Hi everyone

I am new here I have been reading the forums for a few days

I am wondering if anyone can help calm Me down I have a
Dr appointment on Thursday and I am scared to death...
I noticed My neck is swollen at my thyroid more on the right side
I have been losing hair for about a year I have palpitations at night
I get so nervous I can sleep I also have ringing in the ears constant for
9 years..The new lump in My neck is what scares me the most tho..

I also have all the menopausal things going on too

What a drag it is getting old!!

Any help will be appreciated

Hi,

It sounds to me like your thyroid is out of wack and they can adjust that with meds so dont' worry, good for you for going to the doctor, I know it's scary.

Let us know how you make you.

Moozie

I agree, could be a goiter. Nothing that can't be fixed. Do report back on this same thread when you get the results.

My husband has hyperthyroidism (grave's disease) and this sounds really familiar. It could also be an infected lymph node!

Thanks for the replies I feel so alone in this I don't want to worry my hubby
so I can't vent to him..

It is funny I have hyper symptoms but I am about 25lbs over weight that is what is so
puzzling

I just don't know what the Doc will do I know a blood test but do you
always need all the other test I read about needle biopsy makes me shake

Try not to worry too much. I had a lump like a golf ball that came up at the side of my windpipe 8 months after surgery for endo cancer. You can imagine what I thought! I had no symptoms of thyroid problems either so in some ways that made it more worrying.
I had a scan and immediately the radiologist put my mind at rest as he was doing it. He said I had nodules in my thyroid which are very common in older women -ie menopausal and the golf ball was probably a benign cyst.
I had to have a needle biopsy so he could draw some fluid from it to send off for checking but he told me the chances were it would be nothing sinister which it wasn't.
You may not have to have a needle biopsy. I only had it on the cyst. He didn't biopsy the nodules because he could see they were benign.

My biopsy wasn't that bad. Don't worry about it-if you do have to have one you will cope. Good luck

janet c

(((Restless)))

I'll keep you in my thoughts and prayers. Please post after your appointment.

Take care.

Bella

I will tell you the same thing everyone always tells me. Worrying right now is not going to help you one iota. Now, if you are like me, you know that, yet cannot help but let the scary thoughts run thru your head. So I will tell you to try hard to relax, and let you know that I am sending prayers your way that it is nothing major.

Thank-you so much for the support it's very kind of all of You.. and I will let You all know
how it goes on Thursday..

xoxo
June

My sister had the goiter as well... Medication, in some cases, can get rid of it.

Wishing you well today!

TJ

Dear'restless in NJ'
Sorry you are goung through such a stressful period.My immediate thought ,like so many of the ladies ,was Thyroid
Am praying for you.Keep as calm as you can and please let us know results

Warm Wishes
Elizabeth

Hi Everyone,

Well this is how my day went..I woke up at 3:56 Am I got out of bed made some
decaf coffee because I didn't want My heart racing at the Dr..My appointment was at 9:45
Well at 9:30 I had full blown palpitations

First thing He did was take My blood presser I was 162/78 He said that was high for Me and
My heart was racing what else is new..

So I hand him my list that I want Him to check tsh,t3,t4,antibodies,iron and magnesium levels
and He said He would check them all..

I go back next thurs to get the results He said if I'm hypo he can treat me if I'm hyper
I have to see an Endo..

So I am keeping my finger crossed that it is my thyroid..That is better then cancer

He also said My ringing is louder because of my presser

Thanks to all of You for caring..

Sorry I meant blood PRESSURE LOL I don't know where my mind is

Dear'restless in NJ'

So glad you got yourself off to the Doctor
Please let us know the results
Then I hope you can get any treatment needed,if any

God Bless
Elizabeth

Glad it worked out o.k Restless.
I had very bad anxiety for three years and my plood pressure was always high. When I hit rock bottom last Jan. and finally got on Lexapro and calmed my a*s down my blood pressure is now back to being normal or even better. Exercise helps too. I remember feeling like you did about the doc. appt.'s though. In the waiting room - thought I would just pass out right their the adrenaline was pumping like crazy! It's exhausting!

P.S. I'm a jersey girl too!

I will continue to pray for you. Please keep us posted on the results.

Good idea about taking a list with you. I found myself forgeting to ask something when I would go to the doctor. Then, of course, I remember what it was after I had left his office. So now my notepad goes to the doctor with me.

(((HUGS)))

Bella

When I go back I was thinking of asking for a sleep aid.
Anyone have a suggestion on a good one?..One without the morning hangover..

restless in nj
Ambien CR works great for me although its prescription.

Hi Everyone

I went to the Dr today I called him to tell him I was feeling My heart race all day
so He took Me right away..

My Blood work was back and I am hyper
My readings are tsh is 0.007 low
t4 is 27.7 very high
I don't see t3 on my blood work so don't know

thyroid peroxidase is 52 high

He put me on a beta blocker and meds for my blood pressure

I go for an ultra sound Thurs and see an endo on the 26th

Now I am worried about the meds I'm on lol
they are metoprolol 50mg
methimazole has anyone taken these?

Thanks so much for the support..

Have a nice Valentines Day Ladies!!

Hi NJ! Sounds exactly like what I went through at the beginning of peri. I think my thyroid was fine though. I am on BP meds too and an AD. it is getting me through peri. I hate the dr too

I found out I have Graves disease..This is so scary.. I see my Dr the 26th
don't know what to do. I can try meds and hope for remission but that means waiting
and never knowing when it will flare up again..Or I can do radio active iodine and kill my thyroid
to stop overactive and go hypo and take the chance my eyes won't become affected..don't know what to do!!!

anyone have Graves and have RAI treatment?

Please don't have RAI yet until you have researched all your options and understand the pros and cons of RAI. Elaine Moore is an expert on Grave's disease and has written many articles and a couple of books. Read her articles on Suite101, she also has a great website. There is also a great Yahoo Graves group.

PM me if you want links.

Thanks Sariah

I have been reading Elaine Moore's site she is very knowledgeable
I will not rush into RAI after reading her site..

June, I'm so sorry, I know you were hoping it was something that a medication could fix.

I have one friend who had graves disease and did go the radioactive iodine route. He was without energy and lost a lot of weight then once his levels were correct he was able to go on thyroid meds and he has regained his energy and his weight.

I have another friend who also has graves disease but she can't take the radioactive treatment due to some other complications from lyme disease. She has lost a considerable amount of weight and is very tired but I saw her last week and she says she is finally feeling better.

I apologize I have forgotten many of the details of their journey like the meds they were on etc but what I want most for you to take from this is that you do indeed recover from this. I will email both of them and see if I can get more details for you. I know there is comfort in hearing from true experiences.

Blessings,

Ok, here is the response from the one who did take the radioactive test,

Do you know if they have had the Nuclear Uptake test yet & what level the test results were showing? With lower levels, it can be treated with thyroid medication. XXXXX's was what they called full blown Grave's Disease and he was given the choice of surgery to remove his thyroid or taking a Nuclear radioactive pill to completely destroy it. After talking with the dr, they both decided for him to take the pill. Either way, he was going to be on medication for the rest of his life to do the work that his thyroid did. Yes, he was sick a long time because it took approximately 3-4 months for the pill to actually kill it so his body was reacting to a dying thyroid. His dr told him to expect it, but when he got to a level they wanted him to, he was put on meds to bring his levels back up to normal. It's a long process, but has been worth it to have him well again.

Hope this helps..

I have a good friend who was diagnosed with graves three years ago. She went the iodine route and now is totally fine. Better than she was in years. I can ask her more questions about it if you need more answers. She says it was the best thing she did, because she is back to being herself again. Hang in there, it's going to be ok. Keep talking to us and getting support when you need it.

Thanks for the help..The thing that I am worried about is after RAI pill your eyes can flair up
can you ask your friends if that happened to them after the Radioactive iodine pill..

carolh I did have the test mine was 70 anything over 35 is high so mine is pretty
high

The funny thing is I feel fine right now..I would love all the info you can get..

June, I asked my friend whose husband is the one who had Graves disease for more infor and here is what she said...


Mostly women get this disease, but my hubby was one of the few lucky men! There are a lot more people with thyroid problems than we realize, we just don't know it, until we're dealing it . His test showed 187...it was extremely high before we even found out what he had. He had gone to his cardiologist first thinking it was his heart causing him problems & doc referred him to a thyroid doc. No flare ups on eyes after RAI pill. He had and still has stickiness problems with his eyes, but not from the pill. It's one of the symptoms of Graves disease he had when he began having trouble.

Your friend has already faced 1/2 the battle of the unknown trying to find out what was wrong with her. If she's anything like my husband was..extremely moody, not hardly sleeping....she will feel like she'll never get better. It could take several months before she gets straightened out, but the main thing for her (and her family) is to hang in there. If her family will try understanding what she's dealing with and be patient with her mood swings while she recovers, that will be a big support to her. We'll pray for her.

>> I'll be praying for you too. Having Graves disease along with the anxiety of meno would be very difficult to deal with. Just continue to remember that the suffering is only for a season. That always seems to help me, to think back to other difficult times I've gone through and realize that they are over and I'm still ok. You will be ok too. :-)

Hugs,

Thanks Carol I am at the research stage still don't know what to do
I see My Dr on Thur.. Thanks for the prayers I need all the help I can get..
xoxo

This may be too late in coming but there are a few other things to consider with RAI. If the dose is not strong enough it can be a temporary fix and if the dose is too strong (my case) it obliterates the thyroid entirely and one is completely dependent upon T4 or another replacement therapy. There is a treatment that has been used I believe either in the Orient or Europe where T4 is used to suppress the overractive thyroid gland until it resumes a normal function.

The success of this therapy depends largely upon finding your triggers. Graves disease is an autoimmune disorder where the antibodies attack your own thyroid gland. There is a reason for that. Something is triggering this autoimmune reaction and in my case, it was undiagnosed celiac disease. Had I (and my affected sisters) been diagnosed PRIOR to middle age, we would have likely avoided thyroid disease. One of my sisters developed goiter and Hashimotos while I developed graves. She had thyroid suppression treatment and I had RAI. Hashimotos is the stage that occurs PRIO to full blown graves. If you catch it in this stage, it is easier to treat. At any rate, look for underlying food or environmental allergies.

Contemplate your lifestyle. Are there any food allergies in your family? Environmental allergies? Do you eat an organic diet? Do you exercise regularly? Do you get plenty of sunshine and fresh air? Pure water or are you drinking tap or bottled? Do you live very near power transmission stations or have stepdown transformers near your workplace? Do you smoke or drink heavily? What sort of regular drug protocols have you been on? Its what you do or are exposed to on a DAILY BASIS that triggers and supports the autoimmune process. I have read that certain viruses can trigger an autoimmune response but unless that virus is harbored in your body, it should not create a disease process. Do you ever fast or do cleansing procedures? Do you live in a high stress relationship or environment?

Pray and contemplate over these things seeking answers. Try to find an endocrinologist who is familiar with thyroid suppression therapy using T4. This will ONLY work if you remove the autoimmune triggers simultaneously. It will only buy you time to make the necessary changes. RAI or surgery are radical but very effective approaches. I have known MANY people who had RAI and NONE that devleoped an eye problem after it...only before it. Is menopause a sufficient trigger to provoke graves or hashimotos? Not on its own but in combination with other significant stress factors, YES. There are foods you can use to help suppress your thyroid production naturally. Try them. This will include soy and soy protein drinks, cabbage, broccoli and any cruciferous vegetable. By just drinking a soy shake twice a day you may help simultaneously stabilize your thyroid and female hormone levels.

But in the meantime, take the meds. I doubt you will want to be on the present thyroid suppression protocol for a long time. Its hard on the liver and I don't think people feel well on it, none that I have talked with anyway. If you cannot find your autoimmune triggers, you will eventually choose between RAI and surgery. I have known people who had surgery and others who chose RAI. Young people generally choose surgery as there is some concern that RAI can shut down the ovaries and perhaps affect the eggs. I had the highest dose of RAI they give outside of cancer and it shut my ovaries down for a year...no periods. But I also underwent a very difficult recovery period as I was deathly ill with Graves and actually experienced thyroid storm. My periods were restarted by an OBGYN with clomid, also not fun. But it worked. It took ten years to get my T4 dose regulated and I had to self regulate and find the right med. Not every T4 is right for every person. This was a long and difficult struggle that felt very lonely to me at times.

I cannot take T3 and will not use a pork based product so the natural meds were out of the question. I am also a fast converted. So I have to use a smaller dose of T4 than many people and have to take it with FOOD which is listed as a NO NO! When they talk about this new protocol of taking ALL your T4 for ONE WEEK at a time I think its nuts. But there have been NO reported cardiac events associated with doing so. Since heading into the pause, I get thyroid rushes as my T4 converts in the gut. I can FEEL IT. Most people would say thats nuts. But I had celiac for forty years so my digestion works a little differently than those who were not affected with a serious digestion problem.

This winding tale is only meant to offer suggestion not direction. For direction, use prayer and seek the advice of MANY experts in this field. I feel better since going on the celiac diet than I have my entire adult life prior to that time. I urge you to get to the bottom of your autoimmune process and see what happens to your graves disease. Stay on your meds until you have a professional protocol in place you are satisfied with...you don't want to experience thyroid storm!

Thanks for the information Frozen. Can you tell me what does a thyroid rush feel like in your gut! My sister has been having problems, she has a slight heart problem along with untreated goiter that returned after RAI...which confuses me! I'm wondering if that is what she is feeling... My thyroid is on the hyper side as well, both she and mother had theirs removed...I'm wondering if that is why the soy shakes used to help me!


Best Wishes,

TJ

Hi

I learned most of this info from a nurse who had graves and underwent RAI and could NOT get her T4 to adjust properly. First of all, if you are having T4 conversion problems you might want to start taking selenium. This is good if you are just beginning on T4 also. It helps it to convert more smoothly. If you cant get your thyroid into the normal range, try that as well as amino acids taken twice daily. You would have to avoid the goitrogens including soy.

If you are a fast converter, your body takes the T4 pill and begins to assimilate it IMMEDIATELY. The drs and endos will tell you this is impossible. Your gut assimilates the T4 and begins converting it so quickly you get tachycardia. Its a terrible uncomfortable feeling and can also include palpitations. It usually happens fifteen to 25 minutes after taking your thyroid pill. The stomach begins overpumping acid and your heart rate speeds up, pounds or palpitates. This can cause what feels like severe indigestion or angina. I used oatmeal to slow down this faster conversion problem. It helps but does not always resolve it.

I have tried separating the thyroid pill into sections and taking it throughout the day. That resolves the conversion issue but I feel dragged out all day. I tried taking the thyroid at night or towards evening when my metabolism is low. That resolved it fairly well but I felt dragged out all the time. So when I read about this new protocol of taking a weeks worth of T4 at once, I begin to wonder what would happen to a fast converter. Would their body read that overdose and not overconvert or would they experience a cardiac episode? I for one, do NOT care to find out.

It may be better to take my thyroid without food and that may resolve this issue entirely. I did that when I was younger but got those massive headaches where it feels like a twenty pound weight is sitting on your head. Thats why I began taking it this way to begin with. I used to write the thyroid companies research depts and tell them to create a slow release thyroid. But that would only work for T3. That would not work for T4 because its uptake and assimilation are different.

So, I don't have an absolute handle as to why some peoples bodies overconvert T4. You can slow this process down by taking zantac one hour prior to the med. Drs and endos will scream if you tell them because they state you will not properly absorb the meds. I think you have to find a way to handle the medications you cannot live without in your own fashion. Keep testing the TSH every 90 days as you experiment with taking your T4 until it levels. When it has stayed in the normal range ( 1-3.) for six months, then retest with the full thyroid panel to see how the uptake and conversion is really going at that point.

You can have a totally normal TSH reading and be high or low on T3 or T4. As an overconverter that has a sensitive digestive process, I cannot take T3. That sends me into angina immediately at even the lowest dose. I don't need it as my body converts T4 extremely well. I take 3/4 of my current dose of thyroid and I take it with food. My dose is .088 and I weigh 114 lbs. By cutting the pill in 3/4 - 7/8 it ibecomes precisely the amount prescribed in the kg/lb conversion chart. They round T4 off to a nearest dose but you cannot get it exact and the experts tell you a little extra does no harm. Says THEM. They should be ME! I have to cut my pills to an exact grain amount and if it is a few grains over or under I know it within an HOUR. I feel it in my eyes and my overall energy level. They will tell you THAT is impossible also.

And so we, THE IMPOSSIBLES thrive by doing the UNECESSARY to achieve the RIDICULOUS - GOOD HEALTH!

I am having a conversion problem and so I do take selenium and kelp which seems to be helping me. My sister on the other hand, I believe, needs to find someone to treat her goiters as opposed to the wait and see approach. Especially, since she is having heart problems now! Finding a good doctor it seems is nearly impossible that wants to do anything that isn't by the book...especially the protocol that you mentioned. I'm sure they would look at me as if I had two heads on my shoulders, but I guess that would be nothing new !


Best Wishes,

TJ

Thanks for all the info everyone..

I am on meds as of now.I still don't know if I should take RAI my Dr is not
pushing it He said I should try meds for a year. So all I can do is pray this
all works out...

Hello! I would advise you are not thinking about bad, but anymore to listen good news, socialize with interesting people. And to drive from yourself brown thoughts. Due to your positive setting, your illness can quite abandon you. Will see here, only make attempt!

Dear 'NJ'
Lots of Prayers coming you way my dear.I do not know a lot about Graves Disease but I read somewhere that Barbara Bush suffered from this condition and had very bad emotional and mental symptoms.She was going through Menopause at the same time.She went on medication and now well into her eighties is very healthy and spry.

I wish you all the best when you see your Doctor on Thursday.
Please keep us Posted.

Warm Hugs
Elizabeth

Thanks for the prays Elizabeth

My blood work came back and it is improving nicely so
I will stay on the Meds until hopefully remission..
I am feeling great and looking forward to our vacation
in Aruba..We leave Mother's day can't wait to relax on the beach
I really need this one

Hope You all have a Happy Mother's Day!!