The THYROID Thread

[Christine]

squeegee - wishing you all the best on Mon. Sending you my prayers and good thoughts. Hoping everything goes smoothly and hopefully not too much pain.

Angie - thinking of you too and hope your rads are going as good as can be. You can do this! You have so much strength and courage. Hang in there!

Micayla - I am glad you stopped in. Come by more if you can, but with your little guy I am sure he is your top priority and keeping the mommy you very busy!

singing mom - we need a trip update

macraven - would love to hear about your trip too

Christine - saw yur comments on the guinea pig thread! We used to have a long haired litte guy. It was a chore to get my kids to clean the cage. But he loved talking to me and of course I always gave him lots of treats. As soon as we opened the refrig. door he would go crazy! Are you reading anything good? I am actually reading two books right now but I dont know if I will do that again. I want to keep them straight. One is an amish fiction christmas story and the other I won from goodreads - an arc of a historical fiction. Its good so far.

Next month I have my endo visit, so blood test in a few weeks not to mention the procrastinating bone scan I need to schedule.

And in other news, I am going to give this one a because ds3 got the nursing job he applied for. Its in the worst hospital around here, but he is still thrilled. He is going to be on med/surg telemetry unit. He is doing full time days 3 days a week 7am to 7pm. So he is happy with that. His one friend from nursing school might be on the same unit or at least the same floor so he is double happy. He said she is engaged and a nice girl. Hope they can work as a good team together.

Check in when you all can. Thinking of you all.

luvmarypoppins: congrats to your son. I know you are all thrilled about this. He will get some good experience and then, I'm sure, future jobs will come easier.

I just finished reading a Stephen King book (Revival) that a friend had so it was a "freebie" for me. It was okay. Starting another one that I just got from the library that is more of a crime/thriller thing, but it gets good reviews.

My endo appointment is on February 2, so I've got my usual labs. Not sure if it's time for a neck ultrasound or not. I am very interested to see how my labs are. I've had a ridiculously hard time losing weight over the last 6 months and I *have* lowered my thyroid meds but my TSH is still pretty low even with that so it's probably more of an "old lady" thing. I am 51 now and my hormones are in a definite shift and I think I'm speeding into menopause but not there yet, so that is probably what it is.

In three week we move back into our building at the Navy Yard so that's going to be a big deal for many of us. So many people have some form of PTSD after what happened that I'm not sure all will be able to go back.

 

[squeegee]

Surgery yesterday went fine, though it ran a bit late - was supposed to start at 9:30, didn't until about 1:00.

Had some major chest pain last night, they ruled out a heart attack, and assume it must be gas. LOL. Still some pain this morning, but not unbearable.

Am likely to be sent home by tomorrow, which seems way too soon to me, but I think I'll manage.

Now to wait another week for final pathology.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

squeegee - so glad to hear you are recovering from your surgery I am sure that chest pain was really scary.

I hope they are keeping a good eye on you for sure.

Coming home tomm. does seem soon but I know I have fought not to come home from one of my surgeries but my pain was not being controlled well but it was after the thyroid stuff when I had stomach surgery post rad several months later. I did get to stay an extra day or they do as Micayla says have the things with ins. companys that are 23 hours because it has to be less than 24 etc.

Are you having a drain? I bet your really have to watch your little girl around your neck etc.

And here is my little snow update - 18 inches so far at least with more snow today and on friday and monday, oh lucky us. Ds1 couldnt get home and is staying at a friends closer to the next county. At least he made it that far from Massachusetts. Dh got his flight cancelled and now changed. All flights sold out on Thurs. so he is coming in late Wed. night so far around midnight and of course we have the milk and bread!!

Thinking of you all. Check in when you can.

 

[SingingMom]

Squeegee- I had terrible gas pains also after my surgery. That was the extent of my pain. They had to give me Rx for it. I hope you get one more night n the hospital for some rest. No mom gets rest when they return home ! Feel better. Praying for good path along reports!

Marypoppins - you got our snow! We ended up with only a few inches, when two feet were forecasted!
Happy to hear about your son's job. Good luck to him!

We had a great WDW trip. 10 days is still too short to be in Florida! Lol. Weather wasn't great, but a few days were lovely. We did everything we wanted, and had the best time visiting with a number of our cast member friends for dinners. Tried two new places for us - took our dear friends to California Grill. Delicious chicken, beautiful views added to the wonderful company. We again closed the restaurant, as we always do when with these friends! We took another good friend to Fulton Crab House. We liked it - atmosphere very nice but messy crab legs. Lol.

DH and I need to take a trip to tour some communities in the area. We think we will eventually move there and want to see if we want to be near the ocean (my ultimate dream) or if a pretty town like Celebration might be more suitable. Tampa is also a possibility. Guess we'll have to figure this out!

 

[squeegee]

squeegee - so glad to hear you are recovering from your surgery I am sure that chest pain was really scary. I hope they are keeping a good eye on you for sure. Coming home tomm. does seem soon but I know I have fought not to come home from one of my surgeries but my pain was not being controlled well but it was after the thyroid stuff when I had stomach surgery post rad several months later. I did get to stay an extra day or they do as Micayla says have the things with ins. companys that are 23 hours because it has to be less than 24 etc. Are you having a drain? I bet your really have to watch your little girl around your neck etc.

They originally wanted to send me home at the 23 hour mark, but I refused. Aside from feeling completely unsafe with that, I have a second insurance plan that reimburses a big chunk of my deductible when I'm in the hospital for 24 hours. I've paid for that plan, I'm gonna use it, LOL.

Unfortunately, I will be going home with my drain in. Yuck. I am more disturbed by the drain than by the Frankenstein-esque scar down the side of my neck. I can't logically explain how much I hate the drain. Maybe I should name it, so I can properly spew expletives at it.

And yes, I'm going to have to make it very clear to Rosie that mommie's neck is off-limits. Luckily (?) the dog had a cancerous tumor removed from her chest last month, so we've been using that as a teaching tool for what's going on with mommy - and Rosie did remarkably well with the dog. Maybe I haven't created a total psychopath.

Thank you all for the well-wishes.

 

[squeegee]

Well, plans changed slightly, as they tend to do, and I just came home from the hospital today. They did a CT to rule out pulmonary emboli, and the results took till this morning. The chest pain is greatly improved, and they gave me indomethacin for it, which helps a lot, but they never did figure out the cause.

Am experiencing a LOT of stiffness in my neck, and odd "congestion" in my ears, and can't find a comfortable way to lie down, with 20 pillows, no pillows, and any number between. I miss that adjustable hospital bed. Otherwise, am doing alright.

Good news is they went ahead and took the drain out before I came home. Drain removal was a bit more painful than I recalled, but it was quick, and am glad it's over with.

I think I've brought home enough painkillers to stock a pharmacy, though. I am well-prepared to coast through the next few weeks in a haze, if I want to. I am already weaning myself off the norco, though. Was taking 2 every 4 hours in the hospital, am down to 1 every 5-6 hours now.

Anyone got any useful tips for the post-op stiffness/tightness?

Thanks!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

squeegee - Glad you are home. You certainly went through a lot! So glad your drain is out too. I dont have any tips. Just remember you had major surgery so comfort is a relative word for sure.

I didnt like laying down in bed either. i tried to sleep as much as i could in the recliner. I only went to bed because I wanted to make sure my dh was by me in case I needed something and the bathroom was closer there too.

Can I ask if they only took out the lymph nodes that were questionable or did they take out more. My surgeon took out mostly everything when he went in. Like 40 lymph nodes. I dont think he was actually planning that but he told dh when he went in it was alot worse than he thought etc.

Just take it one day at a time. I had the congestion feeling in the ear too. it took a while to go away on ts own. I really cant feel the bottom of my ear because he had to cut the accessory nerve because the 2nd tumor was growing through it I think he said.

Angie - thinking of you too and I am sure things are not easy for you. But I so admire your strength. I hope the rads are not too hard on you. I am sure its tiring with the treatment and the travel. Prayers for you.

 

[squeegee]

squeegee - Glad you are home. You certainly went through a lot! So glad your drain is out too. I dont have any tips. Just remember you had major surgery so comfort is a relative word for sure. I didnt like laying down in bed either. i tried to sleep as much as i could in the recliner. I only went to bed because I wanted to make sure my dh was by me in case I needed something and the bathroom was closer there too. Can I ask if they only took out the lymph nodes that were questionable or did they take out more. My surgeon took out mostly everything when he went in. Like 40 lymph nodes. I dont think he was actually planning that but he told dh when he went in it was alot worse than he thought etc. Just take it one day at a time. I had the congestion feeling in the ear too. it took a while to go away on ts own. I really cant feel the bottom of my ear because he had to cut the accessory nerve because the 2nd tumor was growing through it I think he said.

They cleared out levels 2, 3, & 4, and half of level 5 - we knew going in that he was doing to do the majority - only level 5 was a surprise, and they took out about half of it. The surgeon did mention that there were a lot more visible suspicious nodes than the scans had indicated, but he believes he got them all. Now we're just awaiting final pathology. I see him in about two weeks.

Ended up waking In the middle of the night and needing a pain pill, but otherwise had a pretty good night. My three year-old sleeps with me and my husband sleeps in the guest room (snoring). I carefully explained to Rosie that she needed to be very gentle, and not her usual thrash-metal sleeper self. She did fine, so I slept okay, propped up on four pillows.

I hope everyone else here is doing well. Thanks for listening!

 

[Christine]

So is everyone enjoying the new boards?

Took me a little bit of time yesterday to find my way around.

Had my endo appointment yesterday with the usual bloodwork to follow so we shall see how that goes. I did tell him that I've had some stubborn weight and that I also tried to up my dose a bit (back to what it was last year) but had 6 weeks of straight hot flashes that lasted about 4 hours a night.

He did confirm that at menopause you do need a lower dose of thyroid hormone so I am interested to see what my labs are.

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Christine - interesting about the lower dose as my endo upped mine but she said maybe because of malabsorption and age etc? Just wondering, you go to the endo and then get the bloodwork? My endo insists I have all the tests done and then see her etc. so on that note...

What a day! I realized my endo visit is next week, so I had to call and make a blood test appt. make the bone scan appt. and I might as well forget the ultrasound but we shall see about that one. It will probably take 2 weeks just to get in. Well then I see I cant find y paperwork, sigh, sigh. Calling and thank heavens ds can pick up some new scripts on his way to the univ. library. Dh is not happy as the endo visit is during his meeting. He said this was ok 6 months ago. I also have a meeting then at 3, so I told him just drop me off early etc.

I am still thinking like squeegee when the blood work can be ok but the ultrasound is not good so that is why I told her I want it all still done at 6 months, she said blood for 6 months and ultrasound for 1 year, um no because mine is the aggressive variant.

Also based on the bone scan results she is going to have to come up with a new med if its not good.

And in other news. Ds 1 had a phone interview today, well they lady called and postponed it to tomm. sigh on that one and then ds2 sent in a resume. 5 minutes later he gets a e mail, is so and so your dad. He says yes, he said come in for an interview. so he is going tomm. I hope it works out. I have been praying alot. He loves his job now but he only worked like 2 hours last week. He is waiting for his boss to get a new contract but I told him that could not happen so look for something more steady etc. So obviously this guy also saw he had great experience where he worked. A small start up company but doing great stuff etc.

Squeegee - how are you doing and how is your pain level??

Angie - thinking of you too. One day at a time. I am sure you are doing a countdown till the end of rads for sure. Also hoping the rads arent tiring you out too much. Hang in there!!

To answer the question - I am not thrilled at all about the new boards. I dont know how to upload a picture. I dont even know if they have avatars you can pick from like they did before. I will miss my tags and I think its a little harder to navigate at present.

 

[Christine]

Christine - interesting about the lower dose as my endo upped mine but she said maybe because of malabsorption and age etc? Just wondering, you go to the endo and then get the bloodwork? My endo insists I have all the tests done and then see her etc. so on that note...

Yes, he has me come in first because based on whatever conversations we may have, he makes a choice of what tests to run. I guess he's trying to save me a lab appointment. For instance, he normally always runs the thyroid panel, thyroglobulin, and a metabolic panel. That's standard. But after our conversation he decided to add on a CBC and a Vitamin D. We then discuss the results on the phone and make adjustments if needed.

As for the menopause thing, he told me that when you are young and have a lot of circulating estrogen, that estrogen produces a compound that binds to T4 and makes it less absorbable. Often times, women on oral contraceptives or hormone replacement need a lot more T4 because of the added synthetic estrogen. When becoming menopausal, your estrogen drops and you have less of that compound binding to your T4 so you often need a dose reduction.

But certainly, age plays a factor in absorption of meds so you could need more, I suppose, if you stomach wasn't breaking it down efficiently.

 

[squeegee]

Christine - interesting about the lower dose as my endo upped mine but she said maybe because of malabsorption and age etc? Just wondering, you go to the endo and then get the bloodwork? My endo insists I have all the tests done and then see her etc. so on that note...

What a day! I realized my endo visit is next week, so I had to call and make a blood test appt. make the bone scan appt. and I might as well forget the ultrasound but we shall see about that one. It will probably take 2 weeks just to get in. Well then I see I cant find y paperwork, sigh, sigh. Calling and thank heavens ds can pick up some new scripts on his way to the univ. library. Dh is not happy as the endo visit is during his meeting. He said this was ok 6 months ago. I also have a meeting then at 3, so I told him just drop me off early etc.

I am still thinking like squeegee when the blood work can be ok but the ultrasound is not good so that is why I told her I want it all still done at 6 months, she said blood for 6 months and ultrasound for 1 year, um no because mine is the aggressive variant.

Also based on the bone scan results she is going to have to come up with a new med if its not good.

And in other news. Ds 1 had a phone interview today, well they lady called and postponed it to tomm. sigh on that one and then ds2 sent in a resume. 5 minutes later he gets a e mail, is so and so your dad. He says yes, he said come in for an interview. so he is going tomm. I hope it works out. I have been praying alot. He loves his job now but he only worked like 2 hours last week. He is waiting for his boss to get a new contract but I told him that could not happen so look for something more steady etc. So obviously this guy also saw he had great experience where he worked. A small start up company but doing great stuff etc.

Squeegee - how are you doing and how is your pain level??

Angie - thinking of you too. One day at a time. I am sure you are doing a countdown till the end of rads for sure. Also hoping the rads arent tiring you out too much. Hang in there!!

To answer the question - I am not thrilled at all about the new boards. I dont know how to upload a picture. I dont even know if they have avatars you can pick from like they did before. I will miss my tags and I think its a little harder to navigate at present.

Keeping my fingers crossed your son gets good news in that interview, or very soon after.

Pain is more or less under control here, have pushed pain meds out to 7+hours between doses. The ear congestion, itchiness, and general stiffness isn't improving much, but I see my GP tomorrow and can ask her about it.

As for the new boards, it'll take some getting used to. I previously only really used the app, and wasn't all that active anyhow. The reading experience is a little better, and hopefully this will be more reliable.

 

[SingingMom]

Not used to the new boards yet - just figured out where my subscribed threads were hiding! Lol

Lots of snow this week. I hate it already. I want to move to Florida NOW!

 

[macraven]

i'm keeping my question mark for now as i still don't know what i am doing.........
i'm not loving the new format on the boards yet.

but then, i'm not the best when it comes to changes.

LMP, i read your one son got the nursing job, congrats to him on that!
now a new start for another one of your sons.
crossing my fingers he has a great interview and gets the job.

hope all of you are doing fine and hanging in there with the horrible weather some have had.
we got another 4 inches today on top of what we received the past few days with our blizzard.
(chgo area)
i'm hopeful this will be our last winter here and we will move before the end of the year.

 

[Christine]

Happy Friday everyone!! I'm so glad it's finally here. Temps are bitter here in Virginia today but warming up to the 50s by Sunday. Crazy!!

I got my test results back yesterday. The doctor still hasn't called me with them, but my lab posts them after a few days.

My TSH has gone from .39 to 1.5 (all on the same dose of Levoxyl). My T4 increased though, rather than decreased wihich is weird. The lower the TSH the higher the T4 is how it's supposed to be so I can't figure that one out. I may try to add a tad bit more Levoxyl into my week to see if I can tolerate it without getting the "all night" hot flashes.

My Vitamin D was still low. No surprise there as I'm not supplementing. But it did go from 20 in August to 22 in February. Again, that's odd because it's winter and no sunshine!!

My hemoglobin and hematocrit are solidly mid range which is good. Last time that were almost low.

Blood sugar, calcium, Tg all excellent.

Glad that visit is over!

 

[SingingMom]

Bitter here in NJ, too! More snow coming Sunday into Monday. Hate the icy roads when DD & DH have to drive.
Had my annual cardiologist appt yesterday - EKG "perfect", but Bp elevated when I walked around her office. She wants me back for a check next month. Doesn't want to increase my toprol unless necessary.

Need to stay away from stress & go back to Florida!

 

[luvmarypoppins]

Christine - you are lucky that you get to see your lab results online. I only get mine in a copy from her at the time of the visit. Yes you are right with probably thinking you need a slight med adjustment.

singing mom - I so hear you about the snow and we are so done with it too, of course more for the week end and Monday. I am totally agreeing with you about getting a place in Florida. Dh and I are thinking about this more and more. Guess we will be joining the snowbirds around here eventually too!

macraven - hope you are moving some place warmer!

Whats everyone reading? I am reading Carla N's new book Echo Lake and its good so far.

Tomm. is my blood test and bone scan.

I posted on the destash thread on the budget board. Ds3 and I have been cleaning. Guess we gotta do something in this cold weather.

Angie and Squeegee - thinking of you both.

 

[Christine]

We were *supposed* to get some snow Sunday night into Monday but the track shifted north so, yep, you NJ people are getting what we thought we were going to get.

Everyone in the DC area is pretty frustrated (although I'm happy). We keep getting these snowstorm threats (always seems to be on a Sunday night). If they were to stay in place, we'd get 8 inches of snow, but they always bump up north and we get a surge of warm air and then rain, and you guys get dumped on. I guess we all just want to get that "one good snow" each year.

I am starting a new book today called The Good Girl or something like that. Not sure what it's about but I think it's some sort of thriller/psychological book. Quite honestly, I reserve so many books at the library with my Kindle that I forget what they are about and I just take them as they come!!

 

[macraven]

hello everyone.
i am having a dickens of a time finding this thread.
i listed it as one to watch but have not been getting the alerts until today.

i must have done something wrong when i set up watched threads.

the only thing i have been reading the past few weeks are google pages on medical treatments, conditions, etc.
i would much prefer reading books like the rest of you are.
my Vit D was at 7 but now after months of taking it, i score with a 17 now

i can't figure out how i have put on 12 pounds in 6 months.
i'm not doing anything different with my diet and nutrition so i'm baffled by it.

i don't want to be fat and unhealthy.
i wish i could go to sleep and wake up 12 pounds lighter......

my endo and internist sent me to a thryroid surgeon.
he's noted that i have a high calcium and bun level. so we are off to explore other glands in the neck area now.
he is concerned with my salivia and submondibular glands now
have a mri arranged at the hospital next wednesday.
he is a surgon that deals with the thyroid, parathyroid, and other glands in the neck
the doctor wants to deal with my salivary gland now,
i don't know if i should run the other way now.
i'm so confused about this new medical issue,
im just a mess......

hope those here that have had recent surgeries are doing better and feeling better.
my vitamin level D started at 7 but has now raised to 17 so the ergo is doing something good for my body. i'm taking 50000 of ergo once a week which he feels i should double that dose

have any of you had other gland issues since you have thryoid issues?

 

[luvmarypoppins]

macraven - The only problem I have is sometimes my salivary gland starts to clog up and that requires a hot compress etc. but that is because of the radiation sometimes it doesnt drain right.

Also I have a salivary stone because of the radiation. You can feel it in my upper cheek area like a pebble. Its not a problem, but if it becomes one it would have to be removed Luckily I go to a univ. hospit. They have one dr. who does endoscopic salivary stone removal. Its like a 15 min. procedure that is with anesthesia but he is very specialized to do this. He trained under the wonderful, um, cough, cough, surgeon who almost killed me during my thyroidectomy.

I hope you can get your issues resolved. I am sure you just want to feel like you.

Well got the blood test today. I was 10 min. late for my appt. The place was so crowded. Well they took me right away, hmm, I guess no one else made an appt. Dh said one lady was saying why did they take her lst, I need my test, do you want me to cry??? I think its obvious no one knows to make an appt.

Next was the bone scan. I think this place will go out of business. I only picked it because they are open on sat. I have always gone here. Another co. bought it out. I was the only patient there. I have gotten mammos there during the week and there were sev. other patients. There is another new facility but the parking and waiting room is horrendously crowded so I usually dont go there unless the dr. says to.

My tech was great. Sweet lady. So now we will see.