[elf]

#1074551

September 2005 – went to bed looking normal. Woke up the next morning with a goiter 6" x 2" x 1". Diagnosed with Graves the same month. Put on PTU, it helped to suppress the thyroid levels.

November 2005 – one eyelid started puffing up.

December 2005 – RAI.

The eyes inflamed (sady, gritty, weeping) – from January 2006 to December 2006. Slowly, not noticeably, they were protruding. Pictures taken on Dec. 2005 and Dec. 2006 – two different people.

Jan 2007 – present – no eye change, feeling healthy. Contemplating an orbital decompression surgery.

Your eyes will settle in between 6 and 18 months. There is a stage called "hot" stage, you are in it, you will need to wait it out. The eye disease will burn itself out eventually.

[Ski]

#1074552

A lot of patients have the thyroid disease and eye disease occur near the same time, that’s actually the most common course. The typical period of time for the entire curve of Thyroid Eye Disease is 1-3 years (smokers have a higher risk for longer periods of disease), but not a lot of patients get the very worst of the eye symptoms. There has been one study that showed a small percentage of patients (15-16%) who experienced accelerated TED symptoms for a short period after RAI, but there has also been at least one subsequent study that showed no such relationship, so it’s hard to say whether that had anything to do with it. When I had my RAI, I had a brief period where my eyes felt more gritty and uncomfortable, but it didn’t rise to the level of needing prednisone. It all resolved within about six months, but I still had other eye changes that took more time to resolve.

Make sure you’re in touch with an ophthalmologist as you go through the process ~ they may not have a great deal of treatments immediately (lots of TED is "wait and see"), but they can monitor your changes & help you through the process.

[JaneQ]

#1019849

Is there such a thing as Excellerated Graves Disease?
Everything about graves disease has effected me very fast and treatments have worked very effectively. From my first sign from my body that something was wrong to this very date has been a total of 5 months. I had been on bata blokers & tapizole for 1 1/2 months 9/5/08. Went hypothyroid 10/24/08 stopped all meds. Waited to go hyperthyroid to a safe level for RAI, 11/24/08. Had the RAI 12/5/08. Woke up with puffy eyes on 12/30/08. Eye Dr. confirmed Grave’s eye disease 12/31/08. I had been to my eye Dr. on 12/16/08 for a regular exam and I had told him I had grave’s so he tested for double vision, color, and also to see if my eyes were buldging, everything was fine. My Endo was shocked! He said there is no way all this could have happened so fast – overnight practically.
My eyes aren’t too bad. The prednisone has helped with the pressure behind my eyes and some puffyness- thank god.
I am hoping this all goes away as fast as it came along.
If anyone could shed some light on this I thank you in advance.

Thank you,
JaneQ

[cathycnm]

#1074553

I just want to add something my endo told me. He said the same thing about the small but significant # of patients having more eye symptoms after RAI. He also said they had found that this equalizes and actually that those who had RAI do a little bit better by the end of the third year post RAI (I am pretty sure it was 3 years). ” title=”Cool” />

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