[hoganshelly]

#1059534

I do not know what to do about this emotional coaster I am on. Somedays I do okay and other days I cry on and off all day long. I just feel like the world is against me. After that…I feel like I am over reacting and it is all my fault. I bite peoples head off and later I am left asking myself why was I so angry. It is hard for me to blame the GD because the feelings I have are so real.
The family and friends that I have in my life….I feel sorry for them because I have been such a pain in the neck.
How do you get threw this? I have tried to point them to come read some of these posts…but sometimes I feel as though I should be able to control myself and my behavior and the GD is an excuse. I know with the holidays coming…I still have a very long hard road ahead if me.
I had OD on my left eye 2 weeks ago. Scheduled for a TT this next Tuesday. Probably OD on my right eye shortly after that.
All of that is the easy part….it is my emotional being that scares me death.
Any suggestions??

[Kimberly]

#1175469

Hello – Having thyroid hormone levels out of balance can absolutely affect emotions…and can make us more sensitive to situations and to people that normally wouldn’t get under our skin so badly. We call it “Graves’ Rage”! And on top of all that, you are dealing with the stress of TED. There was a study out of Shiley Eye Center done a few years ago that noted that TED comes with an extreme impact on the emotions…and interestingly, the researchers found that it was the change in appearance that cause the most distress, rather than impaired vision!

The good news is that you should start to see some relief from the hormone-related swings after your surgery as your levels get stabilized. And there *is* an end point with TED, so with your first surgery behind you, you are one step closer.

This is a nice piece from the GDATF that talks about some of the mental/emotional impact that can come with Graves’. This might be helpful to share with your family and friends.

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following link, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

http://gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patient-education/whats-wrong-with-me/

You might also check out Bobbi’s post on dealing with the Holidays to help you get through these next few weeks.

Wishing you all the best!

[vanillasky]

#1175470

I just explain that it’s not really me, it’s the illness itself.

My mother always tells me “You were such a sweet little girl.” Well…………that little girl is now 54 years old and has Graves’ disease and menopause. What do you expect? They have to consider where it comes from. We are all nice people here but hey! We have our days. I use Klonopin 2x a day if I need it And with the holiday coming, I NEED IT. LOL!

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