ANA Discussion Forum

Post-Treatment => Post-Treatment => Topic started by: JudyT on June 15, 2009, 12:01:17 pm

Title: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JudyT on June 15, 2009, 12:01:17 pm
I was recently diagnosed with low thyroid....must take med daily. Has anybody been diagnosed with this....is it just one more issue to deal with or just coincidence? Soooo many meds to take.....now more??? I am 4 years out from CK@ Stanford and already have several issues to deal with.....NOT happy!!!!
Judy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Vivian B. on June 15, 2009, 12:48:40 pm
Hi Judy,

Sorry you have to deal with this. I have not heard about any relation with ANs and other conditions such as thyroid issues. The doctors that I saw including oncologist did not mention new conditions developing other than the usual risks of radiation which is supposedly very small. Maybe it's just a coincidence. Hopefully some other members can provide you with more info.

Vivian 
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Kaybo on June 15, 2009, 01:02:55 pm
Judy~
I believe that there are several of us on here that are on thyroid medicine - I don't know if there is a anything tying the two together.  The older I get, the more I realize how many people (mostly women) have thyroid issues!  For me, my mom and grandmother both had thyroid growths so I was always feeling my throat because I knew it was hereditary.  I certainly wasn't surprised when I found growths.  I actually had my whole thyroid removed 3 years ago - as far as surgeries go (& I have had my share!), it is the one I would recommend to friends!  ;D  I was up at the pool with my 3 girlies and then at church that night one week after I had surgery!  I went ahead & had then remove it because I knew it was pretty inevitable and we figured that I would bounce back from surgery better at 35 than 45 or 55!!  Bet that didn't really answer your question, but that is my experience!

K ;D
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Jim Scott on June 15, 2009, 03:12:30 pm
Judy ~

I'm sorry to learn of this latest medical problem you have to deal with (thyroid). 

To my admittedly limited knowledge (I'm not a doctor) there is no direct relation between an acoustic neuroma and thyroid problems.  However, From the home page of this website http://www.anausa.org/what_is_an.html (http://www.anausa.org/what_is_an.html):

One study has shown a relationship of acoustic neuromas to prior exposure to head and neck radiation, and a concomitant history of having had a parathyroid adenoma (tumor found in proximity to the thyroid gland controlling calcium metabolism).  Apparenty, an acoustic neuroma follows thyroid issues, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, I believe that your thyroid problem may simply be, as you stated, "just one more issue to deal with" rather than a direct relation your AN.  I trust the medication you're taking will alleviate your problem.

Jim
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: ppearl214 on June 15, 2009, 03:17:48 pm
Judy ~

I'm sorry to learn of this latest medical problem you have to deal with (thyroid). 

To my admittedly limited knowledge (I'm not a doctor) there is no direct relation between an acoustic neuroma and thyroid problems.  However, From the home page of this website http://www.anausa.org/what_is_an.html (http://www.anausa.org/what_is_an.html):

One study has shown a relationship of acoustic neuromas to prior exposure to head and neck radiation, and a concomitant history of having had a parathyroid adenoma (tumor found in proximity to the thyroid gland controlling calcium metabolism).  Apparenty, an acoustic neuroma follows thyroid issues, not the other way around.

Unfortunately, I believe that your thyroid problem may simply be, as you stated, "just one more issue to deal with" rather than a direct relation your AN.  I trust the medication you're taking will alleviate your problem.

Jim

Jim,

VERY interesting and thank you for sharing the info from the website! I find it highly interesting... as back in 1998, I had a benign growth on the left side of my thyroid, which was surgically removed...  AN discovered in 2005.

very interesting... thank you!
Phyl
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: CHD63 on June 15, 2009, 03:31:24 pm
One study has shown a relationship of acoustic neuromas to prior exposure to head and neck radiation, and a concomitant history of having had a parathyroid adenoma (tumor found in proximity to the thyroid gland controlling calcium metabolism).  Apparenty, an acoustic neuroma follows thyroid issues, not the other way around.

Judy .....

For what it's worth ...... When I was in junior high (many, many years ago  ;D) I had radium treatments following the removal of tonsils and adenoids ..... no one knew at the time the risks involved!  When I was in my early 20s I was diagnosed with low thyroid function and took Synthroid for probably 15 years ..... then I became hyperthyroid and my GP at the time discontinued it.  My AN was not diagnosed until nearly 30 years later.  I have had normal thyroid function tests ever since I stopped taking Synthroid and my body adjusted to it.  Now, with new information regarding childhood radiation exposure to the head/neck, I am checked regularly for any growths on the thyroid ..... so far negative.

Clarice
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Cheryl R on June 15, 2009, 03:36:29 pm
Alot of  people have thyroid problems.  A thyroid med was one that many of the patients we got in the hospital when I was working was on.       Not all were real old either.                Makes one wonder in the olden days if people were ill or died at an early age due to thyroid problems or what is going on in the environment to cause now it now in more people.      I have had kind of an enlarged one for years but labs are ok.
                                                         Cheryl R
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Mickey on June 15, 2009, 04:15:56 pm
Very interesting! I`ve been dionosed with a slight thyroid problem. I`ve tried kelp with some coconut oil which actually seemed to bring my level back to normal. Thats where it stands at the moment. Mickey
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JudyT on June 15, 2009, 05:19:08 pm
Thanks all.......He also prescribed Vitamin D once a week to help in calcium deficiency. I have had poor abilty to absorb calcium since teenager. I have tried to take Levithroid 2 times previously and it made me depressed....feel wierd....lots of tears. Today only second day, I am depressed to tears,elevated BP, light headedness, anxiety....must sit quietly.....headache etc. jittery. Doesn't make sense to me. I can't serparate An issues from what might be new.
Judy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Mickey on June 16, 2009, 07:58:44 am
Judy I believe I tried the same medicine for thyroid. It didn`t agree with me and thats when I went to the natural method which I`ve been on ever since with good results. Mickey
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: nancyann on June 16, 2009, 11:21:14 am
I've been taking L-thyroxine for over a year now - was dx. with hypothyroid (this is apparently common in women who are going through menapause).  I'm glad I haven't had any side effects to it.
I remember several years back we had a patient who was extremely depressed - seems he forgot to mention he stopped taking his synthroid.  His TSH was really high.  Depression is a symptom of hypothyroid, & it can get really bad depending on the levels.
Once he got back on the Synthroid (& after a few weeks), his depression was gone.
Always good thoughts,  Nancy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: salamander on June 16, 2009, 11:52:44 am
I was diagnosed 2 years ago with Hypo-Thyroidism, and take Synthroid and Cytomel daily.  My AN was diagnosed about a year after that. 

I was hoping that after my brain surgery, it would prove to be linked and would test more normal in the future.  My tumor was compressing my brain stem so I have wondered. 

I haven't had it tested yet, but might this summer to see where I am now. 

Samantha
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: marie on June 16, 2009, 12:01:50 pm
Synthetic thyroid meds did not work for me.  I have been using Armour Thyroid for years and it is helping .
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Kaybo on June 16, 2009, 01:06:35 pm
I checked into Armour as I tend to like more "natural" things but they said it was a lot harder to regulate & sometimes you have to come in a lot more frequently w/ it. I decided I would stay on the Synthroid for now - I don't have a lot of extra time to go to the Dr or for "emotional" issues - I  have about all I can handle chasing after 3 girlies! ;D

K
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JudyT on June 18, 2009, 09:33:46 am
I went for doctor consult yesterday...he suggested I take 1/4 pill for a month then progressively increase the dosage. He reminded me thyroid can present many physical/mental issues. Some similar to An issues. I asked for a referral to an Endocrinologist...got it for next Wednesday. Would prefer to take natural remedy if there is one. Does anybody know of one?

Judy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: lori67 on June 18, 2009, 11:01:50 am
I have been taking Synthroid for almost 19 years, with no side effects.  I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism about 21 years ago, for which I had radioactive Iodine treatment (and I have a feeling that had something to do with the beginning of my AN).

I don't consider my thyroid issues too big a deal - it's one tiny pill a day, and once you get the dose regulated, I only have a blood test once a year.  At this point, I can usually tell when the dose needs to be adjusted because I feel tired, emotional and just sluggish.  When the dose is right, I feel great.

I don't think there's a link between the AN and the thyroid issues - there are so many people who have low thyroid function and so few who have AN's.

Lori
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on June 18, 2009, 02:03:51 pm
How ironic that this topic has appeared -- I took my very first synthroid pill this morning, following a diagnosis this week of mild hypothyroidism. My TSH numbers were on the slightly high side in blood work from last November as well as this past month, and I've been tired and feeling somewhat sluggish for a while. My doctor agreed with me when I told him that I didn't think this recent fatigue could be blamed on my January 2008 AN surgery!!!

 And, along with Lori, I don't think there's a link between our ANs and these thyroid issues. My older sister, who's been on Synthroid for several years, said that she'd read somewhere that Synthroid is one of the most widely prescribed drugs on the market. Many, many people have thyroid problems.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Desilu on June 28, 2009, 01:49:01 am
Hi All,

I am amazed that many of us have thyroid issues. I was diagnosed with thyroid nodules and was put on synthroid back in 1993. My AN did not appear until around 1999 but I didn't have it removed until 2005. As everyone has already stated, once your doseage is regulated, it's just remembering to takie one pill a day. Sorry, I am so late posting. My computer crashed, even the Geeks could not help me. I lost all of my AN contacts, addresses, pics, everything. But as you can see, I am up and running with a new computer and trying to catch up with the news. Ann
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JudyT on June 28, 2009, 09:40:26 am
Hi all.....I went to the Endocrinologist this past week and she said the dosage was evidently to high. She cut it in half and told me to cut that in half and take part in the am and part in the pm. My skin has been sooo dry and flakey.....even with all the moistuizer I use. She said my test results were way out of line and my body is screaming for thyroid. So far so good and energy is picking up, skin has already showed improvement. I must go back in August for another blood panel. I am very pleased with my visit to her. Thanks for all the info.........

Judy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: lori67 on June 28, 2009, 01:25:13 pm
Judy,

Glad it went well!  Once you get that dose just right, you'll feel like a million bucks!   ;D

Ann, glad you're up and running.  That's not a good thing when the Geeks can't even fix your problem!

Lori
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: JudyT on July 08, 2009, 09:45:18 am
Hi everyone........I tried endocrinologist's advice....just got sicker.........nausea, sad/tears....depression/very negative attitude........Just plain miserable. Tried reducing dosage....didn't help. I had planned a trip to NY and Conn for July 2....doubtful I could go. I stopped taking meds 7/2....now each day has gotten so much better. I flew out on the 2nd as planned but was very concerned. I had a wonderful time and am at home now with a whole new attitude......none of the symptom's mentioned and back into some redecorating etc. A bit "jet-laggy" otherwise very good. I am interested in Mickey's natural remedy....I am going to e-mail doctors about this latest "sick" episode. This is the third time this has occurred for me and Synthroid is not working for me again. Many questions buzzing my head.
Judy
Title: Re: New issue.......Thyroid
Post by: Lyssa on July 09, 2009, 09:54:19 am
My mom was diagnosed as hypothyroid 15 yrs ago, so she had my sister and I tested. I am 26 and have been taking low dosage of synthroid since I was 12. I never even really think of it affecting me, just a little pill every morning and bloodwork when I go for my annual physical, my dosage hasn't changed in 14 years. Last year I got into the habit of taking it at night, I don't know why... I was having an awful time trying to fall asleep and this had never been an issue. Once I started taking it first thing in the morning again my sleeping pattern was back on track.

I'm interested in learning more about natural treatment, actually I didn't know there was a way to treat it naturally as I've been taking synthroid since I was a kid... something I will definitely be looking in to.

I don't really think that there is a link between thryroid irregularities and ANs because SO many people have thyroid problems, be it hypo or hyper and only the lucky ones seem to get AN's  :D