Part II of diagnosis with Graves Disease

Graves Disease Part II

Soooo, picking up where I left off in Part I.

My weight went from 276 to 205 - I opened up my new motorcycle rental shop. I was working 20 hours a day getting that put together and when we finally did get it open (May, 2007) I was beat down in everyway. The burnout video with Master Bike Builder Paul Yaffe (Discovery Channel) on the sidebar was taken at that party. Went from Lumpy to Limpy LOL. Old Grizzly Adams (Dan Haggerty) thought I had cancer. If you look close at the video, you’ll see him helping to referee the contest.

By June, I knew something was really wrong and that’s when I went to see Doc for the first time where we started the “testing” rounds. MRI’s, CAT scans, the whole enchilada. And I have to say, more than a few I had to do over because the medical professionals just couldn’t believe the T3 count.

I went to the motorcycle rally in Sturgis in August with Yaffe and the crew and it was just miserable. Everything was out of balance, everything tainted by the way I felt. I couldn’t have fun because I was just weak and drained, all the time. The motor was running 24/7. Couldn’t sleep, couldn’t eat, couldn’t do shit.

BUT! Come September, it started with a radioactive tracer pill. When those test came back it was decision time. They had the diagnosis. Graves disease.

Since there was no lumps or cancer on my thyroid, we decided instead of removing the thyroid glands completely, we’d go the “nuke” route. Radioactive Iodine 131 on the way.

It took about 6 weeks for my T3 to drop below 500, but it finally did by December. The T3 target goal was 150 I think it was.

Well a funny thing happened. Not only was the Radioactive Iodine 131 successful, it was so successful, we went from a Hyperthyroid and Graves to a Hypothyroid. LOL!

Let me say this…. the motor went from 120 to zero in 3 months. I went from not being able to sleep more than an hour (2 at best), to sleeping 18 hours. I went from having to hit the head a dozen times a day to going once every 3 days. My hands went from uncontrollable shaking and tremors to rock solid and steady. My weight also started to climb back. By December I was back to a solid 250 and strong.

By January I literally couldn’t move so Doc ordered more tests. My T3 went to absolute zero. I have to laugh because it was the craziest thing that has ever happened to me physically. I’ve broken bones from football, titanium plates at C5, C6 and C7 from head butting fools, L4 and L5 S1 have been operated on but I’ve NEVER, I mean NEVER been down for the count. This T3 at zero damn near knocked me out.

Well, guess what. Since I now had Hypothyroidism (opposite of Hyperthyroidism), Doc started me up on 50 mcg of Synthroid (T3). A month later progress, but not enough so he upped it to 125 mcg. A couple months later, still not enough so we’re at 200 mcg presently. Theoretically we still need to go up from there as my T4 is out of whack now and probably could use another 100, but Doc doesn’t like prescribing more than 200 mcg.

So here we are in the present - January 2009. 200 mcg daily for a Hypothyroid, my weight’s back to 270/275 and my strength is back to where it was before we began this wild ride.

I feel good, although if I forget to take these damn pills (or a couple times took’m twice), I get a little crazy days later. I’m not complaining though - life is good again.

Hopefully somebody afflicted may read this, and hopefully this post may help you as you move through the process of treatment. In the end, life’s gonna’ do what life does, how you react to it is what matters.

L2 Lumpy