i'm new here and need help?

August 2, 2003

first i am a man and i guess there ain't many men that get

graves. but i have had symtoms for about 6 years,first I thought

it was age getting me. had no ins. it got worse and had to see

family dr. and found i was hyper thyroid. took tap for that got

tested agian then i was hypo.that went on for 2 years .then got some

ins. and found out it was graves. now i am about 5 months into

RAI.and i am still hyper and feelin like crap is the nicest way to

put it.don't sleep right,week and shakey in the day time,and severe

joint pain.this i tell to my endo and he just says ok come back in 3

months and we will test your levels agian.no meds or anything to

help with the problems. is there any meds for them problems.or do i

just have to suffer till thay get around to fixing me?

August 2, 2003

Hi ph (it is ph, right?),

I'm sorry you're feeling like crap. Sounds like you've had a rough go of

it. It doesn't need to be that way. At least not as bad. I think you're

going to need a new doctor, as I smell negligence, if not downright

incompetence.

You may be hypOT, rather than hyper at this point -- sometimes it may feel

similar, though you may be at the other end of the spectrum. Do you know

what dose of radiation you were given? And more importantly, what do your

labs look like? You really should get (and keep) copies of ALL lab work

that you get done, and you should have it done often (as in at least once a

month) until you get stabilized. I would venture to guess that medication

is in order for you RIGHT NOW (not in 3 months -- Geez), but I can't

suggest what meds as I don't know where your thyroid levels are at right

now. You need to get Free T3 (FT3), Free T4 (FT4), and TSH levels at the

minimum; absolutely insist on them (not just the Total T4 or T3 Uptake).

Post them here, or at Mediboard.com. It is also good to know the values of

your TSI and TPO antibodies. How are your eyes? How is the skin on your shins?

Be aware that most people you'll run into at this group, as well as at

Mediboard are not real positive about RAI. It can be upsetting, especially

if you feel that you were uninformed about your options and that you would

have chosen differently. The standard recommendation for newbies at

Mediboard is to read the Thyroid Awareness 101 thread (but you might want

to do that after you are feeling better; first post your labs and get a doc

who will give you medication). There is a lot of support for you, though,

and many people have had RAI. So you're not alone. And I believe you will

feel much better soon, with the proper care.

At 09:56 PM 8/2/2003, you wrote:

>first i am a man and i guess there ain't many men that get

>graves. but i have had symtoms for about 6 years,first I thought

>it was age getting me. had no ins. it got worse and had to see

>family dr. and found i was hyper thyroid. took tap for that got

>tested agian then i was hypo.that went on for 2 years .then got some

>ins. and found out it was graves. now i am about 5 months into

>RAI.and i am still hyper and feelin like crap is the nicest way to

>put it.don't sleep right,week and shakey in the day time,and severe

>joint pain.this i tell to my endo and he just says ok come back in 3

>months and we will test your levels agian.no meds or anything to

>help with the problems. is there any meds for them problems.or do i

>just have to suffer till thay get around to fixing me?

August 2, 2003