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Hyperthyroid DX ...Have need of answers. VA docs don't explain..

Posted , 3 users are following.

Soodie
Soodie

Hello,

The tests came back 4 months ago....TSH 0.03 and freeThyroid 1.8  I was retested 2 months ago..TSH 0.02 and free Thyroid 2.4  The TSI at 659. The ultrsound of thyroid gland revealed bilateral nodules----> Biopsy to be performed Wednesday June 14th 2017. As for symptoms I have lost 47 pounds since this began.  I am as nervous as a cat and irritable.  I can stand myself sometimes.  My hair was thinning, but now it has stopped.  Chores are doable but they take forever....After...I am completely spent. I just feel so, so sick.  I have always been a healthy person and this has decked me.  My questions are the usual I guess. Pending the scan, does this sound like the kind of variant that can be healed naturally.  I am not big on chemicals in my system and I do have the drug for the thyroid. (Methimazole).I am worried about "real life side effects" not so much those listed for a sample of 533 people.  I only want to wait until the tests results are back to know if I HAVE to take them or if you folks know of a way around it.  I am allergic to Iodine so if that is in the treatment...I am out.  I carry an EpiPen for anaphylaxis for the Iodine, Sulfur, SO2, NH3 and many food allergies.

Any advice for any improvement I would appreciate.

Thank you,

Suzan (Soodie)

0 likes, 4 replies

4 Replies

  • Guest
    Guest Soodie

    Posted

    Hi Soodie, what exactly do you mean by iodine allergy? Are you allergic to iodine rich food (like seaweed or seafood)? Did you have an anaphylactic shock after taking iodine-based contrast dye? Or did you have contact dermatitis after applying iodine-based antiseptics like povidone-iodine?  I am asking because these are all very much different from elemental iodine, which is an essential mineral without which our body cannot work.

    There are herbal medicines that can help alleviate the symptoms of hyperthyroidism but I would not consider them a substitute for taking Methimazole.

    It would be helpful if you could add some info to your post:

    1) What is freeThyroid? Do you mean FT4, free thyroxine? What is the normal range?

    2) What dose of Methimazole was prescribed to you?

    3) What is the normal range for TSI?

    I will send you a link to a review paper discussing iodine allergies.

     

       

    • Soodie
      Soodie Guest

      Posted

      Good Morning DanR,

      Exposure to any Contrast Media with iodine or any antiseptics containing  2–7% elemental iodine  or more have caused anaphylaxis.  Yes, I have gotten shocky, with a Blood Pressure near nothing, bubbles from my lungs, breathing shallow, however that cames with extreme swelling of the face and hands and feet and my throat.  History: approximately 35 near-death reactions since 1985.

      Dan, the dose of Methimazole is 10mg twice a day.

      I will post the standards for thyroid tests when I feel better.  I will have to look them up.

      Any side effects t Methimazole anyone would like to report, please?

      Thank you, 

      Soodie

    • Guest
      Guest Soodie

      Posted

      Hi Soodie, I have taken Carbimazole (which is converted to Methimazole by the body) for almost 2 years. First, I had to take 30 mg per day. The dose got gradually reduced to 2.5mg per day. 

      The ranges for lab tests can differ from lab to lab. Therefore it is impossible to comment if I don't have the normal range or at least the measuring units. 

      Like you, I was healthy and fit before the thyroid disorder. Within a few weeks, I started to feel terribly agitated, trembly, constant high heart rate. In my case, hyperthyroidism caused muscle wasting. I was in constant pain and could hardly lift my arms or walk up a flight of stairs. It is important to get your thyroxine levels within normal range quickly.  

      Like any medication, anti-thyroid drugs can have side-effects. A common one is urticaria and itching. I had this for a few days while on a high dose. It got better soon afterwards. You will have regular blood tests to make sure that your blood cell count is ok and you will have to report to your GP should you get mouth ulcers or a sore throat. 

      I would advise you to consider taking the medication. The drug will prevent your thyroid from overproducing thyroxine. It will anyway take a few weeks to feel better since your body has to slowly use up the surplus thyroxine that is currently in your bloodstream.  

      You know best how you feel. But I would recommend that you monitor your heart rate a least once a day and that you look up the symptoms of thyroid storm in the event that you should need more urgent care. 

  • JayValle
    JayValle Soodie

    Posted

    Hi Soodie. I also have had nodules for at least 12 years. Never bothered me and had many biopsies. I was always hypothyroid but last summer I turned "hyperthyroid".  Do you know what's causing your thyroid levels to be off? My TSH was .005  (very low) and my T4 was 1.87 (modestly above normal). It wasn't until my doc ordered a nuclear thyroid uptake scan that we learned one of my nodules started overproducing thyroxine which caused my levels to be off.  Not sure if your doc will be ordering this test but wanted to say the pill I had to take contained iodine. 

    As for meds, I don't like taking anything either, but I had no side effects whatsoever from Methimazole. I started on 10mg 1x daily in January and by March my T's were normal. TSH is stubborn but lifted to .015. I'm down to 5mg every other day because I felt I was going hypo. But I feel a hundred times better now than last summer when I was constantly faint and weak.

    As Dan said, we need to get the T4 down asap and for most, meds are needed. I believe others have gone natural, but not sure how long it takes to work and if it always works. 

    Good luck. I hope you feel better soon.

    Jaye xo

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