Hyperactive Thyroid

**Libby** · 01-04-2008, 08:06 PM

Has anyone here had a dealing with a hyperactive thyroid?

My endocronologist thinks that I may have triggered or awakened my thryroid gland (in not so doctor'ish terms) with my recent start of regular exercise and now thinks I may have a hyperactive thyroid.

I have been trying to research a bit of info on the net and its all the basic one paragraph on several websites. I have been to the library after work but they're closed

Winter hours. I will try again tomrrow though.

I am supposed to get called back to the hospital to get a test done - go in, swallow one pill and come back 24 hours later to get an xray taken of my throat.

I am not a big fan of pills....so I am SOOO not looking forward to this.

**jvera** · 01-04-2008, 09:07 PM

I had an overactive thyroid and it was very dangerous for me because they said it could have lead to a stroke. They quickly got me in to see a specialist and I took radioactive iodine to "kill" my thyroid. Now I have to take a very small pill everyday for the rest of my life. I get blood tests done about every 6 months to make sure my thyroid is stablized, when it's not (like right now) I am taking new prescription amounts and they will keep checking my thyroid level until it is considered normal.

I hope everything works out for you and you get well soon.

**bee9984** · 01-05-2008, 01:50 AM

I had hyperthyroidism about 5 years ago now. My dr. here in Quebec had made all of the phone calls to set up appointments and I too was supposed to take that "one" pill. That one pill was to kill my thyroid.

My dr. had more blood work taken just prior to going to that appointment and everything came back normal, this was about 4 to 5 weeks after my original diagnosis.

I also had high blood pressure at the time and she thought that maybe it was my overactive thyroid causing it but as it turned out it wasn't.

We discovered what the cause was which threw my thyroid out of whack for virtually 5 or 6 months. My mother had sent me a huge garbage bag of dulse (kelp or seaweed) and I had eaten to much for my body to handle.

I went to the dr. originally because I wanted to get checked for diabetes. My symptoms were as follows:

(1) Very dry skin
(2)Very hungry (dh couldn't believe how much I was eating)
(3)I would however get very tired after eating because I really did eat too much.
(4) I would get very thirsty (probably from eating too much)
(5) wake up durring the night to use the washroom
(6) My heart would start racing
(7) Out of breath
(8) hand tremors ( thought it was my body telling me to eat something lol)
(9) eyes darting back and forth for about 10 seconds (I had no control over this and 10 seconds or so might not seem like a long time but when you have no control it feels like forever)
(10) about 7 to 8 bowel movements a day.
(11) I had a cut on my leg and the scab stayed there for about 3 months.
(12) dry and brittle hair, overly
(13) my nails grew very fast.
(14) I couldn't drive at night as other car lights hurt my eyes so badly, I just stopped driving at night although I later found out some people wear sunglasses at night which helps.

That is all I can remember having for symptoms right now but it was a nightmare.

I highly recommend that you get another blood work done before swallowing that pill.

If I hadn't had that second blood work done I would be on pills for the rest of my life as I would have had my thyroid distroyed.

**ladydy4** · 01-05-2008, 11:04 AM

I am a nuclear medicine technologist. The one pill Shorty is talking about is so that a diagnostic test can be done on her thyroid. The other pill taken by the other posters was to destroy the gland because it was determined that their thyoids were overactive. We (at my hospital) always get a good history from the patient before proceeding to a treatment which includes medicine, herbs and other foods taken that have a high iodine content and can give false reports. Kelp is a HUGE iodine content item. Shorty, you should not be afraid to have this simple test done. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Diane

**nancycg56** · 01-05-2008, 11:44 AM

I've had the nuclear diagnostic test and there's nothing to it ~ you'll be fine. I've also had an ultrasound a time or two on it as well. The ultrasound bothered me the msot since she had to press on my throat and I felt tlike she was choking me

I take synthroid every day and I've gotten so I can tell when the Dr. needs to upgrade my meds ~ I have blood tests every few months to check.

**bee9984** · 01-05-2008, 09:06 PM

Originally Posted by ladydy4

I am a nuclear medicine technologist. The one pill Shorty is talking about is so that a diagnostic test can be done on her thyroid. The other pill taken by the other posters was to destroy the gland because it was determined that their thyoids were overactive. We (at my hospital) always get a good history from the patient before proceeding to a treatment which includes medicine, herbs and other foods taken that have a high iodine content and can give false reports. Kelp is a HUGE iodine content item. Shorty, you should not be afraid to have this simple test done. I'll be happy to answer any questions you may have.
Diane

I'm just going by what my dr. told me. They were supposed to kill off my thyroid and my dr. said that before I go do that she wanted to do one more test.

I have no knowledge about taking a pill for tests that was not an option given to me at the time. Maybe it has changed over the past 5 years in Canada?

**bee9984** · 01-05-2008, 10:20 PM

I also wanted to add that I had only one blood work done when this all happened with the appointments to have my thyroid killed off. maybe it is only in Canada I don't know.

Shorty, I would highly suggest that you download these pages with all of our answers to your questions and take them to you dr.

It might have all changed since I had problems 5 years ago but don't play around with it.

There is also a website which I had but cannot find now( For Canada, I will hunt it down though and pm it to you), a message board actually about taking the "pill", I will try to find it for you, they have tons of information on hyperthyroidism and you do have other options if that is your choice but you need to be aware of them.

**Libby** · 01-07-2008, 07:06 PM

Thank you EVERYONE for all the info - if there's more info to be had, please feel free to post. I am in Canada too and well am waiting for the hospital to call to arrange my 'test' to see which kind of thyroid problem I'm having - the kind that will heal itself or the kind that will have to be destroyed. What scares me more then having to take pills is the size of it b/c I can not swallow pills unless I chew them and I just KNOW you probably cant swallow this one

My doctor went over it very briefly with me before I left her office however she didn't want to 'scare' me with the info. Um telling me that I "may" have an hyper active thyroid wouldn't? OY....so now I'm left worried, wondering and waiting

And its killing me!!!!

**EmilyD** · 01-08-2008, 01:55 AM

I was diagnosed with hyperactive thyroid after several visits to the hospital with very fast heartbeat .. over 140 min.

My thyroid was "killed" by radioactive iodine. I have to take daily meds for life and it fluctuates several times a year.

If I could do it over, I would allow them to remove part of my thyroid instead of having it completely killed. I have had several surgeries since then and I wouldn't fear the knife like I did then.

**Libby** · 01-09-2008, 07:37 AM

Oh My Gosh!!!

*panics*

Its killing me that the hospital hasnt called me to schedule an appointment yet and I am wondering if I should call my doctor back to inform her that I really have had the symptoms all along but never realized it. When she asked me the not so normal questions during my check up - it totally threw me off but now with afterthought and more knowledge I think I do have it

Whats taking the hospital so long to schedule the appointment!!!!!

**Libby** · 02-14-2008, 12:14 AM

FINALLY I get a call back from the doctor's office about my appointments. I've only waited about 3 weeks - oy!

I go in during the early am of Feb 27 to take the pill then return on the early am of Feb 28th to do the X-Rays. Apparently both appointments are only slotted for 15 mins so....Im wondering, how bad is this test?!

Now I am MORE nervous b/c its scheduled to go but also relieved b/c its finally been scheduled, kwim?

Countdown is on!

**Libby** · 03-27-2008, 12:58 AM

I have undergone more testing and have come up positive for a hyperactive thyroid aka Graves' Disease

I am sooo not impressed. Does that mean once I get medicated properly, all the weight I have lost will come back - and then some?? Did I lose the weight b/c of my effort to exercise or b/c my of my thyroid.

I have been taking a new tablet and we're going to see if it slows this sucker down otherwise we're going to have to look into other medications or "options".

Im just wondering - why do we even have this health issue to begin with?!

Blah - I have been down in the dumps, frustrated and totally not myself these past few weeks.

Sorry about the ranting.

**McD** · 03-27-2008, 08:40 AM

i actually have the opposite problem--I have hypothyroidism which means that I have trouble losing weight, I can't tolerate the cold well, my hair falls out, etc.

**mombottoo** · 03-27-2008, 09:12 AM

((((hugs)))) First off let me reassure you that hyperthyroidism (Graves Disease) can be treated. I was diagnosed many, many moons ago and tried the medication to control my thyroid with no success. I opted to have my thyroid gland irradiated (treated with radiation) in hopes of killing off just enough of my thyroid gland to slow down production of the hormones it makes. Well we overshot and now I have hypothyroidism, which is actually a whole lot easier to treat than hyper.

Prior to being treated I ended up weighing 98 lbs., so I would guess that your weight loss is also tied to your thyroid gland messing up. I did gain back some of my weight, but I needed too. I looked like a poster child for a third world country if you get my drift. After my radiation therapy I was put on Synthroid and once my dose got worked out I felt great!!! Now, each year I go and have a simple blood test and from time to time my meds have to be adjusted. I am lucky in that my meds don't change very often and I have been on my current dose for a little over 8 years. If you opt to have the radiation therapy you will most likely have to take a pill every day for the rest of your life. If you get lucky and they don't maim more of your thyroid gland than they have to you could end up not needing to take medication.

So chin up, there are worse things than having to take a pill every day. Left untreated hyperthyroidism can and will cause many medical issues!!! So do what your doctor recommends and take care of yourself!!!

**Jellybeanz** · 03-27-2008, 09:51 AM

I had my thyroid removed because of a large tumor on it. Turned out I had benign tumors on my lymph noids too.

Anyway, I promise once you get yourself regulated you will feel much better. I don't like knowing I have to take a pill the rest of my life but I sure do feel better than I did a couple years ago.

Thyroid problems can make a person SICK. I never knew how many people had thyroid problems till I had them and everyone started telling me their story. Apparently it's fairly common . It tends to run in families too. About half my family has had some kind of issue with it.

I hope you get better real soon. It can cause so many confusing symptoms and it's not till they get bad that most people realize somethings really wrong because it mimics so many other problems too.