I am 31 years old and decided with my silly self to go back to college but I'm having to really face my memory issues now. A little back story I'm approx 1 yr post RAI. I just recently changed meds from 137 of synthroid to 120 of armour 3 weeks ago. I was diagnosed with Graves' a little over a yr ago and after a severe allergic reaction to anti-thyroid meds I went with RAI. Three days after RAI I landed in the hospital for 7 days with extreme swelling throughout my body, very elevated blood sugar and inflammatory markers, a heart murmur, and lots of pain. I got tested for everything from lupus to r.a. All was negative. Drs refused to say RAI caused it so I went home with no answers and still have no answers. I still deal with many symptoms although my dr says my levels are normal. Anxiety, muscle pain, brain fog, horrible memory, irritability, depression, losing hair, dry skin, etc, etc. I also have GED but its not severe. I hope the Armour helps because I'm so tired all the time and I really miss myself. My Dr believes I'd had graves' at least three yrs before diagnosis maybe longer. I'm sure that's enough back story… My question is… Will I ever get my memory back? Will I always be this dumb when I used to be very intelligent? Is there anything I can do, vitamins or supplements that can help? Please help! I just wanna give up sometimes because I feel too tired to fight! Thanks guys!

Hello - First of all, you aren't “dumb”! Having thyroid hormone levels that are out of balance can absolutely affect memory and concentration.

However, it would be worth visiting your General Practitioner and documenting all of your symptoms *just* to rule out that there isn't anything else going on.

Also, this bulletin on students and Graves’ has some good information on developing an individualized plan under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act. You might be eligible for special accommodations, including more time to complete tests and assignments, and the opportunity to take tests in a distraction-free environment. (The bulletin was written for parents, but has some good info for students of all ages!)

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http://gdatf.org/about/about-graves-disease/patient-education/students-graves/ [gdatf.org]

Most of us with Graves' have picked up little “memory tricks” here and there that help us get through our daily routines – writing things down in a daytimer, using alarm bells on a watch or cell phone, etc.. None of us are “dumb”…we have just had to learn to adjust our daily routines to make sure things don't fall through the cracks.

Take care!

I'm sorry I should've said I feel dumb. It's embarrassing when someone tells me their name and less than 5 minutes later I've forgotten it. I was one of those people that could tell you what I wore last Tuesday but now I don't remember what I wore yesterday! It's awful! I do set alarms and reminders, I make lists, take notes etc, but none of that helps at test time lol. One thing I've been told by a friend with Graves' is that just because you're in normal range doesn't mean your optimal for you. Graves' has cause me to have degeneration in my back, I've had to have a hysterectomy for chronic inflammation and severe scaring, fibroids, cysts, and adhesions, I've had my gallbladder removed. I'm just a mess in general. My dr said I may have fibromyalgia but other than those things there's no sign of other issues through blood work etc. I have noticed my muscle pain seems better with the armour but now I'm having headaches almost every day and jaw pain. I'm just sick of being sick to be honest and I think I'm a little depressed. I lost my job of six years because after diagnosis with of all the hospital time and surgeries I ran out of FMLA and sick leave and my company had an automatic option to let me go. That hurt me both emotionally and financially. The sad thing is until I got sick is always been a very good employee and my yearly reviews were always good. I guess all the life changes I'm going through plus trying to go back to school at the same time is just a little overwhelming. I guess I'm having a pity party. Thanks for saying I'm not dumb

Well, all I can say is WOW! You are dealing with a LOT. Has all of this been within the last year? I can only hope not. If so, it'd be a miracle if you felt “bounced back” and perfect right now, there's so much in you that's trying to heal.

Dealing with an autoimmune disease is a completely different experience than dealing with anything we've been used to in the past, and it does include emotional aspects such as depression, because we're now struggling with the fact that we've got a persistent condition we must accept and consider nearly every day.

The memory issues do seem to continue, somewhat, for almost everyone I speak with, unfortunately. Still, the better we feel, the better it gets – for all the things that may linger. Everyone's different, and hyperthyroidism is incredibly damaging. After you get back to normal, your body BEGINS to heal, because it can finally put some attention on the “trouble spots.” All of this takes far longer than anyone wants, but we must see clearly that this is where we are.

I think the best possible advice we can give is just to keep putting one foot in front of the other, keep an eye on your own thyroid hormone levels, be your own best advocate, and when you find a good thyroid hormone level and remain there for some period of time (it CAN be months, I won't lie to you), you can get to a really good place.

A symptom diary can be your savior, when you're talking with the doctor. They LOVE empirical data. Make a chart each day with your symptoms and their severity, then correlate with labs as you get those done. Tiny adjustments can make a big difference over time – remember that it's not safe to adjust doses by a great deal at once, so it can take a lot of time to get through this process, but you'll get there, and it's worth it. Better than being unwell every day.

As for school, well, Kimberly's advice is VERY good. If you could get some accommodations, you'd have a better shot, and your grades would more closely represent your actual abilities. I know it feels like “caving in” to your issues, but it's not, it's being fair to yourself.

Remember overall that you are recovering right now. You need downtime, you need time for YOU, and that's going to be an important element to your overall emotional state as well, so make it a priority. Top on your list of things to do should be things that feed your soul and satisfy you to your core. Bottom on your list (or maybe even completely OFF your list) should be things that suck your strength and energy and give you no payback whatsoever.

I hope this helps! I can't say I've been exactly where you are, but I've been through the “search for my thyroid hormone levels,” and I can tell you that you WILL get past this, it's just a matter of time.

I now takes notes much more than I used to. It does not fix the problem, but it is a simple aid.

Yes, this has all been in the last year other than my gallbladder operation. I think one of the hardest things is mourning the loss of who I used to be and also feeling ashamed and like I complain too much. I can't tell you how many times I've heard oh your levels should be straight by now, or I forget things too, or well I know how you feel because I have two young children also. I just wanna scream and cry… No, no you don't know how I feel. Even on my tiredest day before my illness I wasn't as tired as I am when I wake up in the morning before I even do anything!! My original endo told me that I'd immediately start feeling better after starting synthroid and that was a set up for failure. I guess it's just hard not to feel like a bad mom, wife, daughter, friend, and sibling when you don't wanna move from the sofa lol. I have another question and I hope this isn't too personal, but did anyone else have a complete loss of sex drive? I think my husband thinks I don't love him anymore

Hello - Hopefully, you will get some other responses, but libido changes can absolutely be a result of thyroid hormone levels being out of balance. You should see some improvement over time once you get to a normal and stable place with your labs.

Thanks! I was unsure if it was my levels or the hysterectomy (I still have one ovary so I'm not in menopause). I'm going to discuss all of this with my Dr at my next appt. something has gotta give. It's time that I see some positive progress! I'm so glad I've found a place to share and get great advice! Thanks again everyone!

I understand where you are coming from. I recently graduated from college. It wasn't the easiest thing I ever did since I was diagnosed with GD. To this day I still have problems with my memory (doesn't matter any tricks or notes don't help), thinking processes, and concentrating. The specialist I have seen say there is “nothing” wrong with me. My provider says there is, but he can only go so far. I'm so tired of the “lack” of answers it stinks. I have found out more online than all the specialists I have seen. Even when I take the printed version to them they have no idea what I am talking about.

Just how do you go about convincing a “specialist” you have these symptoms when even “they” can't find anything?

Just a word of caution – I don't know where you are pulling your information from, online, but be very careful of it. Just because someone, somewhere in the web world states something as a fact, that doesn't make it a fact, or true. A study done a number of years ago about “medical information” websites – and I have forgotten the group doing the study – indicated that approximately 80% of the medical information online was either out-dated or bogus. If you are going to a well-qualified specialist, and he/she has never heard of something you find online, that may be the reason.