New member

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to you and your family. I'm sorry that your experience so far

has been so rough. If you feel so uncomfortable with Dr. , I

would say come to Iowa as soon as you can. I can somewhat relate about

the short casts - my son Jakob had a set put on the day after he was

born which rubbed sores behind his knees. When we went to get that set

removed, we were referred to Dr. Weinstein who is also at the Uof Iowa

with Dr. Ponseti (we live in Iowa City which is how we got the referral

so easily).

As for the expense, I can't offer any advise on that. However, if you

need any suggestions on things to do in Iowa City, feel free to ask.

boothejennifer wrote:

> Hi all!

> I have a daughter (Grace) that was born August 23rd with

> bilateral clubfeet. She was also born 2 months premature. She was

> casted for the first time with below the knee casts within her first

> week of life. She was treated by a military Dr ...a pediatrist

> specializing in ankle reconstructive surgery until she was 4 months

> old. He SUCKED, but I was not able to get a referral off post and

> was not sure of my options.

> I researched for a couple weeks because I did not want her

> previous Dr doing any kind of surgery on her and also he was not

> casting her correctly...we had all kinds of problems. I was able to

> find a Dr about 2 hours from my home that was on Dr Ponseti's list

> and we have been seeing him for 3 weeks, his name is Dr .

> The first two casts made a ton of improvement, and we thought for

> sure that everything was going great. But, after the second cast

> was removed Dr decided that " her heel would need surgery " ,

> and so he performed a tenotomy to see if he could get enough

> correction with this procedure alone. After doing the tenotomy on

> one foot he decided that she would need some other surgery to

> correct the heel tightness.

> I have posted on another board about this particular

> situation...I was not comfortable with the Drs decision and the fact

> that after only 2 cast he did the procedure. So, I have emailed Dr

> Ponseti and asked his opinion. He agrees that the tenotomy is

> usually done after 4-5 casts, and as many as 7-9.

> I am very frustrated with my daughters treatment and am

> considering going to Iowa after the 6th. Has anyone else had any

> experience like this?? What are the expenses involved with going to

> Iowa from 900 miles away and staying at the Mc house?

> I also have a 5 year old that I would have to drag along...is this

> feasible??

> Sorry to ramble...I am at my wits end, we have had 3 Drs so far

> and my daughter is 5 months now...she is small though because her

> prematurity and I was told that she is more like treating a 3 month

> old. What do you all think??

> Also, I had bilateral clubfeet and was treated with surgery in

> 1977 and over all, my feet are okay, but do hurt after a long day!!

> Thanks for listening,

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to you and your family. I'm sorry that your experience so far

has been so rough. If you feel so uncomfortable with Dr. , I

would say come to Iowa as soon as you can. I can somewhat relate about

the short casts - my son Jakob had a set put on the day after he was

born which rubbed sores behind his knees. When we went to get that set

removed, we were referred to Dr. Weinstein who is also at the Uof Iowa

with Dr. Ponseti (we live in Iowa City which is how we got the referral

so easily).

As for the expense, I can't offer any advise on that. However, if you

need any suggestions on things to do in Iowa City, feel free to ask.

boothejennifer wrote:

> Hi all!

> I have a daughter (Grace) that was born August 23rd with

> bilateral clubfeet. She was also born 2 months premature. She was

> casted for the first time with below the knee casts within her first

> week of life. She was treated by a military Dr ...a pediatrist

> specializing in ankle reconstructive surgery until she was 4 months

> old. He SUCKED, but I was not able to get a referral off post and

> was not sure of my options.

> I researched for a couple weeks because I did not want her

> previous Dr doing any kind of surgery on her and also he was not

> casting her correctly...we had all kinds of problems. I was able to

> find a Dr about 2 hours from my home that was on Dr Ponseti's list

> and we have been seeing him for 3 weeks, his name is Dr .

> The first two casts made a ton of improvement, and we thought for

> sure that everything was going great. But, after the second cast

> was removed Dr decided that " her heel would need surgery " ,

> and so he performed a tenotomy to see if he could get enough

> correction with this procedure alone. After doing the tenotomy on

> one foot he decided that she would need some other surgery to

> correct the heel tightness.

> I have posted on another board about this particular

> situation...I was not comfortable with the Drs decision and the fact

> that after only 2 cast he did the procedure. So, I have emailed Dr

> Ponseti and asked his opinion. He agrees that the tenotomy is

> usually done after 4-5 casts, and as many as 7-9.

> I am very frustrated with my daughters treatment and am

> considering going to Iowa after the 6th. Has anyone else had any

> experience like this?? What are the expenses involved with going to

> Iowa from 900 miles away and staying at the Mc house?

> I also have a 5 year old that I would have to drag along...is this

> feasible??

> Sorry to ramble...I am at my wits end, we have had 3 Drs so far

> and my daughter is 5 months now...she is small though because her

> prematurity and I was told that she is more like treating a 3 month

> old. What do you all think??

> Also, I had bilateral clubfeet and was treated with surgery in

> 1977 and over all, my feet are okay, but do hurt after a long day!!

> Thanks for listening,

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to our group. There are many parents here with experience

and information relating to your questions. There are also many

bookmarks, files and past messages that can be searched by subject

matter that can provide information as well. We have all been were

you are trying to figure out what we should do regarding clubfoot and

the possibility of using the Ponseti method.

In the bookmarks section you can find links relating to Angel Flights

and other discounted airtravel options as well as a number of other

informative links. These other sections are found in the area just

to the left of the messages if you are at the web site location. The

Bookmarks link is at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/links

There are at least 3 parents here who have used Angel Flights to get

to Iowa. If you do a search for the word angel flights here, you

will find some of their prior messages. Also Ruth Snare left a story

at 's web site at http://ponsetikids.freeservers.com/bengi.html

There is also a lot of information in the files section.

Since you live in North Carolina, there are also other alternatives

that are available to you without having to go to Iowa. Dr.

Herzenberg is in Baltimore and is one of the leading doctors teaching

others in the CORRECT use of the Ponseti method. There are a number

of parents here who have him as their childs doctor. He is also

reporting at the upcoming AAOS convention on how they have been able

to treat older children with the Ponseti method after other doctors

felt that surgery was the only alternative.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/sciprog/053.htm

He is also one of the doctors who is doing the Ponseti method

clubfoot training at the upcoming AAOS Convention in 2 weeks in

Dallas. On Thursday, Feb 14th, there will be a 2 hour Instructional

course on " Clubfoot: Current Trends in Management " . The course will

be taught by Dr.'s Dietz (U of Iowa), Herzenberg (Balitmore,

land), Mosca (Seattle, Wash) with Dr. son (Philadelphia) as

a moderator. A description of the course says they will " Review

current treatment trends in non-operative and operative idiopathic,

resistant, recurrent and residual deformities of clubfoot including

cast, surgical and Ilizarov methods. " Three of those four doctors

are Ponseti method advocates and the 4th is hopefully getting closer

to becoming one.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/icl/203.htm

There is also Dr. Frick who is in Charolett N. Carolina who I have

met twice and I believe is using the Ponseti method as designed. He

has also been active in his local area in trying to encourage other

doctors to learn and use the Ponseti method. We have 1 or 2 parents

here who have been to him with good sucess, but I am not sure how

many older children he may have treated, but I think that he would be

glad to consult with Dr. Ponseti and tell you straightforwardly if he

felt that you needed to go to Iowa or not to have the best chance to

make it work. The addresses for these doctors are as follows.

E. Herzenberg, M.D., FRCSC

University of land Medical School

Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics

2401 West Belvedere Avenue

Baltimore, MD

Tel: or

Email: FRCSC@...

Website: www.limblengthening.org

Frick, M.D.

5939 Cabell View Ct.

Charlotte, NC 28232-3286

Tel:

Keep asking questions and we will try to answer them.

and (3-17-99)

> Hi all!

> I have a daughter (Grace) that was born August 23rd with

> bilateral clubfeet. She was also born 2 months premature. She was

> casted for the first time with below the knee casts within her

first

> week of life. She was treated by a military Dr ...a pediatrist

> specializing in ankle reconstructive surgery until she was 4 months

> old. He SUCKED, but I was not able to get a referral off post and

> was not sure of my options.

> I researched for a couple weeks because I did not want her

> previous Dr doing any kind of surgery on her and also he was not

> casting her correctly...we had all kinds of problems. I was able

to

> find a Dr about 2 hours from my home that was on Dr Ponseti's list

> and we have been seeing him for 3 weeks, his name is Dr .

> The first two casts made a ton of improvement, and we thought

for

> sure that everything was going great. But, after the second cast

> was removed Dr decided that " her heel would need

surgery " ,

> and so he performed a tenotomy to see if he could get enough

> correction with this procedure alone. After doing the tenotomy on

> one foot he decided that she would need some other surgery to

> correct the heel tightness.

> I have posted on another board about this particular

> situation...I was not comfortable with the Drs decision and the

fact

> that after only 2 cast he did the procedure. So, I have emailed Dr

> Ponseti and asked his opinion. He agrees that the tenotomy is

> usually done after 4-5 casts, and as many as 7-9.

> I am very frustrated with my daughters treatment and am

> considering going to Iowa after the 6th. Has anyone else had any

> experience like this?? What are the expenses involved with going

to

> Iowa from 900 miles away and staying at the Mc house?

> I also have a 5 year old that I would have to drag along...is this

> feasible??

> Sorry to ramble...I am at my wits end, we have had 3 Drs so far

> and my daughter is 5 months now...she is small though because her

> prematurity and I was told that she is more like treating a 3 month

> old. What do you all think??

> Also, I had bilateral clubfeet and was treated with surgery in

> 1977 and over all, my feet are okay, but do hurt after a long

day!!

> Thanks for listening,

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to our group. There are many parents here with experience

and information relating to your questions. There are also many

bookmarks, files and past messages that can be searched by subject

matter that can provide information as well. We have all been were

you are trying to figure out what we should do regarding clubfoot and

the possibility of using the Ponseti method.

In the bookmarks section you can find links relating to Angel Flights

and other discounted airtravel options as well as a number of other

informative links. These other sections are found in the area just

to the left of the messages if you are at the web site location. The

Bookmarks link is at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/links

There are at least 3 parents here who have used Angel Flights to get

to Iowa. If you do a search for the word angel flights here, you

will find some of their prior messages. Also Ruth Snare left a story

at 's web site at http://ponsetikids.freeservers.com/bengi.html

There is also a lot of information in the files section.

Since you live in North Carolina, there are also other alternatives

that are available to you without having to go to Iowa. Dr.

Herzenberg is in Baltimore and is one of the leading doctors teaching

others in the CORRECT use of the Ponseti method. There are a number

of parents here who have him as their childs doctor. He is also

reporting at the upcoming AAOS convention on how they have been able

to treat older children with the Ponseti method after other doctors

felt that surgery was the only alternative.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/sciprog/053.htm

He is also one of the doctors who is doing the Ponseti method

clubfoot training at the upcoming AAOS Convention in 2 weeks in

Dallas. On Thursday, Feb 14th, there will be a 2 hour Instructional

course on " Clubfoot: Current Trends in Management " . The course will

be taught by Dr.'s Dietz (U of Iowa), Herzenberg (Balitmore,

land), Mosca (Seattle, Wash) with Dr. son (Philadelphia) as

a moderator. A description of the course says they will " Review

current treatment trends in non-operative and operative idiopathic,

resistant, recurrent and residual deformities of clubfoot including

cast, surgical and Ilizarov methods. " Three of those four doctors

are Ponseti method advocates and the 4th is hopefully getting closer

to becoming one.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/icl/203.htm

There is also Dr. Frick who is in Charolett N. Carolina who I have

met twice and I believe is using the Ponseti method as designed. He

has also been active in his local area in trying to encourage other

doctors to learn and use the Ponseti method. We have 1 or 2 parents

here who have been to him with good sucess, but I am not sure how

many older children he may have treated, but I think that he would be

glad to consult with Dr. Ponseti and tell you straightforwardly if he

felt that you needed to go to Iowa or not to have the best chance to

make it work. The addresses for these doctors are as follows.

E. Herzenberg, M.D., FRCSC

University of land Medical School

Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics

2401 West Belvedere Avenue

Baltimore, MD

Tel: or

Email: FRCSC@...

Website: www.limblengthening.org

Frick, M.D.

5939 Cabell View Ct.

Charlotte, NC 28232-3286

Tel:

Keep asking questions and we will try to answer them.

and (3-17-99)

> Hi all!

> I have a daughter (Grace) that was born August 23rd with

> bilateral clubfeet. She was also born 2 months premature. She was

> casted for the first time with below the knee casts within her

first

> week of life. She was treated by a military Dr ...a pediatrist

> specializing in ankle reconstructive surgery until she was 4 months

> old. He SUCKED, but I was not able to get a referral off post and

> was not sure of my options.

> I researched for a couple weeks because I did not want her

> previous Dr doing any kind of surgery on her and also he was not

> casting her correctly...we had all kinds of problems. I was able

to

> find a Dr about 2 hours from my home that was on Dr Ponseti's list

> and we have been seeing him for 3 weeks, his name is Dr .

> The first two casts made a ton of improvement, and we thought

for

> sure that everything was going great. But, after the second cast

> was removed Dr decided that " her heel would need

surgery " ,

> and so he performed a tenotomy to see if he could get enough

> correction with this procedure alone. After doing the tenotomy on

> one foot he decided that she would need some other surgery to

> correct the heel tightness.

> I have posted on another board about this particular

> situation...I was not comfortable with the Drs decision and the

fact

> that after only 2 cast he did the procedure. So, I have emailed Dr

> Ponseti and asked his opinion. He agrees that the tenotomy is

> usually done after 4-5 casts, and as many as 7-9.

> I am very frustrated with my daughters treatment and am

> considering going to Iowa after the 6th. Has anyone else had any

> experience like this?? What are the expenses involved with going

to

> Iowa from 900 miles away and staying at the Mc house?

> I also have a 5 year old that I would have to drag along...is this

> feasible??

> Sorry to ramble...I am at my wits end, we have had 3 Drs so far

> and my daughter is 5 months now...she is small though because her

> prematurity and I was told that she is more like treating a 3 month

> old. What do you all think??

> Also, I had bilateral clubfeet and was treated with surgery in

> 1977 and over all, my feet are okay, but do hurt after a long

day!!

> Thanks for listening,

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to our group. There are many parents here with experience

and information relating to your questions. There are also many

bookmarks, files and past messages that can be searched by subject

matter that can provide information as well. We have all been were

you are trying to figure out what we should do regarding clubfoot and

the possibility of using the Ponseti method.

In the bookmarks section you can find links relating to Angel Flights

and other discounted airtravel options as well as a number of other

informative links. These other sections are found in the area just

to the left of the messages if you are at the web site location. The

Bookmarks link is at

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/nosurgery4clubfoot/links

There are at least 3 parents here who have used Angel Flights to get

to Iowa. If you do a search for the word angel flights here, you

will find some of their prior messages. Also Ruth Snare left a story

at 's web site at http://ponsetikids.freeservers.com/bengi.html

There is also a lot of information in the files section.

Since you live in North Carolina, there are also other alternatives

that are available to you without having to go to Iowa. Dr.

Herzenberg is in Baltimore and is one of the leading doctors teaching

others in the CORRECT use of the Ponseti method. There are a number

of parents here who have him as their childs doctor. He is also

reporting at the upcoming AAOS convention on how they have been able

to treat older children with the Ponseti method after other doctors

felt that surgery was the only alternative.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/sciprog/053.htm

He is also one of the doctors who is doing the Ponseti method

clubfoot training at the upcoming AAOS Convention in 2 weeks in

Dallas. On Thursday, Feb 14th, there will be a 2 hour Instructional

course on " Clubfoot: Current Trends in Management " . The course will

be taught by Dr.'s Dietz (U of Iowa), Herzenberg (Balitmore,

land), Mosca (Seattle, Wash) with Dr. son (Philadelphia) as

a moderator. A description of the course says they will " Review

current treatment trends in non-operative and operative idiopathic,

resistant, recurrent and residual deformities of clubfoot including

cast, surgical and Ilizarov methods. " Three of those four doctors

are Ponseti method advocates and the 4th is hopefully getting closer

to becoming one.

http://www.aaos.org/wordhtml/anmt2002/icl/203.htm

There is also Dr. Frick who is in Charolett N. Carolina who I have

met twice and I believe is using the Ponseti method as designed. He

has also been active in his local area in trying to encourage other

doctors to learn and use the Ponseti method. We have 1 or 2 parents

here who have been to him with good sucess, but I am not sure how

many older children he may have treated, but I think that he would be

glad to consult with Dr. Ponseti and tell you straightforwardly if he

felt that you needed to go to Iowa or not to have the best chance to

make it work. The addresses for these doctors are as follows.

E. Herzenberg, M.D., FRCSC

University of land Medical School

Rubin Institute for Advanced Orthopedics

2401 West Belvedere Avenue

Baltimore, MD

Tel: or

Email: FRCSC@...

Website: www.limblengthening.org

Frick, M.D.

5939 Cabell View Ct.

Charlotte, NC 28232-3286

Tel:

Keep asking questions and we will try to answer them.

and (3-17-99)

> Hi all!

> I have a daughter (Grace) that was born August 23rd with

> bilateral clubfeet. She was also born 2 months premature. She was

> casted for the first time with below the knee casts within her

first

> week of life. She was treated by a military Dr ...a pediatrist

> specializing in ankle reconstructive surgery until she was 4 months

> old. He SUCKED, but I was not able to get a referral off post and

> was not sure of my options.

> I researched for a couple weeks because I did not want her

> previous Dr doing any kind of surgery on her and also he was not

> casting her correctly...we had all kinds of problems. I was able

to

> find a Dr about 2 hours from my home that was on Dr Ponseti's list

> and we have been seeing him for 3 weeks, his name is Dr .

> The first two casts made a ton of improvement, and we thought

for

> sure that everything was going great. But, after the second cast

> was removed Dr decided that " her heel would need

surgery " ,

> and so he performed a tenotomy to see if he could get enough

> correction with this procedure alone. After doing the tenotomy on

> one foot he decided that she would need some other surgery to

> correct the heel tightness.

> I have posted on another board about this particular

> situation...I was not comfortable with the Drs decision and the

fact

> that after only 2 cast he did the procedure. So, I have emailed Dr

> Ponseti and asked his opinion. He agrees that the tenotomy is

> usually done after 4-5 casts, and as many as 7-9.

> I am very frustrated with my daughters treatment and am

> considering going to Iowa after the 6th. Has anyone else had any

> experience like this?? What are the expenses involved with going

to

> Iowa from 900 miles away and staying at the Mc house?

> I also have a 5 year old that I would have to drag along...is this

> feasible??

> Sorry to ramble...I am at my wits end, we have had 3 Drs so far

> and my daughter is 5 months now...she is small though because her

> prematurity and I was told that she is more like treating a 3 month

> old. What do you all think??

> Also, I had bilateral clubfeet and was treated with surgery in

> 1977 and over all, my feet are okay, but do hurt after a long

day!!

> Thanks for listening,

[Guest guest]

, welcome.

My daughter was born the day before your daughter. She has severe bilateral

clubfeet. We flew from Ohio to Iowa for treatment. We went four times. It

was well worth it. She had four casts and the tenotomy. Her feet look great

now and she is considered corrected. She's in the FAB 16 hours a day.

Where are you from? You can get discounted tickets for flights and there are

some airlines that have a program for flying children for medical treatment.

We used Angel Flights though. It is a non-profit organization of private

pilots who fly children for medical treatment. The whole process wass really

easy. The problem is that I don't know what their limit is on the length of

flights. They have a website but I don't have the address handy. I'll see

if I can find it.

I would definately encourage you to go to Iowa. It was the best decision we

could have made even though we have had to pay for airfares. There is a

Mc house there and we visited there, but didn't stay because we

have friends in Iowa City. It is very nice. I know other families have

stayed there. Some have gone and stayed for a few weeks rather than

traveling back and forth. We just went every week.

Sorry I'm rambling.

Good luck,

Joanne and Alaya (8-22-01)

[Guest guest]

, welcome.

My daughter was born the day before your daughter. She has severe bilateral

clubfeet. We flew from Ohio to Iowa for treatment. We went four times. It

was well worth it. She had four casts and the tenotomy. Her feet look great

now and she is considered corrected. She's in the FAB 16 hours a day.

Where are you from? You can get discounted tickets for flights and there are

some airlines that have a program for flying children for medical treatment.

We used Angel Flights though. It is a non-profit organization of private

pilots who fly children for medical treatment. The whole process wass really

easy. The problem is that I don't know what their limit is on the length of

flights. They have a website but I don't have the address handy. I'll see

if I can find it.

I would definately encourage you to go to Iowa. It was the best decision we

could have made even though we have had to pay for airfares. There is a

Mc house there and we visited there, but didn't stay because we

have friends in Iowa City. It is very nice. I know other families have

stayed there. Some have gone and stayed for a few weeks rather than

traveling back and forth. We just went every week.

Sorry I'm rambling.

Good luck,

Joanne and Alaya (8-22-01)

[Guest guest]

, welcome.

My daughter was born the day before your daughter. She has severe bilateral

clubfeet. We flew from Ohio to Iowa for treatment. We went four times. It

was well worth it. She had four casts and the tenotomy. Her feet look great

now and she is considered corrected. She's in the FAB 16 hours a day.

Where are you from? You can get discounted tickets for flights and there are

some airlines that have a program for flying children for medical treatment.

We used Angel Flights though. It is a non-profit organization of private

pilots who fly children for medical treatment. The whole process wass really

easy. The problem is that I don't know what their limit is on the length of

flights. They have a website but I don't have the address handy. I'll see

if I can find it.

I would definately encourage you to go to Iowa. It was the best decision we

could have made even though we have had to pay for airfares. There is a

Mc house there and we visited there, but didn't stay because we

have friends in Iowa City. It is very nice. I know other families have

stayed there. Some have gone and stayed for a few weeks rather than

traveling back and forth. We just went every week.

Sorry I'm rambling.

Good luck,

Joanne and Alaya (8-22-01)

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the list ! Glad you found us. I hope you find information

and support here that helps you on your journey.

Doris

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the list ! Glad you found us. I hope you find information

and support here that helps you on your journey.

Doris

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the list ! Glad you found us. I hope you find information

and support here that helps you on your journey.

Doris

[Guest guest]

Welcome ! I was diagnosed about 15 months ago. I was on beta blockers at

first but did not need to stay on them and I have had good success with

Methimazole...started at 40 mg/day and have gradually come down to 2.5 mg/day.

My biggest gripe is that it caused me to gain a bit of weight....the initial 10

I had lost while hyper and another 15 on top of that. Had I been a little more

in tune with my body and how it was feeling I could probably have avoided much

of it by going in for bloodwork more often than the 6 week intervals I was told

to. I am sure you have read here that staying on the ATD for at least 18-24 mos

is the best shot at achieving remission. I am well on my way there with

antibodies in normal ranges now and have had only the mildest of eye symptoms (

too dry to wear my soft contacts for more than a couple of hours) probably due

to the fact that the ATD has a protective effect on the eyes. Hope my success

with ATDs will encourage those who want to give it a try. The others on this

board are far more knowledgeable than I but I can at least share my experience

with this disease. Best of luck,

Ruthie

New Member

Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my family who had this.

Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also two

mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and my

youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel fortunate to have a doc

that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a more conservative endo.

RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the

bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels you all talk about and

my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has

had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best selling

drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one will stop

prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Welcome ! I was diagnosed about 15 months ago. I was on beta blockers at

first but did not need to stay on them and I have had good success with

Methimazole...started at 40 mg/day and have gradually come down to 2.5 mg/day.

My biggest gripe is that it caused me to gain a bit of weight....the initial 10

I had lost while hyper and another 15 on top of that. Had I been a little more

in tune with my body and how it was feeling I could probably have avoided much

of it by going in for bloodwork more often than the 6 week intervals I was told

to. I am sure you have read here that staying on the ATD for at least 18-24 mos

is the best shot at achieving remission. I am well on my way there with

antibodies in normal ranges now and have had only the mildest of eye symptoms (

too dry to wear my soft contacts for more than a couple of hours) probably due

to the fact that the ATD has a protective effect on the eyes. Hope my success

with ATDs will encourage those who want to give it a try. The others on this

board are far more knowledgeable than I but I can at least share my experience

with this disease. Best of luck,

Ruthie

New Member

Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my family who had this.

Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also two

mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and my

youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel fortunate to have a doc

that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a more conservative endo.

RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the

bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels you all talk about and

my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has

had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best selling

drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one will stop

prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Welcome ! I was diagnosed about 15 months ago. I was on beta blockers at

first but did not need to stay on them and I have had good success with

Methimazole...started at 40 mg/day and have gradually come down to 2.5 mg/day.

My biggest gripe is that it caused me to gain a bit of weight....the initial 10

I had lost while hyper and another 15 on top of that. Had I been a little more

in tune with my body and how it was feeling I could probably have avoided much

of it by going in for bloodwork more often than the 6 week intervals I was told

to. I am sure you have read here that staying on the ATD for at least 18-24 mos

is the best shot at achieving remission. I am well on my way there with

antibodies in normal ranges now and have had only the mildest of eye symptoms (

too dry to wear my soft contacts for more than a couple of hours) probably due

to the fact that the ATD has a protective effect on the eyes. Hope my success

with ATDs will encourage those who want to give it a try. The others on this

board are far more knowledgeable than I but I can at least share my experience

with this disease. Best of luck,

Ruthie

New Member

Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my family who had this.

Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also two

mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and my

youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel fortunate to have a doc

that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a more conservative endo.

RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the

bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels you all talk about and

my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has

had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best selling

drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one will stop

prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group. Your doctor sounds wonderful. Your dose of ATD is low,

but your doctor is probably wise enough to know that the idea is to bring

your thyroid hormone levels down without making you hypothyroid.

Alkaline phosphatase is a bone/liver enzyme that's often increased in GD

because of the increased bone resporption. Getting your thyroid hormone

levels down will also bring this enzyme down.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses this past year. It's true that GD often

develops after a period of stress, particularly the stress of bereavement.

Best to you, Elaine

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group. Your doctor sounds wonderful. Your dose of ATD is low,

but your doctor is probably wise enough to know that the idea is to bring

your thyroid hormone levels down without making you hypothyroid.

Alkaline phosphatase is a bone/liver enzyme that's often increased in GD

because of the increased bone resporption. Getting your thyroid hormone

levels down will also bring this enzyme down.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses this past year. It's true that GD often

develops after a period of stress, particularly the stress of bereavement.

Best to you, Elaine

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group. Your doctor sounds wonderful. Your dose of ATD is low,

but your doctor is probably wise enough to know that the idea is to bring

your thyroid hormone levels down without making you hypothyroid.

Alkaline phosphatase is a bone/liver enzyme that's often increased in GD

because of the increased bone resporption. Getting your thyroid hormone

levels down will also bring this enzyme down.

I'm sorry to hear about your losses this past year. It's true that GD often

develops after a period of stress, particularly the stress of bereavement.

Best to you, Elaine

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group

It sounds as if you have really fortunate so far with your endo. It does make

such a difference when the meds kick in. Your last few years certainly sound

very stressful. Sorry about losing your relatives. It is always terrible to lose

someone close, but to lose all you have in such a short period of time must have

been really tough. GD often responds very well to lifestyle changes such as

relaxation training, meditation, nutritional balancing and most of us had to

learn to say NO : - )

Keep up the good work in your recovery.

Cheers

Caroline

Lesher wrote:

> Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

>

> I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my

> family who had this. Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both

parents and grandparents. My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that

was stress plus. Also two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my

first grandchild and my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel

fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a

more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it.

I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels

you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient

in his practice that has had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the

white blood cell decrease. He also wants to start supplements soon and changed

my hormones to a biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the

2nd best selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

> So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group

It sounds as if you have really fortunate so far with your endo. It does make

such a difference when the meds kick in. Your last few years certainly sound

very stressful. Sorry about losing your relatives. It is always terrible to lose

someone close, but to lose all you have in such a short period of time must have

been really tough. GD often responds very well to lifestyle changes such as

relaxation training, meditation, nutritional balancing and most of us had to

learn to say NO : - )

Keep up the good work in your recovery.

Cheers

Caroline

Lesher wrote:

> Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

>

> I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my

> family who had this. Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both

parents and grandparents. My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that

was stress plus. Also two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my

first grandchild and my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel

fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a

more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it.

I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels

you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient

in his practice that has had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the

white blood cell decrease. He also wants to start supplements soon and changed

my hormones to a biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the

2nd best selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

> So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Welcome to the group

It sounds as if you have really fortunate so far with your endo. It does make

such a difference when the meds kick in. Your last few years certainly sound

very stressful. Sorry about losing your relatives. It is always terrible to lose

someone close, but to lose all you have in such a short period of time must have

been really tough. GD often responds very well to lifestyle changes such as

relaxation training, meditation, nutritional balancing and most of us had to

learn to say NO : - )

Keep up the good work in your recovery.

Cheers

Caroline

Lesher wrote:

> Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

found you.

>

> I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and

he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt

that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb 25th.

He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a beta

blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from what I am

reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I like life

again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress bringing on

these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyone in my

> family who had this. Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost both

parents and grandparents. My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that

was stress plus. Also two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my

first grandchild and my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad. I feel

fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a blood test and a

more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to do if I can avoid it.

I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will determine all of those levels

you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He tells me he has only had one patient

in his practice that has had the problems the drug sometimes causes with the

white blood cell decrease. He also wants to start supplements soon and changed

my hormones to a biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the

2nd best selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA

> So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group!

>>>I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a

>>>year and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did

>>>some blood work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he

>>>said my bloodwork was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was

>>>high and asked if I had ever heard of Graves.<<<

A bone enzyme test told him you have graves? I would really like to hear

more on this. Do you know what the test is called? BTW do you get copieso f

all of your labs? It is a good thing to do to help chart your

progress...there is lots of talk in the archives on this. If you have any

problems using the search engine to search the archives here, give a yell,

be glad to help you with it.

>>>On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and he wants to do

>>>RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt that was

>>>the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

>>>started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb

>>>25th. He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am

>>>on a beta blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty

>>>low from what I am reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how

>>>I feel!!! I like life again. I have been reading allot about the

>>>possibility of stress bringing on these autoimmune diseases.<<<

I do like your endo!!! My endo does not do RAI anymore except for thyroid

cancer, and in the last 6 years, on less than 5 people who were geriatric,

had heart disease and were not a candidate for surgery. So it really sounds

like you got lucky with your first endo!

He may have set your Meth according to your lab values, if they were not

real high, it may have told him you could do with a lower dose of the atd.

I am glad you are feeling better already! If you aren't already, you may

want to keep a journal of how things go...also around the 11th of Feb. the

symptoms list was put in the archives again (it is somewhere else also, but

I forget where)...keep the symptoms handy, learn the hypo symptoms, at the

first sign, call and request labs so that you don't fall into hypo, hypo is

worse than hyper ever was for me.

>>>I don't know of anyone in my family who had this. Definitely stress in

>>>the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also

two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and

my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad.<<<

Stress is what brought mine on also. No one else in either side of my

family had any thyroid problems going back 3 generations. I am sorry to

hear about your Mom . My father-in-law died from CJD in 1987 and it was

so hard to watch him go through that.

>>>I feel fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a

>>>blood test and a more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to

>>>do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will

>>>determine all of those levels you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He

>>>tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has had the

>>>problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

>>>He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

>>>biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best

>>>selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

>>>will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA So glad to be here.

>>>I am hanging on all of your words. <<<

It sounds like your doctor is taking a wonderful approach to helping you

heal, and attain remission! I do hope you will share with us more on this

biologically correct stuff

Take care, keep reading and keep learning,

Jody

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group!

>>>I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a

>>>year and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did

>>>some blood work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he

>>>said my bloodwork was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was

>>>high and asked if I had ever heard of Graves.<<<

A bone enzyme test told him you have graves? I would really like to hear

more on this. Do you know what the test is called? BTW do you get copieso f

all of your labs? It is a good thing to do to help chart your

progress...there is lots of talk in the archives on this. If you have any

problems using the search engine to search the archives here, give a yell,

be glad to help you with it.

>>>On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and he wants to do

>>>RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt that was

>>>the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

>>>started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb

>>>25th. He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am

>>>on a beta blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty

>>>low from what I am reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how

>>>I feel!!! I like life again. I have been reading allot about the

>>>possibility of stress bringing on these autoimmune diseases.<<<

I do like your endo!!! My endo does not do RAI anymore except for thyroid

cancer, and in the last 6 years, on less than 5 people who were geriatric,

had heart disease and were not a candidate for surgery. So it really sounds

like you got lucky with your first endo!

He may have set your Meth according to your lab values, if they were not

real high, it may have told him you could do with a lower dose of the atd.

I am glad you are feeling better already! If you aren't already, you may

want to keep a journal of how things go...also around the 11th of Feb. the

symptoms list was put in the archives again (it is somewhere else also, but

I forget where)...keep the symptoms handy, learn the hypo symptoms, at the

first sign, call and request labs so that you don't fall into hypo, hypo is

worse than hyper ever was for me.

>>>I don't know of anyone in my family who had this. Definitely stress in

>>>the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also

two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and

my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad.<<<

Stress is what brought mine on also. No one else in either side of my

family had any thyroid problems going back 3 generations. I am sorry to

hear about your Mom . My father-in-law died from CJD in 1987 and it was

so hard to watch him go through that.

>>>I feel fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a

>>>blood test and a more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to

>>>do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will

>>>determine all of those levels you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He

>>>tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has had the

>>>problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

>>>He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

>>>biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best

>>>selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

>>>will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA So glad to be here.

>>>I am hanging on all of your words. <<<

It sounds like your doctor is taking a wonderful approach to helping you

heal, and attain remission! I do hope you will share with us more on this

biologically correct stuff

Take care, keep reading and keep learning,

Jody

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

[Guest guest]

Hi ,

Welcome to the group!

>>>I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a

>>>year and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did

>>>some blood work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he

>>>said my bloodwork was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was

>>>high and asked if I had ever heard of Graves.<<<

A bone enzyme test told him you have graves? I would really like to hear

more on this. Do you know what the test is called? BTW do you get copieso f

all of your labs? It is a good thing to do to help chart your

progress...there is lots of talk in the archives on this. If you have any

problems using the search engine to search the archives here, give a yell,

be glad to help you with it.

>>>On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc and he wants to do

>>>RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he felt that was

>>>the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books and

>>>started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb

>>>25th. He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am

>>>on a beta blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty

>>>low from what I am reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how

>>>I feel!!! I like life again. I have been reading allot about the

>>>possibility of stress bringing on these autoimmune diseases.<<<

I do like your endo!!! My endo does not do RAI anymore except for thyroid

cancer, and in the last 6 years, on less than 5 people who were geriatric,

had heart disease and were not a candidate for surgery. So it really sounds

like you got lucky with your first endo!

He may have set your Meth according to your lab values, if they were not

real high, it may have told him you could do with a lower dose of the atd.

I am glad you are feeling better already! If you aren't already, you may

want to keep a journal of how things go...also around the 11th of Feb. the

symptoms list was put in the archives again (it is somewhere else also, but

I forget where)...keep the symptoms handy, learn the hypo symptoms, at the

first sign, call and request labs so that you don't fall into hypo, hypo is

worse than hyper ever was for me.

>>>I don't know of anyone in my family who had this. Definitely stress in

>>>the last few years. Lost both parents and grandparents.

My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease and that was stress plus. Also

two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new house, my first grandchild and

my youngest left home. Some good stress some bad.<<<

Stress is what brought mine on also. No one else in either side of my

family had any thyroid problems going back 3 generations. I am sorry to

hear about your Mom . My father-in-law died from CJD in 1987 and it was

so hard to watch him go through that.

>>>I feel fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a

>>>blood test and a more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to

>>>do if I can avoid it. I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will

>>>determine all of those levels you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He

>>>tells me he has only had one patient in his practice that has had the

>>>problems the drug sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease.

>>>He also wants to start supplements soon and changed my hormones to a

>>>biologically correct (his words) type. Says hormones are the 2nd best

>>>selling drug in the USA and even if they are made of horse urine no one

>>>will stop prescribing due to the almighty $$$$. HA So glad to be here.

>>>I am hanging on all of your words. <<<

It sounds like your doctor is taking a wonderful approach to helping you

heal, and attain remission! I do hope you will share with us more on this

biologically correct stuff

Take care, keep reading and keep learning,

Jody

_________________________________________________________________

Get your FREE download of MSN Explorer at http://explorer.msn.com/intl.asp.

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to the group. Sounds like you have found a wise endo. You're lucky

to have done so.

There are lots of resources here, both group members and our now-dauntingly

large archive. A good first piece of advice is to always get a copy of your

labs, and keep a record. You can share numbers here and we'll help you to

understand them.

I'm sure Jody and others will chime in with more good info and advice.

Terry

>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 19:35:23 -0500

> To: <graves_support >

> Subject: New Member

>

> Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

> found you.

>

> I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

> and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

> work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

> was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

> ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc

> and he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he

> felt that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books

> and started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb

> 25th. He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a

> beta blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from

> what I am reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I

> like life again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress

> bringing on these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyon!

> e in my family who had this. Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost

> both parents and grandparents. My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

> and that was stress plus. Also two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new

> house, my first grandchild and my youngest left home. Some good stress some

> bad. I feel fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a

> blood test and a more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to do if

> I can avoid it. I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will determine

> all of those levels you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He tells me he has

> only had one patient in his practice that has had the problems the drug

> sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease. He also wants to start

> supplements soon and changed my hormones to a biologically correct (his words)

> type. Says hormones are the 2nd best selling drug in the USA and even if they

> are made of horse urine no one will stop prescribing due to the al!

> mighty $$$$. HA

> So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

>

[Guest guest]

,

Welcome to the group. Sounds like you have found a wise endo. You're lucky

to have done so.

There are lots of resources here, both group members and our now-dauntingly

large archive. A good first piece of advice is to always get a copy of your

labs, and keep a record. You can share numbers here and we'll help you to

understand them.

I'm sure Jody and others will chime in with more good info and advice.

Terry

>

> Reply-To: graves_support

> Date: Mon, 4 Mar 2002 19:35:23 -0500

> To: <graves_support >

> Subject: New Member

>

> Hello all. I have been lurking around for a few days and am certainly glad I

> found you.

>

> I am newly diagnosed with Graves Disease. Have felt lousy for about a year

> and first visited my internist due to high blood pressure. He did some blood

> work and slapped me on meds for the BP. When I went back he said my bloodwork

> was good with the exception of a bone enzyme that was high and asked if I had

> ever heard of Graves. On to thyroid scan and uptake. Back to the family doc

> and he wants to do RAI right away but did set me up with an endo because he

> felt that was the right thing to do. In the meantime I got a couple of books

> and started searching the Internet. Scary stuff. I first saw my endo on Feb

> 25th. He told me he rarely did RAI without trying ATDs first. So I am on a

> beta blocker and Methamazole. The dosage of the Meth seems pretty low from

> what I am reading (5mg twice a day) but what a difference in how I feel!!! I

> like life again. I have been reading allot about the possibility of stress

> bringing on these autoimmune diseases. I don't know of anyon!

> e in my family who had this. Definitely stress in the last few years. Lost

> both parents and grandparents. My mother died of Creutzfeldt Jakob Disease

> and that was stress plus. Also two mergers at work in 1 year, move to a new

> house, my first grandchild and my youngest left home. Some good stress some

> bad. I feel fortunate to have a doc that found this so quickly with only a

> blood test and a more conservative endo. RAI is not something I care to do if

> I can avoid it. I am assuming all the bloodwork my endo did will determine

> all of those levels you all talk about and my ATD dosage. He tells me he has

> only had one patient in his practice that has had the problems the drug

> sometimes causes with the white blood cell decrease. He also wants to start

> supplements soon and changed my hormones to a biologically correct (his words)

> type. Says hormones are the 2nd best selling drug in the USA and even if they

> are made of horse urine no one will stop prescribing due to the al!

> mighty $$$$. HA

> So glad to be here. I am hanging on all of your words. Thanks!

>

>

>

>

>