All Change on the meds front

Popped into my doctor's surgery today to get some forms filled in, and she decided to check my blood pressure whilst I was there.

I've been on Centyl-K since February, in an attempt to lower my blood pressure, but it was still consistently high.

She decided to stop the Centyl-K, and try me on another hypertension medication, Omesar Plus.
In her words, the Centyl-K isn't working, I may as well be popping Smarties!

Endo takes my Goitre seriously!

When I was getting my bloods done the other day, in preparation for today's Endo appointment, I mentioned to my doctor that nobody at the hospital had been too concerned, or even interested in my goitre, no matter how often I mentioned it. I also showed her how much the right hand side had swollen up in recent weeks. She laughed and said "one look at that, and they'll be *VERY* interested this time, trust me!"

She wasn't wrong.

Once again, I was given a consultation with another fresh-faced young intern, but I didn't stay with him for long. One look at my goitre sent him scurrying for the Consultant Endo, and the rest of my appointment was with the boss himself.

He has decided to refer me for a CT Scan to check out the goitre, and also to an ENT consultant...just to make sure they have that covered. He mentioned the possibility thyroid surgery again, but also reminded me of the RAI option - essentially the decision is mine, I just need to do my homework and make the decision, if it comes down to it, but in the meantime it was worth setting the wheels in motion in case I decide to opt for surgery. I guess the goitre is what is worrying them, more than than my malfunctioning thyroid. He reassured me that it all still could come under control with the meds, and all this is purely speculative, but bearing in mind waiting lists for referrals etc we may as well go ahead and make a start.

My bloods are still out, my TSH is too high, and my Free T4 is too low - indicating that I'm very firmly in the Hypo camp right now. So we've dropped my Carbimazole from 30mg/day to 15mg/day.

Hot or Cold?

I've always been *hot*...ha ha, no, not in that way!

But I usually love winter, and loathe summer. I overheat in summer, suffer from heat stroke and heat rashes regularly, and any prolonged hot temperatures always made me feel very ill. (well, as hot as it can ever get in Ireland and the UK)
Alternatively, in the winter, I could swan about in flip-flops all winter long, walking the dogs through frosty fields, simply washing mud off my bare feet before I came indoors, and wearing t-shirts and thin cotton trousers all winter long, only resorting to a jacket of any sort when it was raining.

Now I'm tipped over into hypO I've suddenly swapped thermostat, and I find I am permanently cold. NO matter what I do I can't get my feet warm. I go to bed with thick woollen sicks on, worn under my bed socks. Hot water bottle. Electric blanket on. Oil-filled radiator plugged in and t-stat turned up. Poor hubby is trying to sleep, dripping with sweat, while I lie there trying to get warm enough to drop off to sleep. I sit in the study (working) or lounge (lounging, ha ha!), in a fully insulated house, with the central heating on, and despite being fully dressed, several pairs of socks etc I've generally got a hoodie and or a fleece jacket on, often a woolly hat and scarf too, usually at the very least I've got a blanket wrapped around me and I just feel SO cold. Hubby keeps turning the thermostat up for me, the house is intolerably hot for him, yet I just feel constantly chilled. "

RAI or Thyroidectomy?

Hoping this remains a hypothetical question for me, but I'm curious to hear other folks opinions on it...

Its becoming more and more clear that my thyroid gland is becoming more and more unstable. The latest set of bloods have me very hypO, even more than I was a couple of months back.
TSH is 18.3 range 0.15-3.2
my FT4 is apparently "below absolute low"...which is interesting, surely the lab should be able to detect it somehow, no matter how low it has dipped.

I've had noticeable goitre on the left side of my neck for years, with nothing to show on the right hand side. But, suddenly, in the space of 7-10 days the right hand side has now swollen to larger than the left, and is incredibly uncomfortable...breathing, swallowing, neck movement, all compromised.
My neck looks like a bullfrog, and my voice is so hoarse I sound like bullfrog too!

Due to see my endo on the 19th of May, but my GP has advised me to think about the fact that my Endo will now very likely suggest either surgery to remove it completely or RAI treatment.
For the record, I'm 35, married, no kids, but would like to think about having children in the reasonably near future, if I can only get this thyroid to behave itself.

So, throwing this 'hopefully' hypothetical question out to blog-land...if you were given the choice of surgery to totally remove the thyroid gland, or RAI treatment which one would you go for, and don't forget to say why?

Thanks in advance

Let There Be Rock!

What can I say!?

A brilliant night from start to finish! We had great seats and the crowd around us were totally up for it. The support band, The Answer, did an excellent set, and were received enthusiastically by the audience, but the atmosphere continued to build as everyone anticipated the main act, and I can't believe that anyone could possibly have been disappointed by what was delivered. The shamefully misquote a famous Dublin rocker, the lat,e great Phil Lynott...the boys were well and truly back in town! And not before time, I might add.

Time and tide has done absolutely nothing to diminish the ability of these 5 guys to deliver their very best! My ears are still ringing the morning after, and my voice is hoarse from cheering and singing, and that's just the way it should be!

Our eternal thanks to those connections who sorted out the ultimate birthday present for my husband - guest list tickets to AC/DC !!!

(check out the all-important "COMPLIMENTARY" and €0.00 on the tickets!)

Roll on Punchestown in June, when hopefully we get to do it all over again!

With regards to an OB:Thyroid observation....really, really, really found it a struggle to walk from the hotel to the venue (less than half a mile) and felt more than a little humiliated that I had to keep stopping every hundred yards or so to let the pain in my back and legs subside. I know this a symptom of being hypo, but man that was hell...and, you just feel *everyone* is looking at the fat cow who can't walk because she's so fat...if only they knew! Times like this I wish I could wear a sign around my neck, explaining its my thyroid, not my weight, that is the problem...but I didn't let it spoil what was one of the most incredible gigs I've ever been to! :-)

For Those About To Rock!

Wow! Wow! Wow!

I've just received the very best email of my life!  I'm going to print it of and frame it!

After totally missing out on tickets to AC/DC when their current tours hits Irish soil next Saturday, I had all but given up hope...and I flat refused to pay touts prices.

So I had all but given up hope, but I gave a few 'connected' strings a half-hearted tweak in desperation...and they have come up trumps.

Not only did the email confirm that hubby and I have tickets for Saturday's awesome night of noise.....we're on the bloody Guest List !!!

How about that!  Rock'n'F'n'Roll Baby!

Back Once Again

Seems I disappeared for longer than intended.

We had a weekend away camping, and that was disrupted by an emaciated stray dog who entered my life the day before we were due to leave.

So I've been very busy looking after her (still ongoing - and looking like a long term project) and learning all about greyhounds and greyhound mixes and their specific care needs. (She's approximately half the weight she should be)

She's gained 1.36 kilos in weight already though so I'm pleased with her progress...if only she and I could participate in a little weight swap ha ha! I'd gladly donate all of my spare weight to undernourished dogs!

Still off the smokes, and still giving the scales slightly less to hold up each week, so there are two positives already.

My new meds seem to be OK. They cut my Carbimazole back down to 30mg, and I finally relented on my BP Meds Argument, and consented to starting on Centyl-K, a diuretic. I bought a cheapo blood pressure monitor from my local pharmacy, and I've certainly noticed my BP coming down a little, so hopefully my doctor will concur. Maybe I shouldn't have fought against BP meds for all this time after all...?

The walking has slipped though, and I'm cross with myself for letting that go...need a kick up the bum and the discipline to get out there every morning again!