Graves' Disease Support Group

Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...

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Graves, hypo, and remission... HELP ME

scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Is this normal with Graves and you're hypo??? I feel miserable, I'm so depressed just from being drained. I haven't felt good or functional for the last couple weeks. Now, I'm hypo, testing remission, and my heartrate is ALL over the place! HELP ME. It will rest in the 60's and out of nowhere, I get so dizzy that I think Im gonna pass out... when I check my heart rate, it's in the 90's.... so I sit and wait patiently and recheck 20 minutes later and it's in the 70's.... WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON??? Does anyone know? I'm scared to take the beta blocker and then scared to not take it. I've heard/read that it's dangerous to take when hypo but dangerous to not take when hyper..... WHAT DO I DO? The tears are rolling.... anyone with any advice?

Here are my last two labs again:
July 8, 2010 Labs:
Free T4: 0.8 (range 0.8-1.8)
Total T3: 96 (range 76-181)
TSH: .39 (no reference or range available)

ER labs yesterday 8/10/2010:
Free T4: 0.8 (range 0.6-1.1)
TSH: 0.65 (range 0.34-6.60)
They wouldn't run Free T3 :(
mmztcass
mmztcass
I am so sorry that you are suffering...! :-( I would suggest to try to get out of hypO quickly, avoid any goitrogen foods (look for my list at Graves' Disease general) and maybe consume any foods that is a bit on the safer side (that you have avoided while hypER) to bring up your levels. Then maybe it'll be eaiser to handle the wee amounts of beta blocker that you are on...???

I don't know. But this is what I do for myself if I dip hypO or just slightly. But remember I do better hypO than I do even just slightly hypER...so I don't have the exact same symptoms as you do when you're hypO.

Can't you get on the replacement med now...?

{{{hugs}}} :-(
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
I have been avoiding goitrogen foods since dropping my PTU to 12.5 mg every other day.... I use to incorporate broccolli or cauliflower into my daily meals and stopped. I made such a lifestyle change that I wouldn't even know what to eat to bring me out of hypo.... any suggestions? What causes the dizziness? I'm not on the beta blocker anymore.... I stopped about 3 weeks ago... I only took it yesterday before we went to the ER (10 mg of propranolol) out of panic since my blood pressure and heartrate were so high. My endo said just take it as needed now but i dont know if I should being hypo... I worked so hard to get to where I'm at and get out of hyper and now this...
bransnana
bransnana
Hope fully being off the methimazole or PTU should help. I forget which one. If not, I would say it's probably a combo of both Hashi and Graves and as your thyroid is dying out you get these bursts of thyroid hormone and you get racy like this. Did the doctor say to stop the beta blockers? Did you ever get tested for Hashimoto's? The dizzyness is usually a hypo sign. If this continues you might need to be put on Synthroid so everything levels out. I have heard women say after they were controlled with it those heart issues went away.
bransnana
bransnana
p.s. ask the doc if taking the beta blocker with your levels is okay? If he says yes then get on a low dose again.
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Thanks... I have stopped the PTU officially since yesterday but haven't had any since August 6.... as for the beta blocker... my endo said take it as needed for the racing heart rate.... but sometimes I think patients know better... from what I gathered reading is that the beta blocker shouldn't be taken while hypo. My heart rate is low and normal for the most part... it's just been these last couple days that my heartrate shoots up and today is first day of these damn dizzy bursts. I asked for synthroid (low dose) and my endo said she didn't feel comfortable to give it to me as she thinks it will send me hyper cuz I'm so sensitive to the slightest change. I haven't had a test for Hashi's that I know of.... I was tested for Graves when I had the thyroid storm but I don't think Hashi's.... what test do I need? I can get it thru Healthcheckusa on my own.... I am ABSOLUTELY miserable, in a panic, and worried.... I don't like this.
deleted_user
deleted_user
I haven't had those dizzy spells in a while. I thought, or felt, they went away after I started the Synthroid. I couldn't roll over in bed without the room spinning let alone walk across the room - but this was hyper? or hypo?. I don't understand what defines Graves Disease, it all seems to blur together with symtoms and the tests. I feel your panic. What stops mine is Xanax. I don't have to use it very often anymore, but when I get a blast of hyper or hypo, I need it. The problem is it makes you so sleepy. I was rx'd 3 a day, that's crazy, I take 1/2 of a pill and it works fine for heart palps and panic. Your panic can feed into a loop if you don't get it stopped. Not to "doctor" here but you might try Rescue Remedy from the Health Food Store.- maybe ask your doc if it's okay. The panic for me is the worst so I hope you can get the help you need to stop it.
dairytech
dairytech
The symptoms you are describing are exactly what I have when Im hypo. For me...hypo symptoms are worse than hyper symptoms. When I was hypo there were times where I could not tell if I was hypo or hyper. Since your off meds now its important to wait out the symptoms until your next labs. Labs dont lie..symptoms are deceiving. Big Hugs...Kathy
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Thanks Beazer for the insight. I do have lorazepam for my anxiety but haven't had to take it in months. Dairy- Thank you for clarifying that for me... it makes me feel a lil a better to know someone else has endured what I am going thru although I wouldn't wish this on anyone. My biggest fear is going hyper again to the point of another storm... or a heart attack brought on by this awful disease... so it's hard to distinguish if the symptoms are from being hypo or being hyper... and I just feel like i'm bouncing around with my symptoms.... I hate it so much. It's running my life and I want control of my own life, not some damn disease! You are right though... labs don't lie so i'll try to keep that in mind when I think i'm going too hyper but my labs showed hypo. ARGH.
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Back to Hashi's.... what tests do I need to test for this? And what happens if this is Hashi's and Graves???
bransnana
bransnana
the labs for Hashi's are anti tpo's and anti thyroglobulin, if they are elevated or high, it means you have antibodies for both diseases. The Hashi's usually wins out as the thyroid dies but it can be years or months. I have both but am on a even keel for whatever reason, the Graves affected me more, then I got on the meds and was fine except for some hypo symptoms but not like you have. I would suspect this as the cause though. Unless it's just you're being hypo from the meds but if you continue to STAY this way, you need replacement.
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Thank you Brans.... I plan to run my labs next Friday and see where my numbers are.... I will add the Hashi's to it. My old endo suspected I might have Hashi's although I am positive for Graves.
mmztcass
mmztcass
I'm positive for both Hashi's and Graves'. Right now Graves' is dominant. For many years I had undiagnosed hypO symptoms until GD happened in 2000 after the birth of my last child.

{{{hugs}}} :-)
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
Okay, I pulled my labs from when my journey first began (thyroid storm, aug 2009) and am wondering what all this means and am wondering which test should I have redone besides my Free T's and TSH. Here are the results (these are from Aug 2009):

Thyroglob >300* High
Thyroglob Ab
mmztcass
mmztcass
Hi:

Leave out the symbols when posting the labs. The board doesn't take them... :-(
scorpiogirl76
scorpiogirl76
OMG.. I didn't notice they didn't post. lol. Here they are again

Keep in mind, these are from when I was in the hospital due to the storm a year ago:

Thyroglob greater than 300*high
Thyroglob Ab less than 20.0*
Thyroid Stim Immunoglob 232*high
TSH Recept Ab 76*

So i was positive for Graves but am wondering if any of these other tests were for Hashi's.... and what do they mean? And which should I repeat now? I know to repeat TSI to see if I am in remission... but what else?

Thanks.