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Blood says hyperthyroidism. Uptake and scan done last week. I am,waiting on results and am really angry that this is happening after taking god care of myself over the last 18 months. I am 53...still having some menstrual cycles and thought it was just period menopause symptoms. I'm feeling like I did something to cause this. Endo assures me I did not cause this. Any words of support would be appreciated.
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linda187 linda42017
Posted
Menopause can be a very difficult transition for some of us. I know it was for me. I did a lot of research at that time because hormones you are used to having get all out of balance. I finally took bioidentical hormone replacement made in a compounding pharmacy for menstrual issues. One of the biggest triggers for my Graves disease was stress. I had a lot of stress due to an abusive co-worker and that's when I got Graves disease. However, my disease is usually under good control because again I did a lot of research and worked to develop a good working relationship with my Endocrinologist. You can too. You didn't cause it but what you do once you have it can make a world of difference. Right now your physician is doing tests to determine the reason for your hyperthyroidism. My initial investigations took 2-3 months. During that period, I was put on Propranolol for the rapid heartbeats and once my Graves disease diagnosis was confirmed, I was then started on Tapazole to lower the excessive thyroid hormones. You can get better.
sally_63719 linda187
Posted
I’m worried about the effect this will have on my life and my ability to have more children. I’ve never been sick before and I’m so scared that I have this condition for life.
Currently I’m only taking propranolol but mh endo is going to put my on ptu as I’m still breast feeding. I’m taking vitamin d, calcium, vitamin c and magnesium every day since I found out and I’m also eating Brazil nuts. Do you think I should start taking l. Carnitine or the acetyl one? Or can I take either while breastfeeding. I would appreciate your advice so much as I’m very scared at the moment!
Thank you
linda187 sally_63719
Posted
PTU is usually what docs put pregnant women, nursing mothers or people who cannot tolerate Methimazole on and it is considered safe for this population. As far as the carnitines go, I would ask to be tested for your Total Carnitine and Free Carnitine levels and only take the Regular L-carnitine if you are deficient in carnitine levels. Carnitine is an amino acid that is normally in the body but often gets depleted in hyperthyroid patients. What are your lab results, i.e. TSH, Free T3 and Free T4 levels? I would not take Acetyl-L-Carnitine in your case. You have a good chance at remission especially if you watch your diet and stressors. You probably can also get pregnant again but your doc would have to watch your levels closely and you would have to take PTU during pregnancy if your levels are elevated.
linda42017 linda187
Posted
Thanks for the encouragement. My endo put me on a low dose of methimazole to "calm down" my thyroid. I had to stop prior to my scans...now I am back on it. I feel fine except for some anxiety and not sleeping well and being hot all the time. I feel strong and healthy, not sick. Fingers crossed for temporary thyroiditus. Stay tuned for test results. I am glad I found is resource!
sally_63719 linda187
Posted
My doc has now put me on 100 mg ptu 3 times a day.
What would you advise that I do to put this into remission? I don’t know what my stressors are, it was giving birth that causes this. I have always been very healthy and my levels were perfect before I got pregnant. I want to do my best to get rid of this so I would be so grateful for any advice you can give!
Thank you so much
linda187 sally_63719
Posted
Wow Sally I don't know what to tell you. I know pregnancy can cause this because of the surge in many hormones. I don't know much about PTU and how it would react with some of the things I did that worked for me. I just know it is considered safer than Methimazole for use in pregnancy and breast feeding.
What made the difference for me was testing for vitamin, mineral and amino acid deficiencies and replacing them with supplements like vitamin D (very important for thyroid patients). While 10 mg of Methimazole initially brought my thyroid hormones down to the mid range, my TSH would not budge from less than 0.001 for 2 years until I added the Carnitine supplements to my meds, especially acetyl-Cl-Carnitine because it crosses the blood-brain barrier. I have no idea how it would interact with PTU though. When combined with Methimazole, It raises TSH very quickly and lowers the Frees just as quickly. However, because it works so fast, it requires more frequent monitoring and adjusting of meds dosages and/or Acetyl dosages downward to stay within range and not go hypo.
madge1979 sally_63719
Posted
Sally
Maybe trying to tailor your vitamin / minerals a little .. might help
tweaking them to suit you better may be more accurate and give you a better result ..
For example .. it should be D3 you take not just D
And it should Always be taken with K2 Mk7
So that it directs calcium to the bones .. and not to soft tissue where it can cause big problems .. often resulting in noticeable cramps .... and more
HIGH DOSE ACIDOPHILUS
is Imperative ..
I take 40 Billion per day !!!
Magnesium is a must, I believe with Graves' disease
What about your B12
Have you had it tested ?
If not why not .. cause it's VITAL for us Graves sufferers
.....And needs to be Optimum !
Not ' just enough '
In order to feel well again we absolutely MUST replace all that Graves has robbed us of !
In Graves , it is the immune system that has gone a bit crazy and attacked the Thyroid Gland
In other Immune disease it could be Arthritis or Crohns disease etc ... and it would be the joints and the gut that would be attacked in those cases ...
So in a way , if you can believe it, we are lucky it's only our Thyroid Gland ..
but to deal with this ..
we DONT kill our Thyroid Gland
So , what we do is , we approach our Immune Systems in order to heal and treat our illness ..
80 % if our Immune System is in our GUT .. and therefore THAT is where we must begin .... our GUT
That is why we replace with good fresh food
.......AND ......supplements .. after Graves attack Food often does not contain ENOUGH vitamins and minerals for us ..... So it's vital WE take this onboard and deal with it .. because it's most unlikely your Doctor will know enough about this !
As many of us know !
So on this journey we pass information to each other
And the reason is ......to learn and become wise on THIS subject
So that we can treat OURSELVES !!
They're our bodies .. and nobody cares more than we do , about them
When I told my doctor I did not want surgery or RAI .. that I wanted to heal my Immune System he scoffed and said that would be much too complex an issue to master ..
huh ! ... maybe for YOU
I thought but I'm going to try !!
That's when I made up my mind that I had the time and patience to do JUST THAT ... and I did !
And I'm now Euthyroid !
I.e. normal ... and if I want to stay that way I will change my lifestyle just a little ..
You can do it too ...
GOOGLE EACH ONE OF
The supplements
That are necessary to replenish your gut ... and find out and see in your minds eye WHY and HOW they will help you !!
B12 Must be Sublingual i.e. .........melted under tongue
Zinc
Magnesium
D3 Plus K2 Mk7
Selenium
Vitamin C
Vitamin E water dispersible
ACIDOPHILUS HIGH DOSE
Once you've discovered the properties of all the above you'll know why they will bring you back to health
Of course this is once your Thyroid hormones have been reduced by your anti Thyroid meds first ..
Luv mx🌹
madge1979
Posted
Sorry I forgot to add
B1 ... ( Thiamine )
B6
B Complex ...
These help enormously with muscle pain and energy issues
Regular L Carnitine is amazing
And you should read all you can regarding its use Before taking
For people suffering ... as I certainly was with dreadful muscle pain it is an absolute
Essential ..
but due care should be taken .. so as not to become HYPO ...
Good luck
Mx🌹
linda187 sally_63719
Posted
Just thought of something Sally. Regular L-Carnitine is what normally is in your body from diet. It comes from meat mostly so you can try one 500 mg capsule and see how you feel. Regular L-Carnitine has a lot of carnitine and a little bit of acetyl in it. Whereas the Acetyl-L-Carnitine has a lot of acetyl and a little bit of carnitine in it. It is the Acetyl part of them I believe that crosses the blood-brain barrier and if taken along with meds will carry them to the cell nucleus. I think that's why it raised my TSH so quickly. If you try them, I would start out low - no more than 500 mg. Let me know what you think.