Must have uptake and ablation next week

[GravesGirl73]

Hello! Thought I'd break in on this topic too...If the doc said it's auto immune it IS Graves, that's what Graves disease is...an auto immune disease! Now as far as the labs was your free t-3, 4 point something? Was your freet-4 out of range? Was it total 4 or free? If it was total and the number was 12, that is in range. It might be t-3 toxicosis, with only the free t-3 being out of range. If you're having heart issues it's usually the free t-3 that is way high, that rules the metabolism, how fast things go.. weight loss, nervousness,rapid heart, tremors, insomnia, frequent bm's go along with this. I am on Tapazole for over a year now and am doing pretty well, although dosage has been adjusted in the last 7 months or so, I went hypo for awhile, then a little hyper again, but still felt okay.I feel better a little hypo anyway, hate the fast heart and nervousness. Just read Katkat's posts, you won't want to rush into RAI, believe me!! You can't even be around people for awhile, especially little ones or share the same toilet, and there's some literature out there about women who have RAI, their husbands go hypo too within 10 years. I guess you pass the radiation on to him?? That sounds not like something I want to have done.
Give the meds a chance you can always change endos if yours is being pushy. Find one a little more liberal.

[hypfranh]

Hi Graves,

Here is what happened to me. Also, FYI, I have one child, an 18mth old.

In Sept. 2007, my sister said, "Frances, you're shaking. Why are you shaking so much?" And I said, "What are you talking about?" because I didn't even know it. We had been hiking, and because I don't exercise very much, I was thinking I was shaking because of that.

Then, over Christmas, I had a 48 hr stomach bug. A few weeks later I had a horrible sinus infection. Then, about three weeks ago, I had another sinus infection and I started having the rapid heartbeat and crazy night sweats. I had never been so sick in my entire life. So, I went to the doc three weeks ago for my sickness and also wanted to ask about my weight loss and my heart was going fast. And, I haven't had a real period in three or four months.

All this time too, since last year, I thought I had been losing weight, and of course, I was thinking, wow this has been too easy. My family has great metabolism and I so I just never thought anything was really going on. Then, my husband thought I had been losing too much weight.

At the doc, my heart rate was 160. He took blood work and sent me to the pharmicist to get zithromax for my antibiotic and 80 milligrams of propranolol. TSH was less than .004. T3 was 12.2 and T4 was 4.64. I'm not sure what you mean by "free" or "total." Sorry!

I've been on propranolol for about three weeks and heart rate is down to 100+. On Tues, I went to take my iodine pill and after five hours, my uptake was 23 and then 24 hrs later was 45.

Results of the scan showed I don't have an enlarged thyroid and he used the word homogeneous. I have no hot or cold nodules.

Doc just updated me today to 120 milligrams of propranolol and 4 milligrams 3x a day of Tapazole. I know I'll need to watch my heart rate with this combination.

By the way, the doc I'm referring to is a PA and I have not yet talked with an endo. I know that's bad, but I will go soon.

Doc made me go back today for more blood work to test thyroglobulin antibodies. Don't know anything yet.

And as you may have seen before after one week of hyperthyroid, doc was scheduling for my uptake and ablation this week. Wow, way rushed and I said put me on meds after all of the great information here!

That's my story!

[accessn12]

Isn't that visible shaking wierd? I was always a little aware of it but didn't think much of it until I was about 20 and a group of us were out having dinner and someone mentioned it. It embarrassed me. After that, any time someone mentioned it, I'd just tell em I was cold. You can sometimes get by with that when your teeth are chattering but it didn't always fly in 90 degree weather.

Your story sounds so typical hyper. I think your PA did real good in catching it and sounds like a good one to have aboard. You need your TSI antibodies checked though. The TGAb's aren't specific enough. Grave's thyroids usually show a homogeneous pattern on scan. So would post-partum so it's very unlikely that you're going thru the hyper phase of hashi's. Post-partum is also an autoimmune disorder. If you have TSI antibodies, the diagnosis would be clear.

As to endos, I've never had any luck with them. I've seen 5. As a DO at the er so eloquently put it, most of em walk around with there head up their arse. I'm not saying there aren't any good endos out there. I just never found one and I don't ever plan on seeking one again. My gp's doing a fine job of it. Any doctor/pa/fnp who's willing to listen, is compassionate and has the capacity to read the instructions, order tests and write scripts is capable of treating thyroid disorders. That is, as long as the patient thoroughly educates themselves on their disorder. It's a matter of teamwork and cooperation.

If your insurance covers it, it's probably good to at least consult with an endo. I'd lay odds though that one of the first things out of their mouth is going to be RAI. Try it and see.

[GravesGirl73]

Hi Again! Are you sure you don't have the numbers for t 3 and 4 mixed up? Do you have a copy of the labs? They don't sound right. the range for total t-4 is
(4.5-12.0) the free t-4 is(0.8-1.9) you say yours is 4.something, I forgot. The total t-3 range is(1.10-2.00) the free t-3 is (2.3-4.2) you said yours is 12? I'm confused now.Yours is that FAR out of range? As far as the 4 milligrams of Tapazole, they come in 5,10,20 mg doses. There's not a 4 mg pill as far as I know. Do you live out of the US? Sorry for all the questions, just trying to understand.

[hypfranh]

Hi Graves,

I would not doubt that I got things mixed up. I was 4x whatever numbers for some type of T3 and T4. Based on the ranges you provided, it looks like mione were for free T3 and free T4. The doc only gave me that set of numbers and gave me my TSH level.

And yes, when I looked at my prescription this morning, it was 5 milligrams of Tapazole. Can't you tell I'm new?