It’s been a year since I’ve checked in and happen to see this post. I haven’t reached the light at the end of the tunnel yet, and who knows what the future holds, but I’ve felt back to normal over the past year and Graves no longer has a grip over my life like it did a few years ago.

I’ve been taking 2.5 mg of mmi for the past two years and doing well at that dose. Since I’m feeling good on mmi, I’m in no rush to rock the boat and try one of the other treatments. I still have the possibility of going into remission, so we’ll see.

Getting Graves was a wake up call for me, because I now try to eat right and work on my health. Prior to Graves, I was probably going down the road of having a heart attack or getting diabetes…on the day my Graves was triggered (with a rapid heartbeat), I ate a personal pepperoni pizza, a Philly cheese steak…topped off with EIGHT warm Krispy Kreme glazed doughnuts…I’m surprised I didn’t drop dead that day…I really think all the processed foods is killing us….and I’m sure plays a part in triggering autoimmune diseases. I’m currently trying to eat as many whole foods as possible, but it’s so hard not to cheat once in a while.

Stay strong everyone and I hope we all tame that GD beast and not let it run our lives.

Best,
James

And, you getting Graves’ sounds like a good thing, and a timely wake up call for you, which will contribute to a longer life, a better blood pressure, a strong heart, and joints that are much happier!

I cannot imagine eating the amount of food you ate. Nice you have changed your food consumption. And yes, it is fine to cheat once in a while. It’s just that it is good to define cheating,(very small amounts, and no repeats!) and have a little treat. All this you already know. So…GOOD WORK!!! This is great. I am sure you can help someone else, as you undoubtedly already have, by writing this encouraging post!

Shirley

Exactly, you hit the nail on the head…Graves was actually a good thing (as weird as that may sound)…it was a way for my body to slap me in the face and tell me to slow down…we can treat Graves and live a normal life, but a heart attack can be fatal…and diabetes is no walk in the park either (both my parents have type 2).

Take care!
James

I have been on an even keel for a year and 3 months now. Was diagnosed in July 2013, had RAI went through the usual ups and downs, switched from Levothyroxin to 75 MCG of Synthroid in December 2013 and started feeling so much better in March 2014. All my tests come back in the normal range and I feel incredibly lucky. I am off the blood pressure meds and the Ambien since I can actually sleep again, only take some Ibuprofen occasionally for the disc and joint disease and, of course, the ever mandatory baby Aspirin and Vitamin D3. I am good.
Every now and again I feel a bit out of whack but it does not last and since my tests, which are now 6 months apart, come back OK I am not going to panic over every little thing and fiddle with my dosage.
Still trying to lose some of the pounds I acquired. Not an easy thing since I like food! I can’t afford to gamble or travel, my husband passed away, I quit smoking, never drank or did drugs – so, like I told the doctor, that just leaves food. Oh well, 20 pounds to go.

Writing and condensing it like this makes it look so easy. Make no mistake about it, sometimes it seemed utterly hopeless. And I did a lot of whining and crying on this forum. The ONLY people who understood this misery were here and I thank all of you for your time, advice, patience and encouragement. I wish that each and every one of you finds some kind of normalcy very soon and is able to get off of this terrible treadmill.

This is my success story, hope I didn’t jinx it.

Hugs.

Barbra.

My wife was diagnosed at the end of freshman year of college in spring 2007 after passing out while using the campus gym. The rest of college was a complete rollercoaster for her, with grades, memory, mood, happiness, anxiety, etc. all swinging in relation to her thyroid levels.

She started by trying the ATDs and went into a remission that lasted about 6 months, which is when we first started dating. After relapsing, she decided to go ahead with the RAI.

After doing the RAI, she had trouble figuring the right dose of Synthroid. On one dose she would be jumping out of her skin and anxious, but one dose lower and she would be tired, lethargic, and wouldn’t want to get out of bed. She asked about alternating doses, but her Endocrinologist wasn’t a big fan of the idea. Finally in 2012 I got fed up with the swings. We went to the endocrinologist together and he wanted to switch her dose again, which she was about to agree to. I assertively (all but yelling) told the endocrinologist that her new dose was going to be alternating between the two doses.

Since then she’s been doing great. Sure she has her ups and downs, just like everyone else on the planet, but it doesn’t seem to be related to the Graves disease. She feels healthy, has gained most (if not all) of her strength back, has a great career, and all in all is doing really well.

I don’t know if she looks at these boards anymore, but when she was going through all of this, they really helped her as did the one conference she was able to attend. We do hope to make it to another conference together at some point. Good luck to all suffering from this, keep up your hope and know that it will get better eventually.

flora