lkmanley
Thankyou for the information. I had not heard of myxedema. I will research this to see what all is involved….My eyes are not bulging as of right now-just had all the other symptoms and they have been coming and going. But I have since developed an old symptom: hands trembling and a new symptom that may or may not been related-severe memory loss. Don't remember if this is a Graves Disease symptom or not. I will have to look back at all the symptoms and see.
Hope to see my Endo docter real soon and get my blood levels and eyes checked.
Thanks again..everyone has been so helpful.
lkmanley
Yes, trembling hands & brain fog (memory loss, slowness) are some of the symptoms of GD, it is definately a good idea to get tested ASAP, the sooner you catch it the quicker you will be able to stabilise it. Even if you hadn't mentioned the other symptoms, the suspected TED would be enough for a former GD patient to get tested.
Make sure you also get tested for Thyroid Receptor Antibodies as well as the FT3, FT4 & TSH.
Not sure what your previous history has been, but often individuals will relapse if their initial treatment was very short and their levels stabilised quickly, it sometimes happens that FT3, FT4 & TSH all come good quite quickly, but the underlying antibodies are still present in higher levels and this often then results in a flare up down the track.
It is important to get antibody levels well within range before weaning off med's and to have routine testing every 3 months for the first year or two if possible to ensure any fluctuations are picked up early, there are not many doctors who will accomodate this level of care unfortunately though.
I am not a Registered Medical Professional nor am I a Formal Researcher of any description, therefore everything that I say and write is purely my own opinion that is based on my own personal experience and information that I have read, henceforth anything I say or write cannot be construed as advice in any shape or form.
Every individual needs to do their own research so that they can make fully informed decisions about their own future and take full responsibility for the decisions they make.
My partner is the GD patient, I am just her researcher and advocate.
PTU treatment for Graves 7+ years ongoing, Supported by Low Allergenic Paleo Diet, Supplements, Yoga, Meditation, Exercise and Lifestyle changes.
Tests in Jan, March, June, Sept and Dec 2012, normal range for FT3, FT4 and TSH and receptor antibodies only marginally above normal in March, well in range in Dec - Scaling down PTU dose and looking forward to a remission attempt in the near future.