Hyperthyroid just diagnosed

Hi, when I was initially diagnosed as hyperthyroid I was prescribed an anti-thyroid medication by the GP. He actually phoned the hospital and consulted an endocrinologist. My thyroxine level (FT4) was about 3 times the upper normal limit. I then a second blood test about a week before the appointment with the endocrinologist. This will give your endo a chance to see how you respond to the medication. My GP also gave me a printout of the recent blood test results.

It takes a few weeks for the anti-thyroid medication to work since it only inhibits the production of 'fresh' thyroxine but has little to no effect on the thyroxine already in your bloodstream (which will gradually be used up by your body). 

Every patient is different, but at least you could talk to your GP and ask for a printout of your results so far. It will help you estimate the severity of your case and by posting your test results you might get better advice on this forum. Best wishes. 

 

I  was referred to an Endocrinologist within 2-3 weeks of my lab values showing I was hyperthyroid and other than my TSH value which was essentially 0, my Free T3 and T4 were high out of range but not more than 10 points out of range.  My Endo immediately put me on a beta blocker while she did the work up and testing to find the cause of my hyperthyroidism, but once she was able to confirm that I had Graves disease and that was the reason for my hyperthyroidism, I was put on a thyroid hormone blocker called Methimazole and my out of range T3 and T4 immediately fell into the middle of the normal range.  It's unfortunate that you have to wait so long to see an Endo.  I was diagnosed with Graves disease as the cause of my hyperthyroidism and though my excessive thyroid hormones were blocked with the prescribed meds, my TSH would not rise for 2 years, until I added supplements to my treatment.  I was deficient in vitamin D as are most thyroid patients and I was deficient in Total and Free Carnitine levels as are most hyperthyroid patients.  My magnesium level was low.  I added these supplements and my TSH began to rise.  Until you receive proper treatment, you need to avoid heavy physical activity as that makes your condition worse.

You are not alone. I was diagnosed in March with thyroid at .02, and my appointment with an Endocrinologist is on July st. I asked for an ultrasound and found I have 2 nodules on my thyroid. I looked up the supplements necessary, and the diet. I was also very anxious and pain all over. I am not as anxious as I was by taking the supplements and following the diet. I am still having some aches and soreness in my throat, but I am not nearly as bad as I was. Of course their is still concern that I have to wait so long to see the Endocrinologis, but I am dealing with it.

Best Wishes, worry does not help us.

Arlea

Good morning  mamf46

Yes i too felt this way before I found out I was hyper I went part time on my job because it was physically to exhausting. Now when I saw my Endo I was put on 10 mg of Methamizole and I can tell the difference within s hour of taking meds. It took a few weeks to adjust my activity to it knowing how much to do or not to do but it definitely got better over the months .

Thank you all for the advice the doc has signed me off work till the 28th of June which is a week after my first Endo appointment. I will ask the at the appointment for print outs etc. I also have pernicious anemia so I need to find out how the two things affect each other although I have had pa diagnosed for 20 years it’s now very well managed so I don’t get ill with it like I used to. If my jab comes up before I can ask for the print outs then.

Hi,

I had been feeling really unwell following my dad's diagnosis of terminal cancer. I couldn't stop shaking, had palpitations, was losing weight, kept over heating, had swollen ankles and quite honesty felt awful. I found that I had no energy and my legs and arms ached. i assumed that i was having a very physical reaction to the anxiety linked to my dad. I went to the doctor who said she suspected hyperthyroidism and carried out bloodtests. In the meantime I then developed a noticeable lump in the left side of my neck, which moved when I swallowed - the out of hours GP said it was a thyrotoxic nodule. 

My bloodtests came back showing extremely high levels of thyroid hormone - usually 23 - mine was over 100. No wonder I was feeling so ill! My GP contacted the endocrinologist who prescribed Carbimazole, beta blockers and diuretics. This sees to have done the trick and my levels are decreasing week on week.

Initially I was given two month wait for my 'urgent' appointment. My GP was great and pestered for a sooner appointment, which I attended on Friday. I have now been diagnosed with Grave's Disease and have been booked for a scan on my neck. I have also been prescribed selenium to help prevent changes to my eyes. Interestingly, I have been under the eye clinic for 18 months and they haven't done a blood test - they said I had dry eye syndrome - now I find out that it is part of Grave's. The endo was not impressed that this had been missed.

I am relieved to have a diagnosis and to know why I felt so ill. I now have a medication regime and I have reviewed my diet and most symptoms have improved although I still have sleepless nights, am still losing weight, have constant upset stomach and a growing lump on my neck. The endo thinks that the extreme reaction I had in terms of stress regarding my dad's diagnosis triggered a sudden flare up in my thyroid although she thinks I have had this for a while and was ignoring the symptoms and just getting on with things, even though i was feeling under the weather. 

I have now read a lot about Grave's and am worried about the ongoing symptoms of pain and aching - I have been told that I have a lot of muscle wastage already, which may cause problems. This aspects probably concerns me most - has this affected anyone else out there. If so, what should I expect and how can I help myself in treating this?

 

I've been diagnosed with hyperthyroidism since the end of March, they put me on ebta blocker Metoprolol to manage my heart rate and blood pressure and did blood work. I wasn't going to be able to see an endocrinologist for like three months. I was put on a wait list to see if I could get in any earlier and I would call to see if there were any. Luckily there was and I got it way sooner than I was supposed to. They checked my numbers which were tripple the normal amount and they put me methimazole to try to keep my T3 and T4 from producing so much, or at least that's my understanding of it. I won't know how well it's working until the 11th of June when I go to get my blood work done. Trust me, I and probably everyone in this group know what you're going through. The first day I noticed something was wrong hit me like a freight train, it happened so suddenly, I felt hot, light headed, ha tunnel vision,I was nauseous, and my blood pressure was so high, as well as my heart rate. I went into the ER that night and was put on blood pressure meds and was there for 8 hours while they tried to figure out what all was going on. Eventually they said it was probably Hyperactive thyroid and they sent me home with a follow up with my Dr the next morning for my test results, and sure enough that's what I had. Try calling every week or so to try to see if there are any openings so you can get in earlier. I'm new to all of this, but I know it's treatable and you'll get through this.

I feel your pain! In fact I was fired from my job because I couldn’t return last week. I’m having the racing heart, insomnia, tremors, and also blurred vision. When I tried to walk my limbs felt like weights! My TSH was 0.05 and T4 of 13. I was on 200 mcg of levo but now I’m on 150 mcg for the last 2 weeks and while things have improved (slightly) I’m still very weak. Hangs in there you’re not alone! From what I understand it takes about 6 weeks to really feel better 

Hyperthyroidism is a condition in which your thyroid gland produces too much of the hormone thyroxine. Hyperthyroidism can accelerate your body's metabolism significantly, causing sudden weight loss, a rapid or irregular heartbeat, sweating, and nervousness or irritability.

Oh no, your Free T4 must be very high, June 21st sounds close but too far, the Free T4 goes higher is treatment is not started soon, please constantly check your heart rate, once it goes above 90 make sure you return to your doctor before the 21st. You will be fine that am sure of.

For those of you on this Board who have posted about the long wait to see an Endocrinologist, you might want to try going to an Emergency Department of a local hospital.  I don't know about small towns but in the city where I live usually they have different specialists connected to their Emergency Departments and you might get to see one sooner or an Endocrinology Resident.  I know one time I had a condition where I could not swallow and my doc told me it would take 3 months to see an ENT specialist.  I did not relish the aspect of eating only soup and ice cream for 3 months so I went to Emerg and the ENT resident diagnosed me correctly and gave me correct treatment for this condition.