Hyperthyroid

Signs & Symptoms of Hyperthyroidism

• Nervousness and irritability
  
• Sleep disturbances (e.g. insomnia)
  
• Fast, irregular heartbeat (palpitations and tachycardia)
  
• Shortness of breath, especially with exercise
  
• Heat intolerance and increased sweating
  
• Shaky hands (tremor)
  
• Weight loss
• Changes in appetite (usually increased)
• More frequent bowel movements
• Tiredness and muscle weakness
• Thyroid enlargement (goiter)
• Mentrual problems (decreased menstrual flow)
• Impaired fertility
• Eye irritation, double vision, bulging eyes

My thyroid was very overactive. I was then sent to seek an endocrinologist (a doctor that specialises in endocrinology, particularly the thyroid and pancreas); I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, an auto-immune disorder which involves an overactive thyroid and possibly a goiter (over-sized thyroid gland).

In order to confirm the diagnosis (other than the thyroid function blood test), I had to book an appointment to have a thyroid scan, a radioactive medical examination of the thyroid gland that is only used in cases of hyperthyroidism or suspected thyroid cancer. I couldn't eat anything with iodine for 24 hours before the test was taken. I was given two radioactive pills to swallow with a glass of water, and then told to return to the hospital in four hours. After the pills were injested, I had to lie down on a table and have a rather large machine scan 180° around my neck. While the machine was scanning, I was able to see the image of my thyroid gland appearing on the monitor next to me. I remember I was pretty upset, because the scan was showing two distinct blobs in the lower left lobe of my thyroid. I've created an image to depict their location:

My endocrinologist explained that these blobs were actual nodules in my thyroid--known as cold nodules because they were not producing anything, just growths (as opposed to warm nodules). I had to undergo several ultrasound scans as well as I had the characteristic of most patients with Graves' Disease, a goiter (an oversized thyroid gland). After all this testing was done, I was pretty anxious for some answers, as you could imagine. Basically, I was told that I have three options.

1.) Medication to block the iodine from the thyroid and thus decrease production of
__ thyroid hormones.
2.) RIA (Radioactive Iodine Ablation) where either a pill or a drink of radioactive
__ isotopes of iodine are ingested by the patient and the iodine is absorbed by the
__ thyroid; the thyroid tissue then is ablated/killed by the radiation.
3.) Surgery (total/sub-total thyroidectomy)

I was put on tapazole (methimazole), a medication used to block thyroid hormones (thyroxine), seeing as i would need to stablise my thyroid levels before choosing either of the two more permanent options. I felt better that the testing was over and that something to relieve my condition was finally being done.

1999:
My tapazole doses were continually increased. I felt pretty good for a brief period of time (even my friends were able to notice a difference), but I was starting to experience the side effects of tapazole by now. I became depressed. By June, I couldn't even latch the necklace I used to wear everyday, because my neck was swelling out so much from my goiter. My endocrinologist didn't seem to care too much at the time.

In August, I went to my local hospital to have a fine needle aspiration (FNA - biopsy) of my nodules in my thyroid gland. I won't lie, it was painful. I was administered local anesthesetic to my neck, but it was still quite an experience. The pain was mostly from pressure and stress, but my case was different by means that my nodules were very small and difficult to obtain a specimen from. I experienced a dull pain in my neck afterwards.

Luckily the results were that they were quite certain to be benign cold nodules, but the fact that they were located in the lower-left lobe of my thyroid, the cold nodules still worried me--that and my surgeon felt that he wasn't able to obtain enough fluid for the sample. Upon my research, I found that cold nodules in the lower-left region of the thyroid gland are most prone to cancer; I wanted my thyroid taken out, but then again, I didn't. I kept thinking about how I only have one thyroid gland, and the idea of once it is out, it is out. And the idea of being dependent on medication to supply myself with the thyroxine I would no longer be able create also scared me. I had to make a decision.

At first I was considering RIA, but by November (after researching) I decided that surgery
(a subtotal thyroidectomy to remove the majority of my thyroid, including my cold nodules) would be best for my next stage of treatment.

I researched a great deal of information using medical university libraries and support groups. I wanted to know, to speak to actual people who went through both procedures, to hear people's actual experiences, as statistics can often paint a different picture. I used the sites I have linked to this site (a few no longer exist, unfortunately). I was hoping that maybe they might remove just enough of the thyroid during surgery to allow me to become 'normal' again, but the chances of that happening are very slim. Still, the surgery seemed to be my best option, as I know that I personally don't handle radiation all to well.