I have an autoimmune disease called Graves Disease. Because of this disease, I have learned more than I ever wanted to learn about the thyroid and how it affects our health. Right now there are only 3 options available to treat this disease. The first is with radioactive iodine which destroys your thyroid. For personal reasons, I have never wanted to go that option, so I have tried option 2, anti-thyroid meds, for more years than I care to count. It hasn't been easy. First, trying to find a doctor supportive of my decision to not go the rai route has been so frustrating and then the nightmare of swinging back and forth between hyper and hypo. The third option, is to have a total thyroidectomy. I have never had a surgery before and this option really scared me.
I struggled unbelievably these past few years, with my emotions literally swinging from high to low as my thyroid levels fluctuated. The mental and physical fatigue have been exhausting and debilitating. I finally came to the conclusion that I couldn't keep going like this. I didn't want to keep going like this. I honestly just kept hoping that the disease would go into remission or that God would heal me. But it didn't go into remission and God didn't heal me the way I wanted him to. He gave me the grace to move past my fear and I made the decision to have the surgery. It has been one month since I had it removed, and the difference in my emotional stability has been incredible. It makes me sad and even angry at myself that I waited so long to do this, but I am trying not to dwell on that. I can't go back but I can go forward, and I can choose to make a new ending for my story. For that, I am so grateful.
Good for you! I'm so glad it has worked out well for you. It does no good to beat yourself up about what you should have done or could have done. At the time, you thought you were making the best decision for yourself. Then you came to a place on your life road where you took a different direction. It doesn't matter about the past, just the bright future you have ahead of you!
ReplyDeleteThanks Crit. Those darn could of, would of, should of's! I'm sure I haven't seen the last of those characters, but hopefully I won't invite them back in!
ReplyDeleteHi, I found your blog through Crit. I can relate with you. I have hypothyroidism. Hoshimoto's thyroiditis. I believe it's related to Grave's. My mother had Grave's and actually had part of her thyroid removed a long time ago. When mine was "going out", I was fluctuating between high and low...it was crazy and i couldn't breathe a full breath for two years! It was bad. I didn't know what the problem was, the doctor's were labeling me as having anxiety, which was true, but the thyroid issues brought it on. So I am glad to hear you are feeling better now :)
ReplyDeleteJoHanna, thank you for sharing! Thyroid disease can definitely turn your life upside down. How do they treat your Hoshimoto's thyroiditis? How long have you been dealing with thyroid disease?
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