Medication.

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Tako_Kichi
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Re: Medication.

Post by Tako_Kichi »

Even though I have been registered as disabled with ME/CFS for nearly 20 years now and also have osteoporosis and osteoarthritis I have not been taking any regular medications (apart from occasional over the counter painkillers). That changed earlier in 2019 when I was finally diagnosed with hyperthyroidism on top of everything else. When it was eventually discovered I was quite ill with multiple symptoms including an 'at rest' heart-rate in excess of 100 BPM.

The 'normal' procedure these days is to kill the thyroid gland in-situ with radioactive iodine but as I live with multiple animals, including several cats, I was not eligible for treatment as the radioactivity in my body would have been harmful to them! So the only option then was surgery but before I could have surgery I had to take medication to reduce and then control my heart-rate as it was dangerous (possibly even fatal!) to operate without it.

The issue is that my pituitary gland is not producing any TSH hormone at all (totally undetectable in blood tests) and this hormone is used to regulate the two hormones produced by the thyroid gland (T3 and T4) which in turn control the function of multiple organs throughout the body, which is why I felt so ill as multiple organs were acting up at the same time. The effect is much like a car engine with the throttle stuck open in neutral, the engine is racing but you are going nowhere!

I was initially placed on a beta-blocker to reduce my heart rate to 'normal' levels and then once that was controlled I was started on thyroid control medication to replace the missing TSH hormone. It was quite a balancing act as I had to decrease the beta-blockers while trying to find the right dosage of Trapazole to get me settled. I am now at a point where I have balanced the thyroid function and only use the beta-blockers if I get a sudden spike in resting heart-rate.

Unfortunately, I cannot be on the current thyroid medication long term as it can lead to liver and/or kidney failure so I have to see my endocrinologist and ENT surgeon (two different guys) in March so that they can make a decision on whether to carry on with the meds or put me under the knife to surgically remove the thyroid. I would then have to be on meds for the rest of my life to provide the hormones (three of them) now missing from my body. I also have to have blood tests done every three weeks in the interim to make sure the current meds are not causing irreversible damage.

The good news is that the current meds are working fine and my T3 and T4 are back to 'normal' levels (the TSH is still undetectable though) and the beta-blockers are there just in case.

:Dance:
Larry

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Nigel H-J
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Re: Medication.

Post by Nigel H-J »

Good grief Larry, you certainly have been through the mill as every-one else who have posted, hope you all continue to battle on regardless.

My medication is:
Amiodipine X1
Aspirin X1
Atorvastatin X1
Bisoprolol X1
Lansoprazole X2
Mirtazapine X 1.........Stress and anxiety which came about when working on C.C.T.V. and of the bullying due to my hearing loss and was also the cause of my heart attack
Nicorandil X2
Ramipril X2
Fexofenadine X1.......antihistamine
Glyceryl trinitrate........Spray for Angina
These were all prescribed after having had a heart attack also have very strong painkillers due to trapped nerves in my spine but space me out so don't take 'em, just have to put up with the pain. 8)

Regards
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.

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Re: Medication.

Post by Dev One »

Nigel,
Back pain Specialist in France referred me to a physio that practiced the McKenzie method for easing back pain. TENS, physio & 'press-up' type exercise, 16 sessions, certainly eased it for me & has improved over the years. Trouble was a trapped nerve due to a disc collapse which happened about 3 months after my Stent surgery. I think the anesthetic they used lasted longer than expected & so I was strimming in the garden & suddenly the disc went. Boy was that painful, morphine patches didn't help much either. Can't remember what they gave me as a better substitute it was over 10 years ago.
Otherwise my list is somewhat similar with addition of the Parkinson's pills, the new one (slow release) to be taken at night has certainly helped me to be able to sleep more than 3 hours at night for the last 2 nights.
K

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Re: Medication.

Post by simondix »

I feel very inferior I am only on 5. Atorvastatin, Aspirin,Ramipril, Bisoprol Fumarate and Co-codamol. I have a collapsed disc and a stent.
Simon

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Nigel H-J
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Re: Medication.

Post by Nigel H-J »

Nigel,
Back pain Specialist in France referred me to a physio that practiced the McKenzie method for easing back pain.
Hi Keith (is it Keith)? :dunno: Only guessing on your initial K, apologies if I am wrong! :hide: :lol:

Before I had my heart attack (have heart disease) I went into hospital at Sheffield for an injection into my spine, on coming round I felt no pain at all that is until I got home then it all started again. :doh: I was booked back into the hospital in Sheffield but 4 days before the operation I had my heart attack.

Cutting the story short, the surgeon said because of my heart it was too risky to operate, I had thought about whether physio might help but was again advised that this would not be of much help due to also having spinal arthritis.
I feel very inferior I am only on 5. Atorvastatin, Aspirin,Ramipril, Bisoprol Fumarate and Co-codamol. I have a collapsed disc and a stent
I don't know about that Simon, you beat me by having the stent!! :lol: :lol:

Regards
Nigel.
I used to be an optimist but with age I am now a grumpy old pessimist.

Dev One
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Re: Medication.

Post by Dev One »

I had a CT scan of my back (L5 area) & the operator said I had arthritis - it wasn't. When I had an X ray, operator also said it was arthritis too! French seem to outsource specialist scan & X ray clinics, although some are within hospitals, the operators seem to be the analyst also writing up the report giving one copy to the patient & another to the requesting clinician. They seem to also sometimes give a CD of a CT scan to the patient, but not to me, I do have though the X ray.
K.

Yes, I am called Keith amongst other things!!!

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Tako_Kichi
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Re: Medication.

Post by Tako_Kichi »

I had a good news/bad news sort of day today. The good news is I went to see my endocrinologist and he told me my hyperthyroidism has gone into remission, something that only happens to 30% of people apparently. I am not cured and the condition could flare up again but for now the medication has brought it under control and the plan is to keep reducing the medication and monitor it via blood tests on a regular basis. Of course I still have my disabling ME/CFS, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis to deal with on a daily basis but any good news is better than none right!

On the bad news side of the equation we were driving into the city for my appointment when the infotainment centre in the car pinged and informed us of an incoming transatlantic phone call. My mother had been rushed into the hospital in the UK over the weekend with chest congestion, chest pains and an irregular heartbeat. She had a slew of tests, including for corona virus but the results were not complete. In the interim they were treating her for pneumonia and monitoring her closely. The phone call was to tell us she'd lost the battle and had passed away. We still don't know at this point if it was corona related or just a case of pneumonia and age (she would have been 94 in May). She was in a high risk group due to age and living in a care home and she wasn't a well woman to start with as her health had been going steadily down hill for a couple of years now. To be honest I believe she is better off now and is no longer suffering which is all anyone can ask for.
Larry

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Re: Medication.

Post by GHD »

I am so sorry to hear that larry.

As you say, she is probably better off, but it dooesn't dull your pain.
George

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nigelb
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Re: Medication.

Post by nigelb »

Larry, my sincere condolences. It is never easy to loose a parent no matter what their age. That said, mum had a good innings and I hope you have many fond memories of her.

Nigel²

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Re: Medication.

Post by simondix »

Larry please accept our condolences from Jenny and I. By any chance did your Mother your Mother live in the Midlands?
Simon

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