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From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden)
Newsgroups: net.med
Subject: Re: hyperthyriodism
Message-ID: <450@drutx.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 4-Nov-85 18:26:34 EST
Article-I.D.: drutx.450
Posted: Mon Nov  4 18:26:34 1985
Date-Received: Tue, 5-Nov-85 09:42:55 EST
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 65

>John Wurzelmann writes:
>	One other point I'd like to add about the treatment of hyperthyroid-
>ism. The treatment options mentioned (surgery and radioactive iodine) are
>turned to after a patient has failed therapy with propylthiouracil. Some-
>times the disease will remit while on this medication, thereby making
>more aggressive interventions unnecessary.

A good point.  That's why this has been dragging on for some time.  I
originally went in about 1 1/2 years ago for a routine exam.  My doctor
spotted the thyroid problem.  After a radioactive iodine scan and skull
X-rays (to rule out a pituitary tumor), he put me on the propylthiouracil.

This did the trick.  After about 6 months, he removed it, to see if I
would remit.  He asked me to come back in July to check it out.  Well,
I was feeling Ok at the time (the headaches I put down to eyestrain),
and delayed until last month.  Mistake.  The symptoms are really sneaky.
You easily put down the tiredness ("I am just working too hard") and
the nervousness ("Have a lot on my mind right now").  When the person
checking your blood pressure at the blood bank shakes her head, you just
think "Well, I'm nervous 'cause they're going to stick me."

At this point, he has convinced himself that it's not going to go away
that simply.  Why he mentioned the surgery and not the iodine, I don't
know.  (Perhaps he is priming me for the most difficult treatment?)

He IS going to send me to an endocrinologist.  (I liked the way he put 
it, "I'm just an ordinary family doctor.  I want a specialist to see you 
before anyone cuts anything out of you."  Sounds good to me!)  But he 
wants to get me stable first.  I was back two weeks ago, by the way.  
My pulse was down, but the b.p. was still high; he upped the dose.  I go 
back again Wednesday.  

At first I was upset because everything was going so slowly.  But I see
his reasons for trying the medicine first, it might have been a permanent
solution.  And I see why he delayed doing that while he tried to find
if there was some other cause for it.  There's a tendency when you aren't
feeling good to want immediate results and instant answers.  It doesn't 
work that way.

Personally, I prefer the idea of surgery to the radioactive iodine.  At
least the risks are all up front.  I can't imagine there aren't *some*
possible long-term effects from the radiation.  But I don't like hospitals,
either--no netnews :-), so will do whatever is finally decided.  (Along 
these lines, that iodine scan they did was fun.  You go into a room where 
a woman uses lead gloves and long tongs to open a case that has 4 inch thick
walls.  She uses the tongs to remove a pill, put it in a cup and hand
it to you, saying "Swallow this."  Yeah...sure.  "How stupid am I?", I
said to myself, as I complied.)

Thanks to all the people who sent advice.  Hope you got my return mail.
If there are any people out there in netland interested in follow-up
reports, let me know.  

(By the way, just out of curiosity.  What would you holistic types out
there have done?  Didn't get any mail from you.  This is your chance--convert
me.)
-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     ihnp4!drutx!slb

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I march to the beat of a different drummer, whose identity,
   location, and musical ability are as yet unknown.
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