Guest guest Posted October 25, 2010 Report Share Posted October 25, 2010 Hi Carole Welcome, I also have Graves and eye disease although I’m a new diagnosis, in May (although been ill for a year trying to get diagnosed) and I’m in the middle of treatment and eye referrals etc. But like you I think I’ve had Graves on and off for a long time – and definitely more on than off in the last five years. My thing is anxiety – its been a real problem all my life and I now think it was connected, or in some way connected to my thyroid. Which was the cart and which was the horse I’ll never know but I’m now convinced I’ve had hormone problems for a long, long time. Incidentally I’m not sure whether I’m allowed to say this on here but in America there is a really great Charity called the Graves Disease Foundation – with an active forum – that I’ve also joined. They have some great publications for download and obviously, much, much higher numbers of people struggling through various stages of GD. Might be worth a look (although medical procedures differ) but so far I’ve really liked the American ‘can do’, think positive approach. There are far more people out there getting well than there are those of us posting on the internet having a tricky time – I’m choosing to focus on that, that most people get well – eventually. Anyway, nice to have you on board (even if the circumstances that brought you here aren’t great!) I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter.SPAMfighter has removed 2285 of my spam emails to date.Do you have a slow PC? Try free scan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Nice to meet you, ! Yep, extreme " nervousness " is one of the reasons I think I've had this all my adult life - another being the times when I've been a bit nervy, but have been delighted to find myself gently losing weight without really trying! This apparent nervousness has affected my entire life, and how I deal with people. There'd be times when a difficult telephone conversation or the smallest perceived challenge from a work colleague would have me virtually floored with shaking, and leave me exhausted afterwards. Stuff that I now completely recognise as being to do with my thyroid! In between there'd be times when I'd be confident and able relate easily with people. I've even thought I might have some sort of personality disorder, and I've frequently wondered whether other people get as tired as me, whether that was normal, and if so how on earth they cope. I'm p**d off to have this back again, but I do at least have an explanation for stuff I've stuggled with for years - and that feels good. Like you, I don't know whether it's the thyroid hormones that create the anxiety, or whether it whether it just makes it impossible to deal with stress. Thanks for the tip - I'll definitely have a look! Best, Carole > > Hi Carole > > Welcome, I also have Graves and eye disease although I'm a new diagnosis [...] like you I think I've had Graves on and off for a long time - and definitely more on than off in the last five years. My thing is anxiety - its been a real problem all my life and I now think it was connected, or in some way connected to my thyroid. Which was the cart and which was the horse I'll never know but I'm now convinced I've had hormone problems for a long, long time. [...] > > > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 Hey Carole Thanks for your message, I understand being p**d off with Graves disease, believe me! I’ve had a heck of a time too but literally two minutes ago I got a phonecall calling me into a leading London eye hospital for my first TED appointment (a long and boring story of incompetence with previous eye doctor!!). I’m not sure where you live but feel free to email offline if you want a heads up on good eye doctors etc – my endo is on Sheila’s list too. I’m not messing about with this illness, and was advised to find a good teaching hospital where they treat Graves. I should get my blood results today and can hopefully lower the carbimazole as my double vision is almost constant now as I head towards hypo (not great when I’m self employed, am about to start bouncing mortgage payments, like I don’t have enough to flippin well worry about!!). As for the anxiety and personality disorder stuff – I’ve done a lot of very helpful therapy over the years as my history is long and traumatic – and I don’t subscribe to the belief that every mental or emotional problem I’ve had is caused by my thyroid – and I’m very committed to other stuff to keep myself in balance - but I do think that thyroid issues have been triggered by stress and trauma (there is a proven link between graves and trauma) and it was most definitely muddying the waters. For instance I was treated for anxiety disorder last year, as part of long term, deep, psychotherapy with a trauma specialist and was slogging my way through a whole heap of abuse stuff when I started getting racing heart, panic attacks, constant terrible anxiety, shaking in my arms and legs etc (these are not unusual in PTSD patients). I was also having flashbacks so it definitely wasn’t just my thyroid. At that point the therapist thought it was ‘resistance’ or ‘neurotic’ symptoms and by following her advice I did have a massive improvement in emotional symptoms, but I think in amongst all of that I was having a massive hyper attack – which one caused the other doesn’t really matter, but I think I would have benefited from medical as well as psychological input at that point! So like you I’m piecing together the jigsaw – and it’s a relief to realise that now I’m just dealing with Graves disease. But from what I’ve read I was a ripe candidate for it – when the endo first asked me if I ever felt anxious, I just laughed and said, ‘since the day I was born’ and also thought, ‘and if you’d grown up in my mad house, you’d be a bit nervous too!’. Anyway, an essay! Sorry! I'm p**d off to have this back again, but I do at least have an explanation for stuff I've stuggled with for years - and that feels good. Like you, I don't know whether it's the thyroid hormones that create the anxiety, or whether it whether it just makes it impossible to deal with stress. Freelance Fundraiser & Copywriter 07810 783 337 I am using the Free version of SPAMfighter.SPAMfighter has removed 2286 of my spam emails to date.Do you have a slow PC? Try free scan! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted October 26, 2010 Report Share Posted October 26, 2010 On Tue, 26 Oct 2010 11:58:19 +0100, you wrote: > >So like you I'm piecing together the jigsaw - and it's a relief to realise >that now I'm just dealing with Graves disease. But from what I've read I >was a ripe candidate for it - when the endo first asked me if I ever felt >anxious, I just laughed and said, 'since the day I was born' and also >thought, 'and if you'd grown up in my mad house, you'd be a bit nervous >too!'. One of the (many) mechanisms for that is an excess of T3 from the graves attack depleting cortisol. Sometimes when the adrenal glands are struggling to produce enough cortisol they produce adrenaline instead. This then causes the shakes and anxiety as you have " flight or fight " hormones being produced and don't know why. Nick Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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