Hi all.   Some questions for the group.   Any input would be appreciated.

3 years ago, after complications from surgery, I suddenly became hyperthyroid 
with pretty severe and debilitating symptoms.   I was eventually diagnosed 
with Graves, received radioactive iodine, and have been euthyroid and symptom 
free ever since.   (I do have a few thyroid nodules which have been biopsied and 
are being watched).

A few weeks ago, I began developing symptoms that seemed identical to some I 
was experiencing during my extreme hyperthyroidism....horrible insomnia, and 
debilitating anxiety....an incredible sense of doom smothers me...feel like I'm 
dying...hard to fill my lungs completely...sometimes progressing into a full 
blown panic attack.

I went to my primary care doctor (thinking I might be experiencing some 
anxiety disorder).   While the symptoms certainly reminded me of the hyperthyroid 
stage I went through....it didn't quite make sense in my mind, since over the 
past month and a half, I've gained 10 lbs (for no apparent reason) and have 
started to become constipated on occassion (something that NEVER happens to me).

Based on a check up and our conversation, he also felt it might be anxiety 
but ordered a basic thyroid panel just to make sure.   I was shocked to find 
that my TSH was out of the normal range...but HYPO not hyper.   My TSH (which was 
2.3 back in 2/07) was up to 6.8.

I have an appointment with an endo (a new doctor) on Tuesday, who I'm sure 
will order additional bloodwork.   Any thoughts??   I've been doing some reading 
about Hashimoto's (my aunt and grandmother both had this).   Can a person 
have Graves and then progress to Hashimoto's??   The thing about Hashimoto that 
got me thinking along this line was a description that said in early stages, 
the thyroid function can swing back and forth from hyper to hypo before settling 
into a hypothyroid state.   That almost seems what my body is doing (it 
certainly feels that way!)   Does that make any sense??   Are there definitive 
tests to diagnose this??

Aside from wanting answers to enable me to get my quality of life back....I'm 
supposed to have unrelated surgery soon, and the doctor (for obvious reasons) 
will not consider administering anesthesia without something in writing from 
the endo stating I am most definitely not in a hyperthyroid state.    Help me 
understand some of this!!
Thanks,
Cheryl


**************************************
 Get a sneak peek of the all-new 
AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour




_______________________________________________________________

   Control Your Self-Serve Thyroid Account
Rules - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Subscribe - http://listserv.icors.org/SCRIPTS/WA-ICORS.EXE?SUBED1=thyroid&A=1
Unsubscribe - mailto:[log in to unmask]
Our Home Page - http://www.Emissary.Net/thyroid/index.html
Thyroid Archives - http://LISTSERV.ICORS.ORG/archives/thyroid.html
_______________________________________________________________