General Medicine

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cowlover614:

OH, cowlover614, I think also cold packs help too. Elaine can further advise..I also wonder about putting tucks on my eyes too..feels so good and supposed to have topical (only) antiinflammatory properties? Any thoughts on that? So sorry to hear of your problems..I am going through the same thing (seemingly). I wonder what triggered it! I don't suppose cleaning a dusty old vent could? (I know likely it is unknown...I know there is a virus theory (unproven) too) that is similar to eyes/ thyroid for purposes of antibodies.

-- posted by cybee

» Elaine Moore - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cybee:
Hi,
With normal thyroid hormone levels and low TSH, you may have subclinical hyperthyroidism, or you may have TSH receptor antibodies that are falsely lowering TSH. Your symptoms do sound like thyroid eye disease, and TSH receptor antibodies would contribute to this.
It sounds as though you're doing all the right things, and you may want to also make an effort to reduce common environmental triggers such as cigarette smoke, excess dietary iodine, low selenium, and exposure to any known or suspected allergens. Best, Elaine

» cowlover614 - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cybee:

Hi, gosh do I know where your coming from! I would not wish this on anybody it's awful. If my doctor would have just listened to me when this all started. I thought they were giving me to much thyroid meds also I have had alot of stress going on! I think between the two my body went on protest!! It's not just my eyes swelling but the area under my eyes also! I look like I have big bags hanging on my face.For no reason my eyes start tearing and now I'm having trouble driving which isn't good.I went and seen this other doc who put me on the beta blockers and ATD like you I tried sleeping with my head up all I got was a sore neck and headache, The cool rags have helped. Is the fish oil and diuretics helping you? At this point I'm willing to try anything. The tucks sound like a good idea never thought about those. Gosh I wish I had an idea of something else to try. I have been taking vitaminC. My labs are sorta like yours. I go see an ENDO this Tuesday 4/3. Gosh I wish I had some answers for you and me. But at least maybe we can help each other out. I'm open for ideas. Shirl

-- posted by cowlover614

» mariammc - hair loss

In response to hair loss posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine,

Thanks again for your response. Today i had a visit with the nurse practioner to ask more questions and for a copy of my labs. When i asked her about diet, supplements, etc., to help with the Graves'/Hashimotos disease, she stressed the ablation of the thyroid would be the best way to go, and that a more natural approach would only prolong the inevitable. I still want to give the more natural approach a chance because possibly i can change the outcome of my lab results in the future and not have the ablation.

My labs are:
Vitamin D 7.0
I'm taking a D supplement.
TPO 684
Creatinine 0.4
AST 47
ALT 46
I do have a low grade Hep. C, but my gastro. says i should not have a problem with my liver.
TSH 0.01
FT4 2.04
IRON 151
TIBC 381
There's more, but these are the only high/low results.

I dropped off a prescription for Tapazole today, and i'm suppose to take this for three weeks. The only positive info. was that my hair would most likely grow back.

I do take propranolol sometimes, but i don't feel better with it, and i'm not to exercise with the exception of a slow walk. Thanks so much for all the support you give us!

Sincerely,

Maria

-- posted by mariammc

» mariammc - hair loss

In response to hair loss posted by daisyelaine:

hi, the "less" sign didn't work, but it's Vitamin D 7.0.
thanks

-- posted by mariammc

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by daisyelaine:

Thank you , Elaine, for your words. Selenium? I am not familiar with this connection. I am to have lower amounts of this? ( I will have to look out for it). Do allergens help trigger Thryoid Eye Disease (or hyperthyroidism)(subclinical means not yet detectable or ?) or do allergens just exacerbate the eye symptoms? Would an antiallergen then be helpful to take? Thank you so for your advice.

-- posted by cybee

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cowlover614:

Cowlover614,
Yes, this is not something I wish upon anyone! But at least we can keep tabs on each other and give each other clues (if we learn of them!). At first , it seemed my swelling was just over my eyes, but I too now get bags under my eyes! My eyes used to be my best feature! Yikes! Maybe a more gradual elevation with pillows would help (for sleeping with head elevated purposes). I used to love to sleep flat on my tummy...no more! I am trying to be quite diligent about this elevated head thing or I seem to pay a larger price in the a.m. (but sometimes I am so diligent, that the back of my heels hurt as I have apparently not moved them enough!). What , if anything, have you found that helps? I postulate the diuretics help, but am not sure. At least there is theoretically less fluid to pool up in our eyes and surrounding tissues. Vitamin C is supposed to be helpful. I will have to try that. I will be interested to hear what your ENDO says on Tues 4/3! Good luck and lets keep tabs/help each other out best we can! Thanks!

-- posted by cybee

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cowlover614:

Cowlover614,
Do you administer "dry eye" eye drops during the day to help with the grittiness/watering? That might be helpful (Elaine, what do you think? Or are antiallergin eye drops better?).

-- posted by cybee

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by daisyelaine:

Elaine,
Hi! I just read your profile! It is very interesting! I see you have written upon environmental triggers? That is intriguing as I have pondered the temporal relationship of cleaning this very badly dusty vent and my symptoms thereafter. Also I was seemingly under large stress then. I also note you reference environmental triggers as exacerbaters (rather answering what I asked you last). I don't have known allergies, but maybe there are unknown allergies. Did you have eye symptoms too or just the other Grave's symptoms. Well, very interesting. I am interested in your approach of just helping the immune system recover....you say I am doing okay thus far in that regard ?(and I will add your suggestion of low iodine...and avoidance of allergin triggers...still need to learn more of the selenium connection. ) Does Vit C seem to help? Anyway, thanks for your advise!

-- posted by cybee

» cybee - Mixed up Help!!!!!

In response to Mixed up Help!!!!! posted by cowlover614:

Oops. Sorry for writing so many posts...but I have to add this for you cowlover614 (or rather Shirl B^)), while it appears we both have been under stress and stress is a known trigger (reading your article, Elaine! B^))...I have learned to (best I can) not cry! This is hard of course, (esp when under stress)...but crying can make the swelling of my eyes far , far worse! (that is when I first got alarmed...I woke up quite grotesquely swollen about my eyes..but the day before I had had a good cry on other matters). So it is hard..I guess we have to work on stress reduction, eh? B^)

-- posted by cybee