[SharieS]

#1072425

I was recently diagnosed with GD as well. I haven’t experienced any joint problems, but I have the dry gritty eyes. I read a post by someone (sorry, but I forget who) to use eye drops for dry eyes that do not contain preservative. They are single use drops that are quite expensive, compared to the other kind, but they have helped me immensely. They are not prescription and I bought them at the local drugstore. I have been using them for the past week whenever my eyes feel dry, and have not had that gritty feeling since. It is much more comfortable now that they aren’t so dry.

[catsmum]

#1019551

My daugthter is 17 & only recently diagnosed with GD. She has complained for some time about her joints, mainly knees, hips & neck feeling like they ‘click out of place’ & her neck ‘cracks’ frequently. Is there any link with the GD? Also, she’s started to complain about her eyes feeling gritty, as if something is in them all the time. Could this be the start of GD eye problems or am I just a neurotic mum? ” title=”Wink” />
P.S. Thanks to all who responded about the tyroid bleed. The swelling has subsided a little.

[DianneW]

#1072426

Catsmum,

When I was hyper I thought I had arthritis. All my joints were sore, and one reason I delayed seeing the doctor is that I just assumed I was aging and getting arthritis, which ran in my family. (I was just over 40 at the time.) Your daughter may find that these joint problems improve when her thyroid levels are normal. If not, she can be tested for associated autoimmune conditions. Her doctor may want to test her for those anyway. Be sure he knows about the joint problems.

Her eye grittiness isn’t uncommon for people with Graves’ Disease. A high percentage will have at least this much eye involvement. This doesn’t mean she will have a serious case of TED. She should use lubricating eye drops frequently and she’ll be much more comfortable. It would be a good idea also for her to see an ophthalmologist who is familiar with Graves’ Disease patients, who can do a baseline evaluation on her eyes. He can monitor whether she is experiencing any changes over time. It can be difficult for the patient herself (or even family members sometimes, who see the patient on a daily basis) to tell just how much the eyes are changing. The doctor can measure the changes from one visit to another.

The odds are good that your daughter will never have a serious case of eye disease. 80% of those who are going to get it already have it when they are diagnosed with the thyroid imbalance.

Best wishes to you both,

[belldandy112]

#1072427

I had very bad joint pain — knees, ankles, and a lot of pain in my hips. My weight was really down at the time — around 89 lbs. The sports medicine doctor I went to did some testing, and it was an issue of not having enough cartilage (padding) between my bones.

I too suspected osteoporosis — that was the first thing that came to mind — but my bone density scan came back normal, and apparently, the type of pain I was feeling wasn’t the same as osteo pain. Once I gained back some of the weight, the pain resolved. But … I did go to physical therapy for a few months. Deep tissue massage and pool therapy were very helpful to getting me back on my feet, so to speak …

[LaurelM]

#1072428

Hi Catsmum,

Since your daughter is still an adolecent, it is possible that she is still growing which could cause the loose joints and pain. I know that most girls are not still growing at 17 but some do. I grew a whole 1.5 inches after turning 18. As a freshman in college, it was bad timing to have to replace all my pants and shoes. Incidentally, my maternal grandmother who also had GD grew an inch at the age of 19 (and this was after having her 1st child). Neither of us were diagnosed with GD until in our 30s (but in hindsight, I think I may have had mild bouts since adolecence) so I can’t say if it was related or just some wacky genes that my family has.

I hope daughter feeling better soon.

Laurel

[lakeview]

#1072429

Interesting post…. odd because I had terrible back pains and my neck has been cracking .. prior to finding out I have Graves. My back is better, but my neck still cracks..

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