Starting my life over after Graves Disease

Hey there, I have been lost for a bit and not blogging or writing or even anything other than just trying to get myself healthy again and I have to say, the last two years have been hell on me and my family. I was diagnosed two years ago with an autoimmune disease called Graves Disease that attacks your thyroid and causes you body to go crazy, or at least that's how it felt. I was doing great at the time, exercising and eating healthy, looking and feeling good and then all of a sudden...not really...I started having all these crazy things happening to me, such as, extreme digestive problems, shaking all over, rapid heart rate, getting sick with pneumonia and upper respiratory infections,  in fact, I had pneumonia 8 times in one year and still couldn't figure out what the deal was. This went on for about six months and things just got worse and I was losing weight on a weekly basis, sweating profusely, could no longer read my hand writing...it was just miserable and all the doctors I saw said it was stress or me going into menopause and to just get well with antibiotics and relax. Hmmm..interesting...relax when my heart rate was sky high, my blood pressure was sky high, I lost 67 lbs in about 8 weeks and couldn't stop shaking all the time. Well...that was crazy to say to me...I knew something was wrong, but never thought it could be my thyroid.

It was May 2012 by then and we were on our way to my daughter's house in South Carolina for my grand daughters graduation and I was still sick, but was determined to have a good time anyway. I continued to have all the crazy symptoms and decided that once we got back to Oregon, I would go see a dr and demand an answer as to why I was so sick. Shortly after getting back to Oregon, I became severely ill and couldn't stop coughing or even lay down to sleep without feeling like I couldn't breathe and told my hubby to take me to the ER. Saw a dr at the ER and they said I had bronchitis and gave me antibiotics...again...the very next day, I went back to the ER because I honestly could not breathe and they admitted me for more tests and after a few days, they sent me home and told me to follow up with a local dr that week. Well..the very next day, when I woke up, I couldn't even stand up and walk because I was so weak and my breathing was worse. I called 911 and was taken by ambulance back to the ER where I was diagnosed with congestive heart failure and the mad rush was on to figure out what the problem was. Luckily for me, I went when I did because the dr said that if I had waited any longer, I would be dead right now. It took them another 4 days to figure out that it was my thyroid and the cause was Graves disease...what?? What the heck is that and am I dying? That is what I was thinking and hoping they were wrong and I could just take antibiotics and get well and go home!

No...that is not what I could do and little did I know how crazy my life was really about to become..they released me a week later and gave me all the meds that I would need and told me to see an Endocrinologists. Oh goody, a specialists...she'll fix me right up and then I can get back to my awesome life and just forget about all this mess. Wrong!! The meds were horrible, I couldn't sleep or I slept too much, I was still too weak to even think about doing anything without help, my hair fell out, my BP was crazy at best, my heart rate was still too high....weren't all these meds supposed to help with that? Finally went back to Endo and she said that If I had Radio active Iodine treatment, then my symptoms would get better and my life would be better...okay...I'll do it! Four months after the hospital visit I had the RAI and felt pretty good...for awhile....after that my symptoms started coming back and I thought that my life would just end...I didn't know anyone who had this mess and I certainly didn't know enough about it to make an informed decision about my illness, so I just trudged along, suffering silently, and I waited for things to even out and get better. I  lost my insurance in the months after I had RAI, so I didn't really see a dr unless I felt like I was going to die...I know...crazy huh? I'll never do that again...it's just not worth it.

It is now two years later and I have gone hypo thyroid and am on medication for that. The meds do help and I am feeling better, but there has to be more that can be done and I plan on figuring that out because I want my life back and I have grand babies that need to be spoiled. This blog is not just about thyroid issues, but about my crazy life of traveling the country, feeding my body the good stuff, and just everyday things that we women, moms, grandmas, and people in general want to do and say in our lives. I write mainly for myself and if someone reads this and laughs or finds information helpful, then great...until next time...Be good and be happy! Life is short!