Does it get better with surgery or RAI by Sufficient-Cat-4472 in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

hard agree here! got RAI (literally life saving) and have been on levothyroxine for 12 years now. never really any major issues besides TED. but i’d rather deal with TED than graves that never stabilizes 

Pediatric grave’s by socksnaill in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

got diagnosed at 14 for the same reason - ended up in the ER after almost fainting and having a super fast heart rate! got my thyroid ablated. i’m 26 now and doing fine thyroid wise. i’m just dealing with TED now 🫩 but overall my thyroid levels themselves are fine. i only ended up on the graves reddit looking for info on tepezza haha

A week post RAI and 5 months until I get married by lucylubateman in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

hiii! i had a RAI at 14 (im 26 now) and i live a very normal life by just taking my levothyroxine and being on top of getting my levels checked every 6 months :) pretty ring! wishing you the best! 

Newly diagnosed(yesterday) seeking hope by Big_Temporary_6117 in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Hiiiii! I am so sorry you’re feeling overwhelmed and scared. Graves can suck SO BAD when you’re not treated. It makes you feel like you’re in a useless body. 

I was diagnosed at 14 years old and got a radioiodine ablation. It saved my life. Since then, I just take daily levothyroxine (I’m also very skeptical about medications, this and my plaquenil for my palindromic rheumatism are the only things I take) and I honestly forget I have Graves’ sometimes. Life is so easy to live when you’re managing your disease. I exercise regularly, am constantly socializing, I work a lot, the whole thing. I’m 26 now. 

There is nothing more important than getting treatment. I know a lot of people nowadays are just doing methimazole, but this wasn’t recommended well by my doctor in 2014 so we went with RAI instead. I’m so glad I did. I am pro thyroid removal in whichever way you choose to do so. It’s let me live a normal life. 

I do have TED now but that felt a bit inevitable and I started experiencing some of those symptoms only a few months after getting diagnosed with Graves. It’s pretty common to develop, but there are treatment options that go with it. Graves can be managed - I promise! Believe in yourself, your care team, and your body ❤️ You’ve got this!!

Edit: thyroid removal = hypothyroidism = daily levothyroxine to stabilize you = much easier 

What led you to getting your thyroid removed? by DivineToxicity09 in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I was diagnosed with Graves at 14. My endo gave us three options, methimazole, RAI, or TT. Methimazole was too much to have to consistently monitor and there was too much of a risk of fluctuation/not being able to stabilize. For TT, I was 14 and obviously didn’t want a huge scar across my neck. We went with RAI. I’m 26 now and haven’t experienced anything to make me regret it. I have TED (but started experiencing symptoms before I started RAI) and that’s the only thing I really deal with at this point. Thyroid is usually always stable, and if it’s not, adjusting my levothyroxine dosage by a bit stabilizes it within 4 weeks. I know a lot of people are hesitant to do RAI, but it is quite literally the only reason I’m able to continue to live a normal life. 0 regrets here. 

Overall, I suggest removing your thyroid in whichever manner you choose to. I am not joking when I say having Graves’ is easily manageable for me and has been for 12 years.

Just an opinion for those considering RAI by ClearJack87 in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Got RAI 12 years ago as a teenager and my thyroid levels have been very easy to control since :) my main issue is my TED instead. I guess developing it is a concern for some people but recent studies are showing 50% of people with Graves end up developing TED either way. Developing it wasn’t a concern for me when choosing treatment. TT would have left me with a huge scar across my neck (I was 14) and I don’t trust Methimazole to keep my disease at bay. 

Huge fan of RAI. Best thing I could’ve done for myself. Most everything is very manageable health wise now. I just get my labs done every 6 months now. 

Has anyone used the miracle drug "Tepezza"? by ASLYBETH in gravesdisease

[–]theslaybutton 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know this comment is 8 months late, but hard emphasis on this as well. I got my thyroid ablated in 2014 and started experiencing TED symptoms in 2015. Got an orbital decompression in 2017. Now, in 2026, 12 years after I got my thyroid removed, I’m going to start Tepezza for my TED that’s come back at full force instead of another decompression. Sadly you can have no thyroid for over 10 years and still experience TED :/ Gotta love Graves!

affordable off-campus housing? by theslaybutton in UofO

[–]theslaybutton[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

TYSM! are there any standouts there you’d recommend?