Hyperthyroidism-Just found out I have it- Very scared

[disneyfanforever]

Hi everyone, I just found out yesterday that the blood test they ordered to check my thyroid indicated that I have hyperthyroidism. I am scheduled to go for an uptake and scan next week. I am terrified. I am 37 and have two kids, and I am just scared.

Can anyone tell me more about hyperthyroidism? Is treatment always necessary? If you have it, what type of treatment have you had? Are you okay? Is my life expectancy decreased because of this?

Any information you can give me would be appreciated.

 

[golfgal]

Just checking-you are sure it is HYPER and not HYPO--Hyper is pretty rare, hypo is more common. What were your numbers?

 

[phorsenuf]

In most cases all you need to do is take a pill everyday. And I'm guessing too it's hypo, not hyper.

 

[Christine]

Hyperthyroidism is an overactive thyroid gland. It can either just happen or it can be a result of an autoimmune disorder called Grave's Disease. It's important to find out if you have Grave's Disease.

Hyperthyroidism is nothing to be afraid of. Left untreated, it can be hard on you body because you are "revved up" all the time so it can put a strain on your heart and you can also become calcium deficient.

Your doctor will work with you to find ways to slow your thyroid down. They usually start with medications. If that doesn't work, they may attempt to destroy most of your thyroid with radioactive iodine.

 

[CleoPahd]

First off, I'm so sorry to hear you are going through this. Take a deep breath and keep it together for your children. I'm no medical expert and I'm only talking from my own experience, but from what I know it's very treatable with medication. I only know this because a few years ago my doctor suspected I may have this....turns out I didn't...but I did a lot of research and asked questions while I was in the finding out stages.
A woman I work with had thyroid cancer...which is also very treatable( I know it's not the same thing), and she's bounced back and feels like a new person. She was telling me she had no idea how many parts of your body the thyroid can effect. Now that she's functioning properly again she feels so much better. Hopefully with the right treatment you'll be feeling as great as she is. Try not to let your nerves get the best of you while you wait for next week to get here...waiting is so hard.

 

[tvguy]

My mom was diagnosed at age 18, and is 87 now. Other than monitoring it at her annual exam, and taking her medicine, it has had no impact on her life.
Did I mention she still walks 3 miles a day?

 

[lovepurple]

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about two years ago. I had to have radioactive iodine ablation which basically destroys the thyroid and then made me have hypothyroidism. This is a pretty common treatment, sounds scarier than it is. I now take synthroid for the hypothyroidism. It took about a year to get the dosage just right but I feel so much better. When I had hyperthyroidism my pulse rate was always so high and I was having heart palpitations and my hair was falling out.
You may be able to treat your condition with just medication. I think it is going to depend on what your levels are and the underlying cause of the hyperthyroidism. I had a toxic multi-nodular goiter.

 

[disneyfanforever]

Thanks for the information. I don't know my numbers but I know they said hyper not hypo because I kept asking to make sure. I guess the uptake and scan next week is supposed to find the cause which they did say could be Graves disease.

I feel better knowing that people seem to have normal lives after treatment. It is just so scary knowing I have such a big problem that I will have to worry about for the rest of my life.

I would love to hear other people's experiences. Do most people have the radioactive iodine ablation? It sounded like that is the most common treatment in the US from what I have read. Will I have to stay away from my kids?

I have been having a lot of sweating, shakiness and fatigue so at least hopefully I will feel better after treatment. It said weight loss is a symptom but if anything I have had weight gain (which I guess is from the increased apetite they said a symptom)

 

[Christine]

I have been having a lot of sweating, shakiness and fatigue so at least hopefully I will feel better after treatment. It said weight loss is a symptom but if anything I have had weight gain (which I guess is from the increased apetite they said a symptom)

My doctor told me that many hyper people end up gaining weight. Even though the metabolism is very fast, the appetite is usually just as voracious and you still end up eating way more than you burn.

 

[minnie56]

Why are you scared? I was diagnosed w/hyperthyroidism 26 years ago and have not had a moments worry about it. I take a pill every day for the rest of my life and once a year have a routine blood test to see whether my meds need adjusting which in all these years they have only once. After your initial testing to see what you need, you will carry on just fine.

 

[bonoriffic]

There may be some initial hiccups as you fine tune in your dosage levels. Once you get the right amount of medicine figured out, you will be 100% healthy with zero impact to your daily, yearly, or lifetime health.

 

[mrsv98]

Thanks for the information. I don't know my numbers but I know they said hyper not hypo because I kept asking to make sure. I guess the uptake and scan next week is supposed to find the cause which they did say could be Graves disease.

I feel better knowing that people seem to have normal lives after treatment. It is just so scary knowing I have such a big problem that I will have to worry about for the rest of my life.

I would love to hear other people's experiences. Do most people have the radioactive iodine ablation? It sounded like that is the most common treatment in the US from what I have read. Will I have to stay away from my kids?

I have been having a lot of sweating, shakiness and fatigue so at least hopefully I will feel better after treatment. It said weight loss is a symptom but if anything I have had weight gain (which I guess is from the increased apetite they said a symptom)

I was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism in my early 20s. I had non-cancerous growths on both sides and had radioactive iodine as a treatment. It was a sort of rough 6 months but in the end I was fine. I was unusual in that I had growth and thus it was not the thyroid itself. Once the iodine had destroyed the growths, my thyroid kicked back in and I don't have to take synthroid.

The hardest part about the radioactive iodine is the fact that you will have to stay away from your kids for a few days. The iodine is excreted through sweat so you will have to take precautions such as using paper plates/cups and disposable forks etc. Also be careful about touching walls, door ways, handles and the like. The good news is that the half life of the radiation is short so within a few days you can start spending more time with your kids and within 2 weeks you will be fine.

Thyroid issues run in my family. My DDad, DUncle and DSis all had it and they either elected or had no choice in having surgery. They are all on synthroid and are absolutely fine. Once you get your levels evened out, it is no big deal.

I clearly remember the horrible feeling of being hyperthyroid, the racing heart, shaking hands, super dry skin, exhaustion, so even though it may be a bit scary to think about dealing with it, once you have, you will feel SO much better!

Hang in there and try not to worry too much. Please ask if you have more questions!

 

[Chelley00]

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about two years ago. I had to have radioactive iodine ablation which basically destroys the thyroid and then made me have hypothyroidism. This is a pretty common treatment, sounds scarier than it is. I now take synthroid for the hypothyroidism. .

This is what happened with my mom. She was diagnosed when I was pg with my first son, they did the radioactive idodine when he was a newborn and she couldn't come around for a few weeks. That was almost 18 years ago, and now other than taking synthroid daily, she's had no other health issues. Good luck!

 

[WDWorBUST]

I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism in 2004 after having my daughter (a lot of times pregnancy will trigger it for some reason). Until I got treatment I was always hungry, yet I was losing weight, my heart was racing, I was always hot and short of breath and absolutely EXHAUSTED. Oh and my hair was falling out by the handfuls it felt like. I probably waited too long to see the doctor because I had just had a baby so being exhausted, hungry (I was breastfeeding), and my hair falling out could all be tied to that. Because I was nursing I chose to just treat my symptoms until I weaned my daughter. Once she was weaned I went in for the scan and uptake and it ended up coming back normal. Somehow my body had re-regulated itself. I did continue to see an endocrinologist for a while afterwards and still have my levels monitored regularly, but no problems since. Although I am a little concerned it might happen again after this baby is born. I will just have them check it regularly so we catch it early should it return. I will say I am probably the exception and not the norm. Also, I totally understand being scared, but it is easily treatable and really in the big scheme of things a minor issue.

 

[apirateslifeforme]

My mother was diagnosed with Graves Disease many years ago (I want to say in her late 40s - she's 56 now). Her ONLY symptoms were weight loss and the "bulging eye" - one eye was significantly larger than the other. Her doctor tried to treat her for a few years, and while she gained some weight back, her eyes did not return to normal, and her numbers stayed "off." She finally took the radiation to kill her thyroid after 3 years; she now takes Synthroid every day. Her eyes have returned to normal. She sees her endocrinologist once a year for bloodwork; her numbers have remained steady every year. She also sees an eye doctor every year to monitor her eyes, but again, no change. She's still very much her normal, active self!

 

[mom2travel]

I was diagnosed hyperthyroid about 5 or 6 years ago. I also had gained a few pounds, not lost weight, but really didn't have any of the typical symptoms. My endocrinologist decided to try medication rather than the iodine treatment. He told me that based on my counts and my age (younger than 40) trying to control/put into remission with meds was the best way to go. If I did the radioactive iodine treatment, it would have been a guarantee that I would have been on meds for hypothyroidism the rest of my life; there is a possibility now that I could stop meds at some point (we have tried for a few months but no meds bumped my counts off just a bit).

From what I remember from the scan, it is easy, just took some time - good luck!

 

[AJ12345]

I was diagnosed with Graves Disease at 18. I had the bulging eyes and goiter. I was on a medication called Methimazole for about 3 years. I got married and my doctor told me that if I was planning on having children to do the radioactive iodione.

Hyperthyroid medications carry greater risks/side effects than taking Synthroid (hypothyroid medication) Also, having an overactive thyroid is more taxing on the body. So if it's at all possible, I would go for the radioactive iodine. You may be put on some type of hyperthyroid medication firs tin order to get your levels stable first.

 

[disneyfanforever]

Thank you so much everyone for all of the information and advice. I feel so much better reading everyone's stories, and I definitely want to be informed when I talk to my doctor about treatment.

I would love to hear even more experiences. Thanks again!

 

[KAMLEM]

Thanks for the information. I don't know my numbers but I know they said hyper not hypo because I kept asking to make sure.

If I were you I would ask my doctor for all the numbers and I would start keeping track of them. You will have to have bloodwork periodically for the rest of your life and it's a good idea to learn what the numbers mean. I had thyroid cancer and have had my thyroid removed so I will be on Synthroid for the rest of my life. I can tell as soon as my body starts getting at all on the hyper side because I just can't tolerate it. You should get to the point where you know exactly where your levels need to be for you to feel good.

Why are you scared? .

It's normal to be scared when you are diagnosed with something you know nothing about. I'm sure once she has educated herself and she meets with her doctor she'll feel much better but I don't think it's unusual for her to be worried now.

Good luck OP!

 

[disneygirlatheart]

Dont mean to take over your thread, but I want to thank everyone for the information. My 14 yr old dd was just diagnosed with this 2 weeks ago and they pur her on some meds. They said she will have to have it checked every 3 months for the rest of her life. The meds somehow have her sleeping all the time. She goes back in a couple of weeks though to have it checked again. Good Luck and I hope you find all the info you need and they get you straightened out.