hyperthyroidism

[DDH]

Have any of you ever dealt with this? I don't know how I can be diagnosed with this and yet feel like the only human being on earth that has a hyper thyroid and not lose weight.

We got back from Vacation and I had a doctors appt, for a check up and I talked to him about my sweating and being hot enough to want to jump in an ice bath all the time, and I thought I needed my hormones tested, thinking I was perimenopausal, and he says no, not as long as I am still having a normal cycle.

I went back today for some other prodedures and he tells me that my blood work came back and my thyroid is messed up, and that would explain the heat, and sweating and nerves and such, but what about me not being able to lose weight.

I feel like screaming sometimes. If I am going to get an illness, (and I know this is going to sound horrible but I am deserate) why can't I get the 1 good benefit from it, which is to lose weight.

I have to go see the endrochonoligist (sp?) and get some tests run.
I also go in Wednesday night to do a sleep study to make sure I don't have sleep apnea. Which I am sure if I do, it's because of my weight.

Anyway, I just wanted to know if anyone else has thyroid problems, and I guess honestly I was needed some sympathy and understanding.

I have been fighting this for way to long and have never been able to get them to do anything for me, and now it's this.

A little history, about 8 years ago, I quit my job because I had what they thought was a seizure but during the testing process to try to find out what happened, they diagnosed me with Graves disease but it wasn't bad enough to do anything about it at the time. So I was suppose to go in every 6 months and get my blood tested and for a while I did, but it was always okay so I quit going and haven't had any problems until now, so I guess the Graves disiease is rearing it's ugly head again, but I swear, I don't know how I can have something that one of the major systems is weight loss, yet now have lost a pound.

I have the high heart rate, I have the sweating and heat intolerence and fatigue, plus my moods are horribly wishy washy, so all that made me thing it was my hormones, since I have no weight loss.

Oh well, I'm just need to get this out. If you have read this far, then thank you for bearing with me.

[crazycanuck]

DDH, yes there are a few of us that are hypothyroid & there are some threads about it round here.. More later

Must go and do some work :( :rolleyes:

[Thorn]

I was diagnosed with Graves 15 years or ago. It took 3 doctors and 2 diagnoses of hyperchondria before I was diagnosed (sigh). For me, my blood tests were borderline so the first two docs sent me on my way. By the time I was diagnosed, I was eating a phenomonal amount of calories a day (think...starting the day with two bowls of fruit loops and 2 cups of coffee with lots of cream...and then going from there). I was losing weight. I stopped all caffeine and still had what appeared to be coffee nerves. A nuclear medicine scan cinched the diagnosis.

I spent more than two years on medication. I beat the odds and am off medication and my thyroid is under control. I have a relative to had to have a thyroidectomy. I think there is at least one or two people on this board who are hyper (?one had radiation ablation?)

That said, if I were you I'd really follow up with the endocrinologist. There is more than just the simple blood test for confirming Graves. Every disease presents itself differently in different people. If this has been going on for several years, seeing more than the GP makes a lot of sense--you want a clear diagnosis.

Good luck. Be an informed and assertive patient--you're your best advocate.

[crazycanuck]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=18196&highlight=thyroid

[teigyr]

My mom was diagnosed hyper-thyroid and she wasn't getting the weight loss benefits. I know she was very frustrated. They then "treated" her by (and I don't know the correct terminology) having her do a radioactive treatment. Now her thyroid doesn't work, she's on medication, and she REALLY is having difficulty losing weight.

I know how frustrated you must feel. I guess the plus side is that there are hidden things (such as heart damage) that goes on if you're hyper-thyroid and now they can help offset that.

I'm hypo. If you're that and start treatment, it isn't exactly pleasant. You don't automatically lose the weight you put on either AND if you don't take your medication for whatever reason, you bloat up like crazy. DH is (I think) hyper but is of the "losing weight" variety. He needs to be diagnosed, he is pretty sure he knows what it is, but he likes the fact he can eat/drink whatever he wants and he still fits into the same clothes.

It sucks. I guess though at least they are trying to find out what it is. Knowledge is power, right? Life isn't always easy but once you know what you're dealing with, you can see a nutritionist or workout person and really tackle whatever weight goals you want.

What has your doctor said about the lack of weight loss? Besides the fact it's a conspiracy against women...(really, I think it is.)

[DDH]

Your right, I don't want heart damage, and whether I am losing weight or not, I need to get it taken care of.
It would just be nice to have the one benefit from it because if it is bad and they kill it off, then I will gain more weight, and lord knows I don't need that.

Who knows though, maybe if they fix it, since it's not doing the weight loss thing now, I will have the opposite effect and I will lose weight after.
One can only hope right? LOL

I'm okay today, I was just having a pity party and needed to complain and whine.

Thanks girls. I know it's not easy for anyone and it could always be worse.

[Thorn]

Yeah, as I put on a weight when they put me on the "slow down the thyroid" drugs and the doctor chastised me, I'd turn around and threaten to stop the meds to drop the weight. It was a game--a stress reliever. But, I'll take that 10lbs over the "coffee nerves".

But, really, you want to have it checked out. Trust me, you don't want it to go untreated and get worse. Besides the heart issues, you could end up with Marty Feldmen eyes. Seriously, that bug-eyed look is another result of untreated Graves.

But, if it is Graves, you'll seem to be more tired initially (that hyper-engine has been shut off), but long-term, when your body stops wasting energy you'll actually feel a lot better and have more energy. The ability to exercise will increase and *then* you can drop those pounds.

Again, good luck--get informed and advocate for yourself!

[mtbdarby]

DDH - you're not alone, you have me:D

I also have Graves and have been in remission for over 2 years now. Read whatever you can get your hands on BEFORE you meet the endo! I had the entire UW Hospitals endo department wash their hands of me because I refused the radioactive iodine uptake test (RIU) because of my belief of the risk of side effects (see teigry's post). After a threat of filing a complaint with the state insurance board for not treating a patient who obviously needed treatment, they found an internal medicine dr who would treat me. Ironically, in less than 6 months on a very low dosage of PTU, my thryoid was under control.

Elaine Moore is a leading expert on Graves and has written a very good book. Read it and then read it again. Ask lots of questions. I have been dealing with this for 6 years but it wasn't until last year that I got the "official" Graves diagnosis even though I new I had it. A good endo is hard to find, most of them around here treat diabetics. Ask for an endo that has lots of graves patients and ask if they treat with drugs vs. radiation. Radiation is permenant. And sometimes it damages more than the thyroid.

There's a very good website out there with info and a good board. I'll search and post it. Email me if you have any other questions.

Oh, and I'd be willing to bet you don't have sleep apnea. It's a side effect of graves. Stop all the caffine immediately. Your system is on overdrive and won't slow down, that's why you can't sleep. No cold medicine with ephedrine or psydoephedrine either - it promotes heart palpatations and can keep you up for days.

Best of luck and take care of yourself!

Dar

[mtbdarby]

Found it. Here's the website:
http://www.mediboard.com/forums/index.php?showforum=14

There's a lab tracker form on the board as well. Save it and track your labs and bring it with you to every appointment. The range you're comfortable in may not be the "normal" range. Normal is all relative. Since you have hyperthryroidism, there's a good chance your levels will be to the high side of "normal". Make comments of how you feel at what levels to judge what's best for you (very helpful when you're taking meds). I could guess my levels by how I felt and used to freak my dr. out!

Make sure they test FT3, FT4 and tsh (not T3's and T4's). They can diagnose graves with blood tests alone, they do not need to do the uptake if you aren't comfortable with it. You just may have to fight them on it, lol.

Dar

[DDH]

Well, I called the hospital today because no one had called me yet about an appointment. They hadn't even looked at my referal yet, because they are booked through Oct and are waiting for the November books to open the fist of July.

This kills me!!! How can a hospital be so inadequate about the amount of doctors they have to service an area, yet charge and arm and a leg for Insurance.

I know it's not thier fault, I'm just venting.

I'd like to know how they can make people wait so long thought. I mean what if my symptoms were much worse than they are. I believe this disaese can be dangerous, can it not?

[ccnyc]

Here's a thyroid website with lots of good info:
http://thyroid.about.com/b/2008/06/21/graves-disease-and-hyperthyroidism-profiled-in-new-aboutcom-features.htm?nl=1

[Kano]

I'd like to know how they can make people wait so long thought. I mean what if my symptoms were much worse than they are. I believe this disaese can be dangerous, can it not?

Donna, I'm going to hazard a guess and say that there would be an appointment available pretty immediately if your doctor had "flagged" the referral somehow.

If you call your referring doctor's office and ask why you haven't heard from "Dr. So-and-so's" office about your referral yet, perhaps that will make some difference, either in an appointment, or reaasrance that an appointment in November is OK in your case.

Karen in Boise

[DDH]

Oh, I don't think I am in any danger right now, I was just thinking of others if they are that behind on getting appointments scheduled.

I don't think mine is that bad yet, of course I don't know that, but I don't feel bad, and althought my heart rate is high a lot of time, it's nothing compared to what some of the other girls have had. I don't seem to have that fluttering or really, really high heart rate.

I have the shakes, and get really trembly if I exert myself, and I sometimes can see my shirt moving cause my heart is pounding, but I'm not losing weight and if I did, I can stand to lose a lot, nor am I having any severe symptoms, or not what I would call severe.

I was just kind of typing out loud yesterday out of frustration with the whole system. It just bugs me sometimes.
Quite honestly I haven't a clue how they do things or what priority system they use and shouldn't make judgements about it, but like other folks like myself without an ounce of patience anymore, I tend to open the mouth, when it should stay shut. LOL

I use to be a very patient, understanding, not in a hurry about things, kind of person and I'm not anymore. I don't like that personality change. :eek:

[Thorn]

Vent. Waiting until November isn't healthy. I'd go back and talk to your GP. For me, my GP (internal medicine) handled it all. Maybe she shouldn't have, but I picked her out because she's sharp, does her research and is pretty conservative with treatments. My guess is that she'd have called in an endocrinologist if she had gotten in over her head.

Without going political, sometimes our health system really s*cks; other times, I am amazed. For example, a few months ago, at my physical, the GP found a lump in the breast that I hadn't. Talk about the perfect health care solution. Her PA set up a mammogram/ultrasound/biopsy for first thing the next day (apologizing that there wasn't anything for the same day). By the time I left the clinic I had the diagnosis (it was a cyst). Too bad all healthcare doesn't work that way.

Kick that GP of yours....you shouldn't be waiting until November (just my non-medical 2cents, depreciated for inflation it ain't worth much).