[dvbharris]

in reply to: Is Graves as a response instead of a disease? #1180927

I would like to encourage all forum participants with Graves to go to the American Thyroid Association website for some educational articles regarding, heredity, Graves antibodies and what triggers the onset of the disease. Very enlightening information. The site as well as AACE, American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists, has been very helpful to me in understanding Graves. I was diagnosed in May 2005, RAI same month and battling affects of 20 years of over-stimulation to my body by excess thyroid hormone. There is NO CURE. Thyroid ablation only stops the damage an over productive thyroid is causing. The damage already caused is irreversible, physical and cognitive and emotional.

The antibodies can lie dormant for years until and extreme illness or stress related event causes them to activate. Immediately after my diagnosis, I had my daughter tested and she tested positive for antibodies. That was in 2005. In August of 2012 she left home to attend college 4 1/2 hours away, and immediately began showing sign of Graves. Her TSH was tested and she was high-normal and put on 50 mcg of Synthroid which alleviated the issues she was having that were affecting her school work. The stress of a new environment and being on her own activated the antibodies.

Graves Disease is familial, meaning that there is usually someone else in family with it and it has been discovered that it is usually passed from mothers to daughters, occasionally to sons, but usually to daughters. My sons, ages 32 and 34, have not been tested, but I see “signs” in my youngest. I sometimes wish I had known what I know now before I married and had children. I don’t believe I would wish this disease on my enemies, much less my children.

I hope someone out there benefits from this information.

dvbharris

[dvbharris]

in reply to: Articles available-Psychological Impact of Graves’ disease. #1181503

@lynne The most important part of Kimberly’s answer to you is “be persistant”.
Monthly testing of TSH, t3 and t4 is absolutely accomplishing nothing but the reason you are so up and down. A change in strength of thyroid hormone takes six to eight weeks to produce a difference in symptoms. You need a new doctor. Find yourself an Endo that specialized in thyroid. Each specialist has a sub-specialty and a lot of Endo’s sub-specialize in diabetes, which does thyroid patients no good. I have been diagnosed and dealing since May of 2005. Believe, start to take names and kick butt cause if you don’t they will patronize you to death, literally. Good Luck! p.s. If there is a Graves Support Group in your area, run don’t walk, to join it now. I don’t have one my state and am unable to drive to nearest one. I know, I should start one , right? I’ll do that in my spare 30 seconds, since by body is so up stress and all that!!
p.s.s. I am trying to find post RAI support and there is not a lot of information out there. Primary Care doctors are not trained to treat or manage such a complex disease as Graves. Contrary to popular belief, antidepressants do not cure everything, they are what I call “don’t give a ____ meds”! They only cover up or make you not care about real issue! (I’m going to catch it for that but if my doctors prior to 2005 have listened instead of prescribing them, I might have a different story to tell!

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