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Reassurance needed....levels dropped but still feeling terrible

Posted , 5 users are following.

samantha98878
samantha98878

Hi all, I was diagnosed with an overactive thyroid in December, levels were 69, and was told should be 9-25, I was initially put on carbimzole 15 mg and propranolol 40mg 3 times a day, the next few weeks were terrible I was so low, crying all the time and so tired with an 18 mth old son, a bundle of energy! At work I was and am struggling terribly working in banking with high sales targets and learning a new part of my job in cashiering, as my mind is so absent I keep making mistakes and have a boss with little compassion. I decided to go private as I couldn't wait for 3 mths, increased medication to 40mg carbimzole a day. Found I was even more tired but persevered. Latest tests show levels have dropped within range but I don't feel any better. Stress at work may not be helping! I can be signed off but I don't want to be off sick as staying in makes me feel sometimes even more tired with my lo, all I want to do is sleep. Does anyone know if it is normal to still feel so dreadful? Doc told me to drop medication to 20mg carbimzole, and stop propanolol, but after a few days I was shaking with terrible headaches. Started the propanolol again, but my moods are off the chart feeling angry and down! Doc said it will take a few weeks to feel better but I should look at for sights of levels rising, as far as I can tell I feel they aren't much better than when I was first diagnosed!? Struggling to decide whether to be signed off work until I feel better, I'm not sure if the stress and little hints about losing my job from my manager are helping me at all.....help! I feel so isolated with this condition nobody seems to understand what it's like....

0 likes, 6 replies

6 Replies

  • debbie38655
    debbie38655 samantha98878

    Posted

    Hi Samantha,I know exactly how you feel. And yes you can still feel horrible when levels are normal. I know i do still and i was diagnosed years ago with Graves Disease and have had a total thyroidectomy. Sounds like a lot of stress in your life at the moment so take a big breath and relax. Have you any support to help you with your son??? What about your husband?? You are going to need a bit of help to get through and you need to look after yourself. ASk for help from your family and friends. If they are not understanding of your situation have them read a bit about it so they have a bit more of an idea what it is like.It is your thyroid making you feel this way and to a degree until you have levelled out for a while you will feel emotional and be up and down. All i can suggest is don't try and be supermum for a while. on down days down worry about housework etc and just rest as often as you can which I know is basically impossible with a young child. During your lunch break at work find a quiet spot and try and shut out the world. Maybe take the odd day off and try and catch up on sleep then.....it is a horrible time for you but soldier on there is light at the end of the tunnel I promise.good luck and let me know how you get on.
    • samantha98878
      samantha98878 debbie38655

      Posted

      Thank you Debbie, my husband has been very understanding, andmy family but it's hard still as I'm used to being in control of things at home and just feel overwhelmed by everything since I was diagnosed, I try to think it won't last forever but fear from reading about this condition people don't feel right for years! I just can't cope with my emotions. We were meant to be trying for baby no 2 but have been told to wait. Although specialist said it can even things out being pregnant. It's horrible lashing out at my husband when I'm feeling so agitated by everything....I guess it's a waiting game. Such a horrible condition I'd never thought about until now!
  • fern12
    fern12 samantha98878

    Posted

    When the thyoid and the whole cycle including TSH and converting T3 to T4 is all working properly it is delicately orchestrated.  It is like a tightrope where you have to balance between being hyper and hypo.

    With the medication it is quite unnatural to have great changes in amounts.  It does sound like you had too much Carbimazole at one time.  It is better not to go to extremes.  

    The propanolol is for the heart.  Too much thyroid hormones cause the heart to beat too rapidly, but it is only temporary so once your thyroid is more under control the propanolol isn't needed.

    I am no doctor or other medical professional, but as a patient, I always felt it was a better, more immediate test of thyroid balance simply to take my pulse.  The resting heart rate should be about 60-80 beats per minute.

    I am in the US where they use Methimazole instead of Carbimazole, but they are similar in many ways.  Taking it always made me feel awful.  I am now in remission and I'm glad I don't have to take it now.  I believe that the reason I am in remission is because I took my health in my own hands, and was careful to maintain a balance between my symptoms and my medicine.

    • samantha98878
      samantha98878 fern12

      Posted

      Thank you fern I will do some more reading about it, I have started taking vitamin d again as I became deficient a few months after having my son. I have wondered if my medication is causing some of my symptoms as I'm so tired but doctor was quick to say it's because of what my body has been going through and to wait for a few weeks until I start to feel better...
  • sue78615
    sue78615 samantha98878

    Posted

    Hi Samantha. I too was diagonised with Graves disease 22 years ago when my children were 7, 3 and 14 months. I had put my symptoms down to all that entails! I cannot remember the figures but i know it was through the roof and was put on three lots of carbimazole three times a day. For me it was a relief to know that there was a medical reason as to why I was sometimes feeling so out of control, erratic and emotional. Try and look at it as this and keep thinking that the medication will help and you are, whatever you think, in control. You now know why you are feeling as you are and don't try to please everybody and put more pressure on yourself. Maybe taking some time off work till you're levels are stable could be a possibility as it sounds as if you're not being supported at work. I am not New Age!! smile but I started going to a simple yoga class just to take time out, away from the house and relax(not so I could do the lotus positionsmile. ).It did help. I also had my fourth child whilst on carbimazole, she was a surprise but I was monitored by the hospital and all was absolutely fine.My thyroid eventually righted itself after a few years but please take heart. You will not feel like this always. It will get better and everyday is a day closer to that. Ironically, I was diagonised with an underactive thyroid a year ago and now take thyroxine but I feel better equipped to deal with it. You are doing really well and these forums are invaluable to realise that you are not alone and there are people who understand and can help you through it.
  • melissa80019
    melissa80019 samantha98878

    Posted

    I am in the very same position I was diagnosed about 7 years ago did 3 years of medication and after 4 years of being fine its back i am an emotional mess I am having a harder issue with the anxiety part and being down about 10 days ago they put me also on a very low dose of beta blocker but I panicked from that I think because I am so use to feeling like my body is going a mile a min that when it slowed me down it scared me so I stopped taking it yesterday now today I feel very anxious again it is literally controlling my life I also just took 2 weeks off work hoping to get my self in a better place I think i brought some of the anxiety on my self because when I first had this my numbers were very overactive and it took 3 months to feel normal I had panic attacks it was terrible so when it came back this time I just panicked and got my self worked up because I did not want to go back to the way I was before I'm glad there are other people that know how I feel because I just cry some days because I feel so out of control of my life right now. I have planned a vacation with my husband in the Caribbean for about a year we leave in 11 days i love the island we are going to and really hope it will help with warm weather sun and relaxation.
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