[Anonymous]

#1054125

Thanks for the traveling advice. Question: the letter from my doctor AND my prescription bottle have my old dosage of PTU listed…should I scribble it out? (I’ve got the duhs lately).

As far as family history of thyroid disease goes, my sister is very hypothyroid as is my half-aunt. Both have children who are ADHD. My grandmother was “treated” for years for “nerves” and trembling…pumped with valium, actually. She had slightly bulging eyes and scaly skin on her shins. I think she had a misdiagnosed thyroid problem. It must’ve eventually burned itself out and went hypo, because the last years of her life she had a lot of hypo symptoms. Besides two cousins that each have an ADHD child, the rest of the children in the family, including my own, are fine. All have had success with the ADHD problem by making dietary changes: no artificial colors or flavorings. My best friend’s child is ADHD and once she got rid of the those artificial ingredients and had him tested for food allergies, her child no longer needed medication. (She, herself, had postpartum thyroiditis). Diabetes and asthma do run in my family and they are both autoimmune disease.

Friday I finally get to get out of hot, steamy, sweltering Florida! We head up to western NY to meet my husband’s birth mother and brothers in person for the first time, then off to NE Ohio to scope out the area for a new home.

[Anonymous]

#1157927

If any of you have read my life story on Dianne’s home page you will see
there is a strong family history of Graves. Now an update on family and
Graves.

Grandmother Fathers side (Died of old age)

Aunt (fathers sister) Still kicking and is almost 80. Thyroid problems
for almost 30 some years

Cousin (same aunt, her grandson) Diagnosed at 20 committed suicide at 21
because he did not what to live a life on drugs and was suffering depression
due to Graves disease

Mother, Diagnosed three years ago still on anti-thyroid drugs

Aunt (mom’s sister) Died due to complications of surgery for an appendix.
Had Graves for almost 20 years before death.

Cousin (Aunt’s son) diagnosed four years ago and having major eye problems
like me

With all this I am told our son has a 20% chance of getting Graves. What I
found interesting is the mix is 50, 50 female to male and percentages are
only 1 out of 8 people with GD is male. Hum???

If I had been adopted I sure would have liked to know this history.

JAke

[Anonymous]

#1157928

At my initial visit prior to being diagnosed with Grave’s, my doctor asked questions about my family medical history, including questions about thyroid and diabeties in my family. At the time I knew that my mother had taken some kind of thyroid pills when I was little. Didn’t know anything else. As for the diabeties, there are several relatives I knew on my maternal grandmother’s side of the family who were diabetic. After being diagnosed with Grave’s I started to ask more questions. My mother doesn’t remember much about her thyroid disease (other than it caused her to lose weight like crazy…hmmm) and can’t remember how long she took pills or what kind of pills she took. Frustrating. BUT, she did tell me that my grandmother had thyroid surgery in the mid 1920’s. Her thryoid gland was growing inward and causing choking/breathing problems. As I started learning more about Grave’s, more & more coincidences started popping up. My grandmother and 1 of her sisters were both prematurely gray (Grandma was totally white by 20). I am also left handed. Genealogy is one of my hobbies, and suddenly I am starting to wonder how many of my ancestors who seemed to die in the prime of life had some sort of auto-immune disease.
So what’s my point? Most people (at least in my family) don’t talk about illnesses and medical problems, so it is up to us to ASK QUESTIONS and document things for our own benefit and for the benefit of our children.

[Anonymous]

#1157929

I really appreciate the replys I received. My family history puts me at high risk. Two breast cancer deaths–one on each side; several deaths due to other forms of cancer; first period before age 12; early hormonal development (was wearing a 34B at age 9!); I have had 9 (that’s right folks, count ’em–NINE) biopsies and the first 4 were fluid filled cysts and the last 5 have been benign tumors with the last one showing atypical hyperplasia. I had a hysterectomy 24 years ago due to precancerous cells on my cervix. But, it wasn’t complete–left one tube and ovary; the kicker was that the tube and ovary they took had a total of 19 cysts on them! My doctors believe that the hysterectomy was what triggered my graves: 6 hours post op I had a bleeder come untied and almost bled to death. Eleven units of whole blood and six units of packed cells during the second surgery! Boy–talk about a traumatic week. Then I came home to two kids under 20 months old and no help at home!

I am not complaining–just explaining. I will probably be sent to Missoula (100 miles away) where they have the capability of doing digital mammograms and thermograms. Won’t know until tonight or tomorrow.

Thanks so much to all of you for caring! I love you all!

Val

[Anonymous]

#1157930

I was curious to know how many of you have other members of your family who have Graves Disease. I know when I was first diagnosed in the 70’s they told me it was familial vs hereditary. There are 4 members of my family with the disease,myself, my sister, my nephew and my aunt.

[Anonymous]

#1157931

Hi, so far i am the only one in my family that has this WONDERFUL disease. My sister hasn’t been checked yet nor my brother. No relatives that we know of either.
Annette

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