Accupuncture and Thai massage help Graves

[SamB22]

Hi again

Just wondering what you all do to relax as I understand that stress is not good for graves. As in the title I have started Accupuncture and have Thai massage to try and help. Anything else that could benefit? 😀

[Lalatoot]

When my brain wouldn't stop partic at night I used to lie in bed with an iPod and one earplug in listening to music. Helped me to drift off.

[tattybogle]

Learn how to do this

youtube.com v=2_YD_s86GOQ&list=RDCMUC_sRg8ymzkSkBpjX8yAoSog&index=29&ab_channel=yangfamilytaichi

youtu.be/2_YD_s86GOQ?list=R...(Not working as expected?)

[tattybogle in reply to tattybogle]

youtu.be/Rf0YvmuGXOw(Not working as expected?)

[tattybogle in reply to tattybogle]

p.s despite appearances , it's not really about waving the arms ... it's about learning to breathe correctly .... correct breathing slows the mind.

[radd in reply to tattybogle]

and balance. ... mind & body ... and being able to stand on one leg!

[Fruitandnutcase]

Have you tried ‘box breathing’? We do it in Pilates to relax.

1. Breathe in counting to four slowly. Feel the air enter your lungs.2. Hold your breath for a count of 4.

3. Slowly exhale through your mouth for a count of 4.

4. Hold for 4.

Repeat from 1.

Or you can inhale for a count of 4, exhale for a longer. Repeat over and over.

Both of these are very relaxing. Good to use if wake in the night and you can’t get back to sleep. Or just good to do if you feel stressed and want to relax.

[radd in reply to Fruitandnutcase]

F&nc,

We practice box breathing with the kids ... .. each count of four is accompanied with envisaging one of the four outside lines of a box shape. Once proficient one can then progress to lengthening the breath for the long sides of a rectangle and pause the breath for the short sides. Any combo that suits really ..

[Buddy195 Administrator]

Pilates and meditation help me to relax…. And dog walking too!

[pennyannie]

Hey there Sam:

Once the AT medication kicks in you will be better placed to read through everything that

has been written to you and you will stop over thinking everything.

Do things you enjoy doing and be selfish with your time :

Are you trying to work or have you been signed off ?

If you don't feel any relief of symptoms within the next couple of weeks you likely need your doses changed.

What were your initial symptoms - have any of these now lessened or changed ?

[SamB22 in reply to pennyannie]

Hi, I’m self employed so I am still working. My symptoms have lessened but I’m not back to me, my initial symptoms were trembling, anxious, nervous, emotional, palpitations. So they have lessened but I still feel a little quick inside, emotional. I sometime feel my thyroid in my neck but they have not said it was enlarged after the scan. I have only been in the AT 14 days I know it takes longer I just wish it would make me feel me again quickly but I know it is a slow process. You are so right I don’t take everything in properly at the moment and I will read through it all later when hopefully I am feeling better x

[pennyannie in reply to SamB22]

Yes, I've been following you and haven't jumped in every time to answer as I see you are a bit all over the place and it's not a criticism but me simply recognizing those symptoms in myself.

What work do you do ?

[SamB22 in reply to pennyannie]

I work as an assessor in education and do this from home which is certainly a benefit while I feel this way. Definitely all over the place which is unsettling and makes me sad. I pray it works properly soon x

[pennyannie in reply to SamB22]

OK - so working from home has some benefits though please do not overdo the hours which is so easily done when in this situation.

Glad to read the majority of your symptoms have reduced.

When is your next blood test and do you have an appointment yet with the endocrinology team at the hospital ?

[SamB22 in reply to pennyannie]

4 weeks until my blood test and first appointment on 30 may. Such a long wait. I’m worried about this appointment now after speaking to the consultant who was giving too much info including what they do in America. Then that they don’t like people on med for long. However after being on this site I know that it is possible to be in king term. Even on the nhs site it says it is ok to be on king term x

[pennyannie in reply to SamB22]

Stop overthinking all those " what if's " though I know it's much easier said than done.

If I have sent this to you already here it comes again :

pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/338...

What do they do in America ?

Staying on long term anti thyroid medication takes more hospital time and money and currently the NHS is cash poor with a massive O/P back log and staff are incentivised to reduce O/P waiting list times - not extend them.

There is no cure for Graves - it's an autoimmune disease and as such for life :

Your thyroid is the victim in all this and not the cause :

The cause is your immune system has been triggered, likely by stress and anxiety, and has attacked your thyroid.

Graves can occur very suddenly and can be triggered by a sudden shock to the system like a car accident or the unexpected death of a loved one.

Looking back, I realised around 4 months prior to my diagnosis I was verbally abused and physically threatened by a man I employed as my assistant manager.

There is generally a genetic predisposition maybe with someone a generation away from you dealing with a thyroid health issue.

The thyroid is the body's engine, and the controller of all you bodily functions including your physical, mental, emotional, psychological and spiritual well being, your inner central heating system and your metabolism.

So your engine has been revved up a bit too much and the AT drug is now blocking your T3 and T4 rising any further and causing a total over heating.

Taking the radical action of a thyroidectomy or RAI thyroid ablation, simply switches you from hyperthyroid and hypothyroidism, which is not more easily treated in primary care but does get you off the O/P waiting list and not the responsibility of the hospital.

Sorry gone on a bit there - apologies if I've said it all before :

When you feel like it go into the Elaine Moore Graves Disease website and read around the alternative and more holistic options to treatment and what you can do for yourself to feel better focused.

[Jokaah]

I like to lay down, have my music on and lights off (or down real low) and then play some meditation/healing/relaxation music either on my iPad or through Alexa. It’s very comforting and doesn’t take long at all for me to drift off.Sometimes I’ll just smoke a bowl of marijuana with a high THC content. Then I can just chill out and nothing phases me. Of course I cannot drive during this time or do much of anything else functionality, but I’m relaxed.

[Lazybones_freebird]

I do cardio. When I get stressed my fight or flight kicks in and if I don’t burn off the energy I cant relax. Trying to calm myself is futile and makes it worse. If its real bad I’ll just start with going up and down stairs. If its more managed I walk or jog, preferably outside. I do yoga videos if I dont feel anxious/stressed already.

[tattybogle in reply to Lazybones_freebird]

i agree . if my brain is overthinking , i find it incredibly difficult to calm it down with the 'meditation' type approach, or listening to music etc .. it just gives me more space to think. That is why i like doing long form tai chi... your brain is very occupied in remembering the sequence of moves and paying extremely close attention to every aspect of every move and correct timing of every breath..... half an hour of this calms my mind. And the body also relaxes.

I also use the 'run up and down the stairs a couple of times' method, or a brisk walk... if i ever feel a little overmedicated with Levo.