New Diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism ... and now what???

[karletta]

Hello. 2 days ago I got diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. But where Im leaving (north pole) drs are something. They don't really explain you anythin they just fill you up with pills :-( ...  i have done only 1 blood test and this was enough to put me in hyperthyroidism and with some pills. So my first question is: who severe am i? ... the results were something like this ( i got them on the phone): something called T4v = 34 (range 9-15 or so) TSH = 0.003... then other stuff that i don't know what is it (nor which language is): K 4 / Na 136 / krea 63 / pvk norm / leuk 4.2 / MCV 87 / trom289 / TNT < 13 / fidd norm

Dr could you help me to understand what does that mean????

Initially i was put with bisopropol 2.5mg (Emconcor) once in the morning (this was due to high heart rate, as Im sportswoman im usually 49bpm but now im around 80bpm at rest) ... after results came, doctor (general practitioner) said i should take 2 of emconcor and then Tyrazol (5mg) 2 in the morning and 1 in the evening.

I was directed to endicronologist and will see specialist until next week or so. (i dont know when, they will call me)

But of course im in SUPER panic, because i dont know how serious I am and I have read all those side-effects on tyrazol and i got message also that i should run to emergency if i develop fever.

I got a flu on the same day they prescribed me tyrazol so i haven't taken it and i dont know how safe is. I know it sounds simple "just call the dr and ask" but here were i live is not that simple since is social service. you never get to speak to the same doctor twice.

so i have these very basic questions and also i want to know how i got this and how i know if i have graves disease or not.

one thing that has happened is that i have been under incredible amounts of stress which have peaked since february. (on begining Jan i made a check and my heartbeat was normal) ... i have read that stress can trigger this, but the doctor here said that neither stress nor food has anything to do with hyperthyroidism. This kind of pissed me, is it true???

also i want ot know if there are alternative options other than drugs or radioactive iodine or removal ... ??? i mean, if i want radioactive stuff i could just go to Fukushima i guess...

please help meee to understand how bad am i, if i should worry, what should i do and MAINLY what questions do i have to ask to the specialists? here unfortunately don't tell you anything if you don't ask, and even if you ask sometimes you dont get a good answer. For example, i asked the general practicioner "what happens if i don't treat this" . answer: "that is impossible, you will have to treat it" ...

is there like a place "hyperthyroid for dummies" something that is a reliable source of information ???

also for the drugs and their side effects, im planning to live long life and i don't see myself taking pills all the way...

thanks a lot for your help

K

[Barb135]

The only tests there that are thyroid related are the TSH and FT4, which both indicate hyperthyroidism.

Not, it's not true that FT3 is not needed.  FT3 is the only thyroid hormone that the body can use directly; FT4 must be converted to FT3 prior to use.  

When you see the endo, ask for FT3 and antibody tests to confirm/rule out Graves Disease.

[karletta]

Hi all again

I hope i can get help, i finally got until today the laboratory tests which were perfromed on 13.04 ... and i haven't gotten appointment to endocrinologist because "nurse went on holidays and by mistake we missed the recommendation note from general practitioner" !!!

so, im not sure if it make sense, i think most of abreviations are in latin or so ...


P-K = 4.0      (range: 3.3 - 4.9)
P-Krea = 63  (range: 50 - 90)
P-Na = 136   (range: 137 - 145) -----**
B-PVKT  = "made, of, done, wrought" (it doesn't have a number, perhaps means that exists)
B-Leuk = 4.2 (range 3.4 - 8,2)
B-Eryt = 4.66 (range 3.9 - 5.2)
B-Hb = 135 (range 117 - 155)
B-HKR = 41 (range 35 - 46)
E-MCV = 87 (range 82 - 98)
E-RDW = 13 (range <15)
E-MCH = 29 (range 27 - 33)
E-MCHC = 333 (range 320 - 355)
B-Trom = 289 (range 150 - 360)
P-TnT = <13 (range <50)
S-TSH = 0.003  (range 0.5 - 3.6) --- **
S-T4-V = 34  (range 9 - 19) ---**  (this is free t4 confirmed)
P-FiDD = 0.2  (range < 0.5)


I also asked if they tested for FT3 and they said that is not needed. Is that true?

I have some other questions but will put them on different threats if i can get help understanding this also NA (sodium) that is low and what kind of questions should i ask the specialist

thanks a lot

[karletta]

Yes, it stands for free

And yes, im sure is a flu. Blocked nose, then running nose, sneeze sneeze sneeze, yes normal flu... no sore throat until today with green disgusting phlegms (is that the word?) ... i started with flu on same day when dr called me but i didn't feel that much of a flu until afternoon, therefore, dr didn't know

And no, my stress is absolutely not caused by my hyperthyroidism... in the last few weeks the way i react yes, but the whole stress has been ongoing for pretty long time and unless i managed to lower down my hormones for one day when i made a full examanition last january, i doubt i had it before that. But stress has been there and grew strongly since february and heartbeats and irritable behaivour started end march - beg apr...  i believe otherwise, stress has made my whole life so so so absolutely so accelerated and busy and long days that i guess my body thought needs to cope fast with that and give me more energy fast fast fast ...  but well, that is what i feel ... is like when you eat something that makes your stomach go wrong and later when you think on that one thing you ate, it makes you sick and you know it was that stuff what made you sick ... well the same ...

i will ask tomorrow to get the full exam and post it here and in the meantime, well i hang on ...

thanks again and i'll report back

[Barb135]

I wondered if the "v" might stand for free T4; yes, 34 is very high, when the high end of the range is only 15.  

Are you sure you have a flu or could your "flu" symptoms actually be caused by being hyper?  Being hyper can cause all types of weird things to happen to your body, including the achy, sore feeling one might get with the flu.

Tyrazol is an antithyroid drug; it will help bring down your thyroid hormone levels and should ease your symptoms.  Did you have the flu symptoms when the doctor prescribed the Tyrazol?  If so, he must have thought the benefit would outweigh any drawbacks, but I'm not a doctor and can't advise you on whether or not to begin taking it.  I do know that you will have to treat your hyperthyroidism or it will only continue to get worse; You could end up with thyroid storm, which, I've never had, but from what I've heard, you want to avoid at all costs and it can be life threatening.  You really should go to the ER.

I'm sure your stress is caused, at least in part, by your hyperthyroidism.  

[karletta]

Thank you guys for the answers. I will try to get those results and ranges and post it here so you can help me to understand.

One thing i have figured out is that "v" stands for Free (in native language here, which is not mine, im a foreigner) ...  so, giving that T4v is the same as FT4 (in english) is 34 very bad, extremely serious or bit high or ont so serious or what? (as said the range that i was told was 9-15). Barb you have mentioned that if it's total is very high, what about if it's free?

The dr didn't mentioned anything about T3 and i really doubt they did anything else...

Also, if I have a flu ongoing should I take Tyrazol or not? would it make it worse or better to wait... Here is easter weekend and people won't come back until Tuesday to ask the question and if i could go to emergency of the public hospital but it will be a worthless visit because they will refer me back to the clinic (which will open until tuesday) and say that im not an emergency and i should take the pills as indicated if i get worse then i should go back as an emergency. then they will look after me. I know this because it happened in the past to me. I don't want to risk to be honest.... but what is the risk of not taking them then?

I will come back with the results as soon as i can get them. is a regular practice here not to give you anything either... i don't really know anything else because this is the first time im in a situation like this. Other than the overwhelming stress i have, im a healthy sports person

thanks

[Barb135]

Like FTB4, I recognize the TSH, which is VERY low, but as he said, it's a pituitary hormone and should not be used, alone, to diagnose or treat a thyroid condition.  I also see that you have "T4v" - do you know what the "v" stands for?  I'd have to wonder if that is a Free T4, which is really what we need to know, but even if it's total, yours is still very high.  The others that I recognize are: K = potassium; Na = sodium; MCV = Mean corpuscular volume, which is a measurement of the average size of your Red Blood Cells. Leuk = leukocytes, which are white blood cells, produced to fight disease.  Krea is possibly creatinine (maybe spelled differently in another language), which is used to measure kidney function.  We'd need to know the reference ranges for these tests in order to know if your results are normal or not.

Stress can make the effects of hyperthyroidism much worse, but your doctor is right; neither stress nor food "causes" hyperthyroidism.  Hyperthyroidism is when the thyroid produces too much hormones, and won't stop, in spite of the fact that your pituitary gland says your body has enough, by not producing TSH.  Sometimes this overproduction is caused by nodules on your thyroid that can leak hormone independently of the thyroid; therefore, TSH means nothing.

You need to find out if you have Graves Disease - which is an autoimmune disease in which the body sees the thyroid as foreign and produces antibodies to attack and kill it.  You can find this out with a couple of blood tests - that would be Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPOab) and Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin (TSI); TPOab is also used to diagnose Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.  

You also need to have an ultra sound done on your thyroid to see if you have nodules that may be producing hormone on their own.

In addition, you need a Free T3 test (we abbreviate that as FT3 and I'm not sure what that would look like in your language).  

Not treating hyperthyroidism is really not an option, because it's very detrimental to your body and can cause numerous heart issues; nor are there any alternative medicines to resolve it.  Many people have to have the radioactive iodine, or removal of the thyroid; either one of those will result in hypothyroidism, because the RAI will "kill" your thyroid so it won't produce hormones, and of course, if you have the removal, there can be no hormones produced, without a thyroid.  You will need to start on thyroid hormone replacement, which means a pill once/day........ many of us who are hypo have to take this little pill first thing in the morning -- it keeps us alive!!  

Also, please be aware that there is an eye problem called Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), which is caused by untreated hyperthyroidism.  This can cause bulging eyes, damage to the eye sight, etc........

No one likes the idea of taking daily medication, but if it means the difference between feeling well or not; sight and blindness; or life and death, isn't it worth taking a daily pill?  I mean, after all, many of us take blood pressure meds, vitamins/minerals, etc daily -- I don't understand the reluctance to take a pill that you will provide vital hormones that keep you alive and help you live a normal life.

[FTB4]

There is a book called "Thyroid for Dummies" That is wriiten by a Thyroid MD, I read one of them, it was an older edition, but I am sure they have newer additions available on line,
If you could get the following Lab Results and the reference ranges provided with each from your doctor, members here can give much information regarding your thyroid condition, Please ask your MD for Free T4, Free T3 and TSH and the ranges for each.
I recognize The TSH and the level might indicate Hyper, but you cannot rely on TSH, I do not recognize T4v  Free T4 and Free T3 are most important, TSH is only a Pituitary Hormone, used  by the Pituitary to signal your Thyroid that your system lacks thyroid hormone ie(Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) then your thyroid produces and secretes T4, which is then converted to Free T3 by your body, it is the Free T3 that is the hormone that your body needs to function, this and your symptoms are the telling factors with thyroid, not TSH
Welcome to the Forum and Best Regards FTB4

[karletta]

Forgot to add. The only main symptoms I have are: rapid heartbeat, dry eyes and a bit red, swing moods (like if im in PMS) ... Im taking cerazzette birthcontrol pills since Oct2009, i was told i should not stop them ... With the stress time im facing and depending on the situation (comment or meetings) i get that feeling like when something scares you... i have been anxious sometimes but i can't tell if it's something new or not ...  i don't have tremors, or not that i have noticed
I've been using also for a loooong loooong period of time tiger oinment and moov (wintergreen oil) in my neck for tension.... more intensively since feb (almost every night)