Graves' Disease

To top off my life to date, I have Graves' Disease (Wiki).

This explains many odd behaviors and symptoms that have been plaguing me for some time. No bitch tits yet though. I have too little body fat to support them.

I go on thyroid HRT tonight. Hopefully, there are few or no side effects as I will be piloting a 40 ton vehicle in traffic at better than a mile a minute. If I see any side effects like double vision or heart palpitations, I will have to stop the truck for safety's sake. With the attendant loss of income.

Maybe this is enough cause to apply for more military disability...

Brian

ugh. that's too bad. Hope the therapy works!

That sucks, Brian, I hope you get on top of it with treatment.

(And I really think they could come up with a better name for it!)

I think you will feel much better. And probably nothing else.

The disease was named for it's discoverer, Dr Robert Graves. Morbid, I know but not terribly serious. The treatment is well-documented and has a high survival rate.

The guy who wrote 'I, Claudius' was a doctor?

In all seriousness, I hope you feel better soon.

That's a bummer, Brian. I hope the drugs work for you.

From the Wiki entry "It can also affect the eyes, causing bulging eyes (exophthalmos)."

Dude!



"Do my eyes really look like that???"

Guess so!!

Sorry Brian ... I really think this has got to be the worst summer in my life. So many people ans so much bad news - UGGHH.

Shit that sucks :( My aunt developed Graves disease when she was 19. Her symptoms included both the goiter and the eye swelling.

monster;591931 wrote:

I think you will feel much better. And probably nothing else.

OK I edited this a zillion times and that's why it ended up so stupid-sounding. I wanted to say what UT said, but didn't think I knew you well enough. I also wanted to say that I know a lot of people with this and it is one of the most maneagble with least side effects diseases i have "personal" experience of. it seems that once peeple start the treatment, they soon get back to feeling pretty good and don't suffer many notable unpleasant side-effects.

UT, it's worse now. That picture is old. Yes, they do bulge like that. I hope they stop now that I'm on meds.

Monster, you can say almost anything to me. I rarely get offended. Just try to be coherent and for goshsakes, use proper grammar!

The doctor thinks I should have died weeks ago when I suffered a "thyroid storm", which I didn't recognize as such because I'd never heard of it. I DID think it might be a heart attack coming on, but since I didn't die, I figured I was mistaken. He told me to call 911 immediately if I feel another one coming on.

Whatever. That which does not kill me makes me a better person. I think.

Sorry Brian, good luck man.

ugh. Sound likes you got lucky. I hope the meds make a huge difference

me too. Otherwise I have to come off the road for more aggressive treatment.

I'd hate that.

Sorry to hear the news, Brian.

Hey! How are things? Any update?

Doc says I am under control with medication, blood work and heart check out normally.

He still wants me to get a CAT scan of my throat to see things more clearly but I can't afford that right now. Maybe next year.

I've gained quite a bit of weight back, maybe too much. I weigh in at 220 lbs now which is about 20 lbs more than I wanted but in my defense, I got in the habit of eating like a horse and, being at home so much, have been on a good pasture, if ya know what I mean! ;)

I'll reign in my weight along with everything else this year as per my self-improvement resolutions.

Brian

Sounds like things are much better than they were although thats a lot of weight to put on in a short time.
Ahhh the fun of working it off.