DIY Graves treatment?

I wonder about those people who say they’ve ‘cured’ themselves of Graves without any kind of medical or surgical intervention. What do they know that I don’t? Does anyone know?

As I understand it, there is no ‘cure’ for Graves, only treatment and hopefully, remission. I know I can help myself by being careful about things like diet (limit iodine and stimulants) and stress. But I also know that if I’d waited for those things to work, and eschewed medication I’d be in a bad bad way by now. If I was still here at all!

By the time my Graves was diagnosed I’d obviously had it for some time and was ‘highly symptomatic’, even more than my blood work would suggest. My anxiety levels were ruining my life – relationships were difficult, work was a horror. The pain in my muscles (especially my arms and my hands) was indescribable. And of course the heart palpitations were really scary. And I almost never slept. I just can’t imagine wanting to self-treat under those circumstances. Of course when I was diagnosed I read everything I could find on the implications of treatment and not being treated. My conclusion? Bring on the meds for me!

I think the greatest challenge for me in the next couple of months is going to be maintaining a healthier, less stressful lifestyle. It’d be easy to fall back into the trap of being Superwoman again, while I’m feeling so much better.

My new mantra (repeat after me)…”Good enough is ok most of the time.”

“Go home on time” is my other new philosophy.

And so to bed.

Ow!

Yesterday I got this sudden burst of energy. I don’t know where it came from. I hadn’t had a day as active as that in…months! So many things I was procrastinating about got done. I finished all my unpacking (having moved 2 months ago). I folded and put away baskets of clothes (although when I employ logic..i.e. if I wear the clothes they’ll end up in the basket eventually anyway so I wonder why we do this chore). I even got out my lawn trimmer and trimmed (you guessed it!) my new lawn. When I first picked up that piece of equipment I thought “Oh thats lighter than I thought”. About 6 minutes of grass slashing and industrial levels of vibration later, I was finding it really hard to keep ahold of the trimmmer. It was all I could do to finish the job. It was hard! My arms felt like lead. When I was done they had no flexibility and took some time before I could really feel anything else. Today…it feels like I’ve been lifting weights in my sleep. I used to be really fit…now I struggle to trim the lawn for 15 minutes without feeling like a cripple the next day. It really highlights how sedentary my life has become since Graves came into my life.

Have just emailed a personal trainer explaining my condition and what I need…strength! I’d also like to get rid of the extra 30lbs I’ve managed to stack on over the past year. I wonder if my metabolism will allow me to do that?

And in the meantime, sitting here, writing this…I can feel my heart doing little flips. I really hope the endo is right when she says I’ll lose that soon! She offered a mild dose of beta blockers but that feels like an extreme measure to me. My blood pressure is on the low side, so I know my heart is ok, even if it rudely intrudes on my thoughts. Feeling that does make me wonder how much I can actually do, exercise wise. I guess I’ll have to start slow, track everything, see how it goes! I don’t expect to ever run marathons, but maybe next time I can trim the lawn without wanting to cut both my arms off the next day!

Deja vu all over again

New blood test back and a call from my endocronologist. “No change”. I mean…what? Despite increasing the dose from 2 up to 3 x 5mg carbimazole per day…no change. My T3 is still too high and is exactly the same as 6 weeks prior. So the doctor describes me as a puzzle and has asked me to go up to 5 tablets per day. Now most of the time, the dose is decreased…not increased! Can T3 toxicosis be resistant to drug treatment?

Meanwhile, I still get heart palpitations from time to time, but not as often as before. I still have trouble sleeping but always have had. And my muscles are sore and my skin is itchy. I guess I should have anticipated a set back.

Another month, another blood test, and another doctor visit at the end of it. Sheesh!

And also by then, a new job which I’m looking forward to. Hopefully, a change of scene will do some positive things for my health. I mean…c’mon!