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Worried about my Health😞

Posted , 8 users are following.

allanisshepherd
allanisshepherd

I'm 15 years of age and was told earlier on this morning by my doctor on the phone that I have an overactive thyroid , I didn't know what to say, but I need to keep getting my bloods done. she's been phoning me in every second day for the past week now and it's starting to worry me a lot! Will I have to be prescribed Medication or what? My Mum has this and she had lost a lot of weight!

0 likes, 13 replies

13 Replies

  • fern12
    fern12 allanisshepherd

    Posted

    Graves' Disease is serious, but I would think the doctor is just showing you she is involved in your care.  Medication, [Carbimazole, Methimazole, or PTU,] is often used.  If your heart rate is very high they will prescribe a beta blocker like propranolol.

    Rather than give you medication they may try to talk you into having your thyroid destroyed through radioactive iodine or removed surgically.  I didn't want to have either of those and I am about 50 years older than you.  By that, I mean that you have a very long life ahead of you and to go through all that time with a destroyed thyroid and having to have supplements to replace it might be a lot worse.  

    The doctor might suggest that you would have to take the anti thyroid medication all your life, anyway.  But that isn't always true.  I took it for a few years, but now I don't need it anymore.

    It is true weight loss is often a symptom of GD.

  • debbie38655
    debbie38655 allanisshepherd

    Posted

    You will be fine honey...it is just something that will require regular checking on and you may need medication for a while. it may settle down on its own or it may be something you watch the rest of your life. but it is okay. i have had thyroid issues for a long time (over 10 years) and eventually had my thyroid out as it wouldnt settle down at all and I have been fine since. as i was already taking medication for it nothing changed and i just continued with it......and the weight thing might fluctuate for a while until all gets settled but listen to the doctor and keep getting your tests as it will all help you in the end...If you have any worries always discuss with someone whether it be your mum or the doctor so that you dont over worry.....
    • allanisshepherd
      allanisshepherd debbie38655

      Posted

      I've just logged back into this account and yeah I got my gland removed in December 2015, the endocrinologist said that I was too toxic for radioactive iodine but I'm now on thyroxine for the rest of my life, Thankyou!

  • emmaj43
    emmaj43 allanisshepherd

    Posted

    Hi Allanis,  don't worry.  It does run in families - my Granny, Dad and now me have had Thyroid problems.  They can control it.  More importantly how are you feeling? Has you mum just got overactive? How does she feel and what age did she get it?  It could be an age thing for you while your hormones sort themselves out.  Sounds like you have a lovely doctor.  Don't worry, you might have to take a tablet to settle it for a while.  Xxxx
    • allanisshepherd
      allanisshepherd emmaj43

      Posted

      Hi Emma I've just logged back into this, yeah I had my thyroid gland removed in December 2015 and I'm now on thyroxine for the rest of my life, my mum does have an overactive thyroid but she isn't on any medication for it just now as it settles itself down for a couple of months but it then flares up again, my mum was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism when she was 34, she dropped down to about 6 stone and her weight keeps dropping so I'm phoning her doctor as soon as I get the chance to get hers sorted Thankyou!

  • Sue1247
    Sue1247 allanisshepherd

    Posted

    At your age I would certainly consider RAI or surgical removal. Graves is easier to control with thyroxine. You may go into remission, as I have twice, but if it keeps coming back it will affect your life. Easier to stabilise with treatment and forget about it. Mine came back once after two years and again after eight months. I don't want t to live the rest if my life either on medication that has side effects or wondering when it would return if I went into remission again. I'm much older than you.
    • fern12
      fern12 Sue1247

      Posted

      The problem with relying on thyroxine after thyroid removal, for some of us, is that the doctors will not recognize that you need as much as you do, and attribute your symptoms of low thyroid to anything but the thyroid.  

      I have heard this from more than one person, including my neighbor who had his thyroid removed, being destined to suffer continually with low thyroid symptoms just because his TSH isn't high enough "to warrent an increase in dosage."

      Some of us also have a problem converting T4 into the more active form, T3, but that can go unrecognized.

    • allanisshepherd
      allanisshepherd Sue1247

      Posted

      Hi Sue I've just logged back into this and yeah I had my thyroid gland removed in December 2015 and I'm on thyroixine for the rest of my life

    • allanisshepherd
      allanisshepherd fern12

      Posted

      Hi Fern I had my thyroid gland removed in December 2015 and I'm now on thyroxine for the rest of my life. It took the doctor a couple of months to find the right dosage of thyroxine for me but they managed to level it out

  • neilmartin
    neilmartin allanisshepherd

    Posted

    First thing - Don't worry!! I was diagnosed with Graves about two years ago - I got really really sick - two weeks in hospital! and I'm totally fine now - My advice for what its worth is to get your bloods done then talk to your endocrinologist (your doctor will almost certainly refer you to one). Before you start worrying about having your thyroid removed or disolved by radiation there are lots of things that they'll try first. They'll get your levels right with drugs in the first instance so don't worry! - I actually a  treatment called Block and Replace where you take a drug to effectivly turn off your thyroid then when it's dormant you have to take thyroxin then after 6 months you stop taking the meds and your thyroid starts working normally again - a bit doing CTRL, ALT & DELETE on your thyroid.  Worked like charm for me!! Seriously don't worry and let us know how you get on! This forum is a great place to ask questions and remember the stupid ones are the ones you don't ask!! good luck. Neil
    • allanisshepherd
      allanisshepherd neilmartin

      Posted

      Hi Neil yeah I had my thyroid gland removed in December 2015 and I'm on thyroxine for the rest of my life, Thankyou!!

  • Isrieal
    Isrieal allanisshepherd

    Posted

    Hi, I was just told I have hyperthyroidism today but its going to be about two months to see any specialist to do anything about it. Is that okay?
    • fern12
      fern12 Isrieal

      Posted

      If you are experiencing a very fast resting heart rate [pulse] you may need to be seen earlier than that.  When I was first diagnosed my heart rate was over 90 beats per minute resting and my doctor was very upset that the endocrinologist he recommended could not see me for 3 months, so he sent me to one who could see me in a week.  Not that that was the best thing, in my opinion.  If I had it to do over, I would have taken some Acetyl-L-Carnitine  [otc at health food store] while I waited for my appointment.  It seems to help get the TSH back where it belongs and alieviate some syptoms of either hyper- or hypo-thyroidism.  When I finally did start taking ALC, I understood that I had to get the doctors' approval for anything I took, including herbal supplements or otc drugs.  It was approved, but there was a long, and in my opinion, unneccessary wait.

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