Suzanne this is great news!   It is wonderful to hear from you again!!!!

Sure wish medicine had known about hyperthyroid meds back in 1956 when
I was diagnosed. The VA zapped my thyroid with Iodine-131, overdid it,
and I have been on thyroid supplement ever since. That has made keeping
the excess weight off difficult.

In article
<a%fnc.463190$2oI1.212377@twister01.bloor.is.net.cable.rogers.com>, S.
Gall <suzannegall@rogers.com> wrote:

Suzanne, that is just terrific news.

Its really sad, but true - there are a lot of seniors out there with
untreated thyroid problems. More common than hyperthyroid issues are
hypothyroid problems, which also have a devastating impact on general
health and mental condition (emotions, memory, energy levels, clarity
of thought etc.)

I think I've told the story of what happened to me in my early 30's -
like many people, I slid slowly into hypothyroidism over a period of
time, and my GP didn't recognize it - and I went through hell as a
consequence. I saw a shrink, a neurologist, an internal medicine
specialist, a rheumatologist, a cardiologist, and was in the ER a
couple of times, and no one picked up that all my symptoms were from
thyroid.

The lesson I took away from that was that if you have a HINT of
thyroid problems, even slightly henky test results (even if they are
still technically in the "normal" range), don't let the GP deal with
it. Insist on seeing an endocrinologist STAT. GPs may think they know
what they are doing, but they may not be up on the latest research, or
the subtleties of anyone whose case is a little off the beaten trail -
and thyroid impacts everything, so one little gland can cause a
constellation of bizarre symptoms that may not seem connected at all
(i.e. carpal tunnel syndrome, aches and pains, blurry vision and other
eye problems, dry skin, thinning hair, tiredness, heart palpitations,
tremors, feeling hot or cold, gaining or losing weight, heart
palpitations, racing or too slow heart, memory problems, anxiety or
depression, memory problems, foggy thinking etc. etc. etc.)

I'd also insist as a caregiver that thyroid tests be done as part of
routine physicals on all seniors, particularly women. It is very, very
common - to the point where researchers now think the "normal" lab
range is not correct because the general population they used to
establish "normal" includes so many people who are actually in the
throes of thryoid failure and haven't been diagnosed.

Mary G

Dear Suzanne,

So nice to hear such good news!  Glad to hear the medicine is working
& that your Mom is feeling so much better.

Always,

Char