[genuinruby]

in reply to: RAI set for Sept. 30 #1063878

Joanie, so glad you got thru that. Looking forward to hearing how much better you are going to feel real soon!

[genuinruby]

in reply to: RAI vs Surgery vs Meds #1063970

jcupcakes, like yourself, I went on a quest to find those very same answers. I searched the archives of this board and visited a few other sites. It was an overwhelming task sorting thru the information out there. First, you have to be able to seperate the emotional attachment that each person has attached to their treatment. Then, finding people who have stuck around after they are feeling really good to encourage the rest of us is also a challenge. And let me say now, to the regulars of this board and even to the ones who have popped in and just given an update on occaision, MANY MANY THANKS. Grave’s and the treatment of it is individual to each and every person. Not one of us will feel the same way as another with the illness or with the treatment of our choice, I had to get a feel for what and how I thought my body would react based on how it had reacted to prior decisions I had made for trying to get it under control. I chose surgery, It was one of the most difficult decisions I have ever made. I was watching the Wedding Crashers on tv awhile back, and Christopher Walken’s character said to his daughter, "We have no way of knowing what lays ahead for us in the future. All we can do is use the information at hand to make the best decision possible", and that is when I understood what I needed to do
.
I believe the choice we make will be the right one simply because it is propelling us forward towards recovery. Which takes time, no matter what route we take. Keep aasking questions, sooner or later someone will give an answer that will inspire you in a different light and things will be made more clear.

Ruby in Reno
ps…Surgery on Monday went well. Usual yucky, anticlimatic recovery type issues, feeling better but feel like I look like a chicken with it’s craw full of gravel, due to the swelling at the incision site.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: scarred #1064283

Hi Dianne,
Hang in there…..the best part of this site is that it helps us to see into the future. There is always someone just ahead of us that has been where we are now. The intensity of my eye troubles change with my ever changing thyroid levels…I find it helpful to distract myself when I realize I am too focused on just one part of this illness. And just because I am having issues with my eyes (due to increased antibody activity) does not mean that I am going to have to deal with the full blown effects of TED. Due to the extra anxiety that comes with graves, everything is just "Extra Overwhelming". You are not alone in dealing with crazy, uncontrollable crying. It will get better as your levels become more stable. Being "in range" is not the same as being "stable". If you haven’t already, check out the facebook group for this site, there is a ton of support over there.

Ruby Hancock
ps . you are welcome to contact me personaly for an extra shoulder. I have been dealing with these issuses for many years prior to my grave’s diagnosis 3 years ago. genuinruby@yahoo.com

[genuinruby]

in reply to: what part of graves do we keep? #1064154

Thanks to all who chimed in. It is so much to wrap your head around, and then–lol– if your brain is spinning in high gear it is a challenge for it all to make sense. This illness is so complex. there are so many different things we can go thru, and each patient feels differently when faced with a similar challenge. To me it is like the "Boiling Frog Story", if all the things I have experienced had of hit me at one time I would have "jumped right out of the pot" and demanded treatment asap. But instead, these past 3 years I have slowly cooked, as I kept thinking I was getting better, or going into remission, because whatever sympton at the time, had stopped bothering me so much, or by the time I got in to see the doctor, the sympton had dissappeared. (Seeing the cardiologist for a no longer crazy heartbeat was downright embarrassing.) As one problem goes away another one comes back . I was just worried that it wouldn’t be worth it to have surgery, if I was just going to continue to suffer so much. Thanks again.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: what part of graves do we keep? #1064152

Are you saying that graves is not organ specific?

[genuinruby]

in reply to: Six Years Gone! #1064201

Thank you….it means so much to hear there is life after this.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: TSH changed CRAZY in 2 weeks??? #1064209

Just a thought…Lab Tech’s are just people and we humans are not exempt from making mistakes. One tiny decimal point in the wrong place can make an entirely different meaning in a TSH test. Your next Lab Test should confirm as to whether the high lab value was just a fluke or not. In the meantime, welcome to the boards!

Ruby in Reno ” title=”Very Happy” />

[genuinruby]

in reply to: who is the resource person for this site? #1064263

I believe her name is Yvette. Peter posted an intoduction awhile back. You can find the post by searching her name. ” title=”Very Happy” />

[genuinruby]

in reply to: kinda personal…but going to ask anyway #1064395

Thank you Kimberley and mamabear for being brave and writing a reply. As for you, Bluewave, your comment gives me hope. LOL.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: Finally regulated, few questions #1064433

Hi basebplyr6,
I know you are looking for feedback from other’s who have walked in your shoes, I am not quite there yet, but I do share your concern. I personally don’t expect to get back to the energy I felt at the pre-diagnosed "ignorance is bliss" state. Because now I know that kind of energy came with a price. Therefore I also await the replies of those that have been there.

Ruby in Reno

[genuinruby]

in reply to: potassium iodide drops #1064635

Cynthia, the potassium iodide drops are taken prior to surgery to prepare the gland for cutting on. My doctor said it reduced the risk of a thyroid storm during or after the surgery. This is a different from "iodine" which is used as a nutritional supplement. Glad to hear you are doing so well after surgery, it gives me encouragement. ” title=”Very Happy” />

Ruby in Reno

[genuinruby]

in reply to: Really Dry Eyes Starting Restasis #1064480

I, too, got an OMG you have dry eyes after the litmus test. I have not tried RESTASIS, but I think I have tried nearly every brand of OTC these past 3 years. My new favorite, Systane Balance in the purple package. It was shocking to see that it is not a clear liqid as the drops fell to my eyes…but, my eyes feel so soothed now.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: potassium iodide drops #1064633

I guess I was very "in tune". I would have had surgery this past Monday had I not postponed for my co-workers situation, she lost her brother yesterday, I am so glad I postponed…but, now, the soonest I can be rescheduled is nearly 6 weeks away.
*sigh* ah well….I am sure there is a reason. LOL

[genuinruby]

in reply to: Late teen with hyperthyroidgraves #1064532

Thanks for sharing your story. Hang in there, and if you have questions, ask away.

[genuinruby]

in reply to: Late teen with hyperthyroidgraves #1064530

My question is mostly for Samsdrumsdrum 80…
What was going on with you in your life to cause you to seek out the medical community and get a diagnosis for Grave’s? I was 46 years old when my gyn insisted on a TSH lab and I went from "ignorance is bliss" to my present reality. But looking back, and knowing what I know now, I am positive that I sufferred from this as a child. So as an adult, most of the crazy things that were happening to me were "normal to me", because I had been dealing with them all of my life.

Welcome to the boards, here we have awesome volunteers who strive to keep the information accurate, which is so important when we are searching for answers. Age is just a number here, so we welcome your insight.

[Author]

Posts