Re: Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

May 24, 2008

Dear Simona,

As one of the original list members, it's nice to see some of the newer

members becoming more active. Most of the people on this list have been great,

most come and go, some of us stay around to help out.

When I first had Graves and went to work, it was so awful that I can't

believe I even did it. I was so skinny, so weak, so irritable and angry--I

could

barely walk 2 blocks. I did somehow manage to work out, though, by finding a

tape I could do at home where they lifted weights basically from the floor

(I didn't want to lose all of my muscle tone, although aerobics were totally

out of the question).

I did get better, and soon, and I believe you can, too. Just listen to your

body rather than to the medical profession, follow the info on iThyroid.com

(our sister site), and keep us posted as to how you do.

Take care,

AntJoan

**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch " Cooking with

Tyler Florence " on AOL Food.

(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4 & ?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)

May 25, 2008

In a message dated 5/25/2008 5:38:07 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,

colin.blackman@... writes:

hair analysis. An alternative

to doing it yourself online is to find yourself a nutritional

therapist who will help you and interpret results -

Dear Simona,

I have a nutritional therapist who I see. I actually posted a question to

this list about the hair analysis he did for me, but no one responded.

He works in both the NYC and FLA areas, but will see clients from anywhere

by phone.

His name is Biamonte, and his Website is Health-Truth.com.

AntJoan

**************Get trade secrets for amazing burgers. Watch " Cooking with

Tyler Florence " on AOL Food.

(http://food.aol.com/tyler-florence?video=4 & ?NCID=aolfod00030000000002)

May 28, 2008

Colin,

I noticed that within a month of taking methimazole that I no longer had hyper

symptoms and had developed a few hypo symptoms such as weight gain, just like

Oprah. BOTH my primary care provider (PCP) and endo claimed that my sudden

weight gain after about 20 years at the same weight was NOT due to my medication

but my life style, which was still the same as before the hyper symptoms. Since

the only number that the endo and PCP were concerned about was my TSH levels, I

did not get instructions to discontinue the methimazole until I would have been

considered hypo by my blood tests if I was a new patient. BTW, at that point I

had gained 60 pounds.

It has been almost 6 months since I stopped taking the methimazole and my

hormone levels are back to hyper levels but I have not started taking the

methimazole yet because I don't have the symptoms yet. If and when I get the

hyper symptoms back, I plan to listen to my body and not the doctors and take

the methimazole as needed.

--Bruce

peyps13 <colin.blackman@...> wrote:

Hi Nissa

I very much agree. In the UK the usual treatment is block and replace

and it left me in an artificial doctor-induced hypothyroid state. I

would not recommend either large doses of ATDs combined with synthetic

thyorixine in the long term although it might be helpful in the short

term to stabilise the position. Just using ATDs alone is better but

you can't rely on blood tests as a way to monitor this - self

monitoring through basal temperature and resting pulse is a better.

Colin

May 30, 2008

Hi Simona

I had a similar thing happen. I had been working very hard and quit. Iit took

7 people to replace what I had been doing on my own. I slept for the next 6

months. I got up in the mornings, saw the kids off to school, then slept all

day. Got up in the evening for a couple of hours and slept again all night....I

think sometimes our own bodies know what we need. When we are hyper we can

really overdo it! This is just my thought on it - no medical basis...I didn't

go to the doctor and wasn't diagnosed for another couple of years.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi everyone!

Ok, I have this really serious question.

I have been feeling quiet good lately, but for the last couple of days

I am extremely tired, it feels that I need to stay in bed all day long,

I just drag myself to the bathroom and then back to bed. Has this

happened to any of you? I don't have fever.I am really confused why is

this happening because I'm still taking my meds and haven't done

anything differently. Are my hormones messing with me?

Peace out,

Simona

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7:44 AM

June 3, 2008

Simona,

I had the same problem. Because of the hyperthyroidism, our bodies are running a

marathon even while we sleep, so in my case, I could feel that my reserves were

being consumed and I lost quite a bit of weight despite eating EVERYTHING in

sight. Then there was the problem of getting a good night's sleep. I was only

sleeping in short spurts of two or three hours and would often waken in a moist

set of sheets because of the night sweats.

Good luck.

--Bruce

bambleja <bambleja@...> wrote: Hi everyone!

Ok, I have this really serious question.

I have been feeling quiet good lately, but for the last couple of days

I am extremely tired, it feels that I need to stay in bed all day long,

I just drag myself to the bathroom and then back to bed. Has this

happened to any of you? I don't have fever.I am really confused why is

this happening because I'm still taking my meds and haven't done

anything differently. Are my hormones messing with me?

Peace out,

Simona

June 4, 2008

Hi Simona

I feel so mellow now...but not always. I do understand your rage. It was

incredible. I remember being so 'enraged, filled with rage' and telling my

boss so at work. I gave my kids a hard time. And my poor husband - I think he

bore the brunt of it. As I said, now I'm mellow. The rage is mostly gone. But

it does occasionally come back. I've learned to think twice before I speak, and

sometimes bite my lip and turn and walk away.

I'm glad you're starting to feel a bit better. Watch your heart carefully.

Don't be afraid to take the beta blockers if you need them.

I don't know if I've mentioned it, but you would be wise to have a bone density

scan. Hyperthyroidism can strip the calcium from your bones. It happened to

me. I ended up with osteoporosis. My doctor didn't think I could possibly have

osteoporosis, but I pushed for the scan and there it was.

Sounds to me like you've been doing your reading. It is a long trip before you

get better. You have time to learn. You will do well if you are able to limit

the stress in your life.

Just a few thoughts.

Be well.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi girls,

Thank you for posting all your answers for me, I really appreciate

you taking some time from your busy schedules'.

Well everything is going pretty good right now, I am taking a lot of

rest. Those two days were a total challange for me all I wanted was

rest, and my mom was giving me a hard time, saying maybe I also have

something else besides hyperthyroidism.She is a quite good persuader

and started planning on going to see my doc if things won't change.

But they did, thank God. Well it turned out that my other hormones

probably came into a role,giving me the hardest PMS that I've ever

had...lol...Now I'm feeling pretty good, although I have some aches

in my legs,but I am not complaining, because my heart rate started to

slow down and I am not taking beta blockers anymore...hurray!!!So

maybe this was also because of my thyroid hormones, might be they are

slowing down as well. keeping my fingers crosed...

I have been eating a lot of good stuff like cauliflower, cabbages,

flax seeds, drinking lemon balm and motherwort teas, etc.

I know this may sound weird, but what do you think everyone: Do

people with hyperthyroidism before they got it felt rage at being

left out? This is just something to think about and maybe share or

not, I mean if you don't have time kind of stuff it's ok.. ...

Peace out,

Simona

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7:10 AM

June 19, 2008

Hi Simona

How's the rage doing? Still having fun????

I was just thinking of you and wondering how you're doing.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hello there,

guess who's here again

I don't know, I just love coming to this web site and sharing my

experiences and thoughts, maybe because I think that there is someone

who is going or went through the same thing as me.

Thank you Tana for sharing your experience with water. I don't know I

might be drinking too much, but I've always had, maybe this was my

first mistake, maybe I've flushed all my nutrients with it, but

everyone is saying just stay hydrated, ugh don't know what to even

think.

Today a very strange thing happened to me... I snaped at my

boyfriend, we were at the store, he was looking for a sponge, and I

lost my temper. Don't know even what happened I got so pissed

suddenly and so scared at the same time.He said he thought I was

going to hit him. Oh my gosh this is so scary, it came out of

nowhere, I was in a such a good mood. I don't know what is going on.

What do you think could this be because of some kind of nutrient

deficiency? I was having headaches for the last couple of days, and

now I am starting to think maybe there is something wrong going on

with my head, although I had an MRI done only 4 months ago, they were

looking for MS in the first place, because I felt lightheaded a lot.

I am trying to take it slow, but at the same time I am so anxious to

start living a normal life again. I am trying to stay away from the

negative thoughts, but on the other hand I am thinking why is it

taking so long, it's my seventh week on my meds and I've improved

only a little bit and a new day brings new aches and pains and mood

swings.

I don't think that I could have osteoporosis.My calcium was in normal

range, although my potassium was low and I took some meds to get

potassium and magnium levels up, so maybe I could have depleted the

calcium.Oh well this is all so hard...

I asked about that rage thing, because I've read a book recently

where the author writes that she thinks we get all the dis-eases

because of our thoughts, and ppl feeling rage at being left out get

hyperthyroidism. I know, this is crazy, but for some reason this

suits me perfectly.

Peace out,

Simona

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8:01 AM

June 20, 2008

What has made you go hypo so quickly?

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi Kate and everyone!

Thank you so much for thinking and asking about me. You are the

greatest. Well I do have some news.

Today I got my test results back, and guess what? I am hypo now!!!!

This is the answer why I have been feeling so tired lately with aches

in my legs, and my thyroid got bigger which I never had before,and I

am feeling lightheaded, cold and shaky most of the time. My TSH is

50, that's a lot I suppose, and my T4 is 9.5. The doctor just told me

not to worry,and cut off the medicine. It's good that I listened to

my intuition and went to get my test done, because according to my

doctor I was suppose to do it in a month and a half, can you image my

results then.

What do you think girls, should I still use supplementation, because

this hypo thing is new for me. I was gathering all the information

about hyperthyroidism, and wasn't expecting to go hypo so fast.

What do you think is this a good sign or not? Do you think this will

have any affect on me getting pregnant?

Any suggestions, experiences and thoughts are welcome.

Good luck to all of you.

Peace out,

Simona

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3:21 PM

June 20, 2008

You were taking an anti-thyroid medicine of some description, I'm guessing. It

sure did the job in a hurry. The trick now will be to play the watching game.

When I was given RAI it took 2 weeks to 'kill' or ablate my thryoid. I would

have expected your anti-thyroid drugs to take a while longer. That being said,

I had to stop all anti-t drugs for a full month before I was given the RAI

because they wanted to be sure my thyroid would take up the RAI. Generally if

you have thyroiditis, your doctor does not put you on antithyroid drugs. They

just watch. Apparently they can tell from blood tests whether you have

auto-immune disease or just thyroiditis. Also if they did a scan they should

have been able to tell....

Watch carefully because you don't want to start any yoyo thing. It is hard to

live through. My doctor didn't understand prescribing thyroid replacement

hormone and it was 3 years before I was somewhat stable. That's too long! But

I have been told several times that I am very sensitive to drugs so there ya

go...

You will need to be your own avocate and make certain that you aren't going

hyper again.

As for the heart rate, I have no idea. My heart rate did not slow down and I

take beta blockers to keep it down. This has been the case for 9 years. I

don't expect any change. But through that time, my thyroid meds have had me

bouncing all over the place. The one sure thing I knew was that my heart was

going to be okay. I have had a rapid heart rate since I was a child.

Now that you have become hypo be very careful what you eat. It is very

difficult to lose weight when you are hypo. You have no problem when hyper - I

could lose 5 pounds in a day if I didn't eat enough. But hypo is different.

Your body is different, as is your metabolism.

Keep in touch.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Ohnestly, I have no idea. I was taking my medicine , drinking lemon

balm tea, eating broccoli and cauliflower, but I really doubt this was

the reason. My doctor said, I either am very sensitive to the drugs

that they've preascribed ( I suspect that the dose was too big for

me), or I have thyroiditis which indicates such fast transfer from

hyper to hypo. It all happened only in 2 months.

What do you think is it bad? they told me it's better to be in this

position than I was before with T4 at 40.7.

What's strange that my heart rate is still above 85, and with hypo it

should be below 80.

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3:21 PM

June 20, 2008

In my case it took only a month for my hyper symptoms (all of them " went away " )

to turn into hypo symptoms (weight gain in particular). But my TSH numbers took

over a year to get to a value for the endo to tell me I could stop taking the

methimazole. In retrospect, I should have listened to my body and not my endo.

From: Kate <Fraserk@...>

Subject: Re: Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

hyperthyroidism

Date: Friday, June 20, 2008, 3:21 PM

You were taking an anti-thyroid medicine of some description, I'm guessing. It

sure did the job in a hurry. The trick now will be to play the watching game.

When I was given RAI it took 2 weeks to 'kill' or ablate my thryoid. I would

have expected your anti-thyroid drugs to take a while longer. That being said, I

had to stop all anti-t drugs for a full month before I was given the RAI because

they wanted to be sure my thyroid would take up the RAI. Generally if you have

thyroiditis, your doctor does not put you on antithyroid drugs. They just watch.

Apparently they can tell from blood tests whether you have auto-immune disease

or just thyroiditis. Also if they did a scan they should have been able to

tell....

Watch carefully because you don't want to start any yoyo thing. It is hard to

live through. My doctor didn't understand prescribing thyroid replacement

hormone and it was 3 years before I was somewhat stable. That's too long! But I

have been told several times that I am very sensitive to drugs so there ya go...

You will need to be your own avocate and make certain that you aren't going

hyper again.

As for the heart rate, I have no idea. My heart rate did not slow down and I

take beta blockers to keep it down. This has been the case for 9 years. I don't

expect any change. But through that time, my thyroid meds have had me bouncing

all over the place. The one sure thing I knew was that my heart was going to be

okay. I have had a rapid heart rate since I was a child.

Now that you have become hypo be very careful what you eat. It is very difficult

to lose weight when you are hypo. You have no problem when hyper - I could lose

5 pounds in a day if I didn't eat enough. But hypo is different. Your body is

different, as is your metabolism.

Keep in touch.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Ohnestly, I have no idea. I was taking my medicine , drinking lemon

balm tea, eating broccoli and cauliflower, but I really doubt this was

the reason. My doctor said, I either am very sensitive to the drugs

that they've preascribed ( I suspect that the dose was too big for

me), or I have thyroiditis which indicates such fast transfer from

hyper to hypo. It all happened only in 2 months.

What do you think is it bad? they told me it's better to be in this

position than I was before with T4 at 40.7.

What's strange that my heart rate is still above 85, and with hypo it

should be below 80.

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PM

June 20, 2008

Sounds like Hashimoto's thyroiditis which starts out as hyperthyroidism

then reverts to permanent hypothyroidism. The important thing is to make

sure you're getting enough synthetic thyroid to avoid the hypo symptoms.

Weird about your pulse though. You can try beta blockers if it's bothering

you, but some people can't tolerate them (I'm one of those people). Another

method is biofeedback...you can do it on your own by buying a monitor that

beeps in time with your pulse and try and get the number of beeps down

through relaxation. Or you might see if you can get a referral to someone

who specializes in biofeedback.

Nissa

On Fri, 20 Jun 2008 13:29:49 -0700 (PDT), Bruce Rubin

<barubin_medical@...> wrote:

> In my case it took only a month for my hyper symptoms (all of them " went

> away " ) to turn into hypo symptoms (weight gain in particular). But my TSH

> numbers took over a year to get to a value for the endo to tell me I

could

> stop taking the methimazole. In retrospect, I should have listened to my

> body and not my endo.

>

> From: Kate <Fraserk@...>

> Subject: Re: Re: Eager to join your group and share my

> story!

> hyperthyroidism

> Date: Friday, June 20, 2008, 3:21 PM

>

> You were taking an anti-thyroid medicine of some description, I'm

> guessing. It sure did the job in a hurry. The trick now will be to play

the

> watching game. When I was given RAI it took 2 weeks to 'kill' or ablate

my

> thryoid. I would have expected your anti-thyroid drugs to take a while

> longer. That being said, I had to stop all anti-t drugs for a full month

> before I was given the RAI because they wanted to be sure my thyroid

would

> take up the RAI. Generally if you have thyroiditis, your doctor does not

> put you on antithyroid drugs. They just watch. Apparently they can tell

> from blood tests whether you have auto-immune disease or just

thyroiditis.

> Also if they did a scan they should have been able to tell....

> Watch carefully because you don't want to start any yoyo thing. It is

hard

> to live through. My doctor didn't understand prescribing thyroid

> replacement hormone and it was 3 years before I was somewhat stable.

That's

> too long! But I have been told several times that I am very sensitive to

> drugs so there ya go...

> You will need to be your own avocate and make certain that you aren't

> going hyper again.

> As for the heart rate, I have no idea. My heart rate did not slow down

and

> I take beta blockers to keep it down. This has been the case for 9 years.

I

> don't expect any change. But through that time, my thyroid meds have had

me

> bouncing all over the place. The one sure thing I knew was that my heart

> was going to be okay. I have had a rapid heart rate since I was a child.

> Now that you have become hypo be very careful what you eat. It is very

> difficult to lose weight when you are hypo. You have no problem when

hyper

> - I could lose 5 pounds in a day if I didn't eat enough. But hypo is

> different. Your body is different, as is your metabolism.

> Keep in touch.

> Kate

>

> Re: Eager to join your group and share my

> story!

>

> Ohnestly, I have no idea. I was taking my medicine , drinking lemon

> balm tea, eating broccoli and cauliflower, but I really doubt this was

> the reason. My doctor said, I either am very sensitive to the drugs

> that they've preascribed ( I suspect that the dose was too big for

> me), or I have thyroiditis which indicates such fast transfer from

> hyper to hypo. It all happened only in 2 months.

> What do you think is it bad? they told me it's better to be in this

> position than I was before with T4 at 40.7.

> What's strange that my heart rate is still above 85, and with hypo it

> should be below 80.

>

> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -

>

> No virus found in this incoming message.

> Checked by AVG.

> Version: 8.0.100 / Virus Database: 270.4.1/1510 - Release Date:

19/06/2008

> 3:21 PM

>

June 21, 2008

Hi Simona

Sounds like you're learning what it is to have thyroid disease. Pretty soon you

will feel that you know more than your doctor....smiles....and you will know

much more than some doctors you encounter. Keep on reading. There is lots you

need to know. I still remember being mouth at the Emergency department at our

local hospital. I had told the ER doctor that I had Graves Disease and had

attributed some symptoms to it, and he looked at me with a completely blank

look. I told him to go read up on it and come back to see me when he was more

knowledgible. I was just so fed up with doctors who don't seem to know or care.

I had an Endo who was interested in diabetes, not thyroid disease. She booked

appointments every 5 minutes and heaven help you if you asked a question...she

referred me to an Internist who was also interested in diabetes and not in

thyroid disease. I guess it is an un-glamorous disease or something. She also

didn't know what she was doing and reduced my thyroid replacement hormones so

much that I became cognitively impaired. When the clinic that diagnosed that

faxed her, she didn't understand the problem....I'm sure we all have stories

like that.

We really do need to be as knowledgible as possible. Hopefully you will never

need the knowledge, but it can save your life.

Listen to your body. If you are concerned about your heart, ask for / insist on

a consult with a cardiologist. Bring someone along with you to doctor

appointments. I brought my husband along a lot of times. I felt so threatened

by the doctors. And by the disease. I had rampant anxiety with it.

If you haven't already, start keeping a notebook with your test results, your

medications, how you feel, and what the doctor says. It does help. I track my

thyroid tests, my blood pressure, and any other test. I take the time to

research what the tests are for (doctors rarely like to answer that question).

Finally, Simona, many people feel perfectly normal and get on with their life as

if there is nothing wrong. But it isn't always that way. For some of us it is

a life altering event.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi,

Well I don't want to jump to any conclusions at this time, besides I

don't know if that really matters. What I know at this time that

doctors can also make mistakes and some of them really don't care

about their patients. At the moment I am dealing with two doctors, one

in Ireland and one back in my country where I was originally diagnosed

and received the treatment including anti-thyroid drugs and beta

blockers. The doctor in Ireland is only a GP. They both told me that

it is pretty common to go from hyper to hypo. I am just a little bit

disapointed with the doctor from my country. I don't think that she

considered all the right things like my weight, age before giving me

the dose, besides she didn't want to do the antibody test, and when I

asked whether we should have it done, she told me there is no purpose,

because it is going to be high. So I don't know where from, but she

said it's probably going to be Grave's disease, and now with the

recent results she is telling that maybe it's thyroiditis. So excuse

me, but I don't think she gets a damn thing what she is doing and she

is considered a very good specialist, endo by the way. For somone who

doesn't know anything about the thyroid disease she only told me, if

my skin becomes very dry and hair starts to fall of probably you are

going hypo and should have the test redone. I didn't have any of these

symptoms and went hypo. Didn't gain weight either, but felt very

tired, which can also be a symptom of hyper, and pain in my legs.

So I will see what happens after the three week period when I will

have my blood test again.

Kate,

I really don't want to start the yoyo thing, but I don't know if one

can do much to avoid it. I can't do the test every week or day. I'll

try though do my best listening to my body as I did before, because if

I have listened to the doc I would still have been taking anti-thyroid

drugs,sinking into hypo state even deeper,waiting for august when I

was supposed to have my blood test done.

Now again my GP is telling me to go have a thyroid ultra sound scan,

because my thyroid became enlarged, and the endo says I don't need it

because she did it two months ago,and everything was normal. So I

don't know, I also think that I don't really need it, but who

knows...

Sorry,if today I sounded angry or a little bit depressed, it just

isn't that easy to deal with thyroid problems and I want to feel

normal again so very very much.

Peace out,

Simona

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9:27 AM

June 25, 2008

Hi Tana

I took RAI as soon as I could instead of researching the issues. So I can

report no 'trouble with my thyroid' since it was ablated. Just the residue of

having autoimmune disease without a 'focus' and of course all the hypo/hyper

symptoms that go along with med imbalances. I have a positive ANA suggesting

lupus but the second test to confirm it was negative. I have absolutely no

energy or drive. That went along with my thyroid and although I have asked my

doc for 10 years about it she never has an answer and just does more blood work.

I find about 1 or 2 days a year I feel 'normal' and am able to have a normal day

energetic day and do a few things. As a result of having been hyper, I have

osteoporosis and take fossavance and calcium for that. Of course the fossavance

doesn't sit particularly well with me so I also ended up taking prevacid just on

the one day a week I take fossavance. This interferes with the uptake of my

thyroid meds that day. As well, my heart did not slow down (long story) and I

am on beta blockers forever now. I have still anxiety and insomnia and take

medications for both those. I was clinically/chronically depressed for almost

15 years but, cross your fingers, I think I may have moved past that this past

couple of months. I certainly hope so. I have had the delight of developing

IBS somewhere along the line and that is a real drag. I'm afraid to eat when we

are out so miss lots of meals. Since I gained 50% of my original body weight

through my 'thryoid experience' I don't mind missing meals. I have not had much

success losing weight unless I allow the IBS to take over for a while. I still

get facial flushing and hot flashes although it's ten years since menopause. As

well as all this crap (no better word for it) I developped Chronic Myofascial

pain and have persistant pain and physio once a week....

I wish so sincerely I had tried a different route. I was so frightened (didn't

realize how out of line from normal that was) and I just rushed into treatment.

That is why I got involved and hope to help others to try other avenues before

RAI. It is so final and it isn't a good solution every time.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi Simona!

You have such a sense of humor... haha. How are you feeling today?

Ok, so I was reading through your supplement list. How did you feel

when you took the copper? I noticed a terrible body odor that would

stay with me during each first part of my menstrual cycle when I first

started copper. It was awful. How did you feel with selenium and

iron? Selenium will make your thyroid accelerate, if I'm not mistaken.

Since you're hypo now because of meds, it may take some back and forth

before you get everything squared away. Make careful notes of changes

and what caused the change so you can adjust as you need to. I love

spirulina... it's fantastic for the lymphatic system, apparently, and I

just feel better all around when I take it.

I can't make myself hyper or hypo in a few days (thank goodness), but if

I want to speed things up a little bit to drop a few pounds I've let

accumulate, I'll bring up my intake of selenium, iodine, manganese,

chromium, grapefruit seed extract, and coconut oil, and shift my diet

for a few days to just veggies and protein. My energy will rebound, and

I can get back to where I'm comfortable. To gain a few pounds back,

I'll slow down on the selenium and the other acclerants, and bring in

more copper, iron, and sulphur. I'll also allow myself to dip a little

bit and eat a candy bar here and there. I'll also bring in a little bit

of brown rice. My system is very responsive nowadays, and I can tell if

I comfortably want to skip a meal or eat more meals depending on what is

demanding of me in my life. One thing I took away from being hyper last

year was that what I want for my body, I go get it! We've only got the

one body... it deserves lots of love!

I also have celiac disease (can't eat wheat/gluten), and the ingestion

of wheat creates antibodies that travel into glands sometimes. It's

been documented that a person with celiac disease may have antibodies in

their thyroid that will remain there for up to three months and make

them have a hyper thyroid. Yuck.

I accidentally ate some wheat a couple weeks ago, and went through the

pain and misery of that stuff hurting my intestines. The past few days,

though, I feel like I'm moving back into hyper territory, which fits the

antibody theory. Thankfully, it won't last since as soon as those

antibodies leave, I won't have the hyper symptoms. It isn't severe, but

it is familiar. The mood swings, the energy and skin changes, etc. The

feeling sometimes that I could have superhuman strength, shaky hands and

muscle twitches... it all kind of scares me again. I just bring in a

little more copper and remind myself that this will pass. It's not

nearly as bad as it was before, and now I know how to help myself. And

to forgive myself for when my personality swings into hyper mode.

I hope you are doing ok. Kate, you may have mentioned this somewhere

along the way, but do you still have trouble with your thyroid at any

time?

Take care,

-Tana

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8:41 PM

June 26, 2008

Hi Simona

Yes I had some trouble with my eyes. I had swelling...my internist took one

look at me one morning appointment and said " oh, look at your eyes " ....how I was

supposed to do that, I don't know...but then didn't do anything about it. My

optometrist was very distressed that I had taken RAI before talking with him. I

did have some pressure on the optic nerve but it seems to have gone now. My

eyes still puff up, and I seem to have a lot of extra skin around them and my

lids are really heavy ...

I have to go every 6 months for eye checkups. About six years ago the

opthamologist said I might have optical myasthenia but nothing further seems to

have happened. My glasses changed every time for about 6 years but have

remained stable now that I'm really tired of the frames.

Not a major problem, but nonetheless it was there.

Hold on tight with that anxiety. You can control a lot of it. And it does lead

you to do impulsive things that you wouldn't normally do. I'm pleased to have

mine as controlled now as it is. I learned to ride a motorcycle two years ago

at the age of 58! And am enjoying it immensely.

About the copper. It is my understanding that it is the single most important

supplement according to Ithyoid. Perhaps you could break it up and take smaller

doses until you are able to tolerate more.

Hang in there - it does get better, just not right away.

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hello Tana,

Well I've tried to post my messag yesterday, but I don't know what

happened,because I don't see it here, so if there will appear two

messages with the same text know that there was some kind of

misunderstanding.

I am doing ok, how about you? I still have some pressure in my eye

and my goiter is not gone yet, but other than that I am doing fine.

Thank's for noticing my sense of humor, I think you are pretty good

in this area yourself :)I am trying to live and enjoy my life,

although it seems pretty hard right now, but I still try to drag

myself up whenever I feel like going down with negative thoughts.

I'm not that strong emotionally and I still have anxiety, whenever I

get to the store with long lines I want to run from there as fast as

I can. This feeling is driving me nuts, but I am trying to cope with

it, don't want to get on any other kind of drugs anymore. I guess

this is pretty normal, it seems that Kate was dealing with something

similar also. I'm just hoping that after all this I will be stronger

than ever...

I have started taking copper, but you know there is a strange thing

happening. For the last couple of days I feel nauseated for the 5

minutes or so afer I take it. I am not taking it on an empty stomach,

but I am thinking maybe I am not deficient in it, or maybe this is

just adaptation phase, but it's weird that it didn't happen for the

first week. I am still waiting for my selenium, so I am planning to

start it next week, I am hoping that maybe this will help for my

goiter. I am having hard time finding supplements here in

Ireland,mostly have to order it online. It was so much easier and

cheaper when I lived in Chicago,the prices are awesome overthere. I

will definately get spirulina, if you think that it's a good stuff.

Wow, I am sorry that you have celiac disease. It looks that your body

is very sensitive. Mine isn't, at least it wasn't before, or maybe I

didn't pay that much of attention to it. I am also allowing myself to

enjoy food more. I was very strict with my diet before. I was eating

pretty healthy, but maybe not enough, and I did consume much more

alcohol, which I am limiting to a minimum now.

Did you Kate or Tana had any problems with your eyes? Did you have

goiter?

So that's it for today,

Peace out,

Simona

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9:46 AM

June 26, 2008

http://thyroid.about.com/library/weekly/aa072000a.htm

http://www.google.ca/search?hl=en & q=selenium+thyroid & btnG=Google+Search & meta=

:)

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hey Tana I forgot one more thing. I was just wondering if you could

give me the supplement list that you are taking, maybe I could just

adjust my dosage easier since you've been through all this, just to

give me an idea. If you want you can post me a personal email on

holla_querida@...

where did you get from that selenium speeds up hyper symptoms? I

couldn't find that information, I thought zinc does, or maybe I didn't

look good enough, you know I can always blame foggy brain on this

Simona

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4:13 PM

June 27, 2008

Dear Kate,

Any chance you can share your oatmeal muffin recipe? I've been looking

FOREVER for a good muffin recipe. That said, if it has white sugar, or lots of

white flour, you don't have to bother. My nephew is trying to invent

wholesome snacks and start a business, and uses agave as a sweetener. I think

agave,

even honey, are better than sugar, but I make a good pancake using some

vanilla extract and lots of cinammon--no sugar needed, and they have no flour,

either! Anyway, until he starts making his product regularly, I'm desperate

for a recipe of my own.

Just a thought for you. Shortly after I got (and then cured my) Graves

disease, I ended up leaving my career--my health was great, it was my company,

which got taken over by some real a--holes, and I just couldn't work there

anymore. I had been an editor, and had been at the company for 11 years. As I

already had what I thought was the best job for me in that field, I didn't

want to take a lesser job, so I considered freelancing, but ended up following

my " calling, " and went back to school and became a psychotherapist. It was

the best thing I ever did, I love it so much that I haven't taken a vacation

since I started, 8 years ago (I know that sounds nuts, but I can't tear myself

away).

Anyway, back to you, I don't know anything about your circumstances, but

have you ever considered going back to school? You spend so much time here

helping people, if you got a social work degree, or some kind of counseling

degree, you could help people and get paid for it!

Please forgive me if I've overstepped, as I don't know you or what you might

like/want to do, but I will say that going back to school in one's middle

years is a wonderful, life-altering experience (at least it was for me).

Take care, feel good,

Joan

**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

June 27, 2008

Hi Tana

Don't waste your energy on feeling sorry for me. It is my lot in life. Could

be worse. The hardest part of all is just accepting that. But I think I'm

there, finally.

Beta Blockers are a heart medication. I was originally put on beta blockers to

slow my heart down (they also reduce your blood pressure). After the RAI my

endo told me I didn't need the beta blockers any more and to stop taking them.

What I didn't know and she didn't tell me is that if you stop them suddenly

instead of tapering them down, you may develop an arrythmia. That is what

happened. Now I have to take them. Without them my heart rate at rest is still

well above 100 - closer to 120 bpm. They do reduce my energy level somewhat but

not a lot. They certainly slow down my heart rate. I have also started eating

home made oatmeal muffins and my heart rate and blood pressure are down

significantly again. And I've been told over and over they are good for my IBS

but I'm not sure I buy into that one. But boy I get tired of making those

muffins. My husband loves them and as he has high cholesterol and high blood

pressure, they are also good for him.

People who don't have chronic disease do not understand what it means. They

can't. We had no idea what was happening to us! But we do have the power to

help ourselves and I believe that is important. Quality of life is very

important. If someone doesn't understand, that is their loss.

Yes work is difficult. I am not working and probably won't work again, apart

from helping my husband out with his business. I miss the pay for sure. I have

no pension, just a hard working husband. Makes me feel real lazy but somehow I

just haven't figured out what I could do.

I have learned over the years that people do NOT want to hear about thyroid

disease. I rarely mention it and in fact just say that I have autoimmune

disease if someone pushes it. I'm tired of dumb questions and I'm tired of

doctors telling me to exercise and diet (been there, done that, didn't help).

So I just don't open that door often.

These forums are great for being able to vent and to learn. I do absolutely

believe knowledge is power. I also know, absolutely , that it is the path for

control over your future.

It does get better!

Kate

Re: Eager to join your group and share my story!

Hi Kate,

I started tearing up when I read your post. I'm so very, very sorry for

what you have gone through. My heart breaks thinking that someone has

gone through all of those things.

So many things in your post reached out and spoke to me. I liked how

you wrote you have delightfully developed IBS. I would definitely

say your bout with depression has lifted if your mind can give birth to

sarcasm in the midst of hard times. What struck me the most was how

your heart didn't slow down. Do you know why? Does it beat " heavily " ?

I don't know what beta-blockers are. Can you help me understand?

Kate, I just want to give you and your poor little battle-weary body a

hug. Bless you for wanting to take what you've lived through and try

to help others. That requires a huge amount of strength; you are

awesome!

Sometimes I felt as though I was a statistical outlier with very little

help and hope; and when a trusted friend at work got me comfortable with

the possibility of surgery, I held it out there only as a last resort.

I endured the embarrassment of life with these imbalances, and the

overwhelming amount of ignorance and judgemental criticism ( " What? You

don't look sick. " ). It was a very difficult path, and at some points I

just wanted the surgery to be rid of the fear. I think sometimes

knowing that the surgery was a possibility acted as a safety net while I

kept trying to figure things out.

Kate, I look forward to learning more about you through your support of

others in the struggle.

Hugs,

-Tana

>

> Hi Tana

> I took RAI as soon as I could instead of researching the issues. So I

can report no 'trouble with my thyroid' since it was ablated. Just the

residue of having autoimmune disease without a 'focus' and of course all

the hypo/hyper symptoms that go along with med imbalances. I have a

positive ANA suggesting lupus but the second test to confirm it was

negative. I have absolutely no energy or drive. That went along with my

thyroid and although I have asked my doc for 10 years about it she never

has an answer and just does more blood work. I find about 1 or 2 days a

year I feel 'normal' and am able to have a normal day energetic day and

do a few things. As a result of having been hyper, I have osteoporosis

and take fossavance and calcium for that. Of course the fossavance

doesn't sit particularly well with me so I also ended up taking prevacid

just on the one day a week I take fossavance. This interferes with the

uptake of my thyroid meds that day. As well, my heart did not slow down

(long story) and I am on beta blockers forever now. I have still anxiety

and insomnia and take medications for both those. I was

clinically/chronically depressed for almost 15 years but, cross your

fingers, I think I may have moved past that this past couple of months.

I certainly hope so. I have had the delight of developing IBS somewhere

along the line and that is a real drag. I'm afraid to eat when we are

out so miss lots of meals. Since I gained 50% of my original body weight

through my 'thryoid experience' I don't mind missing meals. I have not

had much success losing weight unless I allow the IBS to take over for a

while. I still get facial flushing and hot flashes although it's ten

years since menopause. As well as all this crap (no better word for it)

I developped Chronic Myofascial pain and have persistant pain and physio

once a week....

> I wish so sincerely I had tried a different route. I was so frightened

(didn't realize how out of line from normal that was) and I just rushed

into treatment. That is why I got involved and hope to help others to

try other avenues before RAI. It is so final and it isn't a good

solution every time.

> Kate

>

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8:27 AM

June 27, 2008

Dear Sally,

Glad to hear you're doing well. One of my clients has been experiencing

dizziness, and her doctor tested her for everything, starting with brain tumor!

My client is anxious anyway, this was the last thing she needed . . . I

think her ears are clogged due to severe sinus/allergies, but I am not a

medical

doctor, what do I know . . .

Yes, going back to school is a wonderful thing! So is changing careers, or

starting a career in midlife!

Be well,

AntJoan

**************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

fuel-efficient used cars.

(http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

June 27, 2008

hi joan and all,

i have been pretty quiet here so far. i just wanted to write and say thank

you to you, joan, for your encouragement to go to school in your " middle

years. " i am a mother of 5 children ages 7 months to 11 years old. i have

so much i still want to do in life...and you give me hope that i will " still

have time " once my kids are older to accomplish the things i have put on

hold for now.

as far as my thyroid...i have just recently started on PTU for my hyperT. i

am nursing the baby and so far so good. my dr. has me on a fairly low dose

(50mg 2Xday) at my request due to my trying not to affect nursing baby and

so far the meds aren't affecting her AND they are bringing my thyroid back

into the normal range!! i am so thankful!

i also wanted to share that i experienced severe vertigo (dizziness) at the

onset of my hyperT. i call them my " episodes " b/c i wasn't experiencing the

dizziness all the time. i usually would feel the vertigo coming on and go

to bed and it would get worse first and then get better gradually until i

was able to get out of bed and lead a normal life. the episodes would

usually last about a week. one episode was so severe that i would throw up

every time i got up to use the restroom. it was a real drag!

i guess the worst part is that my GP didn't realize that the hyperT could

cause these symptoms (i'm not even sure if the medical world knows or says

that dizziness can by a symptom of hyperT) and so was treating me for an

inner ear infection and sent me to have a CAT scan done to make sure it

wasn't a brain " malfunction " causing the dizziness. but i am sure that my

thyroid being hyper caused me to have these dizzy spells.

so i felt like a circus act for a while. that was all before i started the

meds and i haven't had an episode since i started the PTU and i hope i don't

have to go through that again. my poor kids...i couldn't be much of a mom

laying in bed trying not to move. : {

it took me a while to start the meds b/c i felt anger that i had this

disease, i was in denial that i needed to take the meds and i didn't want to

take them b/c i was/am breastfeeding and didn't want to cause harm to my

baby. my husband finally convinced me that the best thing for all of us was

for me to start taking the PTU and get my thyroid " normal " again so that we

could all get back to life. i still resisted at first, but eventually gave

in. and i am glad i did! i am so thankful that the meds are working for me

and i pray that i won't have to do anything more drastic and final.

it is so good to read y'all's emails and hear your stories. you all help me

to feel not so alone in what i am going through. thank you for being such a

strong support group.

sally

Re: Re: Eager to join your group and share my

story!

> Dear Kate,

>

> Any chance you can share your oatmeal muffin recipe? I've been looking

> FOREVER for a good muffin recipe. That said, if it has white sugar, or

> lots of

> white flour, you don't have to bother. My nephew is trying to invent

> wholesome snacks and start a business, and uses agave as a sweetener. I

> think agave,

> even honey, are better than sugar, but I make a good pancake using some

> vanilla extract and lots of cinammon--no sugar needed, and they have no

> flour,

> either! Anyway, until he starts making his product regularly, I'm

> desperate

> for a recipe of my own.

>

> Just a thought for you. Shortly after I got (and then cured my) Graves

> disease, I ended up leaving my career--my health was great, it was my

> company,

> which got taken over by some real a--holes, and I just couldn't work

> there

> anymore. I had been an editor, and had been at the company for 11 years.

> As I

> already had what I thought was the best job for me in that field, I

> didn't

> want to take a lesser job, so I considered freelancing, but ended up

> following

> my " calling, " and went back to school and became a psychotherapist. It

> was

> the best thing I ever did, I love it so much that I haven't taken a

> vacation

> since I started, 8 years ago (I know that sounds nuts, but I can't tear

> myself

> away).

>

> Anyway, back to you, I don't know anything about your circumstances, but

> have you ever considered going back to school? You spend so much time

> here

> helping people, if you got a social work degree, or some kind of

> counseling

> degree, you could help people and get paid for it!

>

> Please forgive me if I've overstepped, as I don't know you or what you

> might

> like/want to do, but I will say that going back to school in one's middle

> years is a wonderful, life-altering experience (at least it was for me).

>

> Take care, feel good,

> Joan

>

> **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

> fuel-efficient used cars.

> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

>

June 27, 2008

Hi Sally

Good for you. Hang in there and you will make it. And yes, school is a good

thing.

Kate

Re: Re: Eager to join your group and share my

story!

> Dear Kate,

>

> Any chance you can share your oatmeal muffin recipe? I've been looking

> FOREVER for a good muffin recipe. That said, if it has white sugar, or

> lots of

> white flour, you don't have to bother. My nephew is trying to invent

> wholesome snacks and start a business, and uses agave as a sweetener. I

> think agave,

> even honey, are better than sugar, but I make a good pancake using some

> vanilla extract and lots of cinammon--no sugar needed, and they have no

> flour,

> either! Anyway, until he starts making his product regularly, I'm

> desperate

> for a recipe of my own.

>

> Just a thought for you. Shortly after I got (and then cured my) Graves

> disease, I ended up leaving my career--my health was great, it was my

> company,

> which got taken over by some real a--holes, and I just couldn't work

> there

> anymore. I had been an editor, and had been at the company for 11 years.

> As I

> already had what I thought was the best job for me in that field, I

> didn't

> want to take a lesser job, so I considered freelancing, but ended up

> following

> my " calling, " and went back to school and became a psychotherapist. It

> was

> the best thing I ever did, I love it so much that I haven't taken a

> vacation

> since I started, 8 years ago (I know that sounds nuts, but I can't tear

> myself

> away).

>

> Anyway, back to you, I don't know anything about your circumstances, but

> have you ever considered going back to school? You spend so much time

> here

> helping people, if you got a social work degree, or some kind of

> counseling

> degree, you could help people and get paid for it!

>

> Please forgive me if I've overstepped, as I don't know you or what you

> might

> like/want to do, but I will say that going back to school in one's middle

> years is a wonderful, life-altering experience (at least it was for me).

>

> Take care, feel good,

> Joan

>

> **************Gas prices getting you down? Search AOL Autos for

> fuel-efficient used cars.

> (http://autos.aol.com/used?ncid=aolaut00050000000007)

>

June 27, 2008

Hi Joan

Here is the recipe. I'll write more separately.