Grappling with Graves’ #8: My Advice to Graves’ Patients

As Graves’ Disease Awareness Month comes to an end and I wrap up my last post in my Grappling with Graves’ series, I want to share a few pieces of advice with those who suspect they have Graves’ or some other thyroid disease or disorder.

If you suspect your thyroid is not working properly, ask your doctor to run the appropriate tests and refer you to an endocrinologist as needed.
Pay attention to any signs your body is giving you that there may be a problem – weight loss or gain, skin issues, anxiety, hair loss, rapid heartbeat, etc. Document the occurrences as best you can.

If you are diagnosed with Graves’ Disease:

Do your homework. Read about the treatment options and choose carefully the one that will work best for you.
Make sure that every doctor you see is aware of your diagnosis.
When new symptoms occur, assume they are thyroid-related and seek the help of an appropriate specialist.
Visit a thyroid eye disease specialist for out of the ordinary eye issues (don’t get new glasses until you know for sure you don’t have thyroid eye disease).
Take medications according to the directions. (Thyroid medications don’t always mix well with other drugs. It’s best to take those by themselves at least a few hours before or after other medications.)
Hang in there! The journey is long and hard! Make sure you have support from family and friends.

I hope this series is helpful to others who can learn my experiences. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me at tina@tinaguillot.com.