Thyroid Meds Increased

Got a call from a NP in my Oncologist's office and because of blood work that I had on Thursday, part of my blood was sent out to an outside lab for further tests specifically regarding my thyroid...  it appears that a side effect of taking OPDIVO is having a screwed up Thyroid...  and, since my results indicated that my number was going up my daily dosage was increased from 25 to 50 mcg's.

Levothyroxine is used to treat hypothyroidism (condition where the thyroid gland does not produce enough thyroid hormone). It is also used with surgery and radioactive iodine therapy to treat thyroid cancer. Levothyroxine is in a class of medications called hormones. It works by replacing thyroid hormone that is normally produced by the body.

Without thyroid hormone, your body cannot function properly, which may result in poor growth, slow speech, lack of energy, excessive tiredness, constipation, weight gain, hair loss, dry, thick skin, increased sensitivity to cold, joint and muscle pain, heavy or irregular menstrual periods, and depression. When taken correctly, levothyroxine reverses these symptoms.

Not Sleepy

For the last several days, after working outside all afternoon building a platform to get in and out of the hot tub, and then relaxing on the couch for a couple of hours watching detective series on BBC, I have had difficulties falling asleep when retiring to bed around 11:00 p,m.   On some of these days, there has been afternoon naps for about 90 minutes but on other days there has been no afternoon naps, yet the sleeplessness persists...  I am tired but once I lay down there is no sleepiness that arrives until after 2 hours or so.  In the mornings, when I awake and get out of the bed around 8:30, I am tired like I have not slept enough which quickly fades after being up for about 30 minutes whether I drink coffee or not.

Could this be my THYROID MEDS?

Perhaps...  regulating the Thyroid, as I understand it, is a tricky business...  and, while my diagnosis is relatively new, I suppose there is still enough time for me to have been "thrown out of balance," and will need my dosage changed.

Being in my 70's, I know that my age puts me into a category where normal body functions fluctuate, putting the overall body into a physical condition that does not necessarily follow the norms of a younger body when it comes to physical strength, endurance, stamina, eating and sleeping habits.  I am certainly no exception here...  but, as my THYROID MEDS has removed my fatigue, I find myself becoming more and more active...  and, it could be that change in behavior that has caused this sleep disorder to appear.

I WONDER...

For the last 2-3 years of my on-going cancer treatments for non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma and bones of contention between my wife and I for me not wanting to get anything done, resulting in comments between us that should never have been said, let alone even thought.
Melanoma, I have experienced a level of fatigue that under the best of circumstances has been overwhelming at times and caused me to waste away each day in the arms of an lounge chair or couch and sometimes leading me back to the bedroom where I recline on the bed for a 2 hour nap whether I really want or need one at all...  those feelings of fatigue were not just depressing but were

BUT, for the last 30 days, I have been taking a mild form of a drug to regulate my hypothyroid condition caused by my cancer treatments according to my Oncologist who would not admit that my treatments caused me to contract Melanoma...  and, the results have completely eliminated most if not all of my fatigue...  which leaves me wondering that most of my side effects thought to be cause by my cancer treatments were not accurate but that they were caused by my thyroid...

Hypothyroidism's deficiency of thyroid hormones can disrupt such things as heart rate, body temperature, and all aspects of metabolism. Major symptoms include fatigue, cold sensitivity, constipation, dry skin, and unexplained weight gain.