[Anonymous]

#1051966

hello,

i was diagnosed with grave’s just last week. it was pretty shocking
since i went to doc with a totally unrelated problem. this bulletin
board is a great source of info (and inspiration) and has answered a
lot of my questions. although i still have a few… who doesn’t?

my GP diagnosed me but didn’t refer me to an endo. any reason i’d
need to see one? also, i’m very active (biking, hiking, wt. training).
will/should that have an impact on meds/RAI decision? will i even feel
like being active once i start meds?

to complicate things completely, i’m starting a new job in a new city
the first week of march and i won’t have medical coverage til sept.
is there any testing i should insist on this month, while i’m still
covered by insurance? i want the doc to prescribe all the meds now,
while i have insurance. i can still come in for blood tests and we can
adjust dosage as needed. any potential problems with that? how
expensive are meds (atd and beta-blockers) without insurance?

i think i’m still in denial. it’s strange to know that my symptoms
are symptoms and not character traits. i’ve always been edgy and
moody. i’ve never been able to sleep through a night. i love being
hot in the middle of winter. it’s who i am. it’s how my friends and
family know me, how i think of myself. who will i be when i’m not
all these things any more? how do i re-define myself?

thanks,
kabuz
(kim)

[Anonymous]

#1152893

Dear kabuz,

Beware, beware the “pre-existing condition.” Graves
can lead to a whole variety of problems after diagnosis
which your new insurance plan may not cover because
the condition was “pre-existing” (to your new insurance)
meaning you get stuck with all costs related to treatment.
Check with Jan and Jake (on the BB) to see if this is
not the case.

Best of luck to you.

Ken

[Anonymous]

#1152894

Kim-I could relate to your one question.How is being treated for Grave’s going to impact your exercise regiment? As your GD is treated, you should be able to do more than you can do now. I am a runner and one of the first signs of GD was how much more effort it was to run. I went from doing marathons to being exhausted after 2 minutes of a slow jog. I probably had GD for at least 2 yrs before it was diagnosed.
The ATD meds and beta blockers are all fairly cheap. You should be able to hold off with those until Sept. You might even go into remission but anyrate it will give you time to consider your options. I think I have been billed $80 per test altho I’ve read that the TSH test shouldn’t cost more than $10 to run. You probably will have to pay for a few of those out of your own pocket between March and Sept. to see if youre becoming normal. RAI will cost ~$1500 if you chose it. Surgury will be much more. Good luck. Please don’t try to ignore the GD since you didn’t feel all that bad. It could suddenly get much worse as it did to me.
Sue

[Anonymous]

#1152895

Hi Kim,
welcome to the board. I too had graves and moved. I moved from Texas
to Michigan. I don’t know where you are from, but you might
consider your COBRA options. I don’t know what COBRA stands for
but basically it means that you can keep your insurance for up
to 18 months; you will have to pay the monthly premiums.
When you leave your current job, make sure to request this option.
Your employer by law must provide this service for you.

As for me. I took this option, although it was costly, I did not
have a break in treatment. When I qualified for my new insurance
everything worked out. In my current position, new employees did
not have pre-existing conditions. I hope this helps and your treatment
goes smoothly.

Carolyn

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