Guest guest Posted August 15, 2003 Report Share Posted August 15, 2003 Hi Carolyn, and welcome, You've found a great support group and hopefully can get some guidance for your next steps. Aside from being able to ask questions here, you can also go to the home page at yahoogroups.com and look at the files. Let me also recommend the Graves' group at Mediboard.com; if you type in " Thyroid Awareness 101 " in the search box you'll find a really informative overview. Finally, there's Elaine 's book Graves' Disease: A Practical Guide, which is well worth getting. Graves' is an autoimmune problem in which are immune system incorrectly attacks the thyroid gland and sometimes the eyes. Doctors generally like to destroy the thyroid gland as a solution, but that doesn't solve the problem, and it often causes people's eye problems to get worse. Plus you have to take thyroid replacement for the rest of your life, and many people have difficulty getting the right balance. The other choice is to take an anti-thyroid medication for a year or two. This subdues the overactive thyroid, controls the problem-causing antibodies, and gives you a chance to go into remission, which happens for many people. Right now you are probably hyperthyroid and you may have a rapid heart rate and high blood pressure too (I had lots of palpitations).It's hard to think straight when you're in this condition, so it's important to take your time and don't get rushed into any treatment option, especially an irreversible one. Do you have a general practitioner or endocrinologist you trust? That person can get you started on an antithyroid med to get your levels back to normal (at that point you can still decide whether to continue and try for remission or go with surgery or radiation). When starting an antithyroid med your doctor should run a complete blood count (CBC) and liver panel, as the meds can have serious side effects--however, these are rare. Graves' will affect your life: there are physical symptoms to deal with, and it's important to take good care of yourself. It can also make you very emotional at times when your thyroid levels are out of balance. But there are definitely worse maladies to deal with. Hang in there and know you'll feel better soon! B. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You are posting as a guest. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.