Grave's Disease: An Autoimmune Disease

An autoimmune disease is one in which the immune system incorrectly attacks healthy cells within the body.  I shared with you my friend Jamie’s recent diagnosis of MS.  MS is an autoimmunedisease where the immune system attacks the central nervous system.  If you have one autoimmune disease you are susceptible to others.

I have an autoimmune disease.  In 2001 I was diagnosed with Grave’s Disease, a thyroid condition.  HYPERthyroidism, also known in some cases as Grave’s Disease, is where your thyroid gland is overproducing.  It is common for women to have low thyroid or HYPOthyroidism but my case was the opposite.  My doctor described it as a water faucet that is turned on to full blast but the knobs have been taken off.  My Grave’s Disease was found during a routine physical exam when I was in college and about to go off of my parent’s health insurance plan.  The doctor I was seeing ran a series of blood tests and the thyroid test came back abnormal.  I was referred to an endocrinologist f or further testing.

Once my diagnosis was confirmed I had two treatment options.  I could swallow a pill that would shrink the size of the thyroid by 50% but could possibly re-grow over time or I could take a small dose of radioactive iodine, since the thyroid is the only organ that takes in iodine, and kill the thyroid off completely.  In doing so, I would have to take thyroid supplements for the rest of my life. 

My parents and I opted for radioactive iodine treatment.  I was only 22 years old at the time.  The actual procedure was very minimal.  However, for 24 hours after I had to quarantined.  I was not allowed to wash my dishes or my clothes with my roommates, whom were my sisters, and I wasn’t allowed to hug the cat.  I also had to set my alarm to use the bathroom every two hours, even while I was sleeping.   The radiation cannot sit in the bladder for long periods of time for fear of damage to the reproductive organs.  Wow.  That was a lot for a 22 year old college student.

Then the testing began.  I became very close with my endocrinologist, whom I still miss as Dr. Dzur retired several years ago.  My doctor visits were weekly and then monthly for at least the first year.  I became a pro at giving blood.  It was a rough first year as Dr. Dzur tired to regulate my thyroid levels and help me to feel less tired. 

I have been on a very stable, but large, dose of thyroid medication for several years now.  I still don’t have a solid endocrinologist though.  I found one I loved but she just went back home to Chicago.  There is nothing worse than losing a great doctor.  Regardless, my thyroid levels have been great and I have been feeling really good.  It is amazing how one tiny organ controls so much in the body.

I’m not sure why I felt the need to share this with you.  I guess since attending the various MS presentations with Jamie and learning more about her diagnosis, it reminds me of all that I went through 13 years ago.  You just never know a person’s story.  And everybody has a different one.