Guest guest Posted January 31, 2003 Report Share Posted January 31, 2003 Hi Again Virginia- Yeap- Sounds like what happened to me. Only my heart stopped for a while. Unfortunately, I had my husband with me when I went into see the doctor after one episode of cardiac arrest. My husband listened to what the doctor was saying- " the discussion had to be made now. Blah blah blah... " . Then HE tried to talk me into surgery/RAI all the way home - 40 minutes of me yelling and him yelling. He was afraid I'd " die on " him. Surgery would have been my choice if drugs don't bring me into remission. The thyroid grows back so I wouldn't loose my body's ability completely, yet there are so few expert surgeons for this procedure in this area. What I found was the first 3 weeks that I was on tapazole was all wrong. The doctor started me out at 20mgs a day (10 X2). A week later he raised that to a total of 30mgs a day, then again a week after that he raised it to 40mgs a day. I actually think he would have kept raising it until I did have a reaction. 2 months later- I still had the prescription after talking with some of those here who have experience with the drugs- I started taking small doses at first (2.5 mgs a day) and only raise the amounts by 2.5mgs. I'm up to 10mgs a day. There are people who have taken the drugs for 15+ years. The benefits (I see) in using the drugs is -possible remission; easy to adjust according to need; cheaper. Some questions for you - Do you have your lab results? Are you mild / medium / very hyper? What dose were you on? How long on it and how much did they raise the amount? Are you on propranolol? It helps to reduce the damage happening to your body. Smart doctors dish it out first. If not you have to ask for it. You'll find that anything hyperT you go through - someone here has gone through already. You might want to read about some experiences with surgery, RAI and using the drugs in previous posts and some of the links listed on iThyroid.com Good luck- and hope you''re sleeping better. (But I know it'll be a while before sleep comes easy.) Sherry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted January 31, 2003 Report Share Posted January 31, 2003 ]hello again, i was on the meds for , about a week each. mine was deffanitly a reaction. i dont know what i am . i have had a bunch of test done but i dont know what they all mean or the results of them. all i know is my tsh levels, but thats not very helpful i was .34 a couple weeks ago, last week i was .21. but i dont know what i am now. im kind of brain dead right now this is short. i am on tenormin to help me. but thats about it. bye virginia Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to radioactive iodine. " Think about it! Terry Hi Terry- I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going full circle. Sherry PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery verse meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to radioactive iodine. " Think about it! Terry Hi Terry- I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going full circle. Sherry PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery verse meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to radioactive iodine. " Think about it! Terry Hi Terry- I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going full circle. Sherry PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery verse meds. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Sherry, My mom, in 1946, had a thyroidectomy due to cancer--and a huge scar from it that she covered with scarves from then on. But I recently met someone who had a 'modern' version of the surgery, and she had to tell me she'd had the surgery before I even noticed the tiny scar at the base of her neck. Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, given what we see here from people who've had RAI and are miserable from it. I know I'm on an anti-RAI bandwagon even though I never had it imposed on me, but do read the 'top 20 reasons not to have RAI' list on the home page. It is compelling. Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to radioactive iodine. " Think about it! Terry > From: Andow2000@... > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 12:01:11 EST > To: graves_support > Subject: my allergies to the medications > > I'll just inject a little something here about why I didn't decide on surgery > - I'm 47. My husband is 15 years younger than me. He said it wouldn't bother > him if I looked like a enstein (slit & stitched ear to ear). But you > know- I really care how I look. I thought about wearing turtlenecks the rest > of my life and that was enough for me. Maybe someday I will decide to go that > route, maybe one day I'll take the RAI - but not right now, and not until I > have given the meds every chance to do what they do. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Hi Sherry, I was reacting to your saying you might do RAi one day rather than have to do surgery. I'm all for meds (which I'm on and have been for a long time). They do work, although sometimes in mysterious ways. Terry dx. '94, Tap 7.5 mg/day right now > From: Andow2000@... > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 17:40:00 EST > To: graves_support > Subject: Re: my allergies to the medications > > Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, > > Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against > 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's > digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: > " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection > against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near > nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to > prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to > radioactive iodine. " > > Think about it! > > Terry > > Hi Terry- > I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of > surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He > didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I > heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do > the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a > while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going > full circle. > Sherry > PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery > verse meds. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Hi Sherry, I was reacting to your saying you might do RAi one day rather than have to do surgery. I'm all for meds (which I'm on and have been for a long time). They do work, although sometimes in mysterious ways. Terry dx. '94, Tap 7.5 mg/day right now > From: Andow2000@... > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 17:40:00 EST > To: graves_support > Subject: Re: my allergies to the medications > > Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, > > Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against > 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's > digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: > " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection > against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near > nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to > prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to > radioactive iodine. " > > Think about it! > > Terry > > Hi Terry- > I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of > surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He > didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I > heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do > the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a > while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going > full circle. > Sherry > PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery > verse meds. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Hi Sherry, I was reacting to your saying you might do RAi one day rather than have to do surgery. I'm all for meds (which I'm on and have been for a long time). They do work, although sometimes in mysterious ways. Terry dx. '94, Tap 7.5 mg/day right now > From: Andow2000@... > Reply-To: graves_support > Date: Sat, 1 Feb 2003 17:40:00 EST > To: graves_support > Subject: Re: my allergies to the medications > > Vanity vs. misery...that seems to be the choice you are potentially making, > > Today's SF Chron has an article on using Prussian blue as an Rx against > 'dirty bomb' radiation 'cause it binds with the radioactive stuff in one's > digestive system and moves it out--here's a pertinent quote to think about: > " Currently, there is only one commonly available medication for protection > against radiation, a drug called potassium iodide that people who live near > nuclear reactors often keep on hand in case of an attack or accident--to > prevent thyroid cancer by shielding the thyroid gland from exposure to > radioactive iodine. " > > Think about it! > > Terry > > Hi Terry- > I know I'm vane. I just know that. The doctor told me about the risk of > surgery - sciatic nerve/calcium imbalance. But all I heard was scarring. He > didn't say it would be small but he did say it would be painful. But all I > heard was I would be on medications after surgery anyway. . so why would I do > the surgery if then I would be hypoT and take meds, then be " normal for a > while, " then be hyperT again. Seemed pointless. And a scar to mark for going > full circle. > Sherry > PS. I'm thinking about it- but I thought the discussion was about surgery > verse meds. > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 Hi Virginia. If you have any of your bloodwork available, see if after the results (TSH -.21 in your case) it lists normal ranges. Then, when you send in results, also tell us what is normal for that test. Labs vary a bit but the principle in interpreting them is the same. Did you have anything else besides TSH tested? At the very minimum you should also have a Free (not Total) T4 done too. Hope you have a restful, energizing weekend, Fay ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 1, 2003 Report Share Posted February 1, 2003 > I'll just inject a little something here about why I didn't decide > on surgery (slit & stitched ear to ear). > But you > know- I really care how I look. I thought about wearing turtlenecks > the rest > of my life and that was enough for me. I don't want to make light of this; some people I'm sure do have heavy scarring. But a friend of mine who had a thyroidectomy due to thyroid cancer agrees with my hunch that the only people likely to pick up on a scar are medical professionals and others who've been through it too. Take care ,Fay ________________________________________________________________ Sign Up for Juno Platinum Internet Access Today Only $9.95 per month! Visit www.juno.com Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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