Barbara K. Roper - 06/16/98 17:18:32
My Email:bkrope @mail.icongrp.com
Where are you from?: Schererville, Ind.
How did you find these pages?: Yahoo search for "Graves Disease"
Are you a regular visitor here?: No
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: Yes
Comments:
Your site reallly touched me. It was like reading my own diary. I underwent many tests for a
wide range of symptoms for one whole prior to being diagnosed with Graves. By that time the
damage had been done. My doctor was really a dud, acted like I was imagining symptoms. I
switched to a wonderful doctor downtown Chicago and have been with him ever since. I developed
Exophthalmos and what started as a shadow the corner of my eye developed into full-blown double
vision. My eye doctor in Chicago was extremely expensive, had absolutely no bedside manner, but
was a master in his profession. When prisms lense no longer worked for me, he operated twice.
Once to correct the muscles and the second was plastic surgery to remove the excess tissue
pushed out from the eye pressure. My brows had fallen of course so he tacked them up and did a
few more nips and tucks on the lids, underneath the eyes and sewed the eye lids together a
little bit on the temple sides to diminish the "poppy" look one has with exophthalmus. I prayed
to die that night because the pain was so horrific. A girlfried brought me home and my son
stayed with me. It felt like my eyes were full of glass and by the next morning I was swollen
and black & blue all the way down to my chest. I looked like a monster. But......within three
days I improved so much I smiled at my reflection in the mirror. That surgery took place three
years ago. I am now 59 1/2 and always battling synthroid dosage. You gave me a wonderful idea.
.2 makes me feel great, but pretty hyper, whereas .175 leaves me hypo, tired, leg cramps, dry
brittle hair, dry skin, can't stop yawning, raspy voice, etc. So, Thursday is my physical with
my internest/endro spec. in Chicago and I'll suggest alternating .2 & .175 for a while and see
where that takes me. Last year my best friend took her own life. She had a goiter for years and
it was very noticeable. She went to Mayo Clinic and they gave her a clean bill of health. She
was depressed and had many symptoms of hypo. She was on .75 Synthroid and still had symptoms.
Anyway, I found her body in her bathtub one year ago this Sunday, June 21. She put a toaster in
the tub, after leaving me a short letter. We were best friends since my husband died in 1984.
We even ate together at least four times a week. I saw all the symptoms of hypo in her, but she
would not change doctors. I was helpless. I'm firmly convinced that her depression was
connected to her thyroid disease. She said she did not want to live and feel the way she did.
Oh well enough depressing stuff!! I wish you good luck in finding a job. I retired from a local
steel company from Public Affairs after 20 years. The next day I started working as office
manager for the local chamber of commerce and it's a much less stressful job and the hours
are better. My mother in very ill in a nursing home an hour away and I take care of her every
other night after work. My oldest daughter & husband live on the tip of Anna Maria Island, Fla.
and my middle daughter, husband & two grandsons live in Minneapolis. My youngest, son Sean is
a marketing director of a Chicago firm and he lives in Schaumburg, Ill. I hope to retire in
the year 2000. I'll be 62 then and want to do some traveling. Thanks for listening! By the way,
have you experienced any skin problems with Graves? I 've had lots of problems in the last
two years even rosacea, and am just curious as to whether anyone else has this complaint.
Thanks for listening and would like to hear from you. Barb Two e-mail sites:
work: bkroper@niia.net home: bkrope@mail.icongrp.com
Gaye Winans - 06/16/98 01:38:06
My Email:gwinans.worldnet.att.net
Where are you from?: Daly City
Are you a regular visitor here?: no
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: yes
Comments:
Becky Frias - 06/16/98 01:27:36
My Email:jmf@makonet.com
Where are you from?: Colusa, California
How did you find these pages?: Searching
Are you a regular visitor here?: No
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: Yes
Comments:
I am 21 years old and was diagnosed with graves' at 17. I have been in remission now for a
little over a year. I have not had any radioactive iodine, and I am currently beginning to
feel like the old symptoms are coming back. Some days are good, and others aren't even worth
mentioning. Here is a little bit of my story, I am interested in hearing yours.
Natalie Havens - 06/15/98 22:39:38
My URL:
http://www.choice1.com/cabo.pgn.htm
My Email:dsduster@quix.net
Where are you from?: El Centro, Ca. 92243
How did you find these pages?: Looking for info on Graves Disease
Are you a regular visitor here?: No
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: My daughter best friends sister
Any new links I should add?: No
Comments:
I am interested in learning about this disease. One of my daughters friends has a sister who is
diagnosed with graves disease and I am told she is having a very difficult time. She is for one
in a very bad family situation with parents who are extremely cruel and give her no support. I
have not meet her, but I provided a home for her sister up until yesterday when she joined CCC,
a on the job training program. She left very concerned for her sisters welfare because she
would be miles away when her sister went through radiation treatments. Much more said than I
meant to say. Thank you for sharing your story and I wish you all the best. Natalie
john semrad - 06/15/98 02:14:22
My Email:muthajohn@aol
Where are you from?: albany,ny
How did you find these pages?: yahoo
Are you a regular visitor here?: maybe now
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: hypo for 12yrs
Comments:
Very interesting reading, I'v been hypo for 12 yrs. I thought I was a complainer and had to
live with feeling anywhere from 50-75% of my mental capacity. Right now i'm in a less then 50%
range, I feel like my short term memory is all but gone and ambition went with it. My creative
juices that I need for work are at a low, all this is causing depression. (i think?) I know in
the past I was treated for depression because I was tired all the time and my levels were aok.
I finally told the shrink that the drug were making me more tired than I origanally was and
that all the Dr's had talked me into my depression! I have a million stories about my hypo,
one in particular,(Dr#2) she let me raise the synthroid by how I felt. With her I started at
.137mcg (Dr# 1 told me I would die if I went higher) and stopped at .300mcg, you can guess how
I felt, this was about a year in time. Dr#3 let me stay there for about 6months, Dr#4 said wow,
you need to go down NOW and slowly dropped me to .150mcg. What a ride! I'm a 44 year old male,
6'3", 210#, my hair is stable, not falling out, and all here with no grey on my head!( Well
maybe a little thinner) I feel a little better writing this, it seams that not many people
understand the frustration that i've been going through for years, and the prospect of more
lousy years to come (and i'm a optimist!) Well I guess I talked your ear off by now, (sorry)
I hope to write again soon and will mark this as a favorite place to revisit. CYA muthajohn
Angela Nelson - 06/14/98 07:42:25
My Email:AngelBass@yahoo.com
Where are you from?: Portland OR
How did you find these pages?: A friend helped me
Are you a regular visitor here?: I am now
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: Yup, Graves'
Comments:
I now know that I've probably had Graves' for about 3 three years, but I've only been diagnosed
since 2/98. I think I have every symptom there is, my endo says I'm "textbook". I've recently
done RAI since meds wouldn't control my thyroid. I'm waiting to feel better now. This sight
helps alot. My husband seems to now understand that he doesn't live with the next serial
killer, just a woman who needs some time to become "normal" again. Has anyone else had a hard
time getting their doctor to reduce work hours? I feel so much better on six hours a day, but
he doesn't want to do it. I don't get it. Oh well, this place is great. I like having some
where to vent other than home. Thanks!!!
bobbi - 06/13/98 12:52:25
My Email:dbkuhn@zoomnet.net
Where are you from?: ohio
How did you find these pages?: surfing
Are you a regular visitor here?: yes
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: graves
Comments:
Found your pages last fall while at work. Did not find the guest book until I was surfing at
home. Will someone please tell me what these Wednesday nite chats are, & how to find them.
I am a new PC user, & I need help in coping with my GD. Thank you.
Joyce - 06/11/98 23:14:10
My Email:proncon@alltel.net
Where are you from?: Ohio
How did you find these pages?: Yahoo
Are you a regular visitor here?: Yes
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: Yes
Any new links I should add?: one on menopause
Comments:
Having Thyroid problems since 1971, I have been Hyper, then drank the darn coctail, now Hypo.
Have graves and life sucks. I was on Cortef (a form of Cortizone) for about 10 years and felt
wonderful. Now all they give me is Synthroid and Hey, what can I say, I am in my mid 40's
but I feel like about 60. Your sight is at least allowing me to read others stories. I have
had it all. My worst is the fact that I have no strength in any muscles. I am so very weak,
I have tried to weight train, but am so limited to what I can do that I feel like it is not
worth it. Has anyone else had that problem. I will answer any mail I get. Just leave your
email address so I can write back. Or just let me know if you have the same problem with
weakness, don't have to leave your address if you don't want to. Thanks. JC
PATRICIA - 06/11/98 21:02:43
My Email:ERNIER@AOL.COM
Where are you from?: FLORIDA
How did you find these pages?: I STARTED AT THE DEJA SEARCH ENGINE :OUR DISEASE ,
GRAVES DISEASE AND SAW YOUR LINK, I THNK THIS IS HOW IT WENT, SHORT MEMORY TO SAY THE
LEAST.
Are you a regular visitor here?: 1ST TIMER
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: YES YES YES I DO
Any new links I should add?: NOT SURE BUT I'LL GET BACK TO YOU ON THIS ONE.
Comments:
HI, MY NAME is Patricia S. nad i was happily diagnosed on No. 15/97. My asthma went haywire ,
hat tachicardia and all of the other exciting symptoms. Since then i have been on PTU and
Atenolol. There is so much more that i can tell you like the abdominal myomectomy i had 3 weeks
a go yesterday or the laparoscopy 1 1/2 month ago, teeth ect... Tthe list goes on but i'm
having a particularly rough time lately because i feel i am getting my boyfriend tyred and i
just feel overly rotten so how can i help him understand what i'm going through (doc says i
am in remission but ever since then...before the last surgery i feel worse.) if i can't
understand this so called remission hitting me so hard??Know what i mean? I would like to make
friends with you and share all we can so i can learn the other aspect "human aspect" .
I have a file on graves' almost as thick as my thighs now (haha) and believe me they are
getting big. Currently on PTU 1/ day Atenolol 1/ day and other meds for allergies. I also try
cutting my wrist many months before the diagnose. Thanks and take care. Best regards, Patricia
ernier@aol.com
mr taylor - 06/11/98 20:23:52
My URL:http://www.dfsi.net
My Email:ltaylor@dfsi.net
Where are you from?: florida
How did you find these pages?: surfing for info on illnesses
Are you a regular visitor here?: first time
Do you have Graves' Disease or related?: dont know/trying to find ot
Any new links I should add?: no
Comments:
i, have a serious problem with the conduction system to my heart. i think my stomac sends a
message to the brain to slow down the heart beat and the brain sends a message to the thyroid
to speed it up, when the two messages collide my poor ole heart dont know what to do it just
sets there and jumps up and down, crying out loud"make up your mind brain" do uou wont to run
or walk any info u have will be appreciated e me at ltaylor@dfsi.net thanks a million