[carebear1981]

#1059025

Recently diagnosed and waiting for meds to start to work. I have three questions:

1). Has Graves’ affected your ability to do your job? I work in a fast-paced, high stress and demanding professional environment and I’m concerned I simply won’t be able to do it anymore.

2). How has Graves’ and anti-thyroid meds affected your immunity? I’ve been back in the office two days and already picked up a bug. Not ideal when you commute by train!

3). What was your personality like before Graves’? Is there a connection to how we live our lives and the onset of this condition? I am a chronic overachiever who can’t say no and constantly feels overwhelmed and overworked. I commute 4 hours each day for work, the shortest workday being 12 hours, and feels like my brain never shuts off.

Appreciate any and all responses!

[Bobbi]

#1171635

It is highly important to keep in mind that while we are hyperthyroid, we are ILL. Would you expect to be able to perform full tilt at your job or anything else when you are really sick? With whatever? Flu? Migraine? Of course not. So, right now you are sick. Treat yourself the way you would counsel your best friend to behave if he/she felt as lousy as you do.

On the same line of reasoning, when someone is actively ill, their body’s immune system typically fails to protect them from the ambient viral and bacterial environment. People who are already sick, come down with viruses and other problems more quickly. Once you get your thyroid levels controlled, and your body has had a chance to heal, you will not experience more sickness than normal for you. We are not immuno-deficient when we “have” Graves. We CAN be immuno-deficient when we are hyperthyroid, and sick, in other words.

Antithyroid meds can reduce the white blood cell count. This is one of the potential, adverse side effects. This does not happen routinely. Only in a very small percentage of patients taking the meds. But it is something to take into consideration if you have been on them and experience an infection. The WBC count sometimes needs to be checked.

[Gigi]

#1171636

Hello,
Yes. When I was in my acute hyperthyroid stage and newly diagnosed (which was only 4 months ago), I could not think. I could not find words to speak and I had anxiety that was through the roof. I am also employed in a high stress demanding profession and when I was not achieving at my desired level, it made me so much more anxious which made my sx worse. It was a vicious cycle. I always say that atenolol saved my life.

I never had any issues with my immunity when I started my meds, but I have the immunity of a cinder block since I’ve been in Health care for so long. Since your body is stressed and your WBC can lower, then it does make you more susceptible to viruses.

I am now back to my old self, only 4 months later. I am not even on remission yet, but I can tell you that your thoughts and achieving status will come back. Don’t beat yourself up like I did. If you can, tell your boss you are sick. Try to take some time for yourself. No job is worth extra stress. Stress leads to other problems.
I hope this helps you!

[ncpatches]

#1171637

I can only speak for me, diagnosed a couple weeks ago, but had been hyper for at least 4-5 months beforehand. I have reached the point that I’ve had to ask to cut my hours back for a couple weeks, before my shoulder surgery, 1. because I am flat out exhausted and after 8 hrs, I’m so wiped out my legs shake, 2. plus having the severe pain in the shoulder that I am not supposed to use.
I am hoping, being out of work for 2-3 months for the shoulder, will also give me time to get my ‘numbers’ closer to stable and make me feel better. I was diagnosed with Hoshimoto’s 3 yrs ago and on synthroid until it went to the other side of the spectrum and now Grave’s, so I may carry antibodies of both, need to get Dr to check that. The exhaustion, depression, crying, muscle cramps, are usually seen in hyPO, but I have them with hyPER, so I feel like a real mess.
As for immunity, nothing yet, though a couple months ago I had a bad sore throat, badly swollen, red etc, that I haven’t had in over 20 yrs. Dr put me on a broad spectrum antibiotic and it went away. I haven’t even been on an antibiotic in at least 15 yrs or more. I try to avoid them for what they do to the immune system, only take if absolutely necessary and it hasn’t been until recently.
Personality with me is a crap shoot! I’m usually fine, but if I start crying, sometimes I literally can’t stop and take a couple low dose Zanex. I find I am really ‘touchy’ can go off in a second and get angry and that’s not me at all, so I remove myself from whatever situation is causing it. A couple weeks back, my boss said something about ‘well, if you can’t DO you job” because I asked to be able to sit down once in a while because of the exhaustion. I looked at him and said ” I think I’ll have chicken for lunch” and turned around and walked away LOL It was all I could think of to keep from cussing him out and getting fired. I read it somewhere and it helped. Plus the look of puzzlement on his face was priceless! He’s such a jerk!
I really feel for you and understand where your coming from, just wish I had some real words of wisdom for you. Keep fighting the Dragon, it will get better or so they tell me!

[catstuart7]

#1171638

Oh yes, great questions. I can absolutely tell that my thinking and emotions have been affected. My thoughts run too fast and are often disjointed and I’ve noticed a lot of short-term memory problems and absent-mindedness.

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