Hi hypo-chondriacs! LOL
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Hi hypo-chondriacs! LOL
| Thu, 09-09-2004 - 10:02pm |
Hi everyone:
(oops, I guess you have to read the other posts to get the joke)
Anyway,
Thanks so much for your responses to my "some results are back" post...
Today's endo (it's getting hard to keep straight now) confirmed my diagnosis as Hashimoto's. He wasn't 'mean,' but I could see why some people's feelings might be hurt by his approach--- just very clinical. I had to really be assertive about my belief that my TSH needs to be a 1 or a 2 and after an awkward moment or two, he actually said I was right and that would be a good goal for us to work toward. So, in the end I'm glad I went.
I'm about to email my fertility doc about what happens next re: my ovaries. She is running lots of tests, and I'm afraid I don't even know what all of them are. One is a non-pregnant pregnancy test; another is HSG (that comes with a prescription for valium to take before the test, so I must admit I'm a little spooked about that!) I should get a printout next week so I can post the tests she ran for those of you interested. I will get her to explain what she meant about the antibolies attacking ovaries. For those of you dealing with fertility and pregnancy, I highly recommend finding a fertility specialist obgyn who is also an endocrinologist. She knows so much more about this stuff than my endo! (My pcp doesn't know anything LOL)
Also, today's endo said that the spasms are sometimes caused by an autoimmune response causing calcium build-up; he ordered several tests including a cortisol that involved having an injection, waiting 60 mins, and then having the blood draw... it measures the adrenal reserves. He also referred me to the sleep clinic to have me evaluated for "jumpy leg syndrome." <<???>>
Finally, when my husband asked what we could expect for the future, he of course said he couldn't predict but went over some scenarios he's encountered. One was that the Hashimoto's seems to be replaced by Grave's. Like, you'll go along being hypo and then the antibodies switch teams and you become hyper.
All I can say is it's a good thing I've found this group here on this board, as I don't think I'll ever run out of questions or reasons to run to you all for support!
(oops, I guess you have to read the other posts to get the joke)
Anyway,
Thanks so much for your responses to my "some results are back" post...
Today's endo (it's getting hard to keep straight now) confirmed my diagnosis as Hashimoto's. He wasn't 'mean,' but I could see why some people's feelings might be hurt by his approach--- just very clinical. I had to really be assertive about my belief that my TSH needs to be a 1 or a 2 and after an awkward moment or two, he actually said I was right and that would be a good goal for us to work toward. So, in the end I'm glad I went.
I'm about to email my fertility doc about what happens next re: my ovaries. She is running lots of tests, and I'm afraid I don't even know what all of them are. One is a non-pregnant pregnancy test; another is HSG (that comes with a prescription for valium to take before the test, so I must admit I'm a little spooked about that!) I should get a printout next week so I can post the tests she ran for those of you interested. I will get her to explain what she meant about the antibolies attacking ovaries. For those of you dealing with fertility and pregnancy, I highly recommend finding a fertility specialist obgyn who is also an endocrinologist. She knows so much more about this stuff than my endo! (My pcp doesn't know anything LOL)
Also, today's endo said that the spasms are sometimes caused by an autoimmune response causing calcium build-up; he ordered several tests including a cortisol that involved having an injection, waiting 60 mins, and then having the blood draw... it measures the adrenal reserves. He also referred me to the sleep clinic to have me evaluated for "jumpy leg syndrome." <<???>>
Finally, when my husband asked what we could expect for the future, he of course said he couldn't predict but went over some scenarios he's encountered. One was that the Hashimoto's seems to be replaced by Grave's. Like, you'll go along being hypo and then the antibodies switch teams and you become hyper.
All I can say is it's a good thing I've found this group here on this board, as I don't think I'll ever run out of questions or reasons to run to you all for support!
Thanks for your posts, it was awesome to come home to your messages.
Whew, I'm beat!
Dee.

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Hi Dee,
No wonder you're beat - that's a lot of medical stuff.
oops. Yes, I meant restless leg...
Thanks, I'll read the info.,
Dee.
Here's a little more on RLS:
Restless Legs Syndrome
Some women find that activities such as taking a hot bath, massaging the legs, using a heating pad or ice pack, exercising and eliminating caffeine help relieve symptoms of restless legs syndrome (RLS). In more severe cases, medications are prescribed to control symptoms. Unfortunately, no single drug is effective for everyone with RLS; you might respond differently to medications based on the severity of symptoms, other medical conditions and other medications being taken. In addition, some medications lose effectiveness over time and you may need to alternate between different categories of medication. Although many different drugs may help RLS, those most commonly used are:
* Benzodiazepines are central nervous system depressants that allow you to get more sleep but do not fully suppress RLS sensations or leg movements. The most commonly prescribed benzodiazepine for patients with RLS is clonazepam (Klonopin). Other benzodiazepines are usually effective as well, but most medical experience has been with clonazepam.
* Dopaminergic agents, such as pramipexole (Mirapex) and pergolide (Permax), which are used to treat Parkinson's disease, may also be effective for treating RLS and PLMS. These drugs act similarly to dopamine, a naturally occurring substance that is found in the nervous system.
* Opioid analgesics, such as propoxyphene hydrochloride (Darvon), oxycodone (Percocet) and codeine are pain-relieving medications in the narcotic family of drugs; these medications also can suppress RLS and PLMS in some people. These medications can sometimes help people with severe, unrelenting symptoms.
A non-drug approach called transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation may improve symptoms in some RLS sufferers who also have PLMS. Using a small machine at home, electrical stimulation is applied to your legs or feet, usually before bedtime, for 15 to 30 minutes. This approach has been shown to be helpful in reducing nighttime leg jerking.
http://www.ivillagehealth.com/library/nwh/content/0,4482,215912_227349,00.html
Seriously though, I've had restless legs for YEARS. Very annoying. It feels like I just have to move my legs. Like my muscles are trying to move, so I have to just do it. It seems to come and go. I'll have it for a little while, then I wont. I actually haven't felt it since being prego.
I've never talked to my doc about it.
Thanks for the interesting info!
April
I was thinking what you had was restless leg syndrome but that sounded too easy!! It was the whole spasm thing that worried me that it might be something worse. Calley's link to fibromyalgia is interesting since that's yet another autoimmune disease. You know what else is interesting? That the link I posted said the spasms might be due to a LACK of calcium. So is he checking calcium levels in your blood now? Is that part of the test that was taken?
I've never heard of the whole antibodies switch - Mary Shomon has a new-ish book out called Living Well with Autoimmune Disease. Maybe I'll take a ride to the mall and get it today. I really try not to think about the longer term complications of having hashimoto's, like the other autoimmune conditions. I know they're out there and I deal with the ones that affect me now ... and that's about it for me right now. LOL! But that's interesting info. I need to learn more about antibodies and how they affect us.
Thanks for such a great update!! I'm so glad you made some good progress and seem to be on the right track to get some answers! Hugs, Cathy
I've suffered with restless legs (and arms) for ten plus years now and, since I'm not a prescription popper (my levoxyl is my only prescribed med at the moment), I have found that taking a vitamin E supplement (in addition to my daily multivitamin) has helped curb some of the symptoms. I take 200 IU which is a very small dose. If the symptoms get worse, I up it to 400 IU for a couple of weeks then back off to the 200 dose. Vitamin E is also good for heart health so hopefully I'm reaping two benefits for the price of one.
Those creepy crawly legs can sure be annoying!
Good luck!
Sue
Also, Glad to hear your visit with the doc went well for you! :-)
(I forgot to say that last time, I think! ha ha darn memory!)
April
Thanks for the info... I'm going to read up on rls.
It's funny because my mom has suffered from it for years. She had Graves and has vitaligo... so I guess we're just an autoimmune disordered type of family! Yeesh. I never really thought about mine being rls because it presents so differently than mom's does. I think I called it jumpy leg before because that's what she's called hers for years!
Dee.
i am glad you saw the dr. and are getting some answers to your questions. did the dr. increase your meds? which one are you on, what dose? my dr. wanted me to be at a .5 since i have Hash. i know that sounds weird to some here and someone said something about me being so close to a hyper state... but i think the reason for this has to do something with- when you have Hash you are more sucsecptible to stress causing your TSH to go up. so his practice is to keep his Hash patients on the low end of normal... so when we are stressed and our TSH goes up- it will not go up so far to put us in a subclinical hypo state. now, he did not say this directly but putting the pieces of things he said together i have deduced this logic. it makes sense to me... so i think it is good that your dr. will shoot for getting you to a 1. i would think a 1 would be a little better than a 2 since you have Hash.
I'm kinda dissapointed because he only put my Levo up to .112, and I knew at the time that wasn't going to be enough. He wanted to see the labwork first, I think. My TSH was 5.3, so I'm hoping on Monday he'll agree to adjust it higher. Cathy once said it would be easier to score heroin than to get some of these docs to increase our doses ... I couldn't get the results of the other tests he ran from the nurse over the phone, so I guess I'll have to wait till Monday.
Meanwhile, I've had a really bad day symptom-wise.
Have you called your doc about the allergy meds? I once had a VERY bad reaction to over-the-counter Clariton (a short while before my diagnosis)... and now I only take Benadryl at night. I haven't asked anyone about it yet, though.
Thanks again,
Dee.
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