[Kimberly]

#1063093

Hello – Thanks so much for taking an interest in your friend’s condition. With Graves’ disease, patients often don’t “look sick” – so it’s easy for the people closest to us to dismiss our symptoms.

Having our thyroid levels out of whack can absolutely affect our emotions. We have some good info on our web site about this if you go to http://www.ngdf.org, click “Publications” (ignore the drop-downs) and then click on “psychosocial and emotional effects”.

In terms of dealing with your friend, others will probably chime in with opinions…but I would suggest asking her directly how you can best support her. You are already doing a LOT of good by going out of your way to join this board and to learn about Graves’ Disease.

At our Arizona support group, we had a discussion a couple of months ago about how the people around us can best provide support, and the responses from patients were really varied. Some patients preferred that the people around them go out of their way to be cheerful and positive. However, I can tell you that when I felt my worst in 2007, I found extra cheerful people to be extra annoying! I did want the people closest to me to take an interest in how I was doing…but I personally preferred a little more of a low-key approach.

Best of luck to you and your friend…and I hope that you enjoy the Raleigh forum!

[Livinwit]

#1063094

(Reply deleted at author’s request)

[lhc11]

#1063095

I just want to say that you are a really awesome friend. My closest friends were supportive of me when I was going through the worst of Graves last spring, but I think most of them Googled Graves once, saw scary eye pictures, were glad it wasn’t them, and that was about it. Less close friends/acquaintances knew I was ill but I found, after the fact, that I had to do most of the explaining about what had gone on with me and what Graves is. On the one hand that was therapeutic, and on the other hand I still feel like some people never really understood how unmanageable things were for me for about three months and how not in control of the way I was feeling I actually was. So, again, you’re a GREAT friend. I think what you are doing is in a way the best help you can give her–if she knows that you really know about Graves, then she knows she doesn’t have to "explain" herself to you. That’s a great gift. I could see how someone (I have no idea if this would describe your friend) could get annoyed if, when they were pushing someone away, were told "hey, I get it, you’ve got Graves" (a la the way we feel if/when men ask if we have PMS), but at the same time at least when she pushes you away, you still know why and so does she.

lhc11

[Livinwit]

#1063096

(Reply deleted at author’s request)

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