Re: Determining remission/

[Guest guest]

,

More surfing for you.

Proper protocol for BRT includes staying on Synthroid for several years

after the ATD is halted. This allows the thyroid to continue resting and

exact thyroid levels to be maintained... thus preventing antibody increase.

During this time, if it were me, I would continue all lifestyle and diet

situations intended to NOT stimulate, but strengthen the immune system. Same

for all environmental triggers.

What you have on your plate is the half baked American system of BRT. This

is possibly the reason 'THOSE' studies show no increase in remission rates

between gradual reduction of ATDs and BRT.

The original Japanese BRT gave upwards of 90 some percent remission.

Yes...this will take you a lot of time, as no one I know has a folder with

only this info to share. Good project that is on my 'someday' list, but I

have so many bigger priorities I fear this one is down my list a bit. ;-)

-Pam L -

Who is 1 1/2 years on * NO * ATDs and currently on tiny dose of Synthroid

My eyes were 'healed' by my time on ATDs after being severe, but they still

react slightly to all the same triggers. Unfortunately I can not afford any

antibody tests to help you know WHY.

My personal decisions on this course of treatment are based on my years of all

this Graves' surfing.

[Guest guest]

Hello, Pam L.

In this message, you wrote: " More surfing for you. " and I was

wondering if you might be able to guide me a little on how to surf

and find out the information on Block and Replace. I have been on

Block and Replace since June 11. Right now, I am taking 15mg of

Methimazole and 120mg of Armour. It is working for me, as far as I

can tell, although I still experience daily palpitations. Elaine

suggested it may be the Armour, but the palpitations did not come an

hour or so after taking Armour.

I am going to continue on B & R until at least September 16 before I

make any decision to give up the Armour because of the palpitations.

I want to see what my lab results will be after three full months on

B & R. I will be having the TSI test done and want to see if the B & R

is reducing the antibodies for me.

In this posting, you wrote: > Proper protocol for BRT includes

staying on Synthroid for several years after the ATD is halted. This

allows the thyroid to continue resting and exact thyroid levels to be

maintained... thus preventing antibody increase.<

I am curious as to where you were able to find this information and

if there is any more that you could help me find about the B & R

protocol. I would appreciate any help you may be able to give.

Thank you.

54 years old. Diagnosed 8/20/02.

[Guest guest]

Hi

!

The home page for this group has many links . Not sure how many are on BRT..

but I am sure once you check them out, you will end up going from one to

the next 'page' and end up with too many.

On my " To Do " list is straighten up my folder named 'Graves' '... see how

that has become useless after a few years? I was such a newbie , I though

saving good stuff that way was going to work.

Oh my....

This group seems to need such a folder. One just on BRT.

I have an extra search bar that I downloaded, and it seems much simpler to

ME. I just put my 'thought / question in it and can click different

providers with the same question. It sits right above the web page I am

reading... often as I read , I see a word / term I want to investigate

further... I simply copy the term and paste it in the search bar.

There are several 'brands' available... all free... This is the one I am

using now:

http://ms101.mysearch.com/jsp/home.jsp

Some computer savvy person will probably come along and maybe say it

contains spyware... to ME, I really don't care. I am such a boring person

there is nothing to hide here. Nothing on this computer that is not free for

the asking... I keep my skeletons in the bedroom closet. :-)

Now... about the Armour. To ME... that is not the drug of choice. MY reason

is our friend Jody had her antibodies go UP on Armour. Freak thing? Never

will know. But we watch so many do well on Synthroid, IF you have antibody

results that are unexpected... do not blame the BRT... it may be the Armour.

I have seen many have heart palps on Armour too... so you really may need to

change this part. We all absorb and excrete drugs at different rates, so the

one hour is not a rule.

OR... they may be diet / environment triggered.

Or they may be from damage done to your heart if you were ill for a long

time before diagnosis.

I am assuming your FT3 level is not high.

I know I have at least some stuff saved here on BRT. After I get back from

work... it is 'possible' I could feel up to digging around. If I don't...

please remind me to tomorrow.

Uggg... I don't want to go. :-(

It was 100 degrees today... higher where I was working this afternoon, and

even though it is all the way down to 84 now... I don't feel cooler. Why ?

-Pam L - whaaaaaaaa.......Midnight !

[Guest guest]

Thank you, Pam,for pointing me in the right direction.

In answer to your question about why you still feel hot when it is 84

degrees after it has been 100 degrees is that 84 degrees is still hot

(especially, here, on the Central Coast of California). Seriously, I

wonder if the heat intolerance continues on even after successful

treatment. I am unable to stand much heat even with my thyroid

hormone levels at normal levels.

It will be interesting to see if my antibodies have also risen after

using Armour.

If you do get around to making up folders for the information you

have, that will be great!

Elaine once gave me an assignment to find information on articles

that talked about how only 20% of hyperthyroid patients become

hypothyroid with or without treatment, but I never was able to get to

the right information.

All help in researching information is greatly appreciated by me!

Thanks, again.