Written by
Amy Sexton

I am 30 years old and I was just diagnosed with Grave's Disease on May 1, 1998 after fainting at work, 3 weeks before my wedding. Luckily, my internist FINALLY recognized the bulging eyes, rapid heart rate and constant complaints as thyroid disease after going to him with various complaints for about 6 months.

Unluckily, my endocrinologist's office staff are very unsympathetic and when I call about different symptoms, i.e. feeling outside of my body (disconnected) I am told to wait until my doctor is in the office which could be tomorrow or two days from when I call. I ask if I could just speak to a nurse, not necessarily my doctor's nurse just any nurse and I am told that I will have to wait until my doctor gets back in that office. Of course, in our technological age they couldn't possibly call the other office where the doctor is or fax my record for a nurse to call me back. So, off I go to search for another endocrinologist who will give me answers and not patronize me.

As a newlywed I have cried countless times at "how unfair" this is to my husband where he is constantly hearing "I am so sorry Hon, I just don't have the energy to go bike riding, jogging, etc."

I am only 30 and I feel like an 80 year old frail little old lady!! I did have the radiation therapy to obliterate the thyroid and now they are "trying" to titrate my dosage of Synthroid so that I don't have the diarrhea, headache, fatigue, weight gain, and just plain meanness. I swear I have bitten my tongue so much to keep from being mean I feel like my tongue should be a sieve!!

Let's talk about trying to get pregnant and the horror there. First of all with the radiation therapy that I had in June, I shouldn't even attempt pregnancy until at least February. Then if I should get there is a higher likelihood of miscarriage from what I have read in JAMA until they really get my thyroid levels straightened out and if I should carry the pregnancy to term, the chance of having a malformed or retarded child is high due to my thyroid levels not being level. So, my husband and I have decided to wait at least two years from radiation treatment to attempting pregnancy, I will be 32 at the time with the possibility of Down's Syndrome increasing due to age!!

Thanks for letting my get this off of my pounding chest (heart rate still gets very rapid very easily up to 110). It does feel better to "talk" to someone who has been through Grave's disease.

Amy Sexton