Graves' Disease Support Group

Graves-Basedow disease is a medical disorder that may manifest several different conditions including hyperthyroidism (over activity of thyroid hormone production), infiltrative exophthalmos (protruberance of one or both eyes and associated problems) and infiltrative dermopathy (a skin condition usually of the lower extremities). This disorder is the most common cause of...

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Endocrine System
/ Graves' Disease Support Group

Hello

Avrilc1971
Avrilc1971

Hi. I'm Avril. 45 from Ontario Canada and I was just told yesterday that I have Graves disease.  So thanks for having this group and I look forward to reading stories, getting advise and support from you all. 


Thank again 


Avril

Purplegirl123
Purplegirl123
Hello there! Just diagnosed with graves after being told I have Hadhimoto's since 2000. Roller coaster!
Avrilc1971
Avrilc1971
Sorry you are going through that @purplegirl123.
I think I've had more of a psychology issue with being told I have a disease than anything else. My endocrinologist gave me three options to deal with this and I think for me surgery is the best way to go. I would be devastating after all this time to find out they were wrong.
Good luck and I hope it gets all figured out soon for you
MMouse73
MMouse73
Hi Avril, I encourage you to learn about your diagnosis and totally read through as many posts on here as you can before deciding to have your thyroid removed. Unless your situation is desperate and urgent, it would be a shame to remove a vital organ that you could possibly treat and live with happily for the rest of your life. I found this group after being diagnosed with Graves in early 2013, and with the help and support of this group I was able to stop taking medication as early as December 2013 and I have been well ever since. I know that this isn't the same for everyone, but I had also been told by the Thyroid Foundation of Canada that I wouldn't go into remission, when I had written them to ask them for help in finding a more holistic endocrinologist that would be able to work WITH me on my treatment. I was so disappointed when I got their response... and totally vindicated EVERY day that I am healthy and IN REMISSION! It really can be done if you explore the wealth of information on here. Go to your library even; go for acupuncture (I noticed a difference after one session). The Endocrinologists encourage you to remove your thyroid because it is easier to treat you (in their minds) by putting you on thyroid replacement for the rest of your life. I hope that you find good resources and are able to feel well again very soon! Take care!
Avrilc1971
Avrilc1971
Hi Mouse.
Thanks so much for you advice. It is greatly appreciated. However, after talking to my family, some who feel exactly like you, it is better for me mentally just to remove it and be done with the worry of waiting and the uncertainty of what's going on with my thyroid. I am not a patient person and I tend to over think/worry about things I can't control. Also, my endocrinologist would prefer I take medication for the two years to see what happens, he recommended surgery as a last resort.
Thanks again and take care.