How I was Treated for Graves' Disease

I was only 25 years old when my doctor diagnosed me with Graves' Disease, an autoimmune disease that causes hyperthyroidism. My abnormally quick heart rate caused my hands to shake so hard that I could hardly even hold a pen without dropping it. My blood pressure was so high, my doctor worried that I would have a heart attack! My eyes became dry and so enlarged that I could no longer keep my contacts in my eyes. My neck became so thick that I could not swallow food or keep food down. The most embarrassing moment, though, was when I was interviewing someone for an article I was writing and passed out from heat exposure right in front of her!

Yes, those were definitely some of the roughest days of my life. I suffered with these conditions for almost a year before being properly diagnosed. Most people do not understand that the thyroid is a major component in the proper functioning of your body. It helps keep your metabolism working, controls your heart rate, affects your blood pressure, and can even affect fertility. In pregnant women, an imbalance of thyroid hormones can cause miscarriages if not properly treated. An untreated thyroid problem can even result in death.

There are basically three ways to treat this disease - medication, radiation, or surgery. In mild cases, a doctor may just be able to prescribe medication like Synthroid to help regulate your thyroid levels. In extreme cases, the doctor may decide to perform surgery to remove your thyroid completely, and you will have to take thyroid supplements for the rest of your life. Surgery is usually only recommended if the thyroid is cancerous or if radiation treatment does not work. Radiation is the most common treatment and is usually performed by swallowing a radioactive pill.

My doctor immediately scheduled an appointment for me with the radiologist for an iodine test. This test comes in the form of a small iodine tablet that you take with a glass of water. The radiologist then uses an MRI to detect the amount of iodine your thyroid absorbs. A normal thyroid will only absorb a small percentage of the iodine, but my thyroid absorbed 75 percent!

Of course, I became the perfect candidate for radiation treatment. This was also performed in the form of a small tablet. I was then to be monitored to see how much of my thyroid was destroyed. In the meantime, because I had gone through radiation, I could not sleep in the same bed as my husband, use the same toilet as anyone else in our house, and had to keep a safe distance from my young nephews and grandparents for three days. Radiation is very harmful to children and elderly people, so I was told to keep my distance as best as I could.

The week following my radiation treatment, I began to develop a severe cold unlike anything I have experienced before. My doctor said it was just an upper respiratory infection. However, a week after my treatment, my husband had to drive me to the Saturday morning doctor because I had spent a bad night with extreme pain in my right arm and side accompanied by vomiting and diarrhea. It was then that I was rushed to the emergency room with pneumonia, something I had never been prone to before. My doctor denies that the two instances were related, but I believe my immune system was compromised at the same time my nephew's class was sharing strep throat. The doctor confirmed that I had contracted strep pneumonia. I had never had strep in my entire life!

After a week in the hospital, I was finally able to go home in a weakened condition, only able to sleep and barely able to even bathe myself. While I do not find that this is a common side effect from the radiation treatment, I do believe that there are a lot of health hazards to consider when you make the decision to have this treatment done.

The radiation treatment has obliterated most of my thyroid, but some of my thyroid still remains, causing my thyroid levels to fluctuate. I am now required to have my blood drawn every three months to regulate my levels and how much medication I should be taking. I see an endocrinologist now every six months. Once I have reached a stable level, I should be able to only see the specialist once a year. I am currently taking 0.100 mg of Levoxyl to replace the thyroid that was radiated.

Graves' Disease is a very rare disease that is usually found in women ages 20 to 40 years old. It can especially affect women who are trying to get pregnant as it can cause infertility. Birth control also affects thyroid levels because of the extra hormones. Women who are pregnant also need to be conscious of their thyroid levels as unstable levels can cause miscarriage or affect the baby's health.

Having Graves' Disease has influenced my life and changed the way my body works. Now that I no longer have a thyroid, my condition has changed to hypothyroidism, which causes sleepiness, weight gain, and muscle pain, just to name a few symptoms.

If you are experiencing any of the symptoms I mentioned, please let your doctor know immediately. For more information, contact The American Thyroid Association, 6066 Leesburg Pike, Suite 550, Falls Church, Virginia, 22041, or call them at 703-998-8890. You can also visit them online at http://ww.thyroid.org.