Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Welcome Alison, Sorry the link no longer works. I will send you a copy privately if you would like. We can NOT post the letter itself since it has a copy right and we are not the owners. I can see your address in my header, but I believe in asking first before using anyones private address. We never know the family situation and some people in groups only communicate on the web site. ( Just something all members need to be aware of on any e mail list ) -Pam L - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Thanks Pam Yes it is ok to use my email address. Alison Re: New Diagnosis Welcome Alison, Sorry the link no longer works. I will send you a copy privately if you would like. We can NOT post the letter itself since it has a copy right and we are not the owners. I can see your address in my header, but I believe in asking first before using anyones private address. We never know the family situation and some people in groups only communicate on the web site. ( Just something all members need to be aware of on any e mail list ) -Pam L - Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 20, 2003 Report Share Posted August 20, 2003 Welcome Alison! Graves was diagnosed and I'm now on > medication for a month until my next visit. What medication and what dose? Also, how many times a day do you take the medication. Since this group seems to be made up primarily of people from the US, the 2 anti thyroid drugs (ATDs) referred to most often are PTU and Tapazole (the generic form of which is methimazole, akin to carbimazole and I think mercazole). Other medications referred to may be beta blockers, which many people with GD go on also; I didn't , went straight onto Tap. > I must confess to being a bit confused at the time, but I > did remember to ask about diet. She said " no you don't have > to do anything special " . Won't hurt to eat whole grains as much as possible and vegetables that act as goitrogens (reduce the goiter). The symptoms won't go away immediately and one is being really hungry. You do need to eat but try to eat quality foods, and extra protein. You'll also want to avoid/minimize stimulants such as caffeine or alcohol. I also asked about the cold & flu > tablets I was taking as I had a rotten head cold, but was > told that was ok as well. Again, try to find one without stimulants such as epinephrine. > Of course I have spent the past 2 days on the internet > searching for as much info as I can. I have a cousin and an > Aunt with Lupus and another cousin on the other side of my > family with MS, so my Mum is concerned as well and is > looking through all her books on home remedies. Well, it was caught fairly early and you found this group fairly early, so your mother should rest assured that you're ahead of the game. The main thing is to mazimize your potential for success on ATDs. Please share with us any info, such as your medication, bloodwork and your lab's ranges etc. Don't think that we're all paranoid here but sadly, most endos don't have a handle on how to treat GD with ATDs so we're all bound to suspect the worst of any dr.; the purpose of all our questions is to vet her for you ;-) Also, before you started ATDs did you have the following baseline tests: Antibodies, particularly TSI, complete blood count, and liver enzyme panel? At the end of the first month your dr. will run the last 2 for sure and it's very helpful to have baseline tests to compare. Don't let your doctor convince you that the ATDs are effecting these levels dangerously without running your results by the group first (short of G-d forbid ending up in the emergency room really ill). Take care, Fay ________________________________________________________________ The best thing to hit the internet in years - Juno SpeedBand! Surf the web up to FIVE TIMES FASTER! Only $14.95/ month - visit www.juno.com to sign up today! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 Hi Alison, and welcome, If you've been surfing the net you may have also found the Graves' group at Mediboard.com. If you go there and type " Thyroid Awareness 101 " into the search box you'll find a lot of information to get you started. Graves' is an autoimmune problem in which our bodies are incorrectly signaling the thyroid gland, so the challenge is to help the immune system heal while controlling any thyroid and eye symptoms. Many people achieve remission with a 1-2 year course of anti-thyroid meds, so we would urge you not to take the irreversible step of irradiating or removing your thyroid gland. Diet does matter. The most important point is to avoid iodine, which fuels the thyroid gland. Fish and seaweed are the worst in that regard. You should also check you multivitamin and get one without iodine. Soy is also a problem for many people with thyroid conditions. In addition, while you are hyperthyroid it's important to avoid stimulants like ephedrine. Stress reduction is also extremely useful. A very helpful book is Elaine 's Graves' Disease: A Practical Guide. It covers a lot of these issues--plus you can ask and search here. If you post your lab results, with the recommended ranges, people here can interpret them for you. Graves' is usually diagnosed with an antibody test. An ultrasound may be used to check for nodules, but no radioactive scan is needed. You'll want to get a notebook to keep your lab results in along with notes about your symptoms; this will be helpful while you're on the meds. Graves' can be a confusing experience, but things should start improving from this point. I had a similar experience last fall, and one consolation was that I wasn't yet in menopause but rather having hyperthyroid symptoms. Best wishes, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted August 21, 2003 Report Share Posted August 21, 2003 Hi Alison Welcome to the group. I hope you're on the right meds. Could you let us know please. Good on you for researching. When I was first diagnosed I had never heard of GD before and I certainly had never thought hyperthyroidism was bad as I experienced! Thank God for the internet and people like this group here. Most important thing to remember - Don't be pushed into permanent treatments too quickly. If you respond well, with no side effects to the anti thyroid drugs then give them a good trial - up to 2 years to achieve remission. Many on this board are now in remission and some have been on the drugs without problems for many years. Look after yourself. GD is an auto immune disorder and therefore it makes sense to ensure your body is getting all the healthy things it needs. Plenty of rest, good diet (low in iodine for your thyroid), gentle exercise (don't take up extra now - your muscles, tendons, bones and heart can all be affected by the hyperthyroidism and it can be dangerous), reduce stress and its effects. You may wish to use some less traditional medical approaches. There is much in the archives about herbs, vitamins, homeopathy and acupuncture if you wish to look. Feel free to ask questions. There are others here who know much more about this than me. I did see a naturapath and had some homeopathic remedies when I was first diagnosed. I'm sure it help me to achieve balance very quickly. Now that you are being treated - take your time and learn as much as you can. Take Care - Cheers Caroline (fellow Aussie) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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