Hi - new with general #'s ?

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Hi - new with general #'s ?
3
Tue, 01-17-2006 - 7:25am

I have Graves Disease - post RAI tx for about 10-11 years. Numbers have been all over the place since. Not managed well (at all!) during 2 pregnancies. Now going to an Endo and she rx'd cytomel. I'm taking 5 mg x2/day. Last #'s tsh was at 0.04 - she lowered my synthroid and continued the cytomel. Now, my ? - I was feeling pretty good after adding the cytomel (and with my higher dosage synthroid) - but only a couple days into my lower dosage synthroid having to lie down mid-day. Is this from the drop in the rx? Am I doomed to feel this tired AGAIN???

Thanks!

Tracy

 

iVillage Member
Registered: 05-19-2004
Tue, 01-17-2006 - 9:12am

Hi there...


Avatar for cl_calley7
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-20-2003
Tue, 01-17-2006 - 8:53pm

Hi Tracy,


Welcome to our board.


It sounds as though you've been at this thyroid thing for quite a while.

 

Calley7

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-29-2003
Wed, 01-18-2006 - 8:17am

Thanks April & Calley! I was surprised when she kept referring to *only* the TSH, no she didn't check T3 or T4 (free or otherwise). BUT - she's given me more hope than I've had as far as feeling better. She just shook her head when I had relayed my history.

I had RAI about 3 months after being dx'd. I was only rx'd Inderol because my resting pulse rate was in excess of 120. I (blindly) did what I was told - and (kicking myself) did no research and had RAI - no other tx was even tried.

When I did all of my research and went to this Endo, she told me that RAI was not a good tx - HOWEVER - she said it was the best choice for where I was when I was dx'd - she said there was no GOOD tx at this time and it was the lesser of two evils. She told me (no one else ever had) that I would never feel as good as I would have if I didn't have Graves, and that I wouldn't feel as good as I *could* without Cytomel. I absolutely agree....I went for years feeling like docs thought I was crazy/lazy - the tiredness is absolutely REAL.

If I were dx'd today, I think I'd try rx before RAI - not to say that I wouldn't end up doing it, but I'd try other options first, jmho.

So, I got off on a bit of a tangent - sorry - but I didn't try anything else before RAI and I'm actually feeling a bit better today - maybe it was the quick drop in rx. I did have to rest a bit yesterday, but I wasn't as tired as the day I posted.

Thanks again for the answers and the welcome!

Tracey