[erobinson219]

#1019676

Does anyone have any other autoimmune disorders along with Graves such as Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthrisits, etc ? Does anyone see a Rheumatologist for Graves instead of and Endo? I am just wondering if there is any link and also if a rheumo doc makes sense since Graves is autoimmune and not really a thyroid disease directly.

[elf]

#1073347

There is a person on the other board where I’m active, with both RA and Graves. RA for 16 years, Graves for 8 years.

[Ski]

#1073348

Many people have more than one autoimmune disorder ~ there is a higher likelihood for us to end up with two, once we have one. It must relate back to the genetic defect doctors recently discovered we all share with other people who have autoimmune disorders. Not everyone with the defect has an autoimmune disorder (yet?), but everyone with an autoimmune disorder has this specific genetic defect. By the way, that defect is what can be hereditary ~ not a predisposition for Graves’, specifically, but a risk of getting some autoimmune disease.

[DianneW]

#1073349

I have Graves’ and Sjogren’s.

[mtbikrchick]

#1073350

I have Graves (diagnosed Aug 1993) and Autoimmune Atrophic Metaplastic Gastritis (diagnosed Oct 2008). I’m hoping that two is my limit.

Sheila

[Ski]

#1073351

My feeling is that a rheumatologist would not be the right doctor to see for GD (to answer your question ~ sorry I missed that the first time).

[hyperm]

#1073352

Hey,

I have RA and GD. There is a common link and also with celeiacs – I was tested on several occassions for Celeiacs and yet it was an underlying thyroid condition. You will find that there can be common links with one condition leading to another.

x

[Shelleyz]

#1073353

WHAT ARE THE CHANCE’S OF MY KIDS GETTING GRAVES? JUST LEARNING THANKS,
SHELLEY

[hyperm]

#1073354

I’m not too sure… I know that my baby of 3 months was tested at 5 days old and he was fine – he was tested as the disease had been active at the time of pregnancy however my little boy who is 4 hasn’t been tested but yet could have it.

I would ask your endo, Because it is autoimmune it may lie dormant for years and it could take a bad flu or something like pregnancy to spur it on.

M x

[Ski]

#1073355

Your kids will inherit the chance of getting SOME autoimmune disorder, and no one knows which their body will pick, if any. Not everyone gets one. Also, Graves’ typically comes on later in life, so the likelihood is that they would not have it when they’re very young. (Though some do.) The best thing to do is watch for the classic symptoms, and when your kids get older, make sure they are aware of the symptoms so they can watch for themselves and hopefully avoid any delay in diagnosis.

[scubarn]

#1073356

I have had Raynaud’s Disease since childhood, but did not get diagnosed until 1980. Grave’s diagnosed in 2001.

Karen

[kaicee118]

#1073357

Following my Graves diagnosis in 2006, I had symptoms consistent with myasthenia gravis. I was tested over several months for MG, and all tests were negative – however, no one will tell me that I definitely do not have MG. Many of my doctors, including two neuros, told me that there is a link between Graves and MG (I’m not sure what or how), and that I will continue to be monitored. Specifically, they are concerned with the weakness of my eye muscles – there are many symptoms for Graves/TED, I know, but some of what has happened with my eyes do not exactly fit the norm of TED.

[mtbikrchick]

#1073358

Regarding your question about seeing a rheumatologist instead of an Endo to be treated for Graves Disease…based on what I was told by a rheumatologist this week, an endocrinologist is the better way to go for Graves. The rheum doc I saw could not answer very specific questions about Graves disease and stated that thyroid disease was not his area of expertise, although he knew a significant amount about many other autoimmune diseases (e.g., lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, MCTD, etc.). I have no idea whether the occasional rheumatologist might know some about Graves if said doc was interested in that particular autoimmune disease though…

Hope this helps…good luck!
Sheila

[julesef]

#1073359

I was diagnosed with Graves’ Disease around 3 years ago and underwent the RAI. I am now 57 years old. My TSH is 1.47 and my endo says this is fine. My question is even though my TSH is in the "normal range" could I still have symptoms of the Graves’ Disease? I often feel fatigued, have difficulty concentrating, muscle weakness and feel achy quite often. Sometimes, I wonder if I will ever feel good again! Thank you.

Sincerely, Julese Cepero

[Ski]

#1073360

The range of normal is enormous, really, and precisely because people feel normal at many different points on the scale. You may be within the normal range, but not at YOUR normal point, if you see what I mean. Try keeping a symptom diary for a month or so, then show it to your doctor at your next appointment. Ask the doctor to adjust your dose a little bit to see if it helps you feel better. Remember that you need to wait about six weeks to test your blood levels again, to make sure that your body has fully adjusted to the new dose. In between, you might feel tiny bits up/down for a couple of weeks, then things should begin to even out. If it pushes you outside the normal range, you have to go back, but you can also adjust between two dose levels by taking a couple of doses on alternate days ~ it evens out in your bloodstream, you don’t end up feeling up & down day by day, you just end up at a blood level between. Good luck investigating! Let us know how it goes.

[Author]

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