just had first visit with endo

Debs,

I have graves but not graves ophthalmy. Graves is just all of your thyroid making far too much thyroxine than you need which eventually poisons your body. Some people get it so bad their heart is affected others not so bad at all that its not such a big deal for them .The opthalmy affects some but not all of us, apparently you have a bigger chance of getting the opthalmy if you smoke but again not all do.

A few of us on graves part 3 have had graves for a long time ( not me) so they may be able to tell you more.

What I do know is it does get better with treatment, as I feel a whole lot better than I did at the beginning of the year when I was scared to death and worried sick. But it's not all plain sailing it's a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

Jane

Hi Debs. I'm pleased your visit to the endo went ok. Not all people with Graves have eye problems. Unfortunately it has affected my eyes, but they're not too bad. As you will know Graves is an autoimmune disease that sees parts of the body as being foreign and reacts by producing antibodies that attack the thyroid gland and cause it to become overactive. Graves eye disease is believed to be due to a similar autoimmune reaction which causes the tissues around the eye to become swollen and inflamed. My eyes protrude a little bit, one more than the other. They become dry, but I use artificial tears that help a lot. My eyes are very sensitive to bright light, like others on the forum. We wear dark glasses a lot and look cool. 8)There are opthalmologists who specialise in thyroid eye disease and they can do a lot to help. Don't worry about it. As Jane says you'll soon feel a lot better.

We're all on Graves part 3 and your welcome to join us. We have a bit of a moan now and then, but we all help each other.

Marigoldx

hello

thank you jane and marigold

i was confused as i thought graves was a diff thing, im starting to understand a bit now . ive had my results as well and my i think its t4 has gone down from 41 to 34 in just under two weeks so i assume thats good.they have told me to stay on the 20 mg of carbi till i go back in 6 weeks, is that normal to leave it 6 weeks? i will have a look on the graves part 3 , thank you Deb

Deb,

I've been going every 6 weeks since january, only since I've gone hypo this last time they are leaving it longer. You can go to your GP in between if need be but mine is a bit worried to tread on the endo's toes to change much but they're all different.

I've never done T4 so I'm not sure about that result I don't think it's too bad, marigold will know for sure.

Jane x

Hi Deb. Hope you're ok. Your T4 is still too high, but it's going down so that's good and you're on the road to recovery. All endos are different, but I can remember going back to see mine six weeks after my first visit.. I just have my blood checked at my GPs now and then phone the endo with the result, and he tells me what to do, but I can arrange an appointment with him anytime I think it's necessary. My GP is just the opposite to Jane's he thinks he knows best, but I take notice of what the endo tells me. I've had my blood checked every month since May last year except when I'd just had the RAI, and then I had it checked every two weeks. It was important that I didn't go hypo as it would have made my eyes worse. I felt like I was living at the doctors. :lol:

Take care.

Hi Jane. I hope you're enjoying your holiday and feeling ok. Are you managing to keep your dog out of the river?

Are you feeling a bit better Kat? Once you get on the right dose of thyroxine and you're not hypo you'll be fighting fit.

Thinking of Sue, Dave, Bess, Barry and everyone.

love,

Marigold

xxxx

hello

i phoned my doctors today and he said to go to the surgery in a month for a blood test, im just worried in case they leave me to long and it goes the other way. my sister is underactive and she always sleeps and doesnt feel well,mind you i wouldnt mind a good nights sleep .

jane i think im very lucky to have a good doctor, when i first visited the doctor with this they didnt seem to care so i changed to another and he told me his wife also has thyroid problems and he would make sure i get better,im assuming if his wife has it he would have done his homework on it,when i got back from the endo yesterday he rang me to see how i was and was not happy because he wanted me to be on 40mgs of carbimazole instead of 20mgs but i decided to stick with what the endo told me to take. its nice for a change to have a doctor that cares .

marigold im trying to read up on the graves part 1 to catch up but theres so much to read so i might have to just skip it and go to part 3 :lol: .

i hope your all feeling as good as can be , thanks Deb