hyperthyroidism

[crazycanuck]

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showt...hlight=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

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