Re: It's Betsy again

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

Did you get my last e-mail to you?

At 12:06 PM 8/8/2003, you wrote:

>Hi, I know this is a graves support group and evidently my daughter does

>not have graves diseases according to the scan she had yesterday, but I

>still need some advice.

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

Did you get my last e-mail to you?

At 12:06 PM 8/8/2003, you wrote:

>Hi, I know this is a graves support group and evidently my daughter does

>not have graves diseases according to the scan she had yesterday, but I

>still need some advice.

[Guest guest]

I just read your email , and thank you. I have forwarded the email to my

daughter. There is so much to comprehend right now and we are just trying to

feel our way thru it. Thank you for your response and your patience. I'm sure

you get these kinds of questions everytime someone new joins. Thanks again,

Betsy

Betsy,

Did you get my last e-mail to you?

At 12:06 PM 8/8/2003, you wrote:

>Hi, I know this is a graves support group and evidently my daughter does

>not have graves diseases according to the scan she had yesterday, but I

>still need some advice.

------------------------

[Guest guest]

I just read your email , and thank you. I have forwarded the email to my

daughter. There is so much to comprehend right now and we are just trying to

feel our way thru it. Thank you for your response and your patience. I'm sure

you get these kinds of questions everytime someone new joins. Thanks again,

Betsy

Betsy,

Did you get my last e-mail to you?

At 12:06 PM 8/8/2003, you wrote:

>Hi, I know this is a graves support group and evidently my daughter does

>not have graves diseases according to the scan she had yesterday, but I

>still need some advice.

------------------------

[Guest guest]

Hi Betsy,

I have been following along, but felt everyone had it covered. But now I

seem to since a bit of confusion, so here I am. :-)

Right now, none of know for sure exactly what her diagnosis is, or if she is

being treated properly. This CAN get fixed. It will take some creative

thinking on your part it seems.

The most important thing you manage to communicate to your daughter is that

all the thoughts in her head, and the complete loss of control over her body

, really IS only her out of whack thyroid thinking. This is temporary, and

with desire on her part, she will return to normal.

Oddly... better than normal. See , this thyroid stuff sneaks up on us very

slowly. It can take years and years of not being right, until one day it

finally is bad enough to be diagnosed.

Sadly, those years of not being right, give us the idea that abnormal

thinking and body sensations are what is normal. Only after we are diagnosed

and treated correctly, does it happen... very slowly.

One by one, we happen to notice that some little thing has not happened for

a long time. Hummm ? And then another one. They start slowly adding up. We

get on the Internet, meet others in the same situation, and see that they

ALL have the same symptoms !!!

No matter what her correct diagnosis, this will be true, as thyroid symptoms

FEEL the same, no matter what the cause.

IF she really is hyper and that scan showing so low, that means she is very

lucky ( I know, hard to believe ) as she will get over this. Those of us

with Graves' have a lifetime of autoimmune issues.

BUT... in the meantime, I know we, as a group, can help her.

She has a group of women all around the globe cheering her on.

It seems the next step is getting all her lab reports. Paper copies. It is

the law that they have to give her these copies. Lab reports... don't bother

with medical records at this point.

Once we see, at least current labs, and their normal range, we can tell you

why she feels so sick and depressed right now.

Then with more lab and medication information, we can explain what did

happen, and share our experiences with her.

She does not have to suffer with no care. That is completely ridiculous.

I was sort of not right for so many years, it is really hard to say when it

all started. But I finally became so ill the diagnosis was made. THEN my

care was horrid. I too became so depressed ( it is a brain chemical reaction

to the thyroid hormone ) that all I thought of 24 hours a day, was how

wonderful death would be.

Fortunately, I was to sick to get up and do anything about this desire, and

to muddle headed to make a good plan. I hurt so bad, it made me moan and

yell to turn over in bed. I had to lay there and work up the gumption to

turn over a quarter turn, because I knew how mad is was going to hurt.

This happened to me because I was over medicated on anti thyroid drugs and

became very hypo at that time.

We had someone plant a huge bomb one block from my bedroom. . It was a state

wide huge story in all our papers.

The neighbors could not wake me to evacuate. They told the police where I

was located, just in case

That evening, I managed to wake and I went out on my front porch. I was

surrounded by neighbors telling me everything that had happened.

I spent the next days crying , alone in my room. Crying because the bomb had

not gone off.

It finally occurred to me, that this was not a normal reaction. I managed to

choose to 'one last time' go to a doctor, and try to find help.

Come to find out, the only problem was being overdosed on anti thyroid drugs

The rest is history as they say. I managed to figure this whole mess out,

and am now in remission from Graves', and no longer take the pills. It has

been one and a half years with no anti thyroid drugs.

I have a brand new life. One that I never imagined possible in my wildest

dreams. My body works once again. My hair is completely grown back, and

thicker and longer than in my memory. Skin is good... never was before..

ever. Nails are strong. I can once again MOVE.

I have reunited with my love of 30 years ago, and we are planning on caring

for each other forever. I never really felt love before. I did not know what

it was. My body and mind interfered with feeling emotions as other seem to

do, because I was too busy mentally just getting through the day.

When anyone is ill, their world narrows in and becomes smaller and smaller.

Perhaps you can think of a time when you had a terrible case of the flu.

Remember the feeling of wanting to be left alone ? The focus that is forced

onto you, to feel all your symptoms and try to deal with them. BUT... with

the flu, you KNOW it will be gone in a number of days. With thyroid, we have

no way to see any end to the horrid feelings.

The first days and weeks, we are optimistic. But as time marches on, it

wears us down. And the most intelligent, formerly optimistic person starts

to sink. There seems to be NO light at the end of the tunnel, and every

morning we wake from a fitful, painful sleep... feeling worse that when we

went to bed. Now we have to start yet another day.

It is now hard for me to believe I was ever so bad off. I have a wonderful

man, a new family, way out in the country, the kids are almost grown and are

classical pianists on their way to doctorates in music. They practice on the

beautiful grand piano as I putter in the garden I have created, or whip up a

meal in the country kitchen, watching the goats out of the window.

This seems so impossible still. I can hardly believe the difference time has

made. But it did take time. And I had to do lots of hard work to make it

happen.

First she has to give it one more go. She has to find the strength to get

these lab reports and we will help her learn what they mean.

If you think this post is worthy, please forward it to your daughter. She

may need to know she is not alone. not alone at all. We hear these same

stories over and over in the thyroid groups.

It will get better, but not unless SHE steps up to the plate. Her doctors

obviously have no clue how to properly treat her condition. Or she would

never have ended up like this.

The time being treated for thyroid is not normally one of pain or

unhappiness... we are supposed to feel good while we are being treated. That

IS the point ya know. :-)

-Pam L-

3 1/2 years Graves', TED, and PTU. Remission due to SLOW reduction of PTU

(despite an incompetent endo ! ), improved lifestyle, excellent nutrition,

herbs, and looking at the big picture.

Pills alone only help the symptoms. We must help our bodies to heal.

[Guest guest]

Pam, thank you so much for this post. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of

what you went through. And thank you taking the time to tell me about it so

that I can pass it on to my daughter. I am so very concerned for her right now.

She will be coming for Sunday dinner tomorrow hopefully and I will let her read

all the emails I have saved in my " graves folder " and hopefully it will help

her. She is suppose to see the endo Tuesday and she is going to get her test

results then and hopefully after reading these emails will be better equipped to

talk to him. Thanks again. Betsy

Each morning I wake up,

I choose to take a step forward,

A step back, or remain the same.

The time being treated for thyroid is not normally one of pain or

unhappiness... we are supposed to feel good while we are being treated. That

IS the point ya know. :-)

-Pam L-

3 1/2 years Graves', TED, and PTU. Remission due to SLOW reduction of PTU

(despite an incompetent endo ! ), improved lifestyle, excellent nutrition,

herbs, and looking at the big picture.

Pills alone only help the symptoms. We must help our bodies to heal.

[

[Guest guest]

Pam, thank you so much for this post. It brought tears to my eyes thinking of

what you went through. And thank you taking the time to tell me about it so

that I can pass it on to my daughter. I am so very concerned for her right now.

She will be coming for Sunday dinner tomorrow hopefully and I will let her read

all the emails I have saved in my " graves folder " and hopefully it will help

her. She is suppose to see the endo Tuesday and she is going to get her test

results then and hopefully after reading these emails will be better equipped to

talk to him. Thanks again. Betsy

Each morning I wake up,

I choose to take a step forward,

A step back, or remain the same.

The time being treated for thyroid is not normally one of pain or

unhappiness... we are supposed to feel good while we are being treated. That

IS the point ya know. :-)

-Pam L-

3 1/2 years Graves', TED, and PTU. Remission due to SLOW reduction of PTU

(despite an incompetent endo ! ), improved lifestyle, excellent nutrition,

herbs, and looking at the big picture.

Pills alone only help the symptoms. We must help our bodies to heal.

[

[Guest guest]

Hello Again Betsy,

I really hope you and your daughter have/will gain some great information

from all of us here. We all have stories of feeling bad, feeling jumbles and

confused until, like Pam said, it gets bad enough for a diagnosis.

Personally I have always been deemed as a " scatterbrain " , going way back to

childhood. The older I got though, the worse it was getting. In my late 20s

and early 30s my close friends and I would joke that if I was this forgetful

at this age, what would I be like in my 70s? I have always been a

scatterbrain and have always had very thin hair that falls out easily. That

was all I had for symptoms for many years. Then all of a sudden I was losing

weight like crazy, and I was thrilled. Seeing I weighed over 200 lbs. Losing

30 pounds in a month and a half was to me a godsend. I never questioned the

weight loss at all. I then found myself having more energy than I'd ever had

in my entire life. Not at all like me, I am normally extremely sedentary.

Work was difficult for me. I had to write everything down to have any chance

of actually finishing a task. If someone came by my desk and said " hey can

you do ______? " I would have to write it down or it would be forgotten as

son as the person walked away. I struggled in my work life and the struggle

spilled into my home life too. Bills would be paid late, or not at all,

because I couldn't remember where I put them. I often forgot doctor and

dentist appointments, and many times I would pull on " no show " on friends

and family when we had made plans. I lost a few friends during the worst of

this time, but I look at it as they weren't the best of friends to begin

with.

Then one night while I was washing up before bed I discovered a huge lump on

the side of my throat. Of course my first thought was cancer. Called my gp

the next morning and made an appointment to be seen. The nurse came in first

to take my blood pressure, weigh me and take my pulse. She said " your pulse

is a bit quick " but didn't seem concerned. Then the nurse practitioner came

in and felt my throat and started asking me a TON of questions. It seemed I

answered yes to everything she asked. Then she had the doctor come in to

consult with him. They both left the room for a few minutes and then only

she returned. She said they were going to take some blood and runs some

tests. She said relax, it does not seem to be any type of cancer, but she

was evasive about what it might be.

A few days later the nurse practitioner called back and asked if I could

come in again. When the nurse took my pulse at the return visit she seemed

so concerned. My pulse it seemed was 150+ beats per minute. The Nurse prac.

Came in and said it seemed I had raves disease. Sounded pretty bad to me,

but as she talked it sounded like it was something that, when treated

properly, could be easily controlled. So they set me up with an endo and

that's when it really started. My first visit with the endo wasn't too bad.

He seemed nice enough, examined me and then said come with me to my office.

We got into his office and he starts telling me about some tests he wants to

do. First, he was having an anti-body test done because that would let him

know if it really was Graves. Then he wanted me to have the radio-iodine

uptake test, which I did. Next visit he said yup, you definitely have Graves

disease and he says here are your treatment options. You can have RAI.

That's it, option of one.

At this point I had already done some research on the net and every site I

found said that RAI was a simple way to get a hyper-thyroid under control.

But since I was on meds and could think clearly again it just didn't sit

right with me to have my thyroid irradiated. I told him I wasn't interested

in RAI. He persisted that it was the fastest, easiest method of treatment

and that I really should consider it. Then I asked if it was possible to go

into remission with this disease and not have RAI. He grudgingly admitted

that yes, there was a chance of remission if I stayed on ATDs. At that point

my mind was made up, there would be no RAI. But he still persisted with the

RAI, and this was after he had made a rude comment about my weight during my

appointment. I knew he would not want to treat me with RAI, I was pissed off

that he had called me fat so I thanked him for his time, said I would never

agree to RAI, left his office and never returned.

Why did I tell you all this, because I want your daughter to see that there

is hope and that there are doctors who are too set in their ways. I'm sorry

but her endo is terrible. I would get copies of all labs and test results

from him/her and walk away. I don't know if your daughter has Graves or not

but she needs to know. And her endo hasn't exactly been forthcoming with

information for her. Right now she sounds scared and confused, as all of us

were when we discovered we're ill. Does she have a good relationship with

her gp? Maybe they could be of help in finding a new, more competent endo

for her. Many endos simply don't know enough about Graves to treat it

properly. They know more about diabetes as 80 percent of the patients they

treat are diabetics. Very few endos it seems are well versed in Graves.

Betsy, I hope between you, your daughter and a good endo she will find what

is happening with her. Please, get copies of all her labs and come to us.

There are so many smart and well informed people here that can help

translate all that medical jargon for you and point you two in the right

direction. Good luck and keep us posted!!!!

in MA, USA

Diagnosed w/Graves, March 1997

Glad I've refused RAI Treatment!!!

On lose dose of PTU (2 50 mg. per day)

(was in remission for three years 2000-2003)

[Guest guest]

Thank you . I have already learned more in the few days I have been a

member of this list than the endo has ever told Lori. I appreciate your time

and concern. She does have an appoinment to see the endo on Tues and is

planning on getting all her results from him then. Thank you so much. We have

really been at our wits end over this. I do have one question. My daughter has

been diagnosed as clinically depressed and on all sorts of medicines for years.

Over the last 8 years or so she has gained over 150 pounds and couldn't

understand why. Now she is losing weight again. Could her problem all along

have to do with her thyroid. Thanks again, Betsy

RE: It's Betsy again

Hello Again Betsy,

I really hope you and your daughter have/will gain some great information

from all of us here.

[Guest guest]

Hi betsy,

My name is melissa.

I live in colorado.

Where I'm attending graduate school.

I have been following your posts.

Its made me feel compelled to write and share my story.

I'm the same age as your daughter.

I was 31 when I was diagnosed.

I was just diagnosed last september

In the spring of 2002 I was feeling good.

I just went in for a physical.

I was losing a lot of weight.

I also had and still have irregular periods.

So, I just wanted a physical.

My weight was 154 lbs.

At this point I was not worried about this weight loss.

I was actually happy about it.

Anyway, I started going through a lot of tests, like a full catscan of my

stomach, and a variety of blood test.

Oh and my favorite was collecting my urine for 24 hours.

In a bottle.

My weight continued to drop.

My doctor was at the end of her rope.

While all of this was going on people were accusing me of starving

myself.

I was having headaches, my insomnia was worse, my appetite was

fluctuating, fatigue, irregular periods, and depression, mood swings,

breathlessness, and racing heart.

Along with some raging, feelings of doom and gloom, anxiety, tearful

moments, and nervousness, diarrhea, and many other things.

I also had been experiencing dizziness, and feeling of heat on the back

of my kneck.

My legs would shake and I would nearly pass out.

This episode would happen in stores, or if I was out.

With no explanation at all.

Anyway, I was this close to being put on anti-depressants..

So, my doctor referred me to an indo.

She explained to me that she was doing this, because she needed someone

else's opinion to help her.

Well, I saw the indo in august.

She ran the blood tests, including kolesterol, and many hormonal tests,

and thyroid tests.

Then I was sent in for the uptake and scan.

On september 19, 2002, I went to the indo.

By this time I was down to 136 lbs.

An emotional wreck.

I felt so alone.

I knew something was wrong.

but I also felt that it would make me look crazy.

I'd been telling people of my symptoms for years.

and it always turned out that it was just nothing.

As a side note, I must say this, because it will help with the rest of my

story.

I'm totally blind, and have been since after birth.

I have a condition known as R/O/P.

So, this fact really helped me out.

When it came to doctors and things.

And educating people, as well as waiting to experience the steriotypes

surrounding blindness.

Anyway, my indo. with the sound of tears in her voice told me that I had

graves.

I don't remember most of the rest of her explanation.

Because I was envelopped in a haze of relief and fear.

I think that there was a nice silence.

The other word came in and out through my brain.

It was something like this.

You have graves disease.

Graves was founded by... it is an autoemune disease....

I heard the words remission, incurable.

So, I pulled myself together.

I decided I had to wait to fall apart, because I needed to be proactive

in my treatment.

People already don't think you can do that when you are blind, or have

some other kind of disability.

So, I'm on alert at this time.

Ready to educate her.

Dr. Widdom explained each option, from medication, to ri.

Then she asked me which one would I like to do.

I was glad that she hadn't considered the fact that I was blind, and used

it to take away my choice.

I chose the medication.

So, she placed me on methimezol, tapizol, I believe that they are the

same. It was to be 10mg once a day.

She also ran some more blood tests.

To see if she needed to increase the dose.

I left the office feeling numb, and alone.

I sat in the cab just trying to absorb everything, and hoping that I had

made the right decision.

I was also pretty angry, because this had been missed so many times.

But thankful that it had been diagnosed.

I shared the news with my friends and family.

Some people just don't think before they speak.

Someone said to me, " well at least you won't go blind " , or just let them

do surgery on you to fix it.

I loved the way blindess was thrown into the mix.

Anyway, my dose was increased up to three times a day.

I didn't fall apart until that weekend.

I was researching graves disease, during that time, and found this list.

The diagnosis of this disease made since.

The variety of things that I had been experiencing for years, had a

reason now.

I could remember when a nurse practitioner at the student health center,

was concerned about my thyroid test results, from a physical.

She referred me to a doctor, and he basically said that she was just a

nurse.

So it was missed.

A lot of people believed, and still do think that its depression.

Well, the end of the story is this, I'm off of all medication.

I have been off of medication for almost three months.

I am slowly going into remission.

I know that the disease is still in my body, and I will have to live with

it.

I also have learned that there is a lot of thyroidism in my family on my

dad's side.

I found this list.

And I have had to research, and to educate others and myself about this

disease.

Finally, supportive family and friends are very helpful.

I also know that you are very scared and confused as a mother.

My mother, is that way.

She actually wanted me to pack up and leave school and come home.

She is still struggling to understand this disease, and the changes that

I need to include in my lifestyle.

I understand that geeling of wanting to hide in the house.

Not wanting your family or signifecant other to see you like this, when

you are sick.

I hope that you and your daughter, will get a second opinion or even a

third.

I hope that you both can find a lot of support.

I understand that she may feel like she can't do this anymore.

I think that we all have been there.

I believe that there is a letter for friends, family and partners, of

people with graves disease.

But I haven't been able to find it on the site.

If you could get a copy of that.

I think it will help you as well.

Hope that my story is some help too you and your daughter.

Either one of you may write me privately as well.

Thank you for reading it.

Have a great day, and good luck.

Keep us posted.

R. Green

A CLOSER WALK

_________________________

Psalm 139:1-12 (NRSV)

O LORD, you have searched me

and known me.

You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

you discern my thoughts from far away.

You search out my path and my lying down,

and are acquainted with all my ways.

Even before a word is on my tongue,

O LORD, you know it completely.

You hem me in, behind and before,

and lay your hand upon me.

Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

it is so high that I cannot attain it.

Where can I go from your spirit?

Or where can I flee from your presence?

If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

If I take the wings of the morning

and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

even there your hand shall lead me,

and your right hand shall hold me fast.

If I say, " Surely the darkness shall cover me,

and the light around me become night, "

even the darkness is not dark to you;

the night is as bright as the day,

for darkness is as light to you.

________________________________________________________________

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[Guest guest]

Hi . Thank you so much for your post. It is good to know that we are

not alone in this. Your post was very informative and I will be saving this

also, for my daughter to read tomorrow. I'll also do a search for the letter

that you were talking about. Thanks again. Betsy

Each morning I wake up,

I choose to take a step forward,

A step back, or remain the same.

[Guest guest]

Betsy,

In short, the answer is yes, it is possible that the depression and weight

gain are thyroid-related. They are symptoms of hypothyroidism. It is

possible for people with thyroid disease to be hyperT and hypOT at

different points in one's life, and the diagnosis, or label can change,

depending on what phase (symptoms, thyroid levels and antibodies) one is in

at any given moment.

Your daughter needs TSI and TPO antibodies tested, at the minimum.

At 01:01 PM 8/9/2003, you wrote:

>My daughter has been diagnosed as clinically depressed and on all sorts of

>medicines for years. Over the last 8 years or so she has gained over 150

>pounds and couldn't understand why. Now she is losing weight

>again. Could her problem all along have to do with her thyroid.

[Guest guest]

I'm using 5-HTP to help with depression, anxiety and fatigue ... amazingly

it has helped me within a week of taking it. 5-HTP is a precursor to

serotonin.

Re: It's Betsy again

> Hi betsy,

> My name is melissa.

> I live in colorado.

> Where I'm attending graduate school.

> I have been following your posts.

> Its made me feel compelled to write and share my story.

> I'm the same age as your daughter.

> I was 31 when I was diagnosed.

> I was just diagnosed last september

> In the spring of 2002 I was feeling good.

> I just went in for a physical.

> I was losing a lot of weight.

> I also had and still have irregular periods.

> So, I just wanted a physical.

> My weight was 154 lbs.

> At this point I was not worried about this weight loss.

> I was actually happy about it.

> Anyway, I started going through a lot of tests, like a full catscan of my

> stomach, and a variety of blood test.

> Oh and my favorite was collecting my urine for 24 hours.

> In a bottle.

> My weight continued to drop.

> My doctor was at the end of her rope.

> While all of this was going on people were accusing me of starving

> myself.

> I was having headaches, my insomnia was worse, my appetite was

> fluctuating, fatigue, irregular periods, and depression, mood swings,

> breathlessness, and racing heart.

> Along with some raging, feelings of doom and gloom, anxiety, tearful

> moments, and nervousness, diarrhea, and many other things.

>

> I also had been experiencing dizziness, and feeling of heat on the back

> of my kneck.

> My legs would shake and I would nearly pass out.

> This episode would happen in stores, or if I was out.

> With no explanation at all.

> Anyway, I was this close to being put on anti-depressants..

> So, my doctor referred me to an indo.

> She explained to me that she was doing this, because she needed someone

> else's opinion to help her.

> Well, I saw the indo in august.

> She ran the blood tests, including kolesterol, and many hormonal tests,

> and thyroid tests.

> Then I was sent in for the uptake and scan.

> On september 19, 2002, I went to the indo.

> By this time I was down to 136 lbs.

> An emotional wreck.

> I felt so alone.

> I knew something was wrong.

> but I also felt that it would make me look crazy.

> I'd been telling people of my symptoms for years.

> and it always turned out that it was just nothing.

> As a side note, I must say this, because it will help with the rest of my

> story.

> I'm totally blind, and have been since after birth.

> I have a condition known as R/O/P.

> So, this fact really helped me out.

> When it came to doctors and things.

> And educating people, as well as waiting to experience the steriotypes

> surrounding blindness.

> Anyway, my indo. with the sound of tears in her voice told me that I had

> graves.

> I don't remember most of the rest of her explanation.

> Because I was envelopped in a haze of relief and fear.

> I think that there was a nice silence.

> The other word came in and out through my brain.

> It was something like this.

> You have graves disease.

> Graves was founded by... it is an autoemune disease....

> I heard the words remission, incurable.

> So, I pulled myself together.

> I decided I had to wait to fall apart, because I needed to be proactive

> in my treatment.

> People already don't think you can do that when you are blind, or have

> some other kind of disability.

> So, I'm on alert at this time.

>

> Ready to educate her.

> Dr. Widdom explained each option, from medication, to ri.

> Then she asked me which one would I like to do.

> I was glad that she hadn't considered the fact that I was blind, and used

> it to take away my choice.

> I chose the medication.

> So, she placed me on methimezol, tapizol, I believe that they are the

> same. It was to be 10mg once a day.

> She also ran some more blood tests.

> To see if she needed to increase the dose.

> I left the office feeling numb, and alone.

> I sat in the cab just trying to absorb everything, and hoping that I had

> made the right decision.

> I was also pretty angry, because this had been missed so many times.

> But thankful that it had been diagnosed.

> I shared the news with my friends and family.

> Some people just don't think before they speak.

> Someone said to me, " well at least you won't go blind " , or just let them

> do surgery on you to fix it.

> I loved the way blindess was thrown into the mix.

> Anyway, my dose was increased up to three times a day.

> I didn't fall apart until that weekend.

> I was researching graves disease, during that time, and found this list.

> The diagnosis of this disease made since.

> The variety of things that I had been experiencing for years, had a

> reason now.

> I could remember when a nurse practitioner at the student health center,

> was concerned about my thyroid test results, from a physical.

> She referred me to a doctor, and he basically said that she was just a

> nurse.

> So it was missed.

> A lot of people believed, and still do think that its depression.

> Well, the end of the story is this, I'm off of all medication.

> I have been off of medication for almost three months.

> I am slowly going into remission.

> I know that the disease is still in my body, and I will have to live with

> it.

> I also have learned that there is a lot of thyroidism in my family on my

> dad's side.

> I found this list.

> And I have had to research, and to educate others and myself about this

> disease.

> Finally, supportive family and friends are very helpful.

> I also know that you are very scared and confused as a mother.

> My mother, is that way.

> She actually wanted me to pack up and leave school and come home.

> She is still struggling to understand this disease, and the changes that

> I need to include in my lifestyle.

>

> I understand that geeling of wanting to hide in the house.

> Not wanting your family or signifecant other to see you like this, when

> you are sick.

> I hope that you and your daughter, will get a second opinion or even a

> third.

> I hope that you both can find a lot of support.

> I understand that she may feel like she can't do this anymore.

> I think that we all have been there.

> I believe that there is a letter for friends, family and partners, of

> people with graves disease.

> But I haven't been able to find it on the site.

> If you could get a copy of that.

> I think it will help you as well.

> Hope that my story is some help too you and your daughter.

>

> Either one of you may write me privately as well.

> Thank you for reading it.

> Have a great day, and good luck.

> Keep us posted.

> R. Green

> A CLOSER WALK

> _________________________

>

> Psalm 139:1-12 (NRSV)

>

> O LORD, you have searched me

> and known me.

> You know when I sit down and when I rise up;

> you discern my thoughts from far away.

> You search out my path and my lying down,

> and are acquainted with all my ways.

> Even before a word is on my tongue,

> O LORD, you know it completely.

> You hem me in, behind and before,

> and lay your hand upon me.

> Such knowledge is too wonderful for me;

> it is so high that I cannot attain it.

>

> Where can I go from your spirit?

> Or where can I flee from your presence?

> If I ascend to heaven, you are there;

> if I make my bed in Sheol, you are there.

> If I take the wings of the morning

> and settle at the farthest limits of the sea,

> even there your hand shall lead me,

> and your right hand shall hold me fast.

> If I say, " Surely the darkness shall cover me,

> and the light around me become night, "

> even the darkness is not dark to you;

> the night is as bright as the day,

> for darkness is as light to you.

>

> ________________________________________________________________

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>

> -------------------------------------

> The Graves' list is intended for informational purposes only and is not

intended to replace expert medical care.

> Please consult your doctor before changing or trying new treatments.

> ----------------------------------------

> DISCLAIMER

>

> Advertisments placed on this yahoo groups list do not have the endorsement

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> the listowner. I have no input as to what ads are attached to emails.

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>