The MakeMeThinner Support Forum

[dede4wd]

Hi,
Anyone have any experience with themselves, family or friends having hyperthyroidism? My Mom was just diagnosed and she's being given the option of:

1. Pills daily to control it (one side effect is that the pills affect bone density)
2. The radioactive iodine pill to "kill" part of the thyroid. Potential pills for life.
3. Surgery to remove the thyroid and then pills to regulate thyroid for life.

I'm starting to do research now. Just wondering if anyone had any experience with this.

Thanks!

DeDe

[Mike]

No experience with it myself. When I was a kid they tested me for hypothyroidism. I prayed hard that it was the cause of my obesity. .:sigh:. no such luck....

[MusicalMomma]

Can I just suggest she see a holisitc doctor before taking those synthetic drugs or having it removed? Just a suggestion. I don't know much about it except for there are A LOT of thyroids being removed and treated too aggressively out there.

A friend of mine had a problem with hers and fortunately her father is a surgeon. Her dad explained to her, that with all the malpractice suites out there, some docs tend to radically treat this condition for fear of it "possibly" turning cancerous and them getting slapped with a law suit. I don't know if her condition was actually Hyperthyroidism, but apparently some docs tend to treat too much and too fast. (According to my friend).

So all of that is simply vaigue second hand knowledge...but I do know that she went to a holistic doctor and problem solved! (Don't know how long it too tho.)

[mellowmom]

ooh ooh I do I do...

I was diagnosed with it about 9 years ago. Just started out of the blue. All of a sudden my heart started racing, broke out in cold clammy sweats for no reason, and then (the one thing that I liked about the whole experience) I started losing weight! Lost 20 pounds in one month! Wasn't eating or doing anything different...but I felt like I was going to die.

Finally dragged myself to the doctor and he took one look at me and said he was pretty sure my thyroid was running amuck. Lab tests confirmed his spot diagnosis. Apparently my thyroid levels were off the charts...

He recommended that I have my thyroid destroyed and go on synthroid. Now, at the time my resting heart rate was around 150... I felt like crap and just did what I was told. (Though part of me was thinking..."gee, maybe if I can just hang on for another 5 months likes this I could lose 100 pounds!!)

Had the irradiation done. Now the kicker was I didn't need to go on any type of thyroid medication for over a year because I had so much of the enzyme in my body..stored in my fat.

I now take levothroid daily. I feel fine, my thyroid levels are fine. But, to tell you the truth, I wish I had looked into a more holistic or less invasive way to treat it. The problem for me was that I felt sooooo terrible, I just wanted the sweats, shaking, and racing heart to stop ASAP so I went for the "quick fix".

Hope this helps... email me if you want to discuss further.

Carmel

[dede4wd]

Thank you so much for your posts! We're all doing research and I know she's going for a second opinion (her only symptom is being hot and having a slightly elevated heart rate), they found it from blood tests.

I will definitely suggest consulting with a holistic doctor as well...thank you so much! Carmel, what was it like? Did they have to do it more than once?

DeDe

[Ct. Yankee]

Hi DeDe, I have Grave's(hyperthyroidism). Like your Mom, I was always hot, had lost weight, and felt like I was jumping out of my skin, sought help, BP and heart rate were found off the charts and thyroid serum studies were out of whack. WaLa, hyperthyroidism. Usually, Tapazole is prescribed to quiet down the thyroid hormone excretion. If that doesn't work, then irradiation is suggested. The problem with Tapazole is that it is not really recommended for long term use because it causes undesirable sides. The thyroid regulates the body's metabolism. If it isn't functioning properly, neither is the rest of the body.

I went for the irradiation, but needed a second larger dose of radiation, which was successful, and now take Synthroid daily. Synthroid is for long term use and has relatively few side effects. I have never felt better and am happy that I chose the treatment I did. Others might want to give holistic medicine a try. But, that isn't for me. Surgery should be the very last option, unless the physician suggests it. Hope this helps, Dee.
Joan

[mellowmom]

Regarding the irradiation. Just had it done once. We chose a Friday, because once you have it done, you pretty well have to stay away from people for I believe it's 72 hours. You especially need to avoid contact with children during this period. I was told to use separate utensils, bedding and even had to be careful when using the "facilities" in the house..double flushing and all that stuff. Clothes were to be washed separately from the rest of the household's. I remember joking with the doctor and asking him if I was going to be glowing in the dark?

The process was kinda spooky. You wait in this sealed room and you see the technician bring this cylindrical vial into another room. He was wearing what looked like a Haz-Mat outfit and was carring the "pill" contained in this metal cylinder with tongs and was wearing gloves!!! I remember thinking, My God! if he's using all this safety equipment just to bring it into a room, what's it going to do inside of me???

He opened the cylinder and placed it on a little tray along with a glass of water which was then placed in one of those "pass-through" windows. He left and then this disembodied voice told me to open the little door, take the capsule and drink it down with the water. I was then ushered through a security exit and told to go directly home and pretty much keep to myself for 72 hours. Almost forgot.. prior to going into the room, I was given an information sheet which pretty much outlined what was going to happen, so I wouldn't freak out over the safety concerns.

That's about it. Nothing hurt. Like I said, I didn't have to go on thyroid meds for nearly a year, until my body rid itself of the stored up thyroid enzymes. I could really tell when I started to become deficient, because I became really listless and would fall asleep in the middle of the day.

So I take a little blue pill every morning when I get up. I have to take it at least 1 hour before i have any MF products with Soy, so typically I start my morning off with a chai or cappucino or hot cocoa, just to be safe.

Hope this helps. If there's anything else you want to know or have any questions, please feel free to IM or email me.

Carmel

[Ct. Yankee]

In addition to the radioactive precautions, I was instructed to board my little Maltese dog for a few days. While I was making like a hermit at home or keeping ten feet away from people for a couple of days, he was having a great time at the doggie spa!
Joan

[Jan]

Hi DeDe,
My thyroid went bonkers too... I lost 25 pounds in three weeks .. didn't sleep at all and thought my heart was gonna pound thru my chest... but then it calmed down and now it's fine .. runs a bit high but nothing like before. It came on suddenly and then left. I do know it can be quite serious though... raise your blood pressure, rapid heart rate and enlarge the thyroid. Plus you can spent lots of time in the potty. Some people get really really shaky too. I think a second opinion is great!! I'll be praying that your mom will make the right decision. I think it's probably not something to play around with.
jan

[dede4wd]

Thanks everyone,

My Mom has the link and she's reading the thread!

DeDe

[dedesmom]

This is DeDe's Mom - I am looking forward to getting more information and a second opinion. The internet can scare you to death!

[bikipatra]

This is DeDe's Mom - I am looking forward to getting more information and a second opinion. The internet can scare you to death!

WE love DeDe! I hope you find all the information you need to get well.

[dede4wd]

Thanks to everyone being so helpful for my mum! She's going to a specialist to see what's what!

DeDe