Graves' Disease Sucks...

But I couldn't find an image that I could use saying this. Last week I received the news from an endocrinologist that I have Graves' Disease. I've been having some thyroid issues for a little while now, and after a marked change in my labs within a few weeks time, my MD said it was time to move on to an endocrinologist. After a couple of tests that I had done before even seeing her, she was able to confirm that Graves' was the culprit.

My options are to take a medication that has potentially serious side effects for an extended period of time (ie: possible forever), try to destroy the thyroid with radiation (which will cause a different type of thyroid hormone problem, but easily fixable with a different pill. It would also mean being separated from Paxton and Beckett for several days) or just have the little bugger removed. Again, the second type of pill would be needed for the rest of my life, but removal of this gland is the only way to deal with the damage that the endo fears has been done to my eyes. Needless to say, I have a surgical consult next week to see about parting ways with my destructive thyroid gland.

I'm actually considering myself pretty lucky because far too many people suffer with this disorder for YEARS before they get a definitive diagnosis. THIS website can tell you a little more about Graves'.