# I look like a Blow Fish....



## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

Its been a while since I posted my results and WAS doing so great since Sept. 14th (RAI treatment). Well...not so great now! :sad0049:The last couple of weeks I seen a huge change in me, as we all know about my extreme hair loss (which has stopped now )but my eyes got puffy, my whole body is swollen, like I ate Thanksgiving 5x's, (by the way hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving ) extreme fatigue, dry..dry skin, heart rate dropped to 50, freezing cold, depressed...Called my dr. immediately, went in and she said by just looking at me she believed I finally hit my hypo stage. I did blood work yesterday (which has been 4 weeks since the last one) and sure enough I am now HYPO! Happy I am there, but feeling miserable. The weight, water, fluid whatever you want to call it, hit me like bricks!! I feel like I am on a roller-coaster from extreme hyper to now the low of hypo. Wow...is what I have to say!!! I can see why others say negative responses about RAI. Overall, its great, easy, but the last transition of the RAI is tough. I am thinking positive and I know I am almost there now. I believe my next stage is just getting the right dosage for myself and life goes on! No regrets on RAI, but the end is tough to get through.

As of 9/28; TSH 0.01, T4 Free 1.3, T3 Free 3.3  
As of 10/28; TSH 0.01, T4 Free 1.8, T3 Free 3.7 ~ Normal; T4Free 0.8-1.8
As of 12/3; TSH 32.61, T4Free 0.3, T3 Free 0.6 ~ Normal; T3Free 2.3-4.2

Ok...that RAI really kicked in towards the last 10-12 weeks! I was told by my Nuclear Dr. it would, boy did it ever! hugs4 Thanks for listening to me  xo


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## GD Women (Mar 5, 2007)

Ya, the hypo stage is pretty rough. Mine lasted about two years. Don't want to discourage you but it does get better. Be faithful in your appointments and in taking your med. Eventually you will arrive at the TSH level that you feel your best, perhaps not a 100% but pretty close. And your TSH level is specifically yours no matter where that is in your labs reference range. One shoes does not fit all, likewise TSH level.

Hang in there and keep the faith that it does get better.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

AndiB said:


> Its been a while since I posted my results and WAS doing so great since Sept. 14th (RAI treatment). Well...not so great now! :sad0049:The last couple of weeks I seen a huge change in me, as we all know about my extreme hair loss (which has stopped now )but my eyes got puffy, my whole body is swollen, like I ate Thanksgiving 5x's, (by the way hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving ) extreme fatigue, dry..dry skin, heart rate dropped to 50, freezing cold, depressed...Called my dr. immediately, went in and she said by just looking at me she believed I finally hit my hypo stage. I did blood work yesterday (which has been 4 weeks since the last one) and sure enough I am now HYPO! Happy I am there, but feeling miserable. The weight, water, fluid whatever you want to call it, hit me like bricks!! I feel like I am on a roller-coaster from extreme hyper to now the low of hypo. Wow...is what I have to say!!! I can see why others say negative responses about RAI. Overall, its great, easy, but the last transition of the RAI is tough. I am thinking positive and I know I am almost there now. I believe my next stage is just getting the right dosage for myself and life goes on! No regrets on RAI, but the end is tough to get through.
> 
> As of 9/28; TSH 0.01, T4 Free 1.3, T3 Free 3.3
> As of 10/28; TSH 0.01, T4 Free 1.8, T3 Free 3.7 ~ Normal; T4Free 0.8-1.8
> ...


You definitely are in hypo-land.My goodness. I don't evenknow why a doctor would let that happen to that extreme.

That said, what thyroxine replacement are you on and how much per day? I hope you can pull out this quickly. It ain't purty!


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## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

Hi Andros....

It happened all of a sudden. It had nothing to do with the Dr. It was just my body and when it responded to the RAI. I was going every 4 weeks for blood work. I would say right around Turkey day is when I was actually really feeling horrible and noticing a difference. I told myself, one more week and I go for blood work and that is what I did. I probably should have gone that week vs waiting another week? I ended up in the end like this. Yes...quite horrible! I took my first Levoxyl 50mcg this morning at 7:30am. Wow...just one pill and I feel a difference. Some of the swelling/puffiness already went away. I respond very well with meds. This is why I told my nuclear DR. when he gives me the RAI pill to be conservative on my dosage and I was right. I only received 7.76 mm. He wanted to do 9-12 mm. Thanks for always responding and giving your advise. You are quite wonderful on this board (everyone is) and always know the right thing to say/respond to. Talk soon


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## positive (Oct 25, 2010)

Thanks for sharing your experience. This is the 6th week of my RAI (10/19). My hyperthyroid was worsen after the RAI. I am still taking 10mg of Propranolol twice a day. My heart will race without the medication. But at the mean time, my eyes are getting puffy and I feel bloated. I don't feel hungry any more. I think I am approaching to the Hypo Land. I am nervous about this and regret about the RAI. I wish I could undo this.

I had my first blood test on 12/2. Will keep you update. I hope you feel better soon.


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## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

Hi positive...Dont be nervous or regrets. There is really not alot of options/treatments to choose from and I think RAI is still the best. It is a hard transition, but I know a couple of gals at my work that had it done 15 years ago and they are doing so well. Once their hormone dosage was right for them they only had to adjust it one time out of the 15 years. They both feel GREAT! It is scary and just stay POSITIVE about it. We regret things at times because we get scared and to be quite honest...I felt so good with RAI I had no idea I was going to fall like this. It was scary and I feel miserable bloaded and puffy, but it shall pass too. Its all a transition. Staying hyper is not good either. I couldnt take any of the meds because it was effecting my liver. My only choices were RAI or surgery and for ME (not everyone) would rather still have some kind of thyroid function compare to none with surgery. I was told by a surgeon that they will take most of the thyroid with surgery. I was kind of going negative myself today with the whole RAI thing and because how I have been feeling these last few days. I am sure it is normal, because we dont feel good and we all have gone through different, bumpy roads. Hang in there  I will too! We are almost to the finish line as my friends tell me. 
After the RAI my GD got better, but I was still taking propanolol 10 mg myself for the same rapid heart rate. I guess when I started to go hypo the heart rate dropped to 50 and I was still taking the propanolol. I usually carry my blood pressure machine on a harness with me (haha) but I havent like I use to and something told me to take it out and see what it was. I was shocked! Thank goodness I did. I called my Dr immediately! You probably are getting the dumping of hormone in your bloodstream, so the heart continues to race like it does. I love not having that darn heart beat in my ears. It was driving me crazy. I had it 24/7. Talk soon...and promise to stay POSITIVE


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## positive (Oct 25, 2010)

Hi, Thread,
I posted a reply to you two days ago, I did not see it posted. So I am going to rewrite it again. 
First of all, thank you so much for your encouragement, I really appreciated it and I needed it. My blood test result for my 6th week, TSH is 0.008, Free T4 is 3.72. The T4 is much higher than before I had my RAI. So my radiologist Dr. and my endo wanted me to get another RAI with stronger dosage. The one I had on 10/19 was 19.2. I told my doctors that I wanted to wait, they decided to let me wait until Jan. 2011. (my eighth week of RAI). At the meantime, I was told to take 10mg Propranolol twice a day plus 10 mg of Methimezole. I felt a little disappointed with the outcome. I am not too sure if I want another RAI. I wonder if any one had gone through what I am going through right now. Thank you again, I hope you feel better each day and be a new person soon.


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## AndiB (Sep 7, 2010)

Hi....You are so welcome. But I think I ate my own POSITIVE words! I am sorry I did not respond to you right away. I had some issues of my own. My dr put me on Levoxyl, 50mcg. The pharmacy asked me if I wanted GENERIC/BRAND. I said, GENERIC. Well, I took a pill, at 1am in the morning my tongue, throat, body was swollen. I called the dr. immediately and she was in shock. She said to take a benadryl, suck on ice cubes for an hr and call her back. If the swelling is not down in a hr I would need to go to emergency. Ok....I broke down in tears! The swelling went down and luckily I didnt have to go to emergency.

Next day, my dr said to take the brand name of Levoxyl, because there could be a filler in the GENERIC formula I am allergic to. So I did and the swelling happened again. Yes...I was in a panic....thinking the worse of everything.

There was a sauce I ordered called Lizano sauce from Costa Rica (that I have eatened before) that I ate at the same time I started my meds for thyroid. So maybe it is the sauce, because for two days now I have been off all meds, no swelling. I ate the sauce last night and woke up this morning with all the swelling again. UGH!!!! Because of the severness of the swelling. My dr. is going to send me to an allergist to see what I am allergic to. Now if it is the thyroid medicine, they will need to make a compound for me. I am not allergic to the T3 and T4 natural hormone, it is the fillers/inactive ingredients I am allergic to.

Friday morning I start Synthroid 1/2 of 25mcg, starting me off slowly . I pray this works and my healing begins! It has been very challenging and I really do try to stay positive, but I sure didn't the last two days!

I wish you a very Happy Holiday and hang in there. I only received 7.76 RAI and we were worried it did nothing, but towards the end of the 10-12 weeks it sure kicked in. I just got off my propranolol about two weeks ago. I think I am getting anxiety though from my daily challenges. Hugs.... Please keep me posted!

I think Andros had more than 1 RAI? Maybe ask her. I wrote a private message to her the other day with all I was going through. She is a so informative and sweet. Thank you Andros!!!


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## positive (Oct 25, 2010)

I am so sorry to hear what you have been through. And I am glad that you have found what was the cause. I hope you are feeling better now. As for myself, I decided to wait until January (will be my three months on 1/19/2011).
Hopefully, I will become hypo. Any way, I wish you a very happy holidays. Will keep you update. Take care.


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