Condtions affecting thyroid function and chemotherapy

[Mommy Too]

Is there a known condition, syndrome, or disease (common or rare) that affects thyroid function whereby the first line of treatment would be daily oral and weekly injections?  If so, what is the name of this

[willows]

Well, I'm an old lady, have known about my Hep C for about 5 years now and I can tell you that your decision NOT to share your illness within your professional circle seems to be a darn good one to me.  My family has serious issues with my Hep C, I have family that won't kiss me anymore or use the towels at my house, used to hurt me, but not any more.  And I damn sure wouldn't tell anyone at my workplace (if I worked) only because life is hard enough without casual acquaintances making judgements about a virus that we know so little about.

We are kind of at the beginning of the Hep C public awareness and acceptance arc, much like HIV was 25 years ago.  I love these forums, they are a place to speak freely, but it is not time for a new mom to be a pioneer yet, beyond the new VX950 treatment you are going to try.  Congrats on getting into a trial, I will not be able to try it for a while as I am not treatment-naive (never done treatment) and VX 950 is not available for non-responders like me yet.  Soon, tho, I just know it.

I can also empathize about your suffering with your thryoid, man, do I feel like crud.  In my wildest dreams, I never believed I could feel worse than when I was on chemo (interferon), but I am feeling worse these days, and am fairly sure it is my thyroid.  Good luck on your tx, everybody responds differently and I will talk with you soon.  Take care.
Willow

[Mommy Too]

Hi Willows,

You did not offend me at all.  Thank you for addressing my question.  I do hope they get your thyroid problems corrected and am very sorry you were not able to make it through treatment.  I hope they can address your problems and if you decide you to try again your treatment may be successful.

I do know other conditions that receive weekly injects and daily pills.  An aquantance of mine just completed this treatment for breast cancer.  Just not sure about conditions that are can be related to the thyroid.  I too have vascilated between hyper and hypo....after I gave birth to my now 3 year old son I was hypo for three years with no insurance and the only clinic here that would accept my medicaid had a tsh cutoff of >5 (outdated lab standards - even according the the CDC) and I was only 3.87......and misrable (I even had a history of the condition + my biological mom has history and they still would not treat!).  One of my favorite statements with regard to thyroid is from Dharma Singh Khalsa, M.D. (author Food as Medicine) who states "the problem is that many conventional doctors don't treat the problem until the patient has been suffering needlessly for too long.  Why? Because they pay too much attention to the laboratory value of the thyroid hormone rather than the patient's symptoms.  I always ask, are you going to treat the number or the patient?" I did finally receive treatment after finishing grad school and getting a job with insurance.  I am much better now.  I hope the same will be true for you soon.  

People do not realize how serious the suffering can be from hypothyroidism.   I know at one point the skin on my feet was so tender from cracks and dryness it hurt to put an presure on my peds....something not good as a single mom of a beautifully active toddler:)

Willows, like you I have hep c and have been to the other forum.  I have not yet begun treatment but plan to start the 48 week plan in early September so that I will be able to take part in the vx-950 (protasase inhibitor) study being conducted at a local hospital.  Unlike you, I am not brave enough to tell people what I am being treated 4 (except a precious few) because I am afraid of the stigmatism.  The city where I live is a "small" big city and there are tight professional circles.  I am just beginning my professional career and I am afraid that a decision I made in high school to get a homemade tatoo has the potential to hurt me professionally and that means hurting my sweet baby son and I will not have it.  This is why I am posting my question to the good doctor.  Everyone knows I have suffered from thyroid problems and it is obvious I am better (gee hair not falling out, feet look good, skin is clear and I dropped 30 pounds in 6 less than six months because of treatment).  So I need a reason why I am going on chemotherapy.  I guess I will have to repost my question to the doctor to get a response because he/I did not make my question clear enough the first time and it does not appear he will come back to this thread.  

I do visit the other forum.  They are great.  I have learned so much from advise received there.  Thank you again and best wishes to you.  Kathy

[willows]

Daily pills and weekly shots?  Hmmm, sounds like Hepatitis C, the interferon can impact your thyroid, as well as other organs.  I am in the process right now of going thru lung function tests and cardiac assessment for shortness of breath and rapid heartbeat on MILD exertion.  After not responding to the treatment, I had to quit at 24 weeks, but have bee plagued since with other issues raised by the interferon.  My thryoid tests show some areas are hyper and some are hypo, so you can imagine how confused my doctors are.

I hope I have not offended anyone by naming the treatment you all were talking about, but I have Hepatitis C and now have some kind of thryoid involvement and am confused, going thru a million tests and was reading all the good info here.  There is a terrible stigma reflected back to most of us with Hepatitis C, but as a grandmother and a mother of a doctor, I chose the truth and to be a fighter about it.  Now, if only somebody could figure out what is up with my thyroid, I WOULD BE SO HAPPY.  Have a good friday and you all have a great forum here, read our Hepatitis forum sometime.  Smart people there too and very funny.
Willow

[woodbeegood]

thanks for your concern-everything is fine now & after several months of adjusting my thryroid meds, they are stable-in my case it was worth the risk to my thryroid-i hope you find the answers you are looking for

[Mommy Too]

Thanks for your answer:)  I appreciate.  I am glad you understood my question...I was trying to be clear.  I am trying to find out from the good doctor or you or anyone if this can happen prior to treatment.

Yes, I have heard horry stories of thyroid problems after the treatment.  Sorry you are one of them and hope you are well now.  If you know of a priory circumstance please let me know.

thanks you:)

[woodbeegood]

i was on a form of chemo for 48 wks for a non thyroid related disease-this in turn caused my thyroid to quit producing causing me to become hypo-i was put on synthroid to control it-my thryoid never came back after the chemo

[Mommy Too]

Thank you for your response.  I will try to be more specific with my question.  I am not asking about treatment for the thyroid itself.  

Lets say a person

[Mark Lupo, M.D.]

I am not sure I understand the question -- there is not a weekly injection to treat the thryoid.  There are daily oral medications that treat the thyroid however -- ie, levothyroxine for HYPO and Tapazole/PTU for HYPER.