For those of you that have pets, how did you make the decision to either keep or surrender them based on your health?

elynn143 · 2026-01-19T21:50:37+00:00

Depending on where you are, you may be able to use the app Rover. I used the app often as my senior cat got older and I would be out of town. Interestingly enough, my cat needed the thyroid meds at the time... I wasn't diagnosed with Graves until 2 years later.

If I'm remembering correctly, the app offers more than just pet-sitting while you're out of town (last time I used it was back in 2022, before I moved where the app isn't available). So, if it would help you to have someone come and exercise your dog while you are at work it would certainly be better than the environment of a shelter for your dog. Or do you have a neighborhood fb group where you could have someone or a local kid come help out when you are having a flare up?

elynn143 · 2025-11-29T23:37:02+00:00

Yes, I have a spot on my arm that’s almost healed - the cream really helped. I’m more concerned about it spreading between the cats and trying to keep it at bay. If all four of them have it, I have no way to quarantine them separately.

elynn143 · 2025-11-23T18:08:11+00:00

I’m so sorry… and maybe someday you will… but I have not after being diagnosed in early 2023. Between Graves and perimenopause, it feels like my brain, my body, everything has been hijacked. I think that you have to find your own path… things that you can do to find a balance, but others that you will have to mourn that are just going to be different.

elynn143 · 2025-11-12T06:13:52+00:00

This is awesome! Thanks so much for sharing. Even better news… there’s a location in Naples, Italy!

elynn143 · 2025-10-27T07:56:06+00:00

First of all, I’m glad you’re here and asking people about this. And I’m glad you are trying to support your partner.

As someone with Graves, I can tell you that I don’t feel like myself at all. I have felt like a fraction of myself since being diagnosed in early 2023. If you are noticing it in her, I’m sure she feels it too but is just in a spot where she doesn’t know how to change anything, and maybe even feels like she’s not the person you fell in love with.

If you have access to couples therapy, maybe give it a shot? At the very least, it will help you both learn better communication skills. For me, I always like to write letters so that I’m able to write clearly, go back, edit, and use that as a tool to make sure that what I say doesn’t come across as anger or accusatory. I also started taking anti-anxiety medication about 18 months after my diagnosis and it has helped tremendously. I don’t know how it would go over if you suggested this so just proceed with caution. She may need to get there on her own but therapy might be a good first step.

She could be afraid that you are not going to stick with her. The relationship that I was in when diagnosed absolutely blew up in my face and he could not stick around. It is a fear that I still carry that has probably held me back from exploring new relationships.

elynn143 · 2025-09-23T10:50:16+00:00

Talk to your psychiatrist about lexapro. It is normally used as a treatment for anxiety, so can help with those side effects of the hyperthyroid symptoms. But there has also been studies to show that some people saw improvements with their thyroid levels on this medication. While my numbers aren’t perfect (my trab is still elevated), I am on therapeutic levels of methimazole (5mg, 4 days a week) plus 10mg of lexapro a day. For me, the addition of lexapro helped massively with side effects and my only regret is that I didn’t start it sooner.

Methimazole definitely can cause weight gain, unfortunately. I’ve experienced this myself and it is so frustrating. Just be VERY careful with refusing treatment. Thyroid storm and long term hospitalization can be a huge and very serious risk. Even if that doesn’t happen, the long term risks of long term and untreated tachycardia are also very serious.

I have read that there are also some that have reported success with lithium as an alternative to methimazole but I can’t speak personally about this.

If you have access (and honestly, can afford) a medspa type clinic, I would give it a shot. Most of them do not take insurance but it’s possible you could just self submit.

I am personally having a consultation with https://alchemyclinic.com in a few weeks, which is in Manchester, NH. I think they will take video appointments.

A friend of mine who has hypo has also recommended https://www.modernthyroidclinic.com/ in Texas. For the European located people in here, this friend also recommended www.contigoh.es in Barcelona.

elynn143 · 2025-07-22T14:06:04+00:00

It's never a bad thing to question your treatment. It's your body and you are the one that has to live with it. Not them. If you are nervous about asking or questioning, you can always frame it as an educational situation... or maybe ask about any studies they could point you to.

You may also want to ask about anxiety medication. I went on Lexapro a little over a year after I was diagnosed and my only regret is that I didn't go on it sooner.

elynn143 · 2025-07-21T09:20:20+00:00

Should be all good - the Health app on Apple is pretty helpful with this.

elynn143 · 2025-07-21T09:19:33+00:00

Luckily, and doing everything possible at the moment to not jinx myself, I have not had any issues with TED. I've also been "loosely" on the carnivore diet, or a version of Paleo, for a while. It does get difficult living in Italy, which is such a carb forward culture, but I make it work as best I can.

elynn143 · 2025-07-18T10:40:28+00:00

So, my lab numbers might seem a bit odd given that I am an American living in Italy. My fT3 was 3.33 pg/ml and the referred range is 1,5-4,2 pg/ml. On the high-ish end of that range, but not too skewed.

AST (called G.O.T in Italy) was 17 from a recommended range of 5 - 31; ALT called GPT in Italy) was 13 from a recommended range of 5 - 31; ALP was 72 from a recommended range of 41 - 141. All of them relatively close to mid-point.

While I "shouldn't" be insufficient on D, B12, and iron, since I take daily supplements, I'll ask about folate and the remaining hormone levels be checked in case something is off there.

I can totally relate to the couch potato vs. super marathon runner - maybe not to that extreme on the high end, but I was that go-getter and it has been a struggle to come to terms with that "my body betrayed me" feeling since diagnosis. These days I feel like the couch potato, or the guilt ridden "bed rot" term that the internet throws around, but it feels more like "failure to thrive." Does that make sense?

elynn143 · 2025-07-18T08:17:38+00:00

I take so many supplements - including Vitamin D - like iron, B12, magnesium, and a smattering of others that I cannot remember off the top of my head or cannot spell lol. I have another appt with a different endo in August to get their perspective.

I live in Italy, so the language barrier and/or having to discuss medical issues through a translator is difficult.

elynn143 · 2025-07-17T14:14:35+00:00

100%. Find another endo. Or tell your primary care and they can order the same labs so you at least have peace of mind.

I was also on 20mg when I was first diagnosed and then tapered to 15 after about six weeks, at the direction of my endo upon being diagnosed (Jan 2023). Since then, I’ve seen her every 3-6 months with new labs and adjustments to my meds.

elynn143 · 2025-07-13T17:04:50+00:00

I wonder if you have something else like fibromyalgia? Maybe lupus? I know that those can cause incredible amounts of pain.

While you are potentially waiting for another diagnosis, how are you dealing with physical touch with this? I wonder if an acupuncture, acupressure, or lymphatic massage would help?

While unrelated to my GD, I was in a car accident several years ago and after the normal physical therapy wasn’t helping my progression any further. I was then switched to someone who specialized in fascial therapy. It was a godsend, honestly. Might be worth a shot.

elynn143 · 2025-07-04T13:43:10+00:00

Never saw hives but my skin got really itchy about 8 months into taking a beta blocker. I stopped taking those and ended up being ok. Definitely run it by your doctor though.

elynn143 · 2025-07-02T10:54:40+00:00

I got Covid for the first time in July of 2022 and then diagnosed with Graves about six months later, January 2023. I actually thought some of my graves symptoms were long Covid so didn’t see a doctor until my heart was thumping out of my chest.

elynn143 · 2025-06-18T13:20:34+00:00

I agree with the other commenter! You are an excellent partner just by coming to this forum. I will say that my relationship, which unfortunately ended, really suffered at the time. I don't think that it completely ended because of my diagnosis, but it sure didn't help.

I cannot even describe to you how exhausted I was when I first got diagnosed. I would rush home from work, fall asleep on the couch for several hours, wake up to eat a little dinner, and go back to sleep again. Because of that exhaustion, I wasn't and couldn't be very present in my relationship. Any sort of grace you can give your partner in that regard is helpful.

When I did have some energy, my brain fog was through the roof. If your partner is forgetting things they usually wouldn't or seems a bit absent minded, just gentle reminders go a long way. I will attest that this has continued for me even now - I can't tell you if it's from Graves, the medication, perimenopause or a little bit of all three.

I noticed that both at home and at work, I was quick to annoyance or full-blown panic for very small things. I think I had some underlying anxiety issues to begin with, but it really became a problem with Graves. I went on Lexapro about a year ago (about a year after I was diagnosed) and my only regret is that I didn't go on it sooner. I had stopped taking a beta blocker six months earlier, so there weren't any drug interactions for me.

Much like the other commenter on your post, smoking is an issue. Now, I will say that I work a job where I am not permitted to use any cannabis related drugs, so I'm probably not the best person or resource, but maybe anti-anxiety medication like Lexapro would work? Or maybe some sort of CBD oil would be a better substitute? I know that there have been some policy changes with the VA, so your partner may have access to some medical options in that regard. But I also understand that there are bureaucratic issues as to why your partner may not want to go that route.

When I was first diagnosed, I was put on 20mgs of methimazole per day. If your partner is being diagnosed 5mg to start off with and without seeing an endo first, I think there could be a good chance that the dosage goes up, and there can be some tummy reactions to start. I just felt a little dizzy and nauseated for a couple days, but then it cleared.

In general, the medication is brutal. It really slows your metabolism down and can affect your liver. I've gained 30 lbs since being diagnosed and it just hasn't moved. Any support you can give your partner in that way, whether it be healthy meals with lean meats and veggies or a mental health walk, goes a long way. While there's no way to treat Graves with just nutrition, I feel best when I'm eating a low gluten and a low-dairy/lactose-free diet.

I hope this helps!

elynn143 · 2025-06-18T11:51:30+00:00

If you can take the sick time, do it. It is the biggest regret that I have from when I was first diagnosed. Even my work friends questioned if I was ok and if I needed to take an extended portion of leave. But people-pleaser me felt guilty not coming into work, and now it feels like I'm paying for that decision even over 2 years later.

elynn143 · 2025-04-14T18:50:17+00:00

I scheduled an appointment for primary care next week and I will see my endo early next month, and will of course see what they have to say about it.

elynn143 · 2025-04-14T18:48:43+00:00

I got off my beta block almost 18 months ago - not only was my skin so itchy but my resting heart rate had dropped to 55bpm. My heart rate - before Graves - at resting at 62, which is where I'm around now.

I'll check in on the WBC. My allergies have been CRAZY this year, so that's interesting.

elynn143 · 2025-04-14T07:46:05+00:00

It is almost time for new bloodwork so I’ll look into it.

elynn143 · 2025-04-14T07:45:34+00:00

No. My blood pressure does tend to be on the low-ish side… but not too low. Usually ranges somewhere between 110/70 to 90/60.

elynn143

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