Re: HELP (sugaplum162000/bregg2000/LesherL)

[Guest guest]

On Wed, 17 Sep 2003 23:49:36 -0000 " Ask me "

writes:

> I have had graves for over a year and it has not gotten better. My

> options know are Radioactive Iodine or surgery. Has anyone had

> experiences with both? If you have can you please tell me about them

I put all three addies in the subject line because I don't know how to

combine answers. Also, each of you can probably glean something from all

the responses. So here goes:

Sugaplum - you are not alone. Very recently we've had members post with

the same dilemma. The real question is, were you on ATDs and if so, were

you given a fair trial on ATDs? By a fair trial I mean appropriate

bloodwork before you started and regular bloodwork while you were on the

ATDs. Also, how often did you have bloodwork to determine dose changes

and by dose changes, was the medicine gradually decreased, or did you go

up and down?

Bregg - these are your current labs. Do you have the labs done before

this one? Did you have liver enzyme and blood count done BEFORE starting

Tap as a comparison after being on Tap for a month? I'm not familiar

enough with the liver numbers to be able to comment but do know that IF

you had a baseline done, and if the numbers didn't change significantly

it may not be a problem.

Your dr. said you didn't have sufficient progress. I'm not so sure of

that. If you could provide the TSH and FreeT4 done in July that would be

helpful. Many people don't have a measurable TSH for months while on ATDs

- there are solid studies explaining why TSH can stay suppressed for a

while - which is why we so often say TSH is practically irrelevant in

treating hyperthyroidism; it's the FreeT4 (and Free T3 when needed) that

counts. HOWEVER, the fact that your TSH is now measurable may be a good

indicator that you are in fact making progress.

- what are your labs and what is your current dose? If you don't

mind my asking, how old are you? There are rare (though possibly serious)

risks to long-term ATD use but if you're under 40 your dr. shouldn't be

as concerned. Even if you're over 40 I for one would be much happier

taking a minimum dose of ATD long term than dealing with RAI and

RAI-induced hypothyroidism.

Are you still steadily gaining weight? You may be hypo. It was definitely

a transition for me, going from being a nursing mother to eating like a

teenage boy when I had really active GD to euthyroid and needing to eat

less. It's an adjustment and I've been concentrating on eating healthily

and walking, and yes, I've been hitting the thrift shops and sales to

have a shall we say, flexible wardrobe.

Take care everyone and wishing you the energy to do the work necessary to

get the best answers for your situations, Fay

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