Graves disease is an autoimmune disease, and this type of disease is “forever.” There occasionally can be remissions (about 30% of patients the first time around) but these are, by definition, temporary relief from the problems associated with hyperthyroidism. If you experience a remission, do not expect it to last forever: get your thyroid levels checked at least once a year, and sooner if you start to see symptoms again.
None of us here are able to help you distinguish between Graves and postpartum thyroiditis. You need to question your doctor at the upcoming appointment about this one. Neverthless, even postpartum thyroiditis needs to be treated. You cannot ignore hyperthyroidism and not have nasty health effects.
“Toxicosis” can refer to abnormally elevated levels of T3, but there may be other conditions similarly described, so you need to find out, directly from your doctor what he/she meant by the phrase. T3 is the most powerful of thyroid hormone.
The eye disease is now thought to be a separate autoimmune disease, closely related to a variety of thyroid diseases. When I was first diagnosed in 1996, the eye disease was still referred to as “Graves opthamopathy.” Within a year or so, by the time I had developed symptoms of the eye problem, my doctors were referring to it as “Thyroid” Associated Opthamopathy, or Thyroid Eye Disease (TED). I asked one of my specialists about it and he responded that they had found TED in patients who had never been hyperthyroid, but who had other thyroid disorders, so they had gradually come to realize that it was not solely Graves’ caused.
I hope this helps. I hope you are feeling better soon.
