[meemeej]

#1060162

Hi every1 My name is Meemee I’m 35 y/o as of today. I was diagnosed with graves about 3 weeks or so ago, and I’m scared out off my mind. I have been having symtoms of Graves for about 2 yrs but I’ve never heard of this disease so Didnt know….I’m on meds now, and hopefully i will start to feel better, because right now im tired all the time and i cant sleep, walking anywhere seems so hard, i have joint and muscle pain constantly my neck hurts on both sides and my goiter is huge, my voice keeps going horse at random time, and ive lost 30 pounds in 2 months. i feel like no one understands what i am going through, i lost a 13yr relationship recently and looking back on the reasons why i think he just got tired of me being sick and feeling like crap most of the time and not knowing why idk .

……Lost and cofused…
-MeeMee-

[Kimberly]

#1180871

Hello and welcome – I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis, but I’m glad that you found us. Anti-Thyroid Drugs (Methimazole, Tapazole) start working right away to block the production of new thyroid hormone, but it can take some time for the body to “burn off” its existing stores of excess thyroid hormone. However, once that happens, you should start to see some relief from your symptoms. In the meantime, this forum is a great place for information and support.

[meemeej]

#1180872

thank you very much i dont know what i would have done if i didnt find this forum because my endo dr didnt tell me what it means to have gd or what to expect so i was clueless.

diagnosed- Graves Disease 8/06/13
blood work done on 8/07/13
Free T4 normal range
0.70 – 1.80 ng/dL
my levels
3.10 H
T3 free normal range
2.30 – 4.20 pg/mL
my levels
8.40 H

[karenz516]

#1180873

Hi MeeMee, welcome, I know how you feel, I have been down that same road, but was hospitalized because my heart rate was at 180 bpm. I was diagnosed 12/6/12 and had RAI on 12/14/12. I am 8 months post RAI and went hypo in April, and am currently on 100 mg of Synthroid. It is scary, and you found a great place to help you with your anxiety and fears. My best advise is to read, read, read, I read everything I could on Graves Disease, ordered books and read some more. I keep a journal with all my lab sheets in it from my endo along with a list of questions and his answers each time I have bloodwork and a doctor visit. Knowlege is Power!

Karen

[ibminlou2]

#1180874

Hi MeeMee,

Welcome to the forum! I will admit, that I browsed this forum for several months before I was brave enough to post and join up. A G.D. is scary, but I know that all of the rest of the numbers and treatments are equally as scary.

A couple things I recently discovered (and am still working on): you have to listen to your body. Before I finally went in for bloodwork to get my Hyperthyroid dx, I had every excuse under the sun for why I always had sore throats, was loosing my hair, was cold all the time and had extreme fatigue. As Karen mentioned, keeping a journal will be really helpful. I am sorry I never put that together with my labs… so many thanks for that gem, Karen.

Also, keep copies of everything and keep asking questions. Ask them of your GP, your specialists, of all of us on here. Between all of us, we can probably be of some help. This is an interesting journey we are all on together, so if we share, we can all benefit from the wealth of knowledge.

Finally, and on a personal note, I can relate and have experienced the mood swings that come along with the thyroid conditions. I am one week post total thyroidectomy(TT for short, total removal of the thyroid), and have been an emotional train wreck both before and after surgery. I wouldn’t let my significant other be at my surgery. He wants to classically “fix” everything and help me feel better. Silly guy, he has no idea what to do, and our relationship is quite strained at the moment.

I am sorry for your recent parting, but know you can find support here. In one way or another, at least one of us can help.

Take care!

[popscene01]

#1180875

I’m so sorry about your relationship but if that person could not support you after that long they are not worth it. I know it’s easier to say but I hope you can realize that. You definitely need a good support system around you right now. My true friends & family have been there for me but even I know they can’t really comprehend what I am going through so this group has helped me a lot! Before I had any answers & diagnosed with Graves’ I thought I was going crazy. Luckily, I was already being treated for Hashimoto’s so my routine blood work caught the switch to Graves’ sooner than most.

Before I was diagnosed I had terrible pain also. My blood pressure was dangerously low & pulse was dangerously high. Once I went on a beta blocker the pain went away within a few weeks. But everyone is SO different with their symptoms & what will help them. I had awful hot flashes, sweating, exhausted but awake and I even thought I was pregnant at one point. It was all because of the Graves’!

Everyone is right, do your research! It helped me realize that my 1st endocrinologist was not right for me. When I would question things he would not give me answers that I would understand & I got the “I’m the specialist, don’t question my decisions,” from him. With my numbers being in “normal range” I still felt awful & to him that was ok! Yet every few weeks the dosing always had to be upped, which led to me finding a new endocrinologist that listens to me & answers my questions and eventually led to my TT last month because they realized the medication was not a working option for me.

Good luck & take care!
Amanda

[Author]

Posts