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Old 11-08-2011, 07:17 PM
Stellatum Stellatum is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,215
10 yr Member
Stellatum Stellatum is offline
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2010
Posts: 1,215
10 yr Member
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Hi, and welcome. Most of us had a hard time getting diagnosed, so we know what you're going through. The not knowing is brutal.

First of all, that thyroid reading needs to be followed up right away by an endocrinologist! Your TSH is low and your free T3 is high. Both of those readings indicate hyperthyroidism. I have Graves' disease myself, and when my TSH goes as low as .02, the doctor puts me on thyroid suppressants. That may look just slightly out of the normal range to you, but it's low enough to diagnose you, I think. (Don't be confused by one number being too low and the other being too high. TSH works backwards: the lower it is, the more thyroid hormone your body is producing. So a combination of a low TSH and high hormone levels means hyperactive thyroid).

Graves' disease (hyperthyroidism) is an autoimmune disease. It can cause eye symptoms like double vision, and it can cause muscle weakness. Other common symptoms are fast heart rate, hair loss, heat intolerance, anxiety and trembling. But a mild case may not produce all these symptoms.

My other advice to you is to see a neurologist who specializes in neuromuscular diseases. I think you should definitely be tested for myasthenia gravis. There is a blood test you can have--it tests specifically for the MG anitbodies. If it comes back positive, you're definitively diagnosed. If it comes back negative, you may or may not have MG. In that case, there is a specialized kind of EMG called a single fiber EMG that is good for diagnosing MG. Only a neurologist who specializes in neuromuscular diseases will be able to do it for you.

I hope you can see a neurologist right away. If you can't find one who specializes in neuromuscular diseases, start with any neurologist.

I hope you get answers soon. Welcome to this forum, and please don't hesitate to ask any questions you might have.

Abby
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Neofate (11-24-2011)