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Thyroid  (Expert Forum)
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Feeling extremely hopeless and fustrated!!!
Questions in the Thyroid forum are answered by Dr. Mark Lupo. Topics covered include goiter, graves disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, hyperthyroid, hypothyroid, thyroid cancers, thyroiditis, and thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH).
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Feeling extremely hopeless and fustrated!!!

by irishgal, Aug 29, 2005 12:00AM
Hi everyone -  I hope you don't mind but I really need to vent.  For 17 years I have been dealing with this lovely little gland and I have come to the conclusion it really does not like me much!!  I have Grave's disease and RAI induced hypothyroidism.  I am currently on 200 mg of Synthroid and as of Friday 50 mg of Cytomel.  My endo says I am immune to the synthroid and getting very little of it and our new course of action is to keep upping my Cytomel until my T3 and T4 levels are "readable"...(yes they were that low)  Also, to add salt to the wound I am going to be tested for Diebetes because for the last 9 months or so I have been experiencing symptoms of Hypoglycemia.  Wonderful!!!!  Once you have one auto-immune disease it just opens the door to other auto-immune disease...so my Dr. tells me (I've done the research, I know she's right).  Just great...I can't even get my thyroid under control now this!!!  Where does it end?  I am getting really fed up with all of it.  My husband and friends don't understand.  I even refuse to discuss how I feel with my husband because he just looks at me as though I am a HYPE!!  In his defense however, my Friday appointment was the first time my husband ever went with me...I think he might of gotten a little better understanding from my Endo about how I am feeling and that it is not in my head.  That all a side, I am just getting sooo fustrated.  Sorry for the melt down but I am just so upset.  If I didn't have depression before I definitely do now!
Member Comments (5)

by ar1281a, Aug 30, 2005 12:00AM
Sorry to hear you're feeling this bad....yes, my Dr has told me the same, once you have one AI disease you're more likely to have another one. She recommends healthy diet and excercise to try to avoid development of another AI. And in my case that diabetes runs in my family control my intake of sugars and carbs as, if consumed in excess, they could trigger diabetes given my family history and presence of already one AI diasease (I have Graves too, but I decided to stick w/meds instead of RAI). I hope that they're also doing the ac1 test which shows your sugar level average for the last three months as the sugar one will only test your level at that given point. From what I understand it can vary sometimes.



It's tough to feel bad and have to deal with the emotional pressure of your husband. It's good that you took him with you so the endo could explain and he can understand your situation. That has helped my husband to understand me and how I feel as well.



It's ok to vent, that's why we're here, to provide support to each other. So, good luck, and hopefuly your symptoms will be more related to the hypo than anything else. Will keep you in my prayers and pls keep us posted. Take care

by Nomes, Aug 30, 2005 12:00AM
To: irishgal
Hi. I am sick of people asking me how do I feel sick. My answers just seem so inadequate to express how I feel everyday. I have Graves and am concerned to know that even if I go hypo I could still be fiddling and fussing around with this sickness for years! I don't even  feel like I am the same person I used to be : bubbly, full of energy, thriving at social events. Now I don't even want to go anywhere.

My husband is patient - but if this carries on for years his patience may run out!

I hope everything works out - just curious - would you have RAI if you had to do it all over again?

PS you live in a great part of the world!!!! I can't wait to travel the UK.

by irishgal, Aug 30, 2005 12:00AM
Thank you for your support, I greatly appreciate it.  I will definitely keep you posted.  As to the question whether or not I would do RAI again...I have to say yes.  The Drs. had me on PTU which didn't help me accept to gain weight...a lot of weight. (I was also a kid who could eat whatever and how much she wanted and not gain weight, I literally had to be taught on how to eat properly.)  I had high blood pressure and a racing heart rate to which I couldn't do any real physical activity without getting a bloody nose.  My thyroid gland was also 6x its normal size which caused a lot of discomfort...I couldn't even wear turtlenecks without feeling like I was being strangled.  Once I had the RAI my metabolism, BP, etc. went to normal levels and my thyroid shrank.  I became very physically active and I lost the 45 pounds that I had gained.  Being Hypo is a pain but it a lot easier to treat.  Keep in mind, I am a very rare case in which my body is now immune to Synthroid.  For most people when they find the right dosage, which may take a few tries, are fine.  Everybody is different, what may work for one may not work for another.

by jonell_n_texas, Sep 12, 2005 12:00AM
I am sorry that you are feeling frustrated.  I know all to well what you are talking about, I was hyperthyroid with a multi=nodular goider. I was hospitalized because I was in a thyroid storm. While in hospital found out I was diabetic and they put me on insulin. I had the iodine treatment now I am hypothyroid it has taken them five years to get my thyroid back to almost normal.  Synthroid was not working on me neither it finally started working however, I take .300 four x's a day.  I know how you feel everytime I go to the doctor it seems like they find something else last August they found I have Bi-polar. So I can identify with you sometimes you feel like you are going crazy due to medical problems. I have so many medical problems that I have had doctors turn me down because I have so many medical problem. Which a lot has to do with the weight gain. I have high blood pressure, diabeties, sleep apnea, osteo arthritis,hypothryroid, so as you can see I do understand. I know it is very, very hard, and yes sometimes friends and family just don't understand that people who have an auto immune problem we just don't feel good and usually we have more bad days than good. I can tell you to hang in there no you are not alone. Things will get better,it just takes time.Good luck and best wishes to your feeling better. Just keep your head up there are better days ahead.

by fatfuzzyfrazzled, Sep 14, 2005 12:00AM
To: irishgirl
might you consider something other than definate diabeties...???  thyroid issues cause adrenal/pituitary issues.  if you have low adrenal, this can cause you to be hypoglycemic (bad speller-sorry) and not able to digest carbs as easily........high and low roller coaster due to not able to take care of the sugars in foods properly so don't go straight to diabetic (see feeling fat fuzzy and frazzled book by dr shames)
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