Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Welcome, Sassy! Are you asking about treatment with Antithyroid Drugs? You should start to feel some relief of symptoms within a few weeks of starting them. If you don't get on the meds now, your symptoms will get worse. Make sure your doctor checks your WBC and liver panel before starting on meds. Also, have your TSH, FreeT3 and FreeT4 checked every 4 weeks after starting the meds. I would suggest Tapazole as it only has to be taken every 12 hours, whereas PTU should be taken every 8. Do you know what tests you have had done and what the results are with the normal limits? With the symptoms of thyroid eye disease that you exhibit, please don't consider taking RAI. Your eyes may improve as your thyroid levels lower on the ATDs. Here is some good reading for you...... <A HREF= " http://www.mediboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004549 " >ht\ tp://www.mediboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004549</A> <A HREF= " http://hometown.aol.com/lisareynolds64/myhomepage/personal.html " >http://ho\ metown.aol.com/lisareynolds64/myhomepage/personal.html</A> God bless you! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Hello, my name is Stacie, they call me Sassy, you can call me whatever you want, as long as it is nice!! hehe. I was just diagnossed on friday, 4 days ago, with Graves Disease. I am hoping to meet some people who have this disease also. I am feeling a large mixture of fear, denial, anxiety and relief right now. i feel relief because i have a reason to why i feel the way i do. does that make since? I have been doing some research online about the symptoms, plus talking to my doctor about my options. I am seeing who is supposed to be the best endo in my area. One question, i am hoping that once my levels are normal, the symptoms, will go away. I have eye bluring, dry eyes, and i have slight bulging (I am not happy about the what could happen with the bulging). i am also tired, and have some weight gain, and my hands shake, sometimes. My doctor told me my symptoms are pretty mild, and that i am happy about. I am thinking by starting treatment soon, we can stop the symptoms from progressing. is this an acurate thought of mine? So, once normal, they will go away????? Thanks to all of you and i look forward to getting to know you. Sassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Hi Stacie, Welcome to the group! What type of treatment have you undergone so far? Are you on ATDs (anti-thyroid medications)? If so, which one and what's your dose? Also, what tests did they take to " diagnose " you? I know, a lot of questions to answer! If you are on ATDs your eyes should improve soon. ATDs seem to have the best effect on controlling the antibodies that are responsible for your Graves Disease and your eye problems. Graves Disease is your immune system producing antibodies against your thyroid which tricks your thyroid into producing too much thyroid hormones. Once your thyroid levels are in the normal range you'll start to feel better. Chances are the endo will tell your RAI is your best course of treatment. There are many of us here that firmly believe that you should leave that treatment as a last resort and use ATDs as your first course of action. With ATDs there is an excellent chance that you will go into remission and can stop taking medications all together. Many people will have a recurrence of the disease after remission, but remission is achievable again after another course of ATDs. RAI can, in many patients, make any eye problems worse instead of better. If your symptoms are pretty mild I would opt for ATDs for now. Get all copies of your lab work and share with us the results of the labs. Pretty soon you'll be good at reading all the mumbo-jumbo on the lab sheets. It was all strange and confusing stuff to me at first but now I know just what all those test results mean. in MA USA Graves since March 1997 Currently on 2 PTU tablets per day Was in remission from 2000-2003 Will not undergo RAI Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Hi Sassy, Welcome. The mixture of feelings you are having now makes perfect sense, and is completely normal. After learning as much as I can about this disease and treatment, taking medication, making certain changes in my diet and achieving symptom relief, I feel a whole lot better than I did when first diagnosed several months ago. What treatment are you considering for Graves'? In my opinion, medication is the best, if you respond well to it (and I believe most people do). I am doing well on a very low dose of PTU. The eye bulging you are experiencing are due to the antibodies, and only the medication helps to reduce the antibodies. RAI, which destroys your thyroid, exacerbates thyroid eye disease in 30% of patients, and sometimes it is very severe; not something I would think of doing, even though I only have very mild eye symptoms (all Gravesians have some eye involvement, though thankfully most of the time it is slight or subclinical). There is a great welcome letter by Pam B in the files section, second to last listing: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/graves_support/files/ Also, Mediboard.com has a lot of great info. You can post there as well for feedback/support/etc. The place to start is the Thyroid Awareness 101 thread: http://www.mediboard.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=004549 Please don't make any permanent treatment decisions until you have a chance to fully research them, both the pros and the cons. Read all you can about this disease, and within a month or two, things will come into focus. At 10:55 AM 9/30/2003, you wrote: >Hello, my name is Stacie, they call me Sassy, you can call me >whatever you want, as long as it is nice!! hehe. I was just >diagnossed on friday, 4 days ago, with Graves Disease. I am hoping to >meet some people who have this disease also. I am feeling a large >mixture of fear, denial, anxiety and relief right now. i feel relief >because i have a reason to why i feel the way i do. does that make >since? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Thanks to all of you. So far treatment wise i have done noghting, it has been very quick. However, monday i am going in for a idiodine pannel, or something like that????? it is a test, and i have my appointment, go back 4 hours later and then 24 hours after the first appointment. My endo really recomends the RAI. i am not sure what i am going to do. I am doing some reading, and lots of praying to make the best decision. the eye bulging, my doctor said i have slight, honestly it is nothing i even notice. my eyes do get blured, but again, i am 6 months past my yearly eye exam. and after each of my pregnancy my eyes have gotten worse. My husband thinks i should do the RAI as well, but it is up to me what i choose. I feel like i need time to think, but then again, i want to go as fast as i can to get this under control. I am young 28, and my symptoms are fairly mild compared to a lot of people, or so my endo said. I will search the websites you all have mentioned and hopefully decide what to do. Sassy > >Hello, my name is Stacie, they call me Sassy, you can call me > >whatever you want, as long as it is nice!! hehe. I was just > >diagnossed on friday, 4 days ago, with Graves Disease. I am hoping to > >meet some people who have this disease also. I am feeling a large > >mixture of fear, denial, anxiety and relief right now. i feel relief > >because i have a reason to why i feel the way i do. does that make > >since? > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Hi Sassy, i like the nick! lol. I also was diagnosed with hyperT/Graves back in Nov/Dec of 2001. I've been on ATD's and with the exception of having one dr overmedicate me, it's not been as bad as anything dr's say it will be. I am having a rough time right now and my emotions are running amuck, but I'm working on that. I am currently on 5 mgs of Methimazole and 50 mgs of Atenolol. The atenolol has never been reduced as I also got high blood pressure about 18 months before my hyperT/Graves diagnosis. I felt like you did at first, and it was a relief to finally find out that something indeed WAS wrong with me. I had to struggle to get my diagnosis, but I finally got there. I am having trouble with my eyes and have been for quite some time. I don't really notice a bulging, but I do notice a lot of blurriness and dry eyes, especially when the fan is running (which I have to have to sleep), but I'm going to make an appt soon with a Opthomologist as soon as I can find one who knows a lot about Graves. Before you let a dr push you into RAI, there is much learning to do. Most dr's will suggest it as a 'relief' but it doesn't always work that way. I never intended to have RAI, but I also found out that all 3 dr's I've seen suggested it, so getting another opinion is not always anything other than playing dr hopskotch (in my opinion). I'd rather fire one of my dr's for not knowing how to treat me on anti-thyroid drugs instead of the RAI issue, cuz most (not all) will finally realize you mean NO RAI. But, sometimes they are stubborn like I am, so I do give them an " E " for effort. lol. Now that you've found us, you can learn what all you need to do to address your health problem. Always ask for a copy of your labs, and don't take no for an answer on that issue. I let a dr get away with that and he either kept me on the starting dose of 30 mgs of Methimazole, or he took me off the drugs cuz my TSH # was in 'his' normal range. Grrrr! There are many here who can help you to learn what you must learn so that you can now be in charge of your care, and make good decisions on what to chose. I recently read an article by Shoman about the high incidence of " Obesity " after RAI, so that is always a good starting point. I have enuff trouble with weight at this point in my life and I don't need ANY HELP in gaining lbs since this disease reared it's ugly head. Not to mention all the other things that and have shared with you. I'm vain enuff to tell ya too, weight is not something I want to fight ALL my life as I'm already middle aged! lol. Sandy~Houston i am new and hoping to make friends Hello, my name is Stacie, they call me Sassy, you can call me whatever you want, as long as it is nice!! hehe. I was just diagnossed on friday, 4 days ago, with Graves Disease. I am hoping to meet some people who have this disease also. I am feeling a large mixture of fear, denial, anxiety and relief right now. i feel relief because i have a reason to why i feel the way i do. does that make since? I have been doing some research online about the symptoms, plus talking to my doctor about my options. I am seeing who is supposed to be the best endo in my area. One question, i am hoping that once my levels are normal, the symptoms, will go away. I have eye bluring, dry eyes, and i have slight bulging (I am not happy about the what could happen with the bulging). i am also tired, and have some weight gain, and my hands shake, sometimes. My doctor told me my symptoms are pretty mild, and that i am happy about. I am thinking by starting treatment soon, we can stop the symptoms from progressing. is this an acurate thought of mine? So, once normal, they will go away????? Thanks to all of you and i look forward to getting to know you. Sassy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted September 30, 2003 Report Share Posted September 30, 2003 Hi Stacie. I have been on the anti-thyroid drug-PTU, for alittle over 2 months now, and I have to tell you that I feel much better. I was diagnosed in April by an eye doc but had to wait and go thru the medical maze until I finally got on the meds. I have mild eye disease and I must tell you, from what I have learned here and other sites, that I would not consider RAI. I think you should try the medication and see how it goes. RAI is permanent and meds are a way to get better and get your symptoms under control so at least you can think clearly enough to make whatever decision you wish with a better perspective. I am not 100% by any means, but I am not the same girl I was 3 months ago either. The difference in me is astonishing. I am doing great on medication and I'm sure you will too. It's worth trying. My right eye is protuded, but I think it is better than it was. It does not water as much and seldom seems like there is something in it all the time. The pressure is sooooo much better than before. I can give you some tips that I received here and on the mediboard. Flaxseed oil{you can also buy the gel caps at any drugstore} Refresh eye lubricant eye drops with no preservatives{individual viles are the best, they come 30-50 per box} elavate your head while sleeping{boards under bed or 2 pillows} Sunglasses are a must--even when it's cloudy Aviod ciggie smoke, there is data that this is a no no for the eyes with Graves{I smoke and know I should not}. That's all I can think of right now. These things have helped me, especially the flaxseed. Don't let ANYONE push you in to a treatment. You decide what's best for you. I strongly suggest meds first. They have helped me so much. I did start on a low dose and have not had any hypo symptoms as of yet. My endo is one of those see ya in 2 and 1/2 months kind of guy, but so far so very good. My next appointment is next Tues, so I'm doing fine. If you decide on meds, just make sure you get labs every 4 weeks, especially if you are started on a large dosage. Hoping the best for you and I know what your going thru. It's all too much when newly diagnosed. Sounds like your ahead of the game from your reading about this and that is so important. Take care, Donna > > >Hello, my name is Stacie, they call me Sassy, you can call me > > >whatever you want, as long as it is nice!! hehe. I was just > > >diagnossed on friday, 4 days ago, with Graves Disease. I am hoping > to > > >meet some people who have this disease also. I am feeling a large > > >mixture of fear, denial, anxiety and relief right now. i feel > relief > > >because i have a reason to why i feel the way i do. does that make > > >since? > > > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 1, 2003 Report Share Posted October 1, 2003 Hi Sassy, Welcome to the group. As to your question, yes, early treatment with meds known as anti-thyroid drugs will lower your thyroid hormone levels and reduce your symptoms, including the eye symptoms. It is a relief to know there is a reason for your symptoms, and it's good to know that remission is attainable. Best, Elaine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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