dose any one here have graves disease
I was just told that I might have it and I want all the info I can get
I don’t trust some of the internet web site abot it I want to hear
frome real people that have it or know abot it and thanks
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can you plase tell me what semtems you had befor your dex and what meds did
they put you on
Shelly, look at the Mayo Clinic website, they usually have outstanding information.
http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/graves-disease/basics/definition/con-20025811
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I was recently evaluated for it bc myself and other people kept noticing I have very large and pronounced thyroid cartilage in my neck… It looks like I swallowed a handful of nuts and bolts and they got stuck in my throat. That and I can’t seem to get my weight back up to where I like it no matter how much I eat.
My doc reviewed my history, particularly my weight trends poked and prodded my neck and said that’s just the cartilage and not the thyroid gland m itself, which he pointed out was actually much much lower in my neck than was my previous understanding, well below the area of which I was concerned regarding its appearance. Said The physical exam was normal, just with his fingers, and because my weight had been steady he wasn’t that worried about it but he’d do a couple labs (TSH and Free T4) to be sure and if they came back normal it would be the end of the concern, if abnormal he’d do an ultrasound on my way back through town a few days later. They came back normal thankfully.
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When I had hyperthyroidism (20 years ago; now in remission and recently dx’d HYPO!)
I was experiencing a lot of what @Jen did:
Insomnia, emotional swings, heart racing palpitations (though my heart would burst out of my chest!), fatigue (from heart racing and insomnia), wildly hungry (eating anything and everything), and a weird eye symptom which caused me to look bug-eyed!
The emotions were so wild, I felt like it was first trimester pregnancy.
Those teamed up with the insomnia --and I would find myself, every night, up at 3 am, crying my eyes out to country music videos! And I was not a fan of country music!
I could not go on. Seeing an eye doctor, for the bug-eyed thing, that doctor recommended I go have my thyroid checked.
I did! Classic Graves’ disease: non existent TSH and free t4 off the charts.
Tapazole and meditation really helped.
I was in remission within 6-8 months.
But I GAINED a lot of weight. 50 lbs.
I never lost it: until I became diabetic T1.
Get your labs done. It may or may not be a quick fix for you, but it is treatable. And if it’s not Graves’, at least you rule that out and keep searching for answers 
thanks and I hope I do too
I just don’t know witch web sites to
trust bkus 1 says I can eat what ever I want
the other says onley eat surten foods
and most web site I think are eather fake or rong on things
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Oh, @shelly4,
Listen to What @Jen says!
She says it better than I did!
@shelly4, your endocrinologist is the best place to start. If you only have a GP, get a specialist. The endo treats thyroid AND diabetes. And will know how these two interact.
Go get the labs and see the endo. That will steer you better to health than any website.
PS @Jen
The day after we shared we’d both gained weight while suffering from Graves’, I met another lady who had the same experience!!!
thanks for the info I sure will get to see 1 soon as we get
a new truck or car ours is broke down very bad
My grandfather had graves- he did the radioactive treatment to destroy the thyroid gland and then he was on synthroid for life. I have hashimotos and so does my father. I’m wondering now if I could have graves too, I’m not sure if that’s even possible, or if it’s just the hashimotos causing my symptoms. I have had some more hyper symptoms and weight loss, but digestive issues could explain the weight loss.
Most of the symptoms of Graves’ are actually symptoms of hyperthyroidism in general, so they are the same for people who have other causes of hyperthyroidism like thyroid nodules or cancer OR taking too high a dose of thyroid medication. So they are not really specific to Graves’, except the eye irritation/protruding thing is (it’s caused by the TSH receptor antibodies attacking the eyes for some reason). Since you are taking thyroid medication, maybe you are on too high of a dose? It would be easy enough to check your levels and see if you have hyperthyroidism. It seems a lot of people with autoimmune thyroid conditions swing between hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism just from needing medications adjusted. My endocrinologist has already told me that at some point I may go hypothyroid and it will be a sign that my medication needs to be lowered.
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I know about that Jen, I have had both symptoms of hyper and hypo on and off but I wonder now if I could also have Graves? I don’t have antibodies for that or at least I didn’t 3 years ago.
When I lie down to go to sleep I often have palpitations and can’t sleep- it also seems to happen with bg flipping around too but not all the time…
My levo dose is very low, only 25mcg because my bg went high at 50mcg, I don’t think I can go lower than that. Last test tsh was lower at 1.25 I think and t4 was the same at 1.2. The test before tsh was higher because I got up early for the test I think.
Isn’t it awful to swing around? I’m sure it makes bg management much harder too. I hope you feel better :-)
Hi Shelly! I had been holistically treating my hyperthyroidism with some success but it took a while. I have followed suggestions by this site http://www.naturalendocrinesolutions.com/ and also the AutoImmune Solution book. I just found out that I don’t have Graves Disease which the experts suggest can be harder to treat. I have most of the classic symptoms. I feel what has helped the most is talking herbs: motherwart, buggleweed and lemon balm i get all three in a product called Thryrosoothe. I also have gone gluten free and made some other modifications in my diet, continue with yoga and trying to schedule down time and rest. There is probably more to my protocol but those are the big ones. My TSH is still barely there but my T3 and T4 have almost normalized. My doc wanted me to start on meds but I am not interested, if all else fails i will have to go the radioactive treatment route. But my point is we can be an integral part to our health and well being, traditional western docs don’t always see beyond the numbers and pills. Having faith that my body is restored like in the NOW has been huge, we must believe in our ability to heal. Of course modern medicine is essential and if my health was truly compromised i would move forward the more traditional way. Best of luck on your journey. Amy
hi guys sorry its ben so long I have ben kind of buzzy this year but I finley had the testing done and I will get the info in a few days I had to find the right dr its very hard to find a nice one around here I will have a update by the 14th
just to update I do have it and have started on meds and I hop they help me get back to normal I in shock this has happened to me but happy that thare are meds for it