[Cricketsof]

#1060536

Hi all,

I am ready to have this surgery. I had a catscan and the doctor called me tonight. I had RAI in 1999. I want the surgery because of the pain. My eyes so I thought have not changed. Well, he said I was a candidate for the small bone decompression but then he said my eyes are inflamed. I thought the active phase went away within two years at least.

At any rate, he did not realize that I smoke. 😮 I want to know if the smoking could be causing the inflammation which is probably a stupid question. If I quit will the inflammation go down enough for me to have the surgery? He told me we were not going to schedule surgery right now, for me to come back in a month.

Is this the same as the “hot phase”? I thought I was over this years ago. And there is so much fat behind them, mild protrusion. But it’s for the pain.

Thanks!

[Kimberly]

#1183183

Hello and welcome! I don’t think the exact mechanism that connect smoking and TED is well understood, but it is documented that smokers are more likely to get thyroid eye disease, the symptoms are more likely to be severe, and the response to treatment is not as good as in non-smokers. We’re fellow patients here, not doctors, but it certainly seems likely that the smoking could be a contributing factor to new inflammation.

This is a nice general link from Dr. Mark Lucarelli at University of Wisconsin that talks about TED and also touches on smoking, including a link to some smoking cessation resources:

EDIT: (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://www.uwhealth.org/eyecare/20-questions-about-thyroid-eye-disease/36946

Hope that this is helpful!

[Author]

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