I've been hyperthyroid for 7 years now, manage well with very low dose Carbimazole and feeling fine.
18 months ago I got fed up with looking like an anaemic frog and had my eyebrows microbladed. Loved the results and had permanent eyeliner a couple of months later.
The studio was very careful with patch tests, I've never reacted to any sort of hair dye before so wasn't surprised that the patch tests were fine. I've never had any sort of food sensitivity, always been able to slap any old muck on my face, never had eczema or dermatitis.
Two months after the eyeliner I had a surprise outbreak of angioedema on my face, flaming red, very sore & huge fluid bags under my eyes, and urticaria (hives) on my neck that itched like blazes. Came up gradually over a couple of days, lasted a couple of days at its worst then faded, about a week altogether.
Second outbreak started while I was on holiday in Spain so I was out of my usual environment, different food, same one-week cycle. Happened at roughly 2-3 week intervals until April then stopped and hasn't (fingers crossed) happened again. So anyone here ever had anything like it?
I've read it can happen to hypo sufferers but can't find any references to hyper sufferers. But I did find references to avoiding tattoos if you have an impaired immune system and Carbimazole is an immunosuppressant.
My GP didn't find any cause, my usual OTC hayfever pills had no effect, neither did the industrial-strength antihistamines my GP prescribed. I tried antihistamine/steroid/pharmacy anti-itch creams, Tropic Tamanu healing balm and fresh aloe vera gel from my plant that I keep for kitchen burns, which have never failed before, nothing made the slightest difference which makes me think it wasn't an allergy. GP thought it might be a reaction to Carbimazole and I came off it for a month, the angioedema came back and my thyroid levels rocketed so back on it again.
Apart from summer hayfever, I do react very badly to insect bites but as I said, never to anything else. I really love the eyeliner result and want to have a colour boost treatment, but I'm scared stiff of having a repeat of the angioedema.
Photo attached for those not of a nervous disposition, all & any advice appreciated!
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Can't be of any help but just wanted to say that I am sorry that you are having this trouble. It is awful when we try to look better and end up with a reaction.
Awww, thank you! I wish I had a good photo to show how much better I look with the eyebrows/liner (without the angioedema!)
I was overmedicated early on and my eyebrows & lashes practically disappeared, it's lovely to have them back again. I swim a lot and it's nice to know I can get away without a lick of regular makeup.
I asked for 'very subtle' liner as I was scared of looking OTT and the lovely therapist did exactly that, it gave me so much confidence I wanted a bit more, but too terrified in case it did cause the outbreaks.
A year prior to my Graves (overactive) diagnosis I developed daily hives and, less frequently, angioedema affecting my lips. I’d never had hives before and after a few weeks I saw a gp. No explanation was found and, unlike you, antihistamines did help - I had to take them daily for a number of weeks. Fast forward one year and my thyroid was very overactive and I was diagnosed with graves. After 4 weeks on carbimazole I developed hives again (and also became underactive). I was changed to ptu in case the carbimazole was to blame. It’s impossible to know for sure but I think my hives could have been due to fluctuating hormone levels. Never had anything done to eyebrows so can’t comment on that although I do get regular highlights without incident! Hope things get sorted out for you. Best wishes.
I was diagnosed with Graves 7 years ago but I think I'd had it a long time, I got very thin when my husband walked out 20 years ago and working all the hours sent to support myself, I never had any angioedema/hives either before Graves or for the first 6 years up to Nov 18. My GP took me off Carbimazole in case that caused it but it wasn't that. The only thing I can think of that I did any different to any time in my life was the eyebrow/eyeliner tattoos. But the patch tests were fine so it's not an allergy to the dye.
The things we do to look better! The procedure wasn't painful and I healed well within days, and it makes me feel so much better knowing I look better, I usually wear contacts because my glasses are very strong and give me piggy eyes, since I had the eyeliner I can even see my eyes with my specs on and not so self-conscious about looking hideous wearing them
So it's a real disappointment that I think it's unwise to have the procedure done again, I know I'd love the result but can't cope with the other stuff if it was the eyeliner that caused it
Hope you are coping with Graves and the change of meds is helping you x
How awful for you 😕 I hope you get to the bottom of it.
I think the fact you get hay fever means you are an allergic type, unfortunately.
I can’t help I’m afraid, but I thought I’d mention I do get some odd outbreaks which are hard to link together e.g. certain hair products, shampoos etc can cause eczema on my eyelids even though they never touch anywhere near the inflamed area. It took me over 30 years to work out! So it may be worth looking at hair products or body creams etc.
Over my lifetime (60 yrs) I’ve had badly swollen lips maybe 5 times (once hospitalised and injected with Adrenalin and antihistamines) and on separate occasions swollen eyes (4ish times?) I’ve never worked them out, but the time I ended in hospital I suspect it was ingesting traces of perfume on my fingers - I’d been out for a curry and had naan bread. Although I’d washed my hands, I think the oil lingered - just a theory. Even with antihistamines these conditions took days to clear.
poor you, I am sorry to hear you've experienced these awful symptoms over a long period, I am feeling lucky that mine were on & off over 6 months (fingers crossed it doesn't come back!)
I never got swollen lips and coped by covering the flaming red with a good concealer (lucky to get it in Spain during my second outbreak, you can't get it in UK) and big dark glasses
I've had summer hayfever all my life and since the newer antihistamines, all I need is one pill a day (Clarytin - lorazepam works for me) plus the odd splash of eye drops, and I don't know it's there
the insect bites give me huge itchy lumps that last for days and don't really respond to creams, in the same way the hives didn't respond
so I have no idea why hayfever allergy responds but insect bites/hives don't
the angioedema didn't itch at all, just burned and I can't believe aloe vera didn't work as it calms ordinary burns instantly, I keep a plant in my kitchen and break a leaf off every time I burn myself on oven shelves (frequently!)
I used to dye my own hair and also had it done professionally, always patch-tested without any reaction, used loads of different household products/shampoo/body products/face stuff/cosmetics without any trouble, never needed hypoallergenic anything, no reaction to gluten or any other common food reactors
the difference I note here is that you are hypo, I am hyper, so the medication I take is to suppress my immune system and I wonder if that caused a reaction to the eyeliner, which is essentially a tattoo
one of the therapists at the salon has a son who suffers from spontaneous angioedema, his hospital consultant said it was an immune system reaction so I will talk to her about what they think triggers it
of course allergies are an immune system reaction anyway so I am going round in circles here!
I too chose to have eyebrow and eyeliner tattoos as I felt very self conscious with the facial changes I experienced after RAI treatment for Graves Disease.
So, in theory I was hypothyroid at the time, and have to say it was a very positive experience, though uncomfortable during the process and for a few days afterwards.
I had no reaction to the dye used, and am sorry for your situation.
I'm glad it made you feel better too, I don't regret having it done and I'd love to have a little bit more. Interesting that you were no longer hyper following RAI, and so you weren't taking an immunosuppresant medication, which I still am, but in very tiny amounts.
I can't have RAI because I had thyroid eye trouble early on, I had to have eyelid surgery because my right eyelid was retracted and wouldn't close completely, once you've had that RAI can make it worse. They pushed me hard to have thyroid surgery but I've resisted on the grounds that over the years, by very gradually reducing the medication, I've balanced the condition. Until then I was rocketing up & down by following advice to increase/reduce meds.
When I took too much I went hypo, my hair, lashes & brows fell out, I was miserable and had no energy. When I don't take enough I get thin as a rake and so energized I convince myself I can do anything and do silly things.
don't laugh, last time I went hyper I bought a sports car and picked up a man on a dating site and convinced myself it was a lifetime love affair - wrong!!!! the car was lovely but had to go when my dog got too old to get in it and now (being euthyroid) I have a very sensible dog-friendly estate!
I now take a tiny dose, the consultant had never heard of anyone doing that and wasn't happy that I refused to have my thyroid chopped out, I am lucky to have a sympathetic understanding GP who says to 'go by how I am feeling'. After 7 years I know the hypo/hyper feelings pretty well!
I do hope the RAI has worked for you and you continue to feel well, it's a miserable thing to live with if you can't balance it with meds x
I deeply regret having RAI and if I knew then what I know now, I would have insisted on staying on the anti thyroid medication.
You can check my profile page should you wish and follow my progress since coming on this site a couple of years ago.
There is a Graves Disease website run by Elaine Moore who has the disease and went through RAI in the late 1990's. She found no help nor understanding with her situation so wrote a book to help others who might be in a similar position.
This website has been my life line and thanks to the people on here I've managed to turn things around for myself and am now self medicating and getting my life back as best I can.
I have been waiting to have Thyroid surgury ‘second time’ But at the weekend I was rushed into hospital with chronic asthma. The consultant said the surgury is too risky so said I need RAI. My husband who is a nuclear engineer is totally against it.
Can you tell me how it affected you and gas there been any long term side affects?
I have been more ill after treatment for Grave Disease than before, when I was on Carbimazole.
You might like to take a look at the Elaine Moore Graves Disease Foundation website.
I can't comment on your situation, but I certainly wouldn't recommend RAI treatment.
It is a quick fix and generally just a 20 minute appointment in outpatients, and then a discharge back out into primary care.
Graves disease is an autoimmune disease caused by your own immune system attacking your body. The antibodies tend to attack the thyroid, and it is because the thyroid is such a major gland that when it comes under attack the symptoms experienced can be frightening and life threatening.
RAI does not stop your antibody production.
RAI is a toxic substance which is taken up, to a lesser degree, by other glands and organs within your body.
RAI is known to trigger thyroid eye disease.
RAI is known to trigger fibromyalgia type symptoms.
RAI is known to compromise your immune system.
RAI induced hypothyroidism can be more difficult to treat.
I have many posts on this subject should you " check me out " through my profile page.
Please do your research -
Prof Toft 2017 - Thyroid Hormone Replacement - A Counterblast to Guidelines.
Harmony newsletter volume II issue XXVI 2019 : Quality of Life worse at 6-10 years after RAI for Graves disease compared with treatment with anti thyroid drugs or surgery. ( sorry, tried to send the link, but I'm doing something wrong !! )
Thank you so much for replying. My husband says the same thing.
I have a major heart defect and I have had respiratory failure due to chronic asthma. I also have a clotting g disorder, so the consultants are saying surgury is too risky.
I think it might just be better if I do nothing but I feel terribly ill most of the time.
So sorry for you, isn’t this just a terrible disease.
Read my profile and you will see what has happened over the years. I shall read your .
My two cents worth regarding RAI: My opinion would be to not do it. You can be hyper or hypo. Whichever you are you have to juggle medications until you create a stable condition for yourself. One is no easier than the other, so why put yourself through something so dreadful as RAI only to have the same problem, just at the other end of the scale.
Can't agree more with pennyannie, I have followed Elaine Moore for years, she has helped me more than I can describe, mostly by encouraging independent thought and it was from her site that I learned the benefits of very gradual changes to medication.
Didn't want to bore anyone with too much detail but in view of very valid discussion here, the smallest dose of Carbimazole currently in production is a 5mg pill.
Through Elaine Moore's advice I have found that varying my dose by 5mg causes a rollercoaster of thyroid hormones, and for some years I have cut the pills to get smaller changes.
I had a blip 12 months ago when my GP wanted to stop medication to see if it was causing the angioedema, when it was shown not to be the cause I went back on but as my thyroid levels had gone out of range, I had to start back on 5mg daily.
Over the year I have cut down to a quarter of a pill, 1.25mg, daily up to Christmas, then because I was a bit overweight, a bit miserable and a bit short of energy I reduced to a quarter of a pill four days a week, which is where I was a year ago.
My acid test is whether I fit into my old Wrangler jeans, they are still a bit too snug so I know I'm not hyper or they would hang off me!
When I first started cutting pills my hospital consultant was not impressed, she discharged me back to my GP because I refused surgery and 'had chosen to self-medicate'.
In fact I was following my GP's advice to go by how I feel, I am so lucky to have her.
My thinking, which goes along with Elaine Moore's, is that destroying your thyroid gland is irreversible. If is is only partially destroyed, whether by RAI or partial surgery, it is possible for the remaining tissue to be attacked by antibodies and for Graves to return.
Sorry this is so lengthy but I have VERY strong feelings about this and seeing that someone else here also thinks the same, I also advise you to think very carefully, do not be railroaded into anything you have doubts about, and do look up Elaine Moore!
nothing to do with your thyroid but every engineer I know is a very sensible person! seriously I think it's something to do with them being trained to solve real problems, that 'independent thought' thing, and I reckon your husband is advising you well.
I couldn't get my specialist to listen to my thinking about everyone not being the same.
your husband will know there's a thing called 'normal distribution', it seems to me that medicine treats everyone as though they are in the middle of that, and doesn't allow for those of us who sit on the ends, we are still 'normal', just not 'average', it's not the same thing.
I don't know much about asthma but I think it might be another auto-immune disease, my reluctance to destroy my thyroid came from realising that the fault is with my immune system, not my thyroid, and taking out my thyroid would not fix my battered immune system.
I wondered where my immune system would go next to amuse itself!
I think it's very important not to let your thyroid levels go high because of your heart condition, it's important you learn how to interpret your thyroid blood readings, your husband will be invaluable there (not being big-headed but I'm a maths/science graduate and accountant, I do numbers all the time and I realise it's not easy for everyone)
if anyone tells you having low TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) will damage your heart, I don't think that's true, it's high T4 (thyroxine) that will damage your heart by encouraging a fast heart rate and overworking it, the goal is to control your T4.
if you do read Elaine Moore's forum you will see this over & over again, she is also a scientist and makes a lot of sense.
thank you for your sympathy in my very trivial problems compared to yours, best wishes x
I have ordered several books by Elaine Moore now and am looking forward to learning more.
Yes my husband is very analytical and agrees with your post . He’s big headed enough lol 😂
The last few months I have felt just terrible , what a wicked disease this is. I think my breathing problems are graves related. I do wheeze in the sever cold and am allergic to cleaning products so agree about my allergies and Asthma. But I think all are auto immune related.
My heart condition is rare, Atrial septum aneurysm. Septum has collapsed because it is extremely thin. But my T4 was always extremely high and TSH suppressed. For years Dr said I was fine and in range. I didn’t know anything about T4 T3 and TSH. Didn’t even know I had graves until 2015.
Didn’t ever question my GP. They keep us ignorant about thyroid disease.
Thank goodness for this site. Thanks for your reply x
Hi. Just wondered if you have ever been tested for Lupus? That rash over your cheeks & nose looks very much like butterfly rash you get with Lupus (which can also cause eye issues) I have recently been tested & diagnosed myself. It was an eye doctor that noticed my butterfly rash who requested testing as when you have one autoimmune disease you can often get another & Lupus can go un-diagnosed for years. Sorry I can't help about the eyeliner never tried myself but thought it worth mentioning re Lupus.
Hi, you aren't the first person who mentioned lupus, I haven't had a test because my GP was so sure it was angioedema. I've decided today not to have the eyeliner top-up I wanted so badly in case it was the cause, as I can find not a single other thing that I changed or started in the run-up to the outbreaks in Nov 2018, two weeks after I had the eyeliner done.
The worst outbreak I had, when the scary photo was taken, was exactly a year ago and after that I had a couple of less violent episodes, the last one was in April so I will have gone a full year without a recurrence by April this year.
PS I am not a narcissist, I cancelled a holiday because of the outbreaks and my friend suggested photos for the insurance claim, they did pay out!
If it does come back then I will ask for a lupus test and hope you get helpful treatment, all best wishes x
Thanks. I definitely think you should be tested. My GP had been telling me for years I had rosacea. I dont have it all the time but it seems to come out of nowhere if I'm hot, stressed, in the sun or fluorescent lights. Prior to being diagnosed with Graves whilst back & forth to GP with racing heart, shakes & hair loss I was being fobbed off with antidepressants being told it was severe anxiety so sadly there are many useless drs out there I'm afraid miss diagnosing all the time.
I was lucky my wonderful GP knew straight away what was wrong, I just turned up for a routine appointment, said 'I don't feel very well, I've lost a lot of weight and I'm shaky' I'd gone for the appt because I couldn't sign my name, my hand was shaking so badly! She measured my pulse at 115, took a blood draw and sent me home with a referral to a consultant and the advice that if I could afford it, to go private which I did.
Blood test came back at T4 90, consultant said he often sees 30-40 but never as high as mine. So I had a long way to go, responded very well to Carbimazole but they didn;t know when to stop, I went crashing into hypo by following conventional medical advice.
About that time I found the fantastic Elaine Moore and starting titrating my drug dose from blood test results. You can see the response I got from the hospital in my reply to TanyaB so I've stuck with my GP ever since.
Will certainly ask for lupus test if the face thing ever comes back, I hope it doesn't!
Awful to read that you had all the same signs and they fobbed you off, hope you are responding to treatment now you have a true diagnosis x
I’m dashing so no time to read the replies but I just spotted your photo and wondered if you have been tested to exclude Lupus - given that you already have one autoimmune disease? The red rash on your cheeks looks somewhat like a classic butterfly rash and could possibly explain why antihistamine hasn’t helped? Just a thought as Lupus also can often cause alopecia as well.
I’m a trained beauty therapist and training in semi permanent make up.
Do you think it could just be a coincidence that you had an outbreak of angioedme. If it’s a condition of thyroid disease then could you be vulnerable to outbreak at any time?
I’d also say if it was triggered by the semi permanent makeup, I’d have expected a breakout straight away or within a few days as with an type of allergic reaction.
Do you think this is possible and it wasn’t a trigger? Has it healed up now?
Yes it def could be a coincidence - my GP knew I was having the permanent makeup and while she didn't want to advise before I had it done, she said she had no experience of the inks used, she didn't comment on whether it might have caused the outbreaks either.
I can't speak too highly of the salon and therapists who did my makeup, they said only yesterday they have treated lots of women with autoimmune conditions and never had a reaction to the best of their knowledge, they are highly ethical and I had to fill out a medical info form and have the patch test before, as I've said the patch test was negative.
I've always had patch tests for hair dye and they have always been fine too.
I haven't found anything that says angioedema is a condition of thyroid disease, but it's well known that if you have one autoimmune condition you are more at risk of others.
I agree if it was an allergic reaction to the tattoo dye I'd have expected it straight away, but I am finding references to immune reactions happening to people with impaired immune systems, and wondering if the immuno-suppressive drug I take has played a part.
So my problem is I don't know! It could be one of those 'rare' things that means nearly everyone else is ok, and I'm the unlucky one and yes, it healed up after the last outbreak in April last year and hasn't left any permanent effects - phew!
I hope you'll continue with your training, the treatments I had have given me a big confidence boost and I am sure that for the vast majority of people there will be no problems.
I didn't read all of the other comments, so maybe someone else has mentioned this...Have you been tested for Lupus? The red butterfly pattern across your face can be present in Lupus. It is also an autoimmune disease.
yes, it has been suggested, I didn't get tested at the time because my GP was sure it was angioedema, I had outbreaks every couple of weeks for 5 months and then it stopped 9 months ago, if it comes back I will ask for a test, she wouldn't do it now as I have no signs
I just took another photo to show the butterfly effect has gone but I can't see how to post a second photo, it's pretty awful anyway, I never was any good at selfies!
With autoimmunity we walk a fine line trying to keep a balance (a precarious one at best, generally speaking.)
When it comes to tattoos, the darker inks (as with hair dye) tend to come with a greater risk of causing a reaction. If you have autoimmunity the ink can trigger the immune system in some people. This isn't the same as an allergic reaction. Hence, in your case why antihistamines didn't make much of a difference. It really comes down to waiting for your system to calm on its own time table. Though, I see no harm in trying an antihistamine just in case it can offer some measure of relief. (But, in case of cellulitis see note at end.)
You may want to err on the side of caution and be grateful for the eyebrows, which look great by the way. It may be that adding the eyeliner was the tipping point for your system. And eyebrows are more important, in my opinion, because they frame the face. My eyebrows are long gone now and I have to draw them on. So, if I had to choose between the two, the brows would win every time.😉 [However, if you've become permanently sensitized to the ink, then a touch up of the brows down the road could trigger the same type of reaction.]
Note: On first glance, the redness looks like Lupus (butterfly rash). But, it could also be cellulitis (inflammation and/or infection of the skin layers that was triggered. I suffer from bouts of it. Antibiotics will be prescribed to tamp down the inflammation/infection.) But, Lupus is an autoimmune condition, as well. So, it may be something to look into, because it is fairly rare to find a person that has only one autoimmune condition. [I'm not a betting person, but if I were, my money would be on cellulitis. At any rate, how it responds to a round of antibiotics, Azithromycin works well for mine, would answer the cellulitis question.] I hope you can find a solution.
Lupus - keeps being mentioned - just posted again under the heading 'Lupus' with a 'normal' photo to compare.
I think your comments on sensitisation (as opposed to allergy, but not sure what the difference is) are bang on.
The salon that did my brows/liner does a lot of work with alopecia/chemo patients who have lost the brows completely and it has wonderful effects, giving them back their self-confidence so it's disappointing for me to have these worries about a procedure that also helped me feel so much better, but I'm glad it worked for you x
so sorry, just read your post again and realised you didn't have microblading, hope your eyebrow-drawing skills are better than mine, it goes all over the place ... x
My daughter had micro blading and it does not last more than 6 months and it cost her £350. I thought about it and then decided against it because I decided to have my eyelashes permed last year and had a bad reaction to the chemicals so I won't be doing that again.
might depend on the technique used, microblading proper is tiny single strokes to look like individual hairs, mine was more of an overall shadow because I had gaps from the thyroid trouble and it's lasted 18 months with no fading at all.
the salon was very careful about patch testing and I had no reaction at all, but it's only a surface skin test and maybe breaking the skin and putting in dye is more invasive
I'd LOVE to have my lashes permed but that does scare me! I've been using Revitalash serum and my lashes are now about half an inch long but dead straight
I looked up the perming technique and what scares me is you have your lashes pushed upwards and I'm scared of the stuff getting in my eye, when they do eyeliner tattoos your eyes are closed and they work from above, I had no trouble at all with that, so I think you are brave to have tried perming, shame about the reaction x
I think it might be because she is quite young at 33 and microblading lasts longer on old skin. If I have a spray tan it can last 3 weeks on me but my daughter's will last about a week. Just a thought.
so many people have said that, I've posted another photo under the heading 'Lupus' showing how I look before/after the 5 months of face trouble, to ask for more advice, thanks for suggesting, good to know that Elaine Moore helped you too and best wishes in managing the thyroid disorder x
I haven't been diagnosed with lupus and have to stress there is no definite evidence the permanent makeup caused my face outbreak, it's just that it's the only thing I did different anywhere around when the outbreaks started, but that doesn't mean it caused it, it could be a coincidence
although I didn't react at all to the patch test on my skin so I wasn't allergic or sensistive to the dye, I wondered if puncturing the skin and putting the dye under it made a difference
the salon say they have treated many ladies with auto-immune disorders without ever having had a reaction
so I just don't know, and not knowing is what's putting me off having it done again
I hope you do get the result you're hoping for from your drugs x
I am very wary of having anything done to my face because I do suffer with hayfever and have had an allergic reaction to some dyes. Years ago I had a liver x-ray and was injected with some kind of dye which made me itch all over so they had to give me an injection to stop the reaction.
that's interesting, I have seen that the dyes used in radiography (for angiograms I think) can cause angioedema and I guess your liver x-ray was the same, that goes along with my wondering if putting the makeup dye under skin is different to a surface patch test
Hello and thank you for your good wishes, I am as well now as I have been for years! no recurrence of the angioedema for almost a year now and decided not to have the eyeliner procedure again in case it was a trigger.
I read your page and lots of good advice in replies, can I just say it is essential you get your thyroid blood test results because I can tell you from my 7 years' experience of being treated for Graves disease, the medics do not always know everything.
My typical weight is around 8st 2lb, I have been down to 7 stone with galloping Graves, and up to 9 stone when overmedicated and falling out of the bottom of the test range.
My consultant endocrinologist says anything inside the range is ok, I can tell you it isn't, and that the advice you see here about needing to be T3 mid range and T4 upper range will likely keep you feeling well and not putting weight on.
That's how it works for me anyway, I'd bet my pension that when you put on a lot of weight your T3/T4 are too low and when you lose it easily they are either at the top of or maybe just over.
I believe it's antibodies produced by your immune system. When things are working normally your brain decides when you need energy and your pituitary gland produces Thryoid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) which kicks your thyroid gland into action to produce thyroxine (T4) which floats around in your blood and is measured by thyroid blood testing.
The 'normal' range in my part of the world is 12-22, it's different in other parts so you need to know what's considered 'normal' by your testing lab, it's printed on the NHS result. Some GP practices, particularly if you are talking to reception staff, will only tell you if your reading is 'normal' or not and get sniffy if you ask for the actual numbers, that is so not right!
Your body then converts T4 as it's needed for energy into tri-iodosomething T3 which is what your body uses. Some complicated chemical procedure involving iodine to convert which is why people with Graves are told to avoid seafood or anything high in iodine. T3 also measured by blood testing. My lab range is 3.9-6.7.
If you have Graves Disease, your immune systems decides to produce antibodies called TSI (Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulin). This behaves like TSH (Thyroid Stimulating Hormone) and causes your thyroid to react by working harder and make thyroxine. It can't tell the difference between TSH and TSI.
So your brain gets the message you have more than enough energy and stops making TSH, that's what happens when you get a blood reading 'TSH less than 0.01' or similar, because your energy is being over-produced by your immune system interfering in the normal cycle. 'Normal' TSH for my lab is 0.27-4.2
In practice when your T3/T4 is too high you have so much energy you are buzzing and lose weight. The opposite happens when you don't have enough thyroid hormones, you are knackered all the time and put on weight, I also get miserable!
My consultant got into a tailspin because my TSH has stayed suppressed for years and went ballistic when my T4 went just a tiny bit OTT, but my GP is happy so long as my T3/T4 stay not too high, she doesn't seem to think it's so terrible to go a bit over so long as I feel ok.
I've probably over-simplified the chemistry but it's as much as I can understand and that's why it's so important to know your test results, as someone else said you have a right to see them, I am lucky that I never had any resistance from my GP who sends me the NHS print-out every time I have a test and is happy to let me relate how I'm feeling with the numbers I get, so long as I feel ok she doesn't try to push me into taking more drugs or having surgery, like the consultant did.
The good news is that they have accepted my email as being my permission for them to access my records and that means that they will send them by email next week. I am plessed but a bit nervous.
Thanks for the info. I used to know a lot of the thyroid stuff, I just could not take trying to fight to get things done/changed any more. I gave up and forgot it all years ago.
I never even thought of it being thyroid which was making me lose my eyebrows, hair, nails, dry skin etc. So many things/clues and I just didn't think THYROID???? I must have got myself to forget it very well! Self hypnosis?
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It may be that adding the eyeliner was the tipping point for your system. And eyebrows are more important, in my opinion, because they frame the face. My eyebrows are long gone now and I have to draw them on. So, if I had to choose between the two, the brows would win every time.😉 [However, if you've become permanently sensitized to the ink, then a touch up of the brows down the road could trigger the same type of reaction.]
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