[LaurasEyes]

#1018727

Hi I’m Laura,
When I was 8 years old I was diagnosed with Graves Disease. I have been living with it now for about 8 years. Today I found out that my medication wasn’t taking anymore and that I need a higher dose (yet again). Its not good but you just have to keep moving along. They type or types in my case of is having it in my Thyroid and eyes. I guess I have the ostioparoses one also so I have to drink milk and take suplements alot. Its been hard. I hate it when people comment on my eyes even when its a nice complement. My left eye is bigger than the other which I don’t know make me mad about it. haha. Well just thought I would share my story with all of you! God is with you, always have hope.

Sincerely,
Laura

[snelsen]

#1066757

H Laura, I am not sure how old you are now. But the surgical procedure called orbital decompression could help you with your bulging eye/eyes. An eye doctor specializing in this procedure is the right person to talk to, perhaps a couple of them.
This darn thyroid eye disease is very, very frustrating. This procedure is not cosmetic, but medically indicated.
There are LOTS of posts on this subject. I just had and OD, and my very bulging eye now looks normal.
Best wishes with browsing for more information and support.
Shirley

[snapshot]

#1066758

Sounds like you at least have a good head on your shoulders…my right eye is bigger than my left …its very frustrating…its bad enough to have a disease but its even worse to have one that physically alters your appearance….good luck to you…i hope that you are able to get things sorted out.

[mamabear]

#1066759

I assume you are a teen by now, and yes it does stink when someone says anything about a "difference". There are tricks that you can use to lessen the "look" of the one eye. Go online and look for makeup tricks about making eyes look smaller, use it on the one eye and see what you can do.
Are your parents supportive, are you going to school, does it effect your being in school on and off ? If it does you can get an IEP(Individualized Educational Program) and make sure the teachers that you have know that you have this disease and they can write it in the IEP that notes, tests and stuff can be given to you if you are out or you might have had a bad night and need extra time on a test. This goes for college as well if you are of age for that. The IEP really is written to help those who have a disability, they can not leave you behind! And yes Graves’ disease is a disability especially when it comes to having it so young.
Talk to your school guidance counselor and see what they can "label this as", each district has a certain name. Health issue, learning disability, autism…there are so many things but they will be able to help you find where this might fit in OR it just would be called IEP due to health reasons. Ask your parents for help as well if you are under 18.

You do sound like you have a good head on your shoulders, i know it’s not easy. It never is but we’re here!

[Kimberly]

#1066760

Hi Laura – Welcome to the boards! Have you seen an ophthalmologist for your eyes? The reason I ask is that once the eye disease runs its course (which can take 2-3 years), there are some surgical options that can help you with the bulging. Of course, any type of surgery carries risks…but I have seen some truly amazing "before" and "after" pics where the surgery made a huge difference in how the eyes look. The catch is that surgery is NOT recommended until the eyes reach what we call a "stable" phase — meaning your bulging isn’t getting better OR worse. This is why it’s a good idea to get an ophthalmologist involved early on. Best of luck!

[BigBrownI]

#1066761

Hi everyone,
I had endoscopic Orbital decompression on Dec 17th (a bit less than 3 weeks ago)… the day and week after the surgery was performed everything looked great, my eyes were flat and normal, no swollen at all.

However as day passed they are looking the same again: bulgy eyes, puffy eyelids… they started to get bigger and sore again… can someone tell me is this expected?

I am very scared and sad… I really hoped the surgery would help me get back my confidence and old-self 8´-(

Thanks so much for any help you can provide!

[Author]

Posts