Yes a little, but definitely in my back and knees.
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I’m so sorry for your pain. I have messed up hands from overuse and maybe just genetics, Idk. No one in my family has a thumb that looks like mine, it’s bent, lol.
My older sister has a terrible back and knees. I’ve been looking at the cart that overturns on the road ahead and have been doing my best to avoid it with diet, yoga, etc. Idk if it’s helped or I just lucked out. What do you use to help with pain? Have you seen this arthritis ointment? I use it and it does help.
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I had Covid during Christmas. I wouldn’t be surprised if stress was a trigger. I’ve been under stress for quite awhile with grief and other things.
My TSI hasn’t come back yet. I don’t recall a TRA but I’ll have to double check.
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Hello ladies, how have you been since our last conversations? As I said, I’m back on METHIMAZOLE and taking Vit. D3. I recently found out that Covid and other diseases can deplete your D levels. Since I came out of remission shortly after having Covid I guess the whole picture becomes clearer now.
I just had my annual exam with a CBC and other goodies, and it looks all wonky to me. Some of my levels don’t make sense and from what I’ve read, Grave’s and it’s medication can cause these imbalances. My doctor may be very good at what he does but I’m fed up with Western medicine around this subject. I’m thinking of looking into acupuncture and Chinese herbs. What do I have to lose? A life with Grave’s and METHIMAZOLE is not as benign as they make it out to be, imo.
Don’t know why the medications get capitalized automatically? lol
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I’m sorry to hear your Vitamin D is low too. Vitamin D deficiency is awful. I had that early on & took 3000iu a day for a good 6 months then levels normalised. I’ve since reduced to 2000iu and my levels have stayed the same.
I actually wonder if I have an absorption issue as I have no gall bladder.
That’s my issue too… they are all happy to keep prescribing despite side effects & just prescribe something else for the side effect 
(my experience anyway).
I have read that you can control thyroid levels naturally & am interested but haven’t looked into it a lot.
The concern for me is that Graves is autoimmune so if your only treating thyroid symptoms and not specifically targeting antibodies then how do you heal?
It’s something I’m interested in but until I reach true remission (undetectable antibodies) I’ll stick with the treatment I’m on.
Despite still being symptomatic, my levels were good in Feb, my antibodies are now below 1.0 
(I only just found out as my Endo left & didn’t call me 
).
Did you end up finding out your TRAb levels?
(Thyrotropin Receptor Antibody)
It can be called a bunch of other names too, this article has a list of the other names.
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I think it was called TSI or TSH? And yes, the levels were high, indicating a remission.
I completely empathize with you about treating symptoms and never getting to the root cause. As with you, I’ll continue with my medications as long as I’m having symptoms but, in the meanwhile, I’d like to explore alternatives.
What was the symptoms you had with Vit D deficiency?
ETA: Does the gall bladder play a part in absorbing D?
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My main symptoms with my Vit D deficiency was depression, extreme fatigue and generally feeling unwell (despite being on graves treatment for about 9 months at that time with very little improvement from the symptoms I had before diagnosis).
The depression was the worst symptom for me.
So the gall bladder stores bile which it releases after you eat & it helps your intestine digest food and nutrients etc. Without the gall bladder the bile is still there but there is no storage capacity, so you always have the bile in your intestine but it is not stored and released as needed, it’s always trickling through I guess.
It can affect digestion of fatty foods, and Vitamin D is a fat soluble vitamin, therefore “could” be affected (a couple of studies suggest bile makes no difference to vitamin D but a couple say it does ).
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Just to clarify (I found this all very confusing until it was spelled out for me):
Note - ranges for all labs are different at each lab so values listed here are approximate.
TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone when it is high it can indicate remission (around 2 to 5, higher than 5 indicates hypo thyroidism)
TSI is Thyroid-Stimulating Immunoglobulin - high levels of this indicate Graves Disease, above 1.3 or 130% is ‘normal’ but this depends on your doctor. Some say TSI should be under 0.9 / 90% to be in remission.
TRAb is Thyrotropin Receptor Antibody that is associated with Graves, above <1.0 is Graves disease and under some say is remission but some say TRAb needs to be undetectable to be in remission.
TRAb is not tested by all doctors.
I’ll put this example here that was explained by the lady who runs the fb group I’m in. She learned all this from her Endo who helped her reach remission.
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Wow, that’s complicated stuff! I’ll need to look at my results again to see if TRab is included. If not, I’m going to ask my doctor about it. Thx for the Vit. D info.
Lol, there are 11 other names for TRab. Maybe it’s on my lab results but called something else. Either way, I messaged my doc and asked him about it. He get’s back to me but is very busy. could take awhile.
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It is confusing and all those names for TRAb don’t help!
I have read many stories of people who’s doctors flat-out don’t believe in treating based on TRAb and they end up paying out of pocket to get the testing done
Mine does which is why I have the interest and needed to understand my treatment.
I hope you’re not suffering too much with symptoms 
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Thx for asking @Sevencasper The tremors are getting a little better. It was happening only when I started doing something with my hands (like messing around with my vape stuff). My primary doc calls them Intention Tremors, which I had never heard of. It happens when you start doing things with your hands. Lack of energy, a bit losing balance. But I also have the D deficiency for the first time so I’m not sure what’s what. Probably a combo platter of both, I guess. I’m losing patience with this whole thing and tired of trying to educate myself about it. I very much appreciate your help and enthusiasm in pursuing answers.
I did find acupressure points on the ear for the endocrine system and when I work them they’re very sore. I guess there are alternative treatments but I’d like to speak with an acupuncturist at length before jumping in. I’d be paying out of pocket. Oh I forgot to mention, my primary doc heard a heart murmur. Maybe I mentioned it already? My memory is not at the top of it’s game right now. Geez, I just learned that vitiligo is caused by Grave’s, too. I started noticing small white spots a long time ago, in my skin, like a loss of pigment. I thought it was sun damage.
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Oh the tremor is awful, makes it hard to get things done for sure.
I looked up heart murmur & they have overlapping symptoms too but the murmur itself can be benign.
Hopefully you’ll start feeling better in a few weeks with the anti thyroid (I’m assuming your on one?).
The vitamin d will probably take the longest I guess but we are all different.
That is the hard part especially when when feeling great in the first place, it can be overwhelming.
I’m still not sure of a lot of things but understand more than I did even this time last year.
Try to rest, you have a lot going on
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Yes, METHIMAZOLE.
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@Sevencasper I’m talking to an acupuncture clinic tomorrow. They accept my insurance but typically it’s only accepted for back pain. We’ll see. They also offer community acupuncture which s less costly than a private session. That’s fine when you don’t have to take your clothes off, ha ha. I also saw payment based on income.
My doc got back to me about the TRAb test. I can’t remember the details he said but yes, all numbers pointed towards the antibodies returning to attack my thyroid…lovely. I also sought out spiritual guidance this morning. I’m making use of all support available to me right now because I’ve had it! It’s not just the Graves but other things going on in my environment and it’s not helping my stress levels. It’s a whole big rat’s nest, lol.
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Sorry to hear you’re feeling stressed
Hopefully the methimazole will help to get your levels down asap and that will help
I haven’t had acupuncture but it sounds interesting, I hope that they can assist. Even if not thyroid specific, I’m sure the relaxation aspect of acupuncture will offer some benefit.
As long as
[quote=“muth, post:34, topic:274378”]
you don’t have to take your clothes off,
[/quote] as you said 
I know that feeling, I’m dealing with crap too this past week and even with stable levels, I feel off-kilter, it makes me 
so I can imagine you feel like you just want to hide.
I hope you can manage some distractions to get you through this rough patch.
My distraction today is making pasta sauce today so I can make a batch of meatballs and can them.
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I’ve had it in the past and it really worked well. The first time was for sciatica. It does treat Grave’s and other thyroid conditions so we’ll see how it goes.
Yum! I was thinking of meatballs and sauce just the other day. I’m going to have to make that tomorrow. Thx 
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That’s great the acupuncture worked.
Found a couple of article for acupuncture & Graves’
They’re in the canner! 6 quarts of meatballs & sauce and 2 quarts of just sauce.
I wish I’d bought more mince, the meatballs turned out fab.
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Thought I’d drop in with an update. How have you been @Sevencasper ? 4 and a half days after my first treatment I felt really good then halfway through the 5th day it was like someone pulled the plug. I’m still not feeling right and then it occurred to me that maybe taking the methimazole together with acupuncture is causing my thyroid to go hypo. I lack energy. Idk, but I do know that I’m sensitive to drugs. I’m tempted to stop taking the meds and let the needles do their work. I’m so sick of Big Pharma’s poisonous pills.
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That happens to me all the time!
Everytime I think I’m over the hump, I roll back down It’s sooo frustrating.
Could be but I don’t know how long it would take for the acupuncture to kick in? maybe it’s just the methimazole kicking in? I’m sure you’ve been on it long enough to take a decent affect - probably depends how high everything was too?
That has been my issue since the get go but “your levels are good”
Last bloods in March were great, antibodies under 1.0 as well but endo just said to reduce the methimazole by half every other day.
I’m also still reducing the pill too and he said that & the reduction in methimazole might cause an increase in thyroxine, but I’m still on the additional thyroxine too.
I’m pretty much waiting to go Hyper as it’s been more than six weeks now so the methimazole reduction should be kicking in.
Thing is, he said next bloods in September? 
I will just have to wait for symptoms I guess and then get bloods done to see.
I am bloody hungry all the time at the moment so I am wondering 
just like you.
^^ exactly how I feel. Do I reduce the thyroxine a bit as well now
I can’t even ask in that fb group I was in either, I got kicked out The group owner didn’t like me telling her not to dismiss people I guess but of course she hasn’t bothered to tell me so. Stoopid woman blocked me from the group but not from her personal profile 
lucky I’m not an irrational stalker type. Still wondering if I should message her and tell her but I’ve got better things to do.
I’ve just been keeping busyish (to keep my mind off it) around the house now the weather’s cooled off a bit and feeling pretty good over all. Tired today though, I had a stall at local market yesterday and I haven’t “peopled” that much in like, a year
God, I think and talk too much
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No one should be dismissed! She sounds like a piece of work. Just as well, you prolly don’t need the aggravation.
What do you sell at the stall?
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