Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 , Reading your current experience, I keep wondering if I wrote your post! I am right there with ya. Some headaches, pulse in the 70's (which is good), sometimes hot hands (usually after digesting food), some dry eye symptoms, still shedding hair, weight stable...a similar picture. I think my body's adjusting, but overall, I feel fine. I plan on playing it by ear, getting labs every 4 weeks, and sooner if I feel the need. If I don't stabilize at a good point but rather go high, I will judiciously add back the PTU, and probably will only need about 1/4 pill a day or every other day to keep me level. If you can't get anywhere with your current endo (and it sounds that way), why not seek out another? I will, if/when I need to (esp. if I get pregnant), but right now I'm treading water. At 10:54 AM 10/30/2003, you wrote: >Hello everyone, > >Well, after 4 weeks off meds I was feeling very hypo but now I'm feeling >just slightly hyper. Resting pulse has gone from 64 - 66 bpm to 70 - 74 >bpm in the last two weeks. Lately my lower back has been killing me, I >have been having headaches almost daily and my head feels pressurized. >Also, my eyes have been kind of dry and scratchy. On the good news front >my weight gain stalled out and now I have lost about a pound. My >depression has lifted and I feel better emotionally overall, but I am >noticing some slight anger bursts here and there. Muscle weakness has >also been present, that happened just a few days off meds but seems to >be leveling off now and even improving slightly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 Hi (aka my Graves Soul Sister), My current endo started out so great and I was filled with such hope! Now, a year later, reality has set in. When I was there in September I mentioned that I wanted a FT3 and she said it takes too long to the results back and is a waste of money. Seeing it takes the office 3 weeks to get the results to me I think that's a perfectly stupid reason. I mentioned anti-body testing and she said she doesn't test for it as it has no bearing on my treatment. Sigh. The most wonderful change though is I'm WARM! Last winter I was frozen and could not get warm. I too get warmer after eating. My pulse will sometimes get as high as 80 - 86 after I eat anything with sugar in it. I try to eat things low in sugars (whether it be natural or refined sugar) as I hate the racing heart thing. Today I am only slightly headachy so that a step in the right direction. Trying to find a new endo is so hard. I have to have a referral from my PC doc first and then have to find an endo who is actually taking new patients. Some of them last year had a wait to get in of over 6 months! So who do you go to that you can get labs when you feel you need to? in MA USA Graves since March 1997 Currently on 0 PTU tablets per day Was euthyroid from 2000-2002, Hoping that I am now too! Will not undergo RAI Re: 6 Weeks off meds , Reading your current experience, I keep wondering if I wrote your post! I am right there with ya. Some headaches, pulse in the 70's (which is good), sometimes hot hands (usually after digesting food), some dry eye symptoms, still shedding hair, weight stable...a similar picture. I think my body's adjusting, but overall, I feel fine. I plan on playing it by ear, getting labs every 4 weeks, and sooner if I feel the need. If I don't stabilize at a good point but rather go high, I will judiciously add back the PTU, and probably will only need about 1/4 pill a day or every other day to keep me level. If you can't get anywhere with your current endo (and it sounds that way), why not seek out another? I will, if/when I need to (esp. if I get pregnant), but right now I'm treading water. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 Sistah , I hate the racing heart thing too, and if I have that symptom, it will clue me in that I need to get labs and probably add in some PTU. So far, my heart has been staying below 80 (now at 66 with chilly fingers). Above 80 is where hyper begins. In addition to avoiding sugar and iodine, maybe adding some goitrogens could make the difference for you at this point. I don't use any caffeine, and maybe have one glass of wine a month. A few weeks ago I had a cup of tea with caffeine, and I really felt it (wimp!). As for the labs, Pam L has done very nicely by mostly relying on FT4. If your FT3 usually moves with the FT4, you will at least have a general sense of where you are in the meantime, as you look for a new doc who will at least *humor* you by ordering the tests you want. Perhaps you will get luckier than that, but I'm not counting chickens! 3 weeks to get results of FT3...that has not been my experience. I am getting my labs done for now at the GP, who is too timid to manage me on his own. He seems to believe that endos know much more about the " subtleties " of their specialty, and I'm not sure if he is deluded or naive. Anyway, as long as I don't make any demands on him to interpret my labs or make suggestions regarding the medication, I can request what tests I want done and when (within reason, which I use), and then have the results faxed to me. I hope that this arrangement continues, or I'll be up a creek! At 02:53 PM 10/30/2003, you wrote: >Hi (aka my Graves Soul Sister), > >My current endo started out so great and I was filled with such hope! >Now, a year later, reality has set in. When I was there in September I >mentioned that I wanted a FT3 and she said it takes too long to the >results back and is a waste of money. Seeing it takes the office 3 weeks >to get the results to me I think that's a perfectly stupid reason. I >mentioned anti-body testing and she said she doesn't test for it as it >has no bearing on my treatment. Sigh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 I am just wondering at the difference in timeframe getting the FT3 back. My ob/gyn has been great at ordering the tests " I " want and I always get my results back for all labs (FT3, FT4 and TSH) the very next day. I have noticed that it is a bit more expensive (I can't recall right off the top of my head how much) but I am just surprised that others can't get their results back on the FT3 for 3 weeks. Just curious, Lori pg on 75 mg PTU/day - 25 mgs 3x/day > > 3 weeks to get results of FT3...that has not been my experience. > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 Hi Lori, It's not the FT3 test that takes that long, it's the doctor's office itself! ALL my lab results take 3 weeks to get to me. The FT3 test isn't run locally so it takes about 2 - 3 days to get the results. The office is horrible where my endo is. I called once to see what was taking so long to get my labs and the snooty woman who answered the phone said " unless your results are abnormal we mail them in 3 - 4weeks " . in MA USA Graves since March 1997 Currently on 0 PTU tablets per day Was euthyroid from 2000-2002, Hoping that I am now too! Will not undergo RAI Re: 6 Weeks off meds I am just wondering at the difference in timeframe getting the FT3 back. My ob/gyn has been great at ordering the tests " I " want and I always get my results back for all labs (FT3, FT4 and TSH) the very next day. I have noticed that it is a bit more expensive (I can't recall right off the top of my head how much) but I am just surprised that others can't get their results back on the FT3 for 3 weeks. Just curious, Lori pg on 75 mg PTU/day - 25 mgs 3x/day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 30, 2003 Report Share Posted October 30, 2003 If I had to wait on my doc's office to decide what was " abnormal " I would be WAY off with my levels! I just find it incredible that doctor's office are able to get away with crap like that. Lori > Hi Lori, > > It's not the FT3 test that takes that long, it's the doctor's office itself! > ALL my lab results take 3 weeks to get to me. The FT3 test isn't run locally > so it takes about 2 - 3 days to get the results. The office is horrible > where my endo is. I called once to see what was taking so long to get my > labs and the snooty woman who answered the phone said " unless your results > are abnormal we mail them in 3 - 4weeks " . > > in MA USA > Graves since March 1997 > Currently on 0 PTU tablets per day > Was euthyroid from 2000-2002, Hoping that I am now too! > Will not undergo RAI > > Re: 6 Weeks off meds > > I am just wondering at the difference in timeframe getting the FT3 > back. My ob/gyn has been great at ordering the tests " I " want and I > always get my results back for all labs (FT3, FT4 and TSH) the very > next day. I have noticed that it is a bit more expensive (I can't > recall right off the top of my head how much) but I am just > surprised that others can't get their results back on the FT3 for 3 > weeks. > > Just curious, > Lori > pg on 75 mg PTU/day - 25 mgs 3x/day Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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