General Medicine

» Elaine Moore - Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease

In response to Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease posted by juicymango:

Hi,
The enzymes will help you absorb nutrients better. If you're ingesting too much dietary iodine the enzymes could help you produce more thyroid hormone. But I don't think that's the case unless you're drinking green juices or inadvertently ingesting foods or drinks high in iodine. If you're avoiding fast and processed foods, iodine shouldn't be a problem.
I'd check labels and make sure nothing you're taking has iodine or kelp. Premenstrually, your thyroid hormone levels can rise so watch that you have your levels tested around the same time each month. Even natural estrogens influence total thyroid hormone levels. Best, Elaine

» juicymango - Green juices and carnitine for Graves' disease

In response to Systemic enzymes and Graves' disease posted by daisyelaine:

Thanks Elaine
It's great to be reassured that enzymes and raw foods are a good way to approach healing. However, I do drink green juices. I avoid dairy, processed foods, seaweeds and algaes and coconut because of their thyroid-stimulating properties but do land vegetables also contain a lot of iodine? I recently completed a week of juice feasting which included 1 head of celery and 1-2lbs of leafy green veg/ broccoli per day. Could this be a problem?
Also, sorry, I think I may have got confused, I think it is Free T4 that is tested and this that has risen to just out of the normal range. It was tested at the end of my week of juices and although it was raised slightly above their healthy range I didn't have any hyper symptoms. However, I would prefer to lower it a little and certainly to stop it rising further. Do you think that L-acetyl-Carnitine would help with the test results?
Helena

-- posted by juicymango

» kitykatt - Help with meds

Hi Elaine, Newbie here! In spring of 07 I developed a severe case of vitiligo. It was my dermatologist who suggested I have thyroid checked. Oct. of 07 diagnosed with graves, was sent to endo who put me on two doses of 5mg.of methimizole per day. Eight weeks later had blood drawn and was followed up with a phone call by her assistant informing me I was still significantly hyper and to continue my 10mg. dosage but to take it together in the am. Here we are another eight weeks later, and I feel terrible. I'm sleepy. Living to sleep. Foggy headed. Unfocused. Some headahes. I'm due to see her next week. Here is my concern. Could I becoming hypo? I have had a significant thinning of my hair, and now am just noticing a few strands coming out. This is a huge stretch from my normally thick dense hair. I feel that sixteen weeks on this dosage may be too much. I decided to not take my pills for a few days and I feel better. More alert, focused, productive. I still am experiencing some loose stools. In between feeling so out of it, I have tried to educate myself and listen to my body. I have also tried to research my Dr. and have found former patients who have warned about her inability to treat this disease. MY instincts about her are not good, otherwise I would be calling her. I found her information to contradict itself. She pretty much said that she believed I had missed a few pills and that she couldn't trust the numbers. I admitted to missing a few, however it was maybe four pills in eight weeks. It didn't seem significant to me. This concerned me also, I felt she was blaming me. Never reviewed any numbers with me and I really didn't know to ask. Elaine, any info/advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm currently on no meds for three days now. I had also been given atenolol witch I take only when needed. I still have some internal racing, chronic sleep issues. I also have had mild eye discomfort witch I noticed seems better since stopping the meds. I'm a very young 44 and care so much about my myself and my health and vitality. The vitiligo has tried to rob me of my looks, but I won't let it. I have confidence in my bodies ability to heal itself. Thank You!

-- posted by kitykatt

» nurseheatherone - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine! I saw my endo this week and he says that he thinks that I am moving towards remission! I am very excited but nervous because of my TSI antibodies in January were 179%, but as of now are not really affecting my thyroid. He says that is I am going to become hyper againit will probably happen within the first 6 months of me stopping meds. To my surprise he said that if I do go hyper I can do meds again, remove my thyroid or do RAI, but he was not pushy about any of them, which was a huge relief. As far as all of my symtoms go.. I am still taking lexapro and feeling much less anxious. It seems as though I was having a hyperventilation syndrome that was triggering my panic attacks, and there the viscious cycle bagan. This probably cause allot of my throat tightening symptoms I was having. I am interested to why this all occured after my diagnosis with GD, could have been the stress and hormone fluctuations combined, not sure. I still suffer from back pain and headaches randomly now, wondering about fibromyalgia, but it is a throbbing aching pain only on one side of my upper back that sometimes spreads ( chest x-ray was normal). I have had back pain that has kind of correlated with my thyroid levels, so I am not sure why I am still getting it. Well anyways, Just giving an update.
Thanks again, Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone

» Elaine Moore - Help with meds

In response to Help with meds posted by kitykatt:

Hi KittyKat,
Anti=thyroid drugs should be carefully monitored.
First your initial labs are looked at, and this determines if you need meds, and a dose is chosen based on your FT4 level. This dose is about right for reducing levels, and you'll see hperthryoidism resolve within about 6-8 weeks. At this time, your therapy is lowered and it's based on the FT4 result. You'd like FT4 to be around mid-range regardless of the TSH result.
On the right dose, you should have a good start on remission. Best, Elaine

» Elaine Moore - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by nurseheatherone:

Hi Heather,
I think your initial symptoms were your mild, but then your doctor over-treated you and you were stuck swinging between hyper and hypo.

Most of your problems,including depression, are directly caused by RAI. b est, Elaine

» kitykatt - Help with meds

In response to Help with meds posted by daisyelaine:

Elaine, Thank you. I just made an appointment with another endo. I truly appreciate your gracious ,encouraging response.

-- posted by kitykatt

» aviano - Reverse T3 and other questions

Hello again Elaine:
I'm wondering if a total T3 measurement includes reverse T3?
And, if adding estrogen increases bound amounts of total T3 (and T4) how much that would account for some of the nervousness or too revved up feeling some of us that are trying to add in estrogen are feeling.
Thank you,
Avi

-- posted by aviano

» cowlover614 - Elaine I really need input!!

Hi Elaine I think the last time I posted here was last November. I am still having a battle with doctors and trying to get labs. I also have developed PTM. I just changed doctors again still hoping I will find one to help me. Everyone over at mediboard have been trying to help me out. Ok I will try to explain The endo I was seeing had wanted me down the road to go for a TT I didn't want that and besides my eyes are still very much in the hot phase and she said that was a no go untill I got my levels stable. I wanted to try B/R any way she put me on 150mgs of PTU's in October, she was going on my labs that the Gp had done which at that time they only had done the old thyroid panel FT4 Index 2.1 [1.2-4.9] T4 6.5 [4.5-12.0] T3 Uptake 33 [24-39] and TSH 0.035 [0.35-5.5] I got the PTU's but I never took any.Because I hadn't had a liver panel done and I didn't want to start them till I did. I didn't get labs again untill Dec. the endo set labs up but told me she went by TSH but also would check the FT4. She told me FT3 doesn't tell anything. I didn't hear anything from her and I didn't get copies of those labs. So Jan I had TSH and FT4 labs again. I still hadn't taken the PTU's well this time she calls and tells me my vitamin D is low at ten and I had to take that for, four weeks she likes it to be around thirty. She also told me my TSH was still low I told her I still wasn't taking the PTU's because of the liver count she then told me my count was fine and to start the PTU's well I did but I thought that the dose was to high so I decided on my own to just take 25mgs once a day till I got labs done again this month. I was afraid if I didn't take some amount I would have a thyroid strom at least that was what some people were telling me. Anyway I had seen the eye doc on Feb 4th he asked when I had seen the endo last and where my labs were, I told him I had only seen her that once in Oct and I didn't know where I was at. He told me that I needed someone who would get a handle on this. So On the 10th of Feb I switched doctors again he isn't an endo but I had went to him once for his input on the TT which he said I could try other things first. So the girls at mediboard told me to write down the labs I needed run which I did plus I took the copy that the endo had been running. I showed it to him and I said I want the FT's run he also told me that FT3's don't tell anything it is the TSH. So all I ended up with was a thyroid panel again here is my Feb labs TSH 0.114L [0.350-5.500] Thyroxine T4 5.6 [4.5-12.0] T3 Uptake 33 [24-39] Free thyroxine Index 1.8 [1.2-4.9] Triiodothyronine T3 173 [85-205].So I got a phone call from his office saying my cbc was all normal but that my TSH was low and to take 150PTU's instead of only 25. So for the last week I have been taking it.I'm thinking this is gonna bomb me straight hypo. I called the endo and they are sending me copies of Dec+Jan labs their is no mail tomorrow so I am hoping they come Tues. Please Elaine can you give me some input and jump over to mediboard and see what you think! I am so confused I thought this doctor would be ok but I just don't know. I just really want to get better fourteen months on this merry -go -round. I just am having no luck with doctors or getting the right labs. Please I need some guideness. thanks Shirl

-- posted by cowlover614

» nurseheatherone - Internal Racing Feeling

In response to Internal Racing Feeling posted by daisyelaine:

Hi Elaine I agree with you, I think I was definetely overtreated. Since I did not have RAI, could all of these changed over time have cause these anxiety issues, or triggered them?
Thanks, Heather

-- posted by nurseheatherone