Re: New to group and intro

[Guest guest]

Hi Danette, welcome to our family....

Thyroid Storm... the easiest way to describe it for this scenario....

When in storm the body is working faster, heart rate is faster, breathing

is faster, body is burning more calories.. everything is all speeded

up....

The machines that they use to keep us alive during surgery are rated at

'normal' levels for oxygenation, blood transfer, all the monitors are set

to watch for 'normal' ranges. Someone in storm needs more oxygen, greater

blood flow... so none of the machines can keep up... the body would see

it as a crises.... and die...

The drugs they use to knock the patient out are figured and measured for

a person with normal levels in the blood, normal respiration...

everything normal... A person in storm is outside that range...

To try to adjust the drugs to compensate increases the stress to the

heart, which is already under too much stress... and could damage it..

heart attack.

If the oxygen levels in the blood are not up to the level needed by the

organs and brain... there is then damage from that as well.....

It's for all those reasons that someone in storm is not able to have

surgery.. they'd most likely die during the operation.... depending on

how long the person has been in storm, and how fast their body is

running.. they may not have the time needed to use medication to slow

them down until they are at a level that would allow them to have surgery

safely...

In those cases RAI becomes the only alternative... that's what they ended

up doing with me.. I'd been in storm for a year, maybe a bit longer...

before a doc figured out what was wrong with me. That's a whole long

story.. I'll skip it for now.

Your mom being weak.. that isn't that unusual... My endo explained it to

me from this view point.... when your body is in storm it as if it's

running a marathon 24 hours a day, with no rest... if the body is strong

and healthy it can continue like that for quite some time before breaking

down... I was told that if not for my condition (I was a body builder

when I went into storm) and my being used to listening for my body to

tell me what I needed to eat, I'd most likely have died of starvation..

as it was I was eating between 25 and 30 THOUSAND calories a day and

still losing weight.

A person that isn't able to handle the muscle exertion of thyroid storm

would be more likely to experience muscle failure and exhaustion.. they

just can't keep going week after week at that speed, so there will come a

point that anything above simply sitting in a chair becomes more that

what the over worked body is able to handle.... Result, exhaustion.

In thyroid storm all of the muscles and organs are running faster and

faster and faster ALL the time. They never stop. Muscles will twitch and

jerk when the person is sitting quietly... In my case I never felt the

twitching.. my boyfriend did.. He had a water bed and about a year into

our relationship he sad that I made the bed move in my sleep. He could

see my muscles twitching under my skin.... I never felt it... but that

was the first clue that there was something wrong, but we didn't know

what it was... It was months before I went to a doc... and he blew me

off.. it was nearly a year before I went in to see another.. she

diagnosed me on sight... confirmed with labs.

It's VERY important while in storm to get GOOD nutrition. To give the

body what it needs to keep going at the speeded up condition.

With the carcinoma in there too, it's very important to focus on good

food and good nutrition, to keep up the strength needed to fight it, and

maintain the hyper body, until they can get things slowed down... I would

guess that they'll be trying meds to get things slowed down... then go

from there.

How old is your mom? Have they put her on meds yet? What kind?

We're here for ya... You two won't have to deal with this totally by

yourselves.. we have a great group of folks here with a wide range of

experience... we'll help with any questions that you have for us.

Topper ()

Proud Group Co-Owner

On Sun, 23 May 2004 14:29:07 -0000 " Da Nette "

writes:

> Hi everyone!

>

> My mother has just been dianosed with papillary carcinoma and graves

> disease, has anyone dealt with these before?

> I, myself have hasimoto's hypothyroidism for 12 years, and have done

> some research on hypo, but not hyper...

> From what I hear hyperthyroidism (like graves disease) causes

> someone to be very active and have a lot of energy. My mother can't

> even walk up 3 stairs with out becoming winded and can't be up doing

> things for more than a half hour before she is so tired she has to

> lay down. Also, she has completely lost her voice.

> And just what exactly is a thyroid storm? The doctor is afraid to

> operate on her, so she is walking around with cancer in her, because

> she has not been on any medicine for thyroid before.

> Anyway, appreciate any feedback, thanks.

> -Danette

[Guest guest]

We are from Idaho, my mother is 65 and on Medicare and TriWest(?) I

believe, she is a military dependent, so most of this is going on at

the military base (Mountain Home Air Force Base). She did see Dr.

Christiansen (Boise, Idaho) who did her biopsy. They have my mother

scheduled for surgery on June 8.

I believe my mother is in thyroid storm, and has been for a while,

she is so sick. They will start her on liquid Iodine 5 days before

her surgery. I don't think that is enough time and I told her so

today. I told her to call the thyroid specialist and ask him about

this. I don't want a military doctor to operate, but he assured her

that he has done this surgery a lot.

Thanks for all your quick responses.

-Danette

> HI Danette, Where are you from hun? I am from Michigan...one of

the worst states for thyroid disease. (just curious)

> Anyway...you need to get your mom to a doc that totally understand

the thyroid. Please don't let them do anything. They obviously are

confused as to what to do.

> WE have extensive listings of great docs that know the thyroid

inside and out. Please let us help you find someone that will guide

your mom back to health.

> You can email me privately anytime....

> Hugs..PattiSue.

>

>

[Guest guest]

Topper,

Thanks for the info. I shared it with my mother this afternoon and

she was grateful to have it. She is 65 and is not on any medication

yet. She will start liquid iodine 5 days prior to her surgery

scheduled June 8.

Thanks for all your help and support!