dosage. So far, my doctor has lowered the dosage before I have strayed very far into hypo territory, so I haven’t had a long stretch of feeling bad before my meds have been adjusted.

Myself, I’m staying optimistic about the possibility of going into remission on ATDs, and if I don’t, I could stay content with things as they are.

[SueinBC]

in reply to: Endo appointment with a new doctor, WOW!!! #1175147

I have been on methimazole for a year and a half now. For the first three months after I was diagnosed, I was also using propranolol. I stopped using that when my thyroid levels got into the normal range and I was no longer experiencing heart palpitations, shaking, etc..

Happily, I have not experienced any bad side effects from the methimazole. My doctor has been regularly lowering dosage of my methimazole – it seems that after about 3 – 6 months at one dosage, I start to get a bit hypothyroid, so the doctor lowers my dose of methimazole. I started out with 15 mg of methimazole/day and I am now down to 2.5 mg/day. For now I am quite happy using this drug, and I am not considering RAI or surgery at this time.
Sue

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