My Life: With Grave’s Disease

Before I begin talking to you about my experience with Grave’s Disease, I would like to give you some general background information. Grave’s Disease is an autoimmune disorder that most commonly results in the overproduction of thyroid hormones thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). The clinical term that is associated with overproduction of thyroid hormones is Hyperthyroidism. The thyroid gland is an important organ in secreting hormones responsible for the body’s metabolism. Regulating metabolism is critical for maintaining constant conditions within our bodies that include: controlling mood, weight, mental and physical energy. The maintenance of the bodies constant conditions is known as Homeostasis. When you have over stimulation of these metabolic processes (leads to homeostasis not being maintained), symptoms like: anxiety, fatigue, insomnia, eye problems, heat intolerance, irregular menstrual cycles, shortness of breath, tremors, irregular heartbeat, and weight loss often occur. I happened to have experienced all of these symptoms.

The event that started my investigation into finding out what was going on happened in 2007 (16 years old) when I had my first panic attack. I remember feeling like I could not breathe that whole day. It was not until that night when my oldest sister checked my temperature and I had a fever of 104°, minutes after I was hyperventilating and quickly on my way to passing out. Finally, when the fire department arrived after my sisters horrified call, they gave me oxygen and I was able to break my fever and return to my normal breathing. However, this was just one of the many times this would occur.

Two years later in 2009 I was officially diagnosed with Grave’s Disease. It was winter break and I had just finished my first semester of college. I thought I was getting sick, because I had just went through my first finals week, which we all know exams can be stressful (stress over long periods of time can cause illness among other things). Therefore I thought these symptoms were relatively normal, I mean it was my freshman year of college after all! Unfortunately I got so sick (only weighed 90-92 lbs) that my parents had to take me to the hospital, which ended up being on Christmas Eve. The best part was that I was able to see an Endocrinologist who took radioactive imaging of my thyroid with iodine131 along with what seemed like a million blood tests. By the end of the day he confirmed that my thyroid was not malignant and that I indeed had Grave’s disease which caused me to have a hyperactive thyroid. (MERRY CHRISTMAS to me!!)

Part of my reaction was a sigh of relief to know after all this time what was going on. After finding out what Grave's Disease was, it all made sense why I felt the way I did. The doctor gave me three choices on how to treat my thyroid problem, first with radio active iodine therapy, second with a thyroidectomy and lastly with anti-thyroid medications. I choose to start taking anti-thyroid medications (Methimazole generic for Tapazole) as my form of treatment, because it was the least permanent. I have taken this medication everyday for the last four years, up until two months ago when I visited the lovely endocrinologist and luckily for me I am now in "remission". Although til this day I still have to get my blood (TSH levels) tested and monitored, it is better to be on the safe side.

Just like with anything in life, I have good days and I have bad days. I am thankful to be in remission, but I do not plan on my thyroid behaving as it should for long. For that I worry about the time when I decide to make a family. I have seen first hand, where a close family friend struggled to get pregnant with Grave's Disease. I just hope when I am ready, my pregnancy will be a smooth and healthy process.

If you take anything away from this entry, know that I would not change this experience. Not only has it pushed me to be a stronger person, it has boosted my interest in the medical field that much more!

References:

http://thyroid.org/wp-content/uploads/patients/brochures/Graves_brochure.pdf

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/000358.htm