Grappling with Graves’ #7: Emotionally Speaking

When I was first diagnosed with Graves’ Disease, I had no idea it would impact me emotionally.  I, otherwise, had always considered myself to be emotionally sound, kind to everyone I met, and patient with the most irritating people.  Some might even call me a “doormat.”  But suddenly Graves’ enters my life and I no longer have patience for other people’s foolishness, and I begin snapping at the slightest thing.  I found myself having no self-control and apologizing all the time.  My endocrinologist had never really shared a list of symptoms with me and somehow, I had missed the emotional effects of the disease in my own research.  Since I wasn’t aware of this symptom until a couple of years after my Graves’ diagnosis, for the longest time, I thought I was having a nervous breakdown.

An article on the Mayo Clinic website notes that ” Common thyroid disease symptoms that affect mood include anxiety or depression.”  It further states that patients can expect to experience anxiety, nervousness, and irritability.  That was it.  Oddly, knowing what was behind my emotional outbursts allowed me to better control them.

My doctors have offered me anxiety medications, but I simply don’t want to add those to the mix of everything else I am taking.  I am thankful that while it is still difficult at times, the effects have eased up a bit.  I am hopeful that if my levels ever get corrected, things will be much better emotionally speaking.