[KiwiRuss]

#1060329

Howdy All
I have been getting to know a great girl, and it looks like things are starting to get serious. She recently told me she has Graves, and while calm at the time, reading up on it, Wow. What a tough journey you’all have. In saying that, I have been through some medical drama myself, so will be the first to sitdown, shaddup and listen.

Keen to hear any advice on getting to know a girl with the GD, and what I should encourage, come up with, and stay the hell away from.

Have been reading up on staying active, careful diet, stay away from smoking where possible, etc etc.

FYI, I’m a guy in my late 30s, fit, active, healthy, and very lucky.
Cheers!
Russ, Australia.

[Kimberly]

#1181965

Hello and welcome! First, thanks for your willingness to learn more about Graves’…I wish that all patients had such a great support system! Keep in mind that each patient is different in terms of what kind of support they need. Some want those around them to be very involved in appointments, decisions, and lifestyle changes…others would prefer to deal with the situation privately. A frank talk with your friend about what she needs most in terms of support right now would be a great starting point.

In terms of learning more about Graves’ itself, we have many free bulletins on our web site and also a lot of great programming on YouTube.

(Note on links: if you click directly on the following links, you will need to use your browser’s “back” button to return to the boards after viewing, or you will have to log back in to the forum. As an alternative, you can right-click the link and open it in a new tab or new window).

Bulletins:
http://gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patient-education/

Videos:
http://www.youtube.com/user/GravesAndThyroid/videos

Take care – wishing you all the best!

[Raspberry]

#1181966

Your lady sounds very lucky to have found you Russ! If I were to start dating I might first hand my guy the packet of articles about impact of Graves that Nancy was sending out a while back. Search for posts by npatterson to find it. The biggest relationship issue is that for some people, not all, Graves can cause long-term emotional intensity which changes pretty dramatically when thyroid levels move. Anger and volatility when thyroid levels are high, depression and apathy when they are too low. I’ve had problems with this. Still some others here seem to have done better with it so there is variability. For me it’s like PMS on steroids and if I were in relationship setting up ground rules for how we deal with fights or anger (his and mine) would be very important – let’s be honest no matter how great things are sometimes there are disagreements. Still you want to avoid blaming any issues solely on the Graves also. Ultimately a good solid base of understanding and love will get you through most anything

[shakira7]

#1181967

I agree with Raspberry. She’s a very lucky gal to have you, Russ!

[npatterson]

#1181968

Russ,

Yep! She’s fortunate, and so are you. You are certainly welcome here, but there is a very active patient in Australia. The Australian Thyroid Foundation is located at Suite 2, Melville Street, Parramatta, NSW 2150 Australia. “info@thyroidfoundation.com.au” Get in touch with them, too. Beverly Garside is their President and Founder.

Take care,

Nancy

[KiwiRuss]

#1181969

Hi Guys
Thanks so much for your helpful and positive comments.
I shall continue to learn about Graves, and let my girl call the shots of how she deals with GD and how she wants to be treated.

While NSW is a little way away from West Australia (about 4500kms or 2800miles) its nice to know there is support and suitable organisations in Aussie that understand.

I’ll be taking nothing for granted, and move forward with an open mind.
Will definately be looking up those articles when I get a mo.

Thanks again for your support, I’ll keep an eye on this thread and the forum in general.

Cheers
Russ

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