# Graves or something else?



## nanettesw (Jan 6, 2011)

I posted this on the introduction forum too, not sure if anyone will see it there. I am new here and this is what has been going on.

I went to the Dr 6 months ago due to really heavy and long (6 weeks+) periods. When he asked me if I had any other symptoms I let him know that I also suffered from depression, anxiety, irritated skin, weight gain, and tired all the time. (all of which I had attributed to the stress of having 1 year old twins)

He said that it sounded like my thyroid and had my TSH and FT4 tested and determined that I was Hypothyroid and put me on levothyroxine. I started to feel a lot better except that I had a fast heart rate and palpitations.

After 6 weeks, labs were repeated and my medication was dropped to 50 micrograms.

Another 6 weeks, labs repeated and my meds were reduced to 25 micrograms. And after 4 weeks I was still appearing as Hyperthyroid on lab results and was taken off meds altogether, and was told to come back for labs in 6 weeks.

Well, I felt so good that in about 10 weeks I finally remembered that I needed to go in for some labs and was still Hyperthyroid.

Had some more blood work done and an uptake scan and was told today that It looks like have graves. Here are my most recent results.

Tsh .005 ref range .5 - 4.7
FT4 1.5 ref range .7 - 1.8
FT3 (not sure of the numbers but within normal range)
uptake scan 26 % at 6 hours (elevated)33 % at 24 hours (upper normal)
no nodules and was homogeneous something (don't have paper in front of me)
TSI again, not sure of the actual # but was elevated

So I still feel good for the most part. I am still not losing weight but not gaining either. I have a slight tremor and my periods have become almost non existent. (which I don't mind)

My Dr did nothing else but told me to come back in 3 months for another Tsh FT4 & FT3 for monitoring.

So, do I have graves? (my doc never actually came out and said it) and if so why was I hypo 6 months ago and should I be getting more tests done or is going back in 3 months sufficient.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

Graves can wax and wane for years. If you have TSI, that would indicate Graves along with your symptoms. 
Have you had Anti-thyroglobulin antibodies, TPO, or ANA tested? These would help you know if you also have Hashi's which would explain thy hypothyroid episode.
I am concerned that your doc did nothing and just told you to come back in 3 months, especially with your symptoms. The tremor is not a good sign. Untreated Graves can get very dangerous because it stresses out the heart. It may be that your doc does not think you need any meds since your T3 and T4 are in range, but your TSH is really low. You may need some anti-thyroid meds to bring down your antibody levels, and a beta blocker can help with the heart palpitations and tremor.

http://www.ngdf.org/
if you scroll down on the left, there is a link to an article about treatment options for Graves.

Please read this article on thyroid storm. It can develop quickly and it's important to know the signs. I got very sick before my doc was willing to do anything which landed me in the hospital for several days and left me unable to function for months. 
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/thyroid-storm


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## nanettesw (Jan 6, 2011)

Thank you for your response. I think I may try to contact an endo dr and see what they think. The dr I am seeing is my obgyn that I have loved and trusted through many pregnancies but I am wondering now if he is trying to take on something he knows very little about. There is no endo in the area I live and would have to travel much further to see one but it may be worth it.


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## lavender (Jul 13, 2010)

You do not have to see an endo to have thyroid issues treated. There are competent GPs who are willing to test for and treat thyroid disease. You may want to start there and see if the GP wants to refer you after doing initial testing to save you from having to do lots of travel.


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## greatdanes (Sep 25, 2010)

Can't add much, but just wanted to piggy back off what lavendar stated. You can have both hashi and graves. I tested positive for all three ab's! Thankfully I don't ''swing'', and I'm euthyroid(without meds) for the most part. I have found that whatever doc/endo you are seeing (mainly the gp's will do this) will diagnose you according to your labs and not factor in antibodies. I had a hyper episode last yr and all the GP's diagnosed me hyperthyroid, but my endos suspected it was hashi thyroiditis. They were right. While I do have graves, it's my hashi ab's that were elevated, so the hashi antibodies were/are dominating. The AB's were dumping the hormone into my bloodstream causing me to be hyper for about 4 weeks.


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