graves Disease

i have had graves disease for 8 years but i actually had a subtotal thryroidectomy 6 years ago. my graves didnt go into remission and i had severe symptoms so surgery was the only option for me as heart failure was a risk. i think i had a pretty severe case though and i have met several women lately who do very well on anti thyroid medication.
since my surgery i have felt well and my symptoms have gone. the only thing you need to watch out for is weight gain. my whole body shape completely changed - no waist any more :boohoo:
let me know if you have any questions

Hey Bath, oh, don't go talking about road accidents, thats what I really DO have a phobia about :shhh:
It does sound a bit insensative doesn't it, although I don't think they mean it that way. DH is even guilty for saying "are you scared about getting your throat cut" but I actually think he is more freaked out about me having the ssurgery then I am.

GCW, thanks for your post. I'm pretty confident the surgery will go well. I've been on anti-thyroid drugs for over 5 years now and Endo says it's time for a definitive approach. My graves constantly goes into remission then flares up again so I'm constantly having to adjust my dosage of PTU. I've opted for surgery as opposed to rai as I have a large goitre and endo thinks it could take a few goes at RAI to kill off the gland. And as I am planning more babies soon, I think surgery is the way to go for me.

hi spice
you poor thing! im glad i got the surgery and felt immediately better afterwards. dont worry about your throat. i only had mild pain for about a week and now my scar is practically invisible. good luck with your op, you will be fine. i also had no problems falling pregnant after my surgery.:p

Thanks GCW. I'm planning to take a week off work after surgery. Do you think I will be right to look after my 16 month old on my own 6 days after surgery? Or should i get my mum down to help?

Just another question ladies, you know how there is a teeny tiny chance the anti-thyroid drugs can compromise your white blood cells/immune system. Well for the past 3 or 4 months I have been getting one dreaded bug after the other. I've had the flu, about 4 seperate bouts of a cold, a vomiting and diahrea bug and congunctivitis about 3 times. I'm getting it all from Charli because she is getting it from daycare, but I can't believe my immune system is sooo run down and DH hasn't caught any of it. I've probably only been well for one week at a time and then I'm sick again. Do you think I'm just run down or do you think the meds are taking their toll? I s'pose it doesn't matter about the meds cause I won't have a thyroid in a few weeks time. I'm just worried that if I'm run down I may be sick yet again at the time of suegery or that I might be more suseptable to infection etc.

hi spice
you probably still wont be able to lift your 16month old after 6 days so you might want to get your mum down. if you are seeing your endo see what they say but i would think your sutures will still be a little tender.
i seem to get a lot of bugs too - i have been told that sometimes people with auto immune condtions have a weakened immune system. i find that if i take mutli vitamins it helps a bit with not picking up bugs.

Hi all...
firstly please excues my horrible soelling and grammar today, I am feeding a cery wriggly whingy 10wo as I type this. Love miltitasking!!
OK. I am having several issues with this thing at the mment, ad I guess I need some advice and reassurance...

BreastfeedingI know that thyroid issues can severely diminish milk supply, and in the lasy 4 days, she has been very fussy at the breast. I dont think this is nother growth spurt, as the frequency of feeds is the same, and she was not this fussy with the last one... My brests feel less full of milk lately too, and not just the uual decline.. i mean like just before a feed too, they feel soft and empty. I hope so much i am not drying up, i love breastfeeding!!:pray: is there anything i should be doing?

Weight issues i was`on neo for most of my pg, and didnt gain any weight until 31wks. I was slowly putting it on until abt a week ago, and it feels like ive just lost abt 2 kilos since then, and im scared... on top of that, dd was born 10th %ile for both wt and length, and now is in 10th for length but 50th for wt. i am worried i have caused her damage...and now we come to the final issue

Doctors was meant to see my endo for both of us at 2 weeks post partum, but have yet to be given an appointment. the endo diesnt make them, the hospital takes care of all that. but they are giving me the run around... now all this is happening, and im scared and unsure of myself and im torn btween wanting to strangle the effin admino who has ignored my cAlls for an appointment, and just going up and bgging to see the dr right then and there... i feel like im :wall:. my bsl's are up ***** creek without a paddle, so i need this for more than just the graves...

...and I need a hug...

Hey Serene, :hug:Hugs to you. I had to give up breast feeding at 6 weeks with Ethan. There just wasnt the milk for him and he ended up back at below birth weight. They said that it was due to the graves. Do you have a set of scales? If not you might need to invest in some, check with your doctor if you are worried about it coming back. I know how you feel, i wish as if it would just go away as well.
Hope in your case it does stay away.
Spice - goodluck with your surgery. Hopefully it fixs the graves side of things for you. Finger crost.
Well on my side of things what is right. At the moment it feels as though it is never going to be right. My weight keeps going up at the moment nearly 2kg in a week no matter how much i exercise, my doctor said that if my levels stay in the normal range for the next 6 weeks we will talk radiation but hey that doesnt sound very nice especially not when i have little kids. Then she tells me my weight gain is a problem - i told her i would go off the tablets then the weight would be gone.
Hope everyone else's graves is being have for now at least.
Gotta run and feed Ethan chat soon

Oh Jas, I hope you can get your weight gain sorted, that must be terrible, *hugs* hun.

Me - going to see endo tomorrow as now I am underactive with my thryroid rather than being over, result of the postpartum thyroiditis. If I am under, she will start me on thyroxine.

HellRazeD, i lost my milk due to thyroid issues and the pattern was one of continuous weightloss (your post seems to say your bubs has skipped UP several curves in weight since birth - that's plenty of milk!) from about 4 months on - she dropped a curve every time i went to the MCH for 3 months (born on 75th, dropped below 25th, now on 50th). BUT she continued to drop on formula and only skipped back up when she was on solids 3 times a day. The soft-even-before-a-feed boobs can be normal around this time, because your boobs are getting to be "old hands" at it. I would watch bubs weightgain, if there is a continued lack of weight gain over several months (or weeks if it is a very dramatic lack of gain or a loss) you could talk to someone about it then. At this stage try not to worry too much, offer the breast as often as you want/can and allow bubs to "drive" the supply, relax and rest as much as possible, get plenty to eat and drink and try not to stress. FWIW my endo told me undersupply is much more common with underactive thyoid than overactive - not sure if anyone else has more info on that...?

Bx

Hmm, that's interesting what you are saying Hoobley. I BF'd my son til he was 8 months old, but he had terrible weight gains for the first couple of months. I was on Motillium, fenugreek, pumping 3 times a day....for not a lot in return weight gain wise for him. I'm wondering if my postpartum thyroiditis contributed to this? I'll be sure to ask my endo when I see her on Wed.

re: milk supply, my milk never even really came in properly.I never got that engorged feeling that people talk about. 3 weeks post birth I could barely get 30ml's total from being on a double electric breastpump for 20 minutes.

Thanks Jas, yes I'm getting a little nervous now! Only 3 days to go til I'm under the knife. I think I'm more worried about DH looking after DD on his own while I'm in hospital though ;)

Spice, GL with your op, thinking of you.

Well, I had appts today with my Endo and FS and they both think that thryroid function DOES impact on milk production. Hmm, something I will be mindful of next time.

My levels are getting lower and I'm to have a repeat BT in 4 weeks, if still the same, then onto thyroxine for me.

Hi there its me again have not been here for ages, busy working. Still waiting for an appointment, Dr Mortimer wants it gone, still on meds 6 a day goitre is still visible but not as much, thank goodness for that, was ttc but not sure if i should but i'm getting older i want another baby, if thats the case i need to get my meds changed so it doesn't affect my pregnancy. Was told there is no known affects from the neo mercazoles but my gp prefers it if i change tabs not sure what to though need to have more bt's done have not had them for a while, still not able to go to bed until late even then i lay there awake. good luck with the op tomorrow hope all goes well let me know how it all went. thanks for listening girls


Michelle:)

Spice - how did your surgery go? Hope it all went well and overtakes this graves.
Michelle - you are only as old as you feel. 6 tablets a day isnt that much i have been on as many as 12.
shoegal - glad to hear that you are nearing the next stage that is great.

Oh well i went to the doctors and got sent home with a heart machine to measure my pulse level over the weekend. Looks like radiation is back on the doctor's plans but who knows as to when.

Hi lovely ladies. Thank you so much for your well wishes. :hug:

Well I finally got to leave hospital last night. I only narrowly avoided having to stay in longer though. The surgery itself went well but I unfortunately developed quite severe hypocalcemia. Which can happen after a total thyroidectomy particularly if they damage the parathyroids.
I didn't realise it was really such a big deal but when it gets bad it can be! I developed lots of tingling around my mouth, hands and feet, mucscle spasms and I woke up 2 days after the Op and it was like my face was paralysed which was a bit scary. It also made me feel very irrational and teary. If left untreated it can affect your heart rhythm and be very dangerous so they weren't in a hurry to let me go. I had to have 4 hourly blood tests to monitor calcium levels and had to have calcium through the IV for 2 of the 5 days I was in hospital and I've currently got to take 10 calcium tabs per day and have another BT on Monday and if in the meantime I get symptoms again I have to go straight back to the hospital.

Other than that it's great to be home and not feel like a pin cushion. The poor vein in my arm copped over a dozen blood tests, also it was the hospitals policy to give 2 heparin injections every day (to avoid blood clots) even though I was up and about so my poor thighs are bruised all over from them! My incision is about 12cm across the base of my neck and I had a drain coming out each side for the first 24 hours (which was pretty gross)
Stitches to come out on monday and I'm not really in any pain but a little stiff and it feels like my airway is slight obstructed but hopefully that feeling will go away once the stitches are out and it's all properly healed.

Thanks again ladies for the well wishes.

PS: Michelle, I was fine whilst pg. the pg actually put the graves almost into remission but it did play up after bub was born which wasn't fun. I was on PTU (propylthiouracil) as apparently this is the better drug to be on if your pregnant as less passes the placenta.

Oh :hug:s to you Spice! Glad to hear you are OK. Bummer bout the Hypocalcaemia though... Thats a b!tch! Did you get some photos? I know alot of people who have had photos taken of every single surgical stay... Kinda cool really, though a little strange:rolleyes:. Hope all gets better for you fast!

:heartbeat: serene

Thanks Serene :hug:

I've got a couple of pic's on facebook. If you're on there let me know and I'll PM you the details as I'm not sure how to upload the photo's properly on here :doh:
I wish I had have actually got the surgeon to take a pic of my thyroid once it was out but I didn't think of it at the time.

Thanks Serene :hug:

I've got a couple of pic's on facebook. If you're on there let me know and I'll PM you the details as I'm not sure how to upload the photo's properly on here :doh:
I wish I had have actually got the surgeon to take a pic of my thyroid once it was out but I didn't think of it at the time.