New Member Labs

[dragonfly]

Hello to all,

I just found this message board while researching thyroid disease. I have been having many symptoms of hyperthyroidism that I put off to menopause, etc since I am in my 40's. Long story short, I finally went to physician on Monday because of heart palpitations, hand tremors, ankle edema, and itcy skin rash on legs. My lab results with normal ranges were:

TSH <0.01 (0.34-4.8)
FT4 2.20 (0.59-1.17)
T4 15.2 (4.7-13.3)
T3U 38 (31-39)
FT3 8.5(2.0-4.4)
TPO Ab 19 (<34)

My doctor just said that my results reveal hyperthyroidism and is referring me to an endocrinologist. I would like to know if any of you had similar lab results and how long it took you to feel better after treatment.

Thanks,
dragonfly

[nasdaqphil]

Hello,

Sorry to hear you apparantly have Graves Disease. You're just beginning what will probably a long road but your symptoms can be managed.

As you research you'll hear terms like RAI, TSI and ablation. Initially they will try to control your thyroid with meds most likely but for most ablation (radioactive iodine to kill the thyroid) is the solution for most.

Read A LOT about Graves Disease which is what you have most likely. There's a lot of information about it on the net.

[Andros]

Hello to all,

I just found this message board while researching thyroid disease. I have been having many symptoms of hyperthyroidism that I put off to menopause, etc since I am in my 40's. Long story short, I finally went to physician on Monday because of heart palpitations, hand tremors, ankle edema, and itcy skin rash on legs. My lab results with normal ranges were:

TSH <0.01 (0.34-4.8)
FT4 2.20 (0.59-1.17)
T4 15.2 (4.7-13.3)
T3U 38 (31-39)
FT3 8.5(2.0-4.4)
TPO Ab 19 (<34)

My doctor just said that my results reveal hyperthyroidism and is referring me to an endocrinologist. I would like to know if any of you had similar lab results and how long it took you to feel better after treatment.

Thanks,
dragonfly

Hi there, dragonfly! Yep; there it is as evidenced by your labs. I am glad you are being referred out to a specialist. That is very good news.

To be honest w/ you; I never saw my lab results when I was so sick. I have since wised up though, that is for sure and ask for copies every time.

I did not do well on antithyroid meds so I opted out and had my thyroid nuked. Now, I am fine.

Let us know when you see the endo and what he/she has offered by way of a treatment plan for you.

Do you have a goiter? Are your eyes okay so far?

[dragonfly]

Thanks to all for the responses. The first endo that my doctor referred me to is booked for 9 months, so she called around and found one that will see me Nov 16. Were you guys always hungry while hyper? I am eating like a pig and still losing weight. What about eye twitching, my right eye has started twitching and is driving me crazy. My eyes are dry and sometimes feel gritty. Other than that, the eyes are ok. I don't think I have a goiter, the doc didn't mention feeling anything but it feels like something is always stuck in my throat. I seem to always have a sore throat and easily choke when drinking or eating. Any suggestions of what I should do or not do in the meantime would be appreciated. I am reading that you can't stay on Tapazole or PTU for a long time due to liver damage, can someone tell me if it is the same for Synthroid if I decide to do the RAI treatment? Is remission possible while taking medication, and did most of you experience the bad side effects of the medication?

[Andros]

Thanks to all for the responses. The first endo that my doctor referred me to is booked for 9 months, so she called around and found one that will see me Nov 16. Were you guys always hungry while hyper? I am eating like a pig and still losing weight. What about eye twitching, my right eye has started twitching and is driving me crazy. My eyes are dry and sometimes feel gritty. Other than that, the eyes are ok. I don't think I have a goiter, the doc didn't mention feeling anything but it feels like something is always stuck in my throat. I seem to always have a sore throat and easily choke when drinking or eating. Any suggestions of what I should do or not do in the meantime would be appreciated. I am reading that you can't stay on Tapazole or PTU for a long time due to liver damage, can someone tell me if it is the same for Synthroid if I decide to do the RAI treatment? Is remission possible while taking medication, and did most of you experience the bad side effects of the medication?

Yes; starving. LOL!! And then once I had RAI, I sure had to work hard to break that pattern of eating a lot.

Sometimes the thyroid will take the path of least resistance and may be growing inwards rather than outwards. Sort of sounds like it from your description.

18 months is the recommended limit for antithyroid meds as they can cause liver damage. Have no fear about thyroxine replacement though. You can and probably will take it for the rest of your life.

Yep; that twitching eye. I used to have that and it drove me nuts. It would be a very good idea to see a board certified ophthalmologist to get a good examination and to provide a "baseline" for any further changes that may occur.

I use Refresh eye drops by day and Lacrilube ointment at night for dry eye. You may wish to try these or similar products. Any eye drop w/ histamine is a no no as they tend to make thyroid eyes much worse.

You could, if you like.....call the endo and get on a cancellation list. This sometimes works rather well.

I personally did not go into remission while on antithyroid med and yes; my liver enzymes were elevated. That was not a good thing.

[nasdaqphil]

You can stay on Synthroid forever. Babies with thyroid problems are put on it and live nice long lives taking that pill every single day of their lives.

[GD Women]

Hi there.

Your Labs look like Hyper/Graves.

Yes I was so hungry and ate like a pig while losing weight. I'm still hungry (all my life) but have to diet now for weight loss. It is very easy for me to lose weight as .long as I stick to the program.

My eye twitches every so often but I never paid attention to see if its my thyroid eye.
I still have occasional sore throats and anything tight around my throat chocks me.
Doctor didn't mention a nodule but he did mention my thyroid being off, so I assume that was the reason for thyroid test. Nodule didn't become visual until two years after treatment around the same time my TED appeared.

I 've had no side effects from levoxyl, unless med. are too high making level(s) go hyper, then I experience some hyper symptoms. Levoxyl or synthroid is just like our natural or body producing T4, so there is no harm done to our organs. We can stay on meds. forever without repercussions.

With hyper Graves', persons should stay relaxed and calm as possible and no cardio exercise until doctor gives ok. I also suggest using topical ointments and artificial tears which may soothe your eyes. Preservative free and sterile lubricant eye drops and for night time and for sleep liquid gel lubricant eye drops with 0.5% methylcellulose and/or hypromellose eye drops for lubrication. Also sun glasses will help protect the eyes. I wear them all the time even when swimming, water skiing, windsurfing....rain or shine. This might help from further damage.

Just remember hyper/Graves' isn't the worse thing in the world.

Good luck with the Endo. Keep us up dated.

[dragonfly]

So, I went to the endo today, finally! Had more blood drawn and thyroid ultrasound which showed no nodules. I go back Friday for uptake scan. My blood pressure was 180/100 and pulse of 105 which got me a prescription for something to slow my heart down...generic of Tenormin. Also, liver enzymes were elevated so I don't think I am going to try anti-thyroid meds. Wish me luck as I travel down this unknown path. :sad0016:

[Andros]

So, I went to the endo today, finally! Had more blood drawn and thyroid ultrasound which showed no nodules. I go back Friday for uptake scan. My blood pressure was 180/100 and pulse of 105 which got me a prescription for something to slow my heart down...generic of Tenormin. Also, liver enzymes were elevated so I don't think I am going to try anti-thyroid meds. Wish me luck as I travel down this unknown path. :sad0016:

Thank you for the update, Dragonfly! Very very glad they are going to do an uptake scan as truth be know, and ultra-sound does not always pick up smaller nodules. And then of course, it will be helpful to know what your uptake is.

Glad they gave you a beta-blocker. That should help; a lot!

If I had it to do over again, I would go straight on to ablation instead of messing around w/ anti-thyroid meds. They only made me sicker but in a different way. What is the point of trading one problem for another?

Sending hugs to you,

[dragonfly]

Update:

It has now been 6 weeks since I took the RAI pill. My symptoms are worse than ever, and I am really getting frustrated! I just saw my endo and he said sometimes the thyroid doesn't want to die off and puts up a fight after RAI treatment. I feel like I have PMS on steroids every day now! I am so jittery, can't sleep, and just really a witch to everyone around me, and I am usually a very nice person :( I just feel "out of control". I asked the doc if he could give me something, anything to just calm my nerves and help me sleep. Well, he said no because this just has to run its course and he doesn't want anything to "mask" my symptoms. I am to return in 4 weeks for another costly checkup and hear more BS I am sure. Has anyone else here had a similar experience? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

[nasdaqphil]

Hello,

It sounds to me like your thyroid IS dying off. You are suffering a greater hyper period because the RAI is killing off your gland, dumping all the fresh hormone into your system as the cells die off. A pretty bad hyper period is fairly common following RAI and the timing is about right - usually between 4 and 8 weeks following RAI.

Now for the good news:

If you can manage the to get through this hyper period, odds are those cells will never come back to make you hyper ever again. Usually the hyper period only last a few weeks as the thyroid cells die off and once they do, you will probably go hypo pretty quickly and then need meds.

Keep on the lookout for hypo symptoms - sluggish, tired, dizzy, weight gain, constipation, cold, etc. Once you hit that mark, it's time to start the Synthroid or whatever your doctor prescribes.

On the other side, if the hyper gets really, really bad, go to the ER for some Propranolol - a beta blocker to help slow your heart rate. Very rarely, the thyroid dies off too quickly and causes a thyroid dumping situation where a lot of hormone enters the system at one time as the cells die off from RAI. If that happens, called "Thyroid Storm" it could be a medical emergency and a visit to the ER would be best in that case.

I don't want to scare you. It sounds like what you are going through is pretty normal. The shakiness should not last too much longer now and then hypo will set in and you will be able to get regulated properly with replacement hormone. Just keep track of your heart rate and blood pressure if you can from time to time and you should be ok and be aware of the symptoms of hypo in the next few weeks after the thyroid dies off so you don't have to get too hypo before getting meds.

[Andros]

Update:

It has now been 6 weeks since I took the RAI pill. My symptoms are worse than ever, and I am really getting frustrated! I just saw my endo and he said sometimes the thyroid doesn't want to die off and puts up a fight after RAI treatment. I feel like I have PMS on steroids every day now! I am so jittery, can't sleep, and just really a witch to everyone around me, and I am usually a very nice person :( I just feel "out of control". I asked the doc if he could give me something, anything to just calm my nerves and help me sleep. Well, he said no because this just has to run its course and he doesn't want anything to "mask" my symptoms. I am to return in 4 weeks for another costly checkup and hear more BS I am sure. Has anyone else here had a similar experience? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

It's true; I had to have RAI 3 times. One reason is because they can only give you so much radioactive material.

You should be given TSH, FREE T3 and FREE T4 tests to see where you are at. If you are still hyper as per labs, doc should put you on beta blocker and anti-thyroid med.

It sounds to me like you are in thyrotoxicosis.

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000356.htm

To be honest w/ you; I don't believe you should be left to suffer in this condition as it could cause permanent organ damage and even be life-threatening. You can even become psychotic. I experienced this personally.

So.............I urge you to seek medical intervention elsewhere if this doc won't do anything to help you through this.

Let us know; I am mighty worried.

[dragonfly]

I just thought I would put in an update. I just got back from the endo, again. Latest labs are:
TSH still 0
T4 3.1
FT4 0.34
The crazy hyperT symptoms have been replaced with hypoT symptoms.......I went from sweating and being so HOT all of the time to freezing cold and sleepy in a matter of a few weeks. My heart rate was 54, feels like everything is in slow motion now. So, I guess the RAI did work after all! I got a prescription for 75mg Synthroid and will go back in 2 months for recheck. Hopefully I am on the road to becoming normal again. Thanks for all the advice and encouragement when I felt like I was loosing my mind :party0006: