# Thyroid Hormone Fluctuations?



## DustingMyselfOff (May 17, 2013)

Hi there.
I've had Graves for over 6 years, went into remission once, and am now scheduled for surgery July 16th. Tired of fighting with this thing so it has to go.

The last time I was on Methimazole for a few years I felt great once we found the right level and I remained feeling that way until I was able to wean off and go into remission. After I came out of remission, I'm having a harder time finding the right level of Methimazole but I think we found it after 5 dose increases.

What confuses me, though, is that I can feel OK for a few days or even a week but then have "episodes" where I feel like I got hit by a truck, shaking, exhausted, panicky, etc. and then it lasts for 2-3 days (but less severe). The first time I thought I caught a bug, the next time I thought it was a hypoglycemic type of thing, and now this time, I'm stumped. They just come out of nowhere with no rhyme or reason.

I guess my question is, even though my labs are finally in the normal range and I feel OK for the most part, might I still be getting surges or spikes of thyroid hormone that make me feel bad for a day or two?

I'm hoping that's the case and that this will all be a thing of the past in 6 months or so.

Thanks in advance.
Sue


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

DustingMyselfOff said:


> Hi there.
> I've had Graves for over 6 years, went into remission once, and am now scheduled for surgery July 16th. Tired of fighting with this thing so it has to go.
> 
> The last time I was on Methimazole for a few years I felt great once we found the right level and I remained feeling that way until I was able to wean off and go into remission. After I came out of remission, I'm having a harder time finding the right level of Methimazole but I think we found it after 5 dose increases.
> ...




Sorry to hear you have Graves'. Surgery is the best thing happening as far as I am concerned. Had I known, I would have never done anti-thyroid meds for almost 2 years.

The antibodies wax and wane; that could account for the ups and downs.

Have you been on a beta-blocker? Are you currently on anti-thyroid meds?

Are your eyes okay? Do you have a goiter?


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## DustingMyselfOff (May 17, 2013)

Thanks for the reply... I think I'm hoping this terrible feeling IS my thyroid so that I can count on them going away after the surgery. Right now I am very anxious, panic attacks, diarrhea, etc. It all kinda points to my thyroid (didn't sleep well last night, extremely hungry but sick to my stomach, etc.)

I am on Methimazole (12.5 mgs. day) and I do have beta blockers for "as needed" and took one an hour ago. Very low dose, though.... 10 mg. of Propranolol.

I have had a goiter for over 25 years and might have slight eye symptoms: more sensitive to light, difficulty changing focus, some blurriness, etc.

It scares me how suddenly this hits and how hard it takes me down.... it's hard to make plans or even stay functional. I am counting the days til surgery but if it's not my thyroid causing this I need to find another source so that I can fix it!
Sue


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## DustingMyselfOff (May 17, 2013)

While I was Googling to see if I could find other instances of hormone bursts one of those online doctor question/answer things popped up. I went for it, asked my question, and got the following answer:

It would be most unlikely that this is occurring while on methimazole. To the best of my knowledge, there is no published literature that suggests this could be happening. Methimazole is generally fairly effective in controlling thyroid overproduction. Once the lab tests show steady normal levels of thyroid hormones and TSH, it is assumed that this is a stable condition.

However, there is a condition called pheochromocytoma (typically from a benign tumor of the adrenal glands) in which affected individuals report experiencing spells of heart racing, chest pain, shortness of breath. If you wish to be tested for this, request your doctor to check your blood for 'plasma fractionated metanephrines'. This is a good screening test to begin with.

for more information on Grave's disease, the following links may be useful:

http://www.gdatf.org/

http://www.hormone.org/questions-and-answers/2012/graves-disease

www.thyroid.org

It's not the one I wanted to hear. I want this to be Graves Disease related..... I am so tired of feeling badly and never knowing why or how to make it better. 

Sue


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## webster2 (May 19, 2011)

Hi Sue, 
I think you will find your stamina and ability to plan on doing things will increase after the surgery. I agree with Andros that the antibodies wax and wane. My endo feels I had Graves for 20 years and was undiagnosed. By the time I was diagnosed, I was a mess. It will be 2 years in July since I had the surgery and I feel great. It took awhile and tweaking of medication but it is doable. Best wishes to you!


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

I'm thinking your thyroid is dying off and sending out random bursts of thyroid hormone.

I never could stabilize on anti thyroid medications - adjusting monthly and finally gave up after 4/5 years on Tapazole.

My life has gotten "normal" again.


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## DustingMyselfOff (May 17, 2013)

You guys are great - that's the kind of answers I wanted to hear - thank you so much! I almost don't mind feeling badly if I know why and I have a valid reason for it.... it's when I can't figure out the cause that I even feel worse, mentally and physically.

I'm thrilled to hear that you think the thyroid hormones wax and wane because that's exactly what my body feels like. I just hate that the doctor says it doesn't, but what do they know. :tongue0015:

I'm not sure why my thyroid would be dying off but if for some reason it is, that would explain the unexplained dumps and surges. Maybe after 25 years of having a goiter it's gotten tired.

I imagine I should expect that the week before surgery I may feel a lot of this if I am to take those SSKI drops to suppress/kill it.

Thanks again for replying and making me feel better.
Sue


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## Lovlkn (Dec 20, 2009)

I thought the SSKI seemed to calm everything down prior to my surgery.

You will feel so much better once they do the TT.

Proper replacement is key - Free t-4 and free T-3 are the only tests you should use to dose yourself post op.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

DustingMyselfOff said:


> Thanks for the reply... I think I'm hoping this terrible feeling IS my thyroid so that I can count on them going away after the surgery. Right now I am very anxious, panic attacks, diarrhea, etc. It all kinda points to my thyroid (didn't sleep well last night, extremely hungry but sick to my stomach, etc.)
> 
> I am on Methimazole (12.5 mgs. day) and I do have beta blockers for "as needed" and took one an hour ago. Very low dose, though.... 10 mg. of Propranolol.
> 
> ...


It would be a good idea to see a Board Certified Ophthalmologist as it does sound like you have eye involvement and there is much that can be done to keep that under control.

http://www.caleyes.com/webdocuments/...ease_paper.pdf


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## DustingMyselfOff (May 17, 2013)

Andros said:


> It would be a good idea to see a Board Certified Ophthalmologist as it does sound like you have eye involvement and there is much that can be done to keep that under control.
> 
> http://www.caleyes.com/webdocuments/...ease_paper.pdf


I saw an opthalmologist about a week before I realized I had gone hyper again. I was having some problems with focus and figured I was due for an exam since it had been several years. I never even thought to ask about possible TED as I had never even considered that to be a problem for me; a I had pretty much forgotten about my thyroid since I was in remission for a few years.

Would he have noticed anything "off" during the exam or is it something they have to specifically test and search for?
Sue


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