# Another Graves Story-a good one!



## coastkid2 (Sep 9, 2008)

I wanted to write about my experience w/ Graves Disease in case it might help someone. I was diagnosed w/ Graves about 2 yrs ago, after having extremely high heart rate, severe anxiety, dizziness,exhaustion, hair loss, breaking nails, an inability to really concentrate on anything, and other things I can't remember now. I went to my primary care dr. who put me on toprol for the high heart rate & xanax for the anxiety. I was referred to an endocrinologist who after feeling my thyroid (enlarged) & doing the blood work, told me I had to have my thyroid detroyed with the radioactive iodine treatment. I was really stunned & asked him if there was any alternative, and he insisted there wasn't, & that I was too bad to wait to even consider an alternative. I don't really know what made me hesitate to set up the appointment to get this done, but I think it was partially because I started reading about how some people end up worst from this & hypothyroid, the other extreme. I went back & asked about controlling Graves with medication, & asked to give it a try & if it didn't work, then go ahead w/ the radioactive treatment. The endocrinologist absolutely refused & set up the appointment, and again told me I was much too sick to do anything ele.
I went called my primary dr's office & told him I needed a 2nd opinion before doing anything so drastic, so he sent me to a new endocrinologist.
The new endocrinologist agreed to try medication first. She put me on Tapazole & kept me on the toprol & xanax. The tapazole mad all the symptoms much worst so she switched me right away to PTU. Within less than a week I felt significantly better! After a few weeks I was taken off the toprol and my heart rate was normal. I stayed on PTU for 3 months & was told to start taking 1/2 the dose. I took 1/2 for another month & the enocrinologist took me off it altogether & said my lab work was normal. I stayed on the xanax about 6 months & wa tapered off. 
For the last year & 1/2 I have never had to take anything at all & have been symptom free. I just wanted to let everyone know that remission is possible, & it might be best to at least try the medication before resorting to the radioactive iodine because the result is permanent. 
I still can't get over how the first enocrinologist told me I was way too sick to even consider the medication-he went so far as to tell me it could be dangerous, and here I am now, after very briefly using PTU, taking no meds of any kind, and completely normal. I hope this helps someone because I really had no guidance about what I was doing, and just ended up really lucky!


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## happysunshine (Sep 25, 2009)

thanks for this information, I'm so happy things are working out for you. You gives us hope


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