General Medicine

» nurseheatherone - New Labs!

In response to New Labs! posted by daisyelaine:
Hi Elaine, well the MRI of the Brain was normal and my internist is going to consult with my endo to see if any other adrenal labs should be done. After being home in a vicious cycle of panic attacks for a week now I have started to take lexapro in hopes of getting back to normal again. I also could not stand being on xanax daily, I was too out of it. My last labs were normal about a week ago, so my Dr.'s do not think it is my thyroid causing my symptoms, we will recheck them in two weeks again. The only thing I can think is that the stress of all of this has caused me to get a panic disorder. I am not doing supplements right now until I get my allergy testing and I do not even know what to eat these days, but I really do not have much of an appetite. I guess only time will tell what is going to happen with all of this. I am supposed to get one of those pilar cysts biopsied in 2 weeks, I keep forgetting to mention them to my Dr.. Pilar cysts are supposed to be benign but since the GD my dermatologist wanted to look at one of them just incase.
Thanks Elaine,
Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone

» Elaine Moore - RAI, Hives and a lump..

In response to RAI, Hives and a lump.. posted by fiddlist:

Hi,
Were you taking thyroxine along with an anti-thyroid drug like methimazole to control your hyperthyroidism before you had RAI? If you were taking thyroxine alone, it would have raised rather than lowered your thyroid hormone levels.
Hives, anaphylaxis, and new allergies are frequent complaints after RAI because of the dramatic immune system stimulation RAI causes. Hives are often caused by food or medication allergies, and a visit to an allergist might help you pinpoint just what you're reacting to. After RAI, I became allergic to celery, wheat, bee pollen, tomatoes, and soy. Many of us also react to iodine much more than we did, and the iodine in fast and processed foods and multi-vitamins, and even sometimes certain brands of thyroid replacement hormone, can cause hives and boils.
Some people also improve when adding vitamin A&D supplements, which is something else you could try. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - New Labs!

In response to New Labs! posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi Heather,
Have you tried meditation, deep breathing, or hydrotherapy to help reduce stress? All of these methods can help even though they sound simple. Best, Elaine

» fiddlist - RAI, Hives and a lump..

In response to RAI, Hives and a lump.. posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine,
Thank you for your reply. Before I had RAI I was only taking methimazole and a betablocker(antneolol). I had RAI in July and I only became hypothyroid in mid-November. Since Nov. I have been taking 125mg of synthroid/day. I realize that synthroid shouldn't be taken with calcium at the same time during the day, but is it okay to take vitamin A and D with synthroid?
I appreciate that you have told me about the immune system stimulation that RAI causes because I also read the same thing somewhere else and mentioned it to my doctor, but he simply blew it off and thought I just developed chronic urticaria. I will make an appointment with an allergist to pin point what exactly is causing these hives.
Thanks again,
Lyndsey

-- posted by fiddlist

» Elaine Moore - RAI, Hives and a lump..

In response to RAI, Hives and a lump.. posted by fiddlist:

Hi Lyndsey,
Chronic urticaria often occurs in hypothyroidism, and thyroid replacement hormone (when enough is used) will generally help. There's a group on yahoogroups.com I think for people with CU and thyroid disorders. Be sure that your FT4 and FT3 are at least at mid-range regardless of TSH. Some doctors get confused by this. TSH is falsely decreased after RAI and relying on it to monitor your labs can keep you hypothyroid. Best, elaine

» juicymango - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

Hi Elaine
I have had Grave's for 2 years, been on Carbimazole for 18 months and just now stopped taking it to see if symptoms come back. I was also diagnosed with anaemia four months ago and have taken an iron supplement since then, however, although my haemoglobin level is now normal (11), my ferritin level is still very low (5). I feel exhausted and depressed but dare not take any more time off work. My T4 is 17.5. Some research I found on the internet suggested that if haemoglobin is normal, then low ferritin levels shouldn't have much effect. My doctor is doing some investigations to try to find the cause of the low ferritin levels but, in the meantime, I wondered if you have any knowledge/ experience of either the effects of coming off ATDs or low ferritin levels? I have been taking St John's Wort but am now considering taking a pharmaceutical antidepressant as I'm feeling so awful. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated.
Best wishes
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» aviano - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by daisyelaine:

Hello Elaine:
I do not have TSI back as yet, but the remarkables for me were: elevated testosterone/free T..DHEAs (had dropped back down on last set but is typically high/high normal) 228; elevated RBC/hemoglobin/hematocrit/serum iron, elevated lymphs. TSH 1.6, free T3 - 3.4, free T4 - .99; Ep-Barr Chronic/reactivated infection..calcium stays on high end of normal or high..Low estrogen, but progesterone had jumped up to 1.0 which is a little high for a post-menopausal woman. Cortisol 15.1 (8:45 a.m.) and estrogen was actually detectable at 16!!! Again for me racing correlates with exo/endogenous estrogen/progesterone, increased free T, increased TSI..seemingly somewhat irrespective of thyroid "levels".
Thank you,
Avi

-- posted by aviano

» Elaine Moore - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

In response to Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels posted by juicymango:

Hi,
I have to wonder if your ATD dose was too high and your thyroid levels were too low at one time. Hypothyroidism often causes a low ferritin and hypothyroidism also causes depression. See http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com/fer...
I'm not sure what your ranges are but your want to look at both FT4 and FT3 compared to the reference or normal range and make sure your levels are at least at mid-range. Before stopping ATDs completely you should be on the lowest dose needed to keep FT4 in range. Over time, the dose is reduced. When you're on a very low dose, like 1.25 mg daily and have normal thyroid function tests, remission is likely. Best, Elaine

» juicymango - Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels

In response to Grave's, coming off ATDs and low ferritin levels posted by daisyelaine:

Thanks Elaine
The info & link on hypothyroidism & low ferritin was really useful - I guess my own research didn't yield results because I was searching for hyperthyroidism & ferritin but its a while now since my T4 was anything other than low or low-normal. I'll check it all out.
Thanks and best wishes
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» Elaine Moore - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by aviano:

Hi,
In the lab we see progesterone falling over time in the postmenopausal period; it's not unusual to have progesterone levels of 1.0 in women in their 60's, and these levels also fluctuate. Progesterone is measured in very small units ng/ml and the difference between 0.7 (the high end of the postmenopausal range) and 1.0 is slight. A good endo could prescribe a compounded hormone formula that would keep your levels in balance if you think they're the problem. If TSI is the problem, you'd want to reduce it by avoiding immune stimulants such as vaccines, allergens, chemicals, etc. You should probably be tested for 24 hr urine catecholamines and other things that could cause internal racing. Take care, Elaine