[Julie3588]

in reply to: having a virus and GD? #1069905

About 2 weeks after being initially diagnosed with GD I got Mono and Strep throat. My endo speculated that the Mono may have caused the GD anitbodies to come out. Either way, the Mono made GD almost unbearable. I could barely stand up. Just remember to take awesome care of yourself! I felt like I had to fight twice as hard against the Mono as I otherwise would have. Now I am extremely careful about contracting viruses and don’t share food/drink and wash my hands often.

[Julie3588]

in reply to: GD and Emotions..we are new to GD #1070291

After reading the responses posted here, I have been encouraged to speak about my Graves Disease for the first time. I have been a silent sufferer for over 3 years now. I was first diagnosed at 19 during the spring semester of my freshmen year of college. I was working out at the gym when my heartrate suddenly spiked to over 200bpm and I passed out. It took a trip to the ER, a cardiologist and the campus health center to finally diagnose my Graves disease. I was started on 60mg of Propranolol until I could see an endocrinologist at the end of the semester. I was then diagnosed with Mono and Strep 2 weeks later and became so ill from the combination of the three that I could barely walk the 300 feet from my dorm to the dining hall. I lost almost 30 pounds of mostly muscle and went from a very active and happy person to weak, and almost zombie-like. I was put on PTU as a first attempt at remission. I ended up being allegric to PTU after a massive hive breakout and was switched over to methimazole which I stayed on for 1 year. I was then taken off May of 2008 and went into remission. I felt absolutely amazing and healthy and finally felt like the person I once was. However, this past June, around 4 weeks ago, I woke in the middle of the night to a racing heart and knew immediately that something was not right. I have relapsed back into hyperthyroidism and have been pretty devastated. After spending a year in remission and feeling so great, it was almost like a cruel joke. I did RAI 3 weeks ago and am waiting for it to take effect. I am also back on methimazole, 10mg/day, to curb the hyperthyroidism from getting worse until the RAI beings to take effect. I am taking 20mg of propranolol/day for my heart. As previously, the drugs and hyperthyroid make me feel pretty crappy, I am exhausted all the time, my appetite is flaky, and I have been feeling like an overall emotional wreck for the past week. Like many have mentioned here, it is so difficult to hear people say that I look healthy, when sometimes I am using all my strength to get through the day. Unlike last time, I haven’t suffered from such a drastic physical change and hate feeling like I need to prove my illness to others. Having never been a very emotional person (I have been called unusually happy/optimistic), this development of mood swings in the past week has terrified me. Outside of the occasional PMS, I have never experienced feeling down for no reason or constantly feeling of the verge of tears. However, reading other posts here has made such a difference. It is so heartwarming and reassuring to hear that others are going through the same and there is a light at the end of the tunnel. It is also awesome to hear from young people, especially the mother of the 15 year old daughter with GD. The emotional and appearance altering effects of GD can be devastating on a young women and I want her to know that it will get better! Being a 21 year old female college student with a very stressful and demanding major, I often feel alone in my suffering. This forum has been a lifesaver.

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