Treat or not to treat?
Posted , 7 users are following.
Hello
I have been under severe stress since 2014 when my husband was diagnosed with sarcoma and passed in 2015. A week after he passed, I started falling apart physically due to stress and grief. Two PVDs with retinal bleeds, labyrinthitis with vertigo and dizziness for 3 months. Occular migraines. General fatigue. I thought I'd had it all when my blood work came back as hyperactive. TSH 0.004 (very low and overactive state) T3 and T4 normal to high but within range. My doctor wants to do a radioactive iodine uptake test to determine exact diagnosis. Regardless, he will want to treat me as I have antibodies in my blood. My quandary is that I feel well, other than grief and being tired at times. I don't have any hyper symptoms and I can't lose weight, something I've struggled with my entire life.
Has anyone had stress and trauma trigger Graves Disease? If I am not symptomatic, I am hesitant to treat and possibly trigger something worse.
Also - I have two thyroid nodules I was treated for with armour thyroid and they are shrinking. I've been off meds for a year, still my TSH dropped.
I appreciate any advice, experience, feedback others can offer.
Thank you
Jeannie
0 likes, 18 replies
Anachr JayValle
Posted
Hi Jeannie, sorry to hear of your loss and grief. People say it gets better with time. My endocrinologist diagnosed me with Graves Disease based on symptoms, blood work and physical exam. I believe it was brought on by the stress and of course the medical professionals report it is genetic. Either way, I'm on a very low dose of Meds and feelings much better. I'm trying to eat clean and exercise because I know of someone whose case was much like mine and now she is in remission following that treatment plan. What has helped me the most is reading about my disease and trying to educate myself as much as possible. Good luck!
JayValle Anachr
Posted
Thank you Anachr. I'm happy you're feeling better. Can't wait for the uptake scan so I get some kind of diagnosis as to why my TSH is low but I feel fine. I guess I'll be taking meds but I'd like to try L-Carnitine as well as I've read it boosts the med's effect. I've read so much on thyroid websites, dr. websites, natural remedy sites, my head is spinning. There seem to be differences of opinion and information even between doctors. This is why I like the message boards best for info as here I find people who are experienced and more knowledgeable than some doctors. I wrote a 2 page list of questions for my new doc. appt. yesterday and he was in and out in 10 minutes.
I hope you find remission and good health :-)