[groovylady]

#1061327

Hi! I am new to this foundation and user group as of today. But I am so glad I found this. It immediately made some sense. I can only tell you my experience, as living with GD since 2004. I had the RAI and have been hypo ever since. Love your term "hormonal basket case", I can relate big time.

It’s only just NOW that I can cope with this reality of GD.

I will tell you to immediately find yourself a good therapist; this is your best line of communication. You will burn your family and friends out with all your varied complaints. Also assemble a good "team" of doctors who will LISTEN to you and perhaps practice the art of listening to their patients! Eat healthier and keep exercising everyday. You may also want to see out a great gynecologist who will also work with your endo because as you now know… your hormones will mess u up before you can get a good grip on yourself. Please note this is what I have experienced.

I wish you fabulous sleep, and happier days…they will come.

[Kimberly]

#1061328

Hello – There is a support group meeting in Baraboo, WI (which I believe is about an hour outside of Madison) that has met a couple of times, but they have not scheduled their next meeting. If you’d like to send your contact info (either phone or e-mail) to info@ngdf.org, the Foundation can add you to the list to receive notifications about that group.

Eventually, you *should* see your levels stabilize, once you find the right dose of the meds. You might talk to your doctor about splitting pills or alternating doses on different days, if the "standard" doses have your levels swinging back & forth.

[Krystal25]

#1017857

Hello,

So I have a few questions.

#1) I have been suffering from GD since being diagnosed in Sept of 2010. I have been on methimazole and have no recently changed to tapazole in hopes that the non generic medicine would maybe be more affective for me. I get labs done every 6 weeks and have never yet since being diagnosed with GD had a normal TSH level. I still feel the rath of GD symptoms and my T4,T3 levels change off and on between hyper and hypo. My endo changed my doses to try to correct this but I either go hypo or hyper depending on the dose change. Is it normal to never have a TSH level within the normal limits? Do some people never gain a normal TSH level? I am contemplating RAI tx but am scared of the side effects of being hypo.

#2) Does anyone know of any support groups located in Wisconsin? I am from Madison and haven’t been able to find anything posted on here? Also If anyone knows of any good endo’s? I am in search of a second opinion.

#3) Has anyone ever experienced since being diagnosed with GD a sense of depersonalization? I feel like since being diagnosed with this horrible dang thyroid disorder I have felt disconnected horribly. Any advice would be much appreciated! I am feeling much better than when I first was diagnosed but refuse to believe that I have to live day to day feeling like a hormonal basketcase, or that I am going crazy.

Thanks again for your help! This forum is absolutly amazing!!!

-Krystal

[xamanderz]

#1061329

this may be a late reply, but when i was first diagnosed wit graves disease three years ago, one of my major symptoms was depersonalization so you are definitely NOT alone. at first, i thought maybe it was my mind going away from me because ofall the anxiety i was feeling but i definitely felt it all the time. especially when i would look in a mirror, i felt outside myself. i would avoid looking at my hands and arms because i felt like they werent mine. when i was headed towards remission, the feelings faded. i did see a therapist though because i felt like no one could understand how i felt. many people dont know what depersonalization is and when you explain it to them they just look at you like your crazy but i definitely know what it felt like and i hated it so much. i hope youre better now!

[Lina1]

#1061330

Krystal,

I live in Oshkosh, which is not exactly super close, but good in a pinch. I wonder if a moderator could put us in touch with each other without us having to put our personal information out on the web? I also have Graves Disease (diagnosed Aug. 2010). It would certainly be nice to talk to someone close to home!

Lina

[Kimberly]

#1061331

Hello – Anyone can end a private message to another poster. To send a PM, pull up a thread with one of the person’s posts and click on their screen name, which appears to the right of the post. Then click “send private message”, which will appear towards the right-hand side of the screen. The system will “ping” whatever e-mail address the other poster used to sign up to let them know that they have a private message waiting. (You have to be logged in to the system in order to view your private messages).

The message will stay in your "Out" box until the other poster views it.

Hope this helps!

[jmorris]

#1061332

i know exactly how you feel!!! its very depersonalizing, i have alot more bad days than good, at this point i actually feel like im going crazy, literally. i lost my insurance an havent had a family dr or an endo for about 1 an 1/2 yrs now. my levels havent been checked since that time, i have to go to the er for my meds, when i can afford them, im having so many symptoms at this point im beginning to wonder if im imagining someof the symptoms im having, severe severe mood swings, im not a mean or violent person normally, but lately i feel like i lose all self control, even have feelings of just wanting to hurt someone which is very scarey to me. the insomnia is so bad i go days with no sleep at all, then will crash, my hair is coming out, my skin is so dry its scally, i have severe anxiety, depression, sore painful muscles all over my body, severe migranes, u name it i feel it. i feel so alone because my family an husband does not understand wat im going through which makes me feel even crazier, i feel like i have completely lost myself, everyday is another day of unbarable pain, nervousness, & a million other things, i despertly need some help either through support or something more aggressive. im at my wits end an dont knw where to go from here. its like im ready to break down, i have no control over wat is happening to mean feel like im maybe being a lil paranoid……….i need answers an i need my family an husband to understand wat im going thru, any suggestions anyone?

[Kimberly]

#1061333

Hello – We aren’t doctors here, just fellow patients, but I have to believe that your situation will improve tremendously if you can get regular medical care to stabilize your thyroid hormone levels. Having thyroid hormone levels out of balance can affect us physically, mentally, and emotionally. You need – and you deserve – to get proper care. The following web site is a good resource for finding free or reduced-cost health care facilities. There is a zip code search function to the right hand side of the screen that will allow you to search for clinics that will provide service on a free or sliding-scale basis, regardless of whether you have insurance:

http://www.hrsa.gov/gethealthcare/index.html

Take care – please check back and let us know how you are doing!

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