Today I just received a phone call from my doctor's office to confirm I have Grave's Disease. I'm so anxious to feel better!

Hi!

I just wanted to say welcome What are your plans to start treatment? Are you going to start with methimazole or PTU? That seems to be the best 1st step to get things under control. Give it a few weeks though to get going; it will work, it just takes time. I hope it all goes well for you.

Alexis

Hi Alexis,
Thank you for the welcome.
As I look back, I have had symptoms since October 2011 and in January I talked to my doctor about them. He just smiled and discontinued a medication I take for migraines. Two weeks ago I went back to the doctor because the symptoms escalated. I had already figured out I had a hyperactive thyroid. Now I'm waiting to hear from the endocrinologists office for an appointment. I am at the point where I just can't wait to start treatment!
I'm so grateful for this forum because I just don't want to talk to my friends about this anymore. I don't think anyone understands how wiped out I feel.

Hello Carolyn,

Welcome to the forum. I'm new here too. You can call me Caro.

When is your appt? I know how this disease can be so devastating. I've been feeling very sick for over a month. I was diagnosed on June 8 with hyperthyroidism and last Mond my primary Dr. told me it is Graves. I started seeing an Endo over 2 weeks ago but things are not going well so I'll be seeing a new Endo next week.

I have tachycardia so I have to take a Beta blocker. Is your heart okay? If you haven't had your appt yet and your heart is going fast I recommend talking with your primary Dr. to see if he/she can give you something for it. Tachycardia is one of the very dangerous things we experience with this disease.

I hope you are feeling better soon. Keep us posted.

Caro

I'm sorry things haven't been going so well Caro. I know the tachycardia is scary and it plain just doesn't feel good. I read where you are taking Metoprolol and feel better. That's great. I have been taking Methimezole for about a month and a half and I never knew I could feel so good. I have so much more energy, I'm actually getting cold again and the diarrhea is gone. I do plan on taking RAI at some point but the endocrinologist hasn't discussed that happening yet. My levels were markedly better when I was last checked.
My problem is that I am having frequent migraine headaches which had all but gone away in the last several years. My neurologist felt they would as I aged, which was a blessing. He was a wonderful man. I just wish I could talk to him but he retired. I trust him with this as he also would have been able to understand the thyroid and hormones. Ugh! I have medication to take for this but zowie, the frequency and the expense. I am considering taking my Inderal daily (as I haven't the cardiac symptoms any longer) and I know this is a treatment for migraine headache. I guess I'll have to take a trip to my PCP. I have lost some confidence in him since I had a TSH done in October and it revealed hyperthyroid then and he missed it. I even discussed the symptoms with him a couple of months later.
I'm sorry you don't feel well and it sounds as you haven't had as easy a time as I have.
For every experience I have in my life I try to look at it as a blessing to learn a lesson from. I think in this way, it helps me to become a kinder and more compassionate person and takes away some of the negativity of the experience. I also practice gratitude for each day I find that I feel so much better.
Carolyn

I, too, had a GP that had definitive blood work and missed the hyperthyroid diagnosis. Frustrating. As far as taking medications like the Inderal, it is important to discuss things with the doctor before changing dosing patterns.

And, please know that we do get well again. The two treatment options (drug therapy or thyroid removal) have a proven track record of giving us our health back. Some patients may not be able to do what they would prefer – treatment-wise – due to specific health considerations unique to those patients. But with several options, we do look forward to getting our health back.