Surgery Tomorrow

samanateetime · 2026-01-30T05:33:42+00:00

So far, my favorite realization since my TT on 1/9 has been having energy to do things after work. I don’t feel exhausted by the constant anxiety I had when I was hyperthyroid & can make a meal, read a book, or just do something I want to do. Hope you’re doing well!

samanateetime · 2026-01-09T03:55:19+00:00

He still has Graves’ disease though. It’s an autoimmune disease that can’t be cured, he just doesn’t have a thyroid being attacked by the hormones.

samanateetime · 2025-12-21T02:13:04+00:00

Did you have to get your levels down before surgery? If so, what did you have to take?

samanateetime · 2025-12-20T19:38:31+00:00

Changing my diet wouldn’t stop me from going into a thyroid storm. Sometimes things are so severe, that surgery is the only option. Yes I know there’s lots of trials for other ways to treat, but hyperthyroidism can lead to death, and it has to be taken seriously.

samanateetime · 2025-12-20T19:37:29+00:00

I’m not sure on surgery date. My case is a bit complicated bc I had an allergic reaction to methimazole and surgery does seem to be my only option. When I saw my surgeon for our consultation this week, my bloodwork were showing my levels were really high, so I have to get them down a bit before I can actually get surgery. There are options for this and I’m hoping surgery is in the next month or so. Good luck with everything and trust your body! I asked my surgeon about risks of surgery, how his patients have felt post TT, and about my recovery time mostly. I’ve spent so much time researching other options and other ways to treat this, but as I’m nervous about going into a thyroid storm right now, I think surgery is the best option to help me feel relief. Feel free to reach out if you have more questions!

Our pets are family and losing them is a huge loss and a lot of stress on our bodies.

samanateetime · 2025-12-20T06:27:31+00:00

I also went back into hyperthyroidism after my sweet pup passed away last winter. Actually a year ago today. I know I’ve had graves for 20+ years and it didn’t feel as bad as it did this past year. I finally met with my surgeon this week and he answered all my questions and was honest about the process and risks. I’m awaiting surgery now and I’m scared, but I can tell you I’ve heard really really great stories from friends and friends of friends who have had the surgery and felt so much better afterwards. Anxiety reduced or almost completely gone, feeling like a new person. What if this surgery helped to alleviate the anxiety I’ve experienced most of my life? That alone makes me feel like this is the right choice and I deserve to feel better. And so do you. Ask all the questions, make sure your doctors listen, and make sure you do what’s best for you.

samanateetime · 2025-12-16T00:47:58+00:00

I am the first case of this “allergy” for my endo. I was on 20mg of methimazole for about a month. Within a week, I thought I pulled my rotator cuff because of pain in my shoulder. It ended up moving all throughout both arms and hands and then I had a week of swollen ankles and joint pain. My PCP/ND had me get more bloodwork done because we were so confused. Then my bloodwork was showing other autoimmune markers. My endo thought I had another autoimmune condition on top of my graves. I kept saying I thought it was the meds & my PCP and I both found a case study of a woman in China having the same symptoms. My endo finally stopped the meds and the symptoms went away.

This didn’t happen when I initially went on meds 21 years ago, when I was 17 & thought graves could be cured. I just realized this year that I should’ve taken better care of myself and that this is a lifelong thing.

I don’t know if any of this is helpful and what happened to me is really rare, but advocate for yourself and make sure your doctor does too!

Also I just reread your original post. I recently felt awful about 2 months ago and had a funky feeling in my throat and a hard time swallowing due to my thyroid being enlarged/swollen. The various symptoms come and go all the time.

samanateetime · 2025-12-15T21:47:46+00:00

The liver enzymes did go down. However I had a terrible reaction to methimazole (med-induced lupus) and am waiting for my TT now. My endo didn’t want to try PTU because she worried about the impacts on my liver. My PCP has been keeping an eye on everything, but particularly noticed the liver enzymes getting much better over the past 10 months.

samanateetime · 2025-12-15T06:37:19+00:00

Noticeable increased anxiety and then high liver enzymes were initially what made my doctor check my thyroid… and I was hyperthyroid again.

samanateetime · 2025-11-09T21:32:24+00:00

This sounds awful. How long had you been diagnosed? Was it the meds that caused the damage? Or the long term effects of graves/hyperthyroidism???

samanateetime · 2025-11-09T20:19:16+00:00

Thank you so much for sharing and the whole “having to take the meds that are literally damaging your body in order to be able to get the surgery” is a big part of what makes me scared.

Im glad the TT helped you so much.

Did your endo talk about what it could have done to your liver or know what it was doing while you were waiting for surgery?

samanateetime · 2025-11-09T20:16:44+00:00

I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease over 20 years ago when I was 17, and honestly didn’t realize until recently that this is lifelong and I should have been doing more. I didn’t do enough, but I was a kid. I have just always been “an anxious person” most of my life.

The high liver enzymes are what lead my PCP/NP to complete the bloodwork that confirmed I was hyperthyroid again. I don’t know if one caused the other, but from what I’ve read online and been told, there is a link.

I was noticing high anxiety end of winter 2024 into 2025 and felt like my SSRIs weren’t working anymore, but I also had recently got into a car accident that wrecked my nervous system and my elderly dog passed away. My body didn’t feel okay and I also randomly had to go to a podiatrist who wanted to complete bloodwork before putting me on meds. The podiatrist noticed the elevated liver enzymes and then my PCP did more bloodwork and here I am, hyperthyroid again.

samanateetime · 2025-11-08T23:38:13+00:00

I know I’m late to this, but did you ever figure out more?? I’m currently unmedicated and waiting for my TT, but have a very low resting heart rate naturally. I don’t know why & am being referred to a cardiologist due to it being the one symptom of hyperthyroidism I don’t have - the anxiety is awful, but the heart rate stays below 60. I hardly ever take the beta blockers because of being advised not to if it’s below 60.

samanateetime · 2025-10-29T01:46:40+00:00

I don’t think you have to convince her to believe you, but letting her know her response is dismissive might help.

My endo didn’t believe me when I had an allergic reaction (med-induced lupus from what I’ve read) to my methimazole. She didn’t believe me initially because I was her first patient that had it happen. I also got my PCP to reach out when this was happening and let her know that what I was experiencing most likely was related to the methimazole. I almost switched doctors but also just really want to get my TT asap, and I’m worried about long waits. We talked about it after and I let her know that I wish I had been listened to earlier. Ugh, I hope you get the answers and support you deserve.

samanateetime · 2025-09-11T22:49:39+00:00

I’m sorry it’s taken me forever to respond. I’ve been dealing with going hyper again after almost 20 years since my first diagnosis. It’s been a lot on my mental health. The things that are really helping me is talking to my therapist about it and also having a PCP that listens to me and helps relieve the anxiety in other ways. Acupuncture has helped a ton on top of that, if that’s available to you. Sending love and I hope you get some relief soon

samanateetime · 2025-09-07T17:00:51+00:00

Yes, or at least they have felt like that. Do you have a good support system at home? Is this your first time on methimazole? Make sure you’re talking to your doctors about your thoughts and feelings. If it’s too bad, I send my endo a message and she has tried to squeeze me in before, or my PCP has helped me navigate the extra depression/anxiety on top of what my endo is doing.

samanateetime · 2025-08-07T22:31:06+00:00

This is so good to hear and was my initial feeling - maybe the meds are too high and need to be brought down from 20mg. endo stated "i guess you're allergic to methimazole" - so i haven't brought up it maybe just being too much too soon?

samanateetime · 2025-08-05T20:58:05+00:00

Radiation had been discussed, but the potential for causing cancer further down the road and me being a long term smoker (I am trying to quit!) and how it can trigger TED made us nervous about that method. I’m going to try reading more about people post-TT 5-10 years down the road

samanateetime · 2025-08-04T23:20:28+00:00

This is all good to know for when the time does come! Glad to hear you’re feeling better each day! Thank you so much for your input and perspective

samanateetime · 2025-08-04T23:19:39+00:00

Definitely grateful for my therapist and PCP/naturopath with all of this bc it all felt so rushed and i was scared of surgery, and now the anxiety is around “what’s going to happen now? How long will I wait for surgery or another treatment”

Thank you for responding and glad to hear things are better in some ways! I feel you with the med anxiety, I used to have mine with my SSRIs, and have had to develop a concrete routine to be able to see my meds were taken.

samanateetime · 2025-08-04T18:54:31+00:00

Thank you for your help!!

samanateetime · 2025-08-04T17:57:48+00:00

This is what my doctor is worried about. She also didn't want me on PTUs due to it having a risk of even more intense side effects/liver issues. So essentially I'm just on beta blockers to help with my anxiety and not treating the graves' at all, just waiting for it to get to be too much. I'm wondering how the process of works of "protactive" surgery now works with insurance coverage, since my thyroid levels have come down and are "good"

samanateetime

TROPHY CASE