Re: Hyperthyroidism or Damaged Heart? + Fatty Liver

[Guest guest]

Hello,

You asked: Why not get labs done now? The blood work should guide

you. And it is best to have it done every 4 weeks (at least for FT3

and FT4 and WBC).

I guess I was hoping that someone could assure me that palpitations

that occur after 8 months of ATD's don't necessarily indicate

possible damage to the heart. My intuition tells me that no damage

is being done, but I don't really know that much about it.

I am waiting a full three months for the tests in order to see what

the Armour does to the TSI. My lab tests on June 5th showed Free T3

at 360 (R:230-420) and Free T4 at 1.30 (R: .97-1.57) and I was still

having palpitations, though much worse than they are, now, with those

normal readings.

The last TSI I had was 258 on April 3, 2003.

I will think about it, though, and if I continue to have questions

that would be partially answered by having the blood tests, I will

have them done sooner.

I had a WBC done on 5/15/2003. I was experiencing a pain in the right

side of my body, under the ribs, and my doctor ordered a complete

metabolic panel plus an ultrasound. WBC was 5.7. (I had an

ultrasound done and nothing was revealed to cause the pain, but the

ultrasound showed that I had a fatty liver. I read in Elaine's book,

Grave's Disease, that hyperthyroidism can cause a fatty liver.)

My GP did not indicate that I needed to stop taking the ATD's, so I

am assuming that a fatty liver is not what is referred to as " damage

to the liver " for some people on ATD's.

I seem to be rambling, but I guess I am curious about any feedback

about how someone tells that their heart has been damaged and whether

a fatty liver is any cause for concern for someone taking ATD's.

Thank you, , for your input.

I hope that those newly-diagnosed people who are having a lot of

problems find answers, soon, and start on the road to feeling better.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Perhaps you should wait on the TSI as you planned, but get the FT3 and FT4

now. Those, and a WBC, should be done every 4 weeks anyway. Since you

mention your liver, you would probably do well to get a liver panel done

(it should be done every so often, as in every 3 months while on ATDs). And

since you are worried about your heart, why not get a cardiologist to do a

work up? Prevention is key, so if you are concerned, you really should get

a thorough eval (I read that there are other tests, such as echocardiogram,

stress test, etc., that can be done in addition to EKG). Aside from thyroid

problems, other things can cause palpitations, including caffeine

consumption and stress.

At 12:27 AM 8/10/2003, you wrote:

>Hello,

>

>You asked: Why not get labs done now? The blood work should guide

>you. And it is best to have it done every 4 weeks (at least for FT3

>and FT4 and WBC).

[Guest guest]

Thanks, again, :

I will call and ask for another lab slip for the WBC and FT3 and FT4.

[Guest guest]

Hello, ,

I will ask my GP, who is the one monitoring my Grave's Disease, about

having the baseline echocardiogram done and then I will find out

where I am right now and will be able to focus on other causes of the

palpitations.

I am beginning to suspect that I may be reacting to the Armour. I am

thinking that I may use just antithyroid medication and not BRT if my

blood test for TSI does not show a large decrease. It will simplify

things a great deal if I need only adjust Methimazole up or down

according to how I feel.

I confused the issue by mentioning my fatty liver. I didn't mean to

imply that I thought it was causing palpitations. I was rambling a

bit. Sorry.

[Guest guest]

Great! Hope you get some relief soon.

At 05:48 PM 8/10/2003, you wrote:

>Thanks, again, :

>

>I will call and ask for another lab slip for the WBC and FT3 and FT4.

>

>