H has hypothyroidism and has been regularly taking a tiny dose of synthroid since, along with regular blood tests. Hope your Grave’s is properly managed as it can be.
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I read that antibodies that cause Graves (as a result of immune dysfunction) can be tested, to differentiate Graves from other thyroid disorders. Would antibody testing resolve whether the hyperthyroidism is autoimmune?
COVID is apparently also causing an increase in type 1 diabetes (and other viruses have been explored: my kid got type 1 after coxsackie). The immune system attack on the pancreas is a similar mechanism, I believe, to the immune attach on the thyroid.
I have not read that vaccines are causing an uptick in type 1.
I wonder about inflammation that is not autoimmune, and also that might be temporary. after the virus (or vaccine). My kid had neurological dizziness for a couple of weeks after the vaccine, which we figured was from some sort of inflammation (but kid also has type 1, an autoimmune disease, so has that tendency).
I used to space my kids’ vaccines when very young. I always wondered about the effects of so many vaccines at once for babies and toddlers. But most kids have them now and seem to do fine.
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Even though the number of vaccines given to small children has increased, the antigen exposure has decreased in comparison to back in the old days. I remember being surprised by that several years ago when I read it.
“Furthermore, vaccines have been fine-tuned. “Although the number of vaccinations recommended is greater than ever before, the vaccines used in the current immunization schedule actually have fewer antigens (inactivated or dead viruses and bacteria, altered bacterial toxins, or altered bacterial toxins that cause disease and infection) because of developments in vaccine technology. From 1980 to 2000, the immunization schedule’s total number of antigens decreased by approximately 96 percent,” that 2013 report reads.”
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My brother got Type 1 diabetes after concurrently having measles & mumps. The doctor explained it as flipping the switch to awaken a sleeping genetic predisposition. I wonder if Covid might do the same for some people.
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My son tells me that any side effect (other than a sore arm) Covid vaccines cause, Covid itself causes far more in numbers and magnitude. At least that’s what they’re seeing where he works.
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Agreed, having dealt with the non-vaccinated population when working, you want to be vaccinated to stay functional and alive. But, I find the discussion of possible complications interesting. Regarding boosters, it is easy to infer from what one sees around you that an extra case of Covid is no big deal. But any case can cause long Covid. I find it interesting to watch my own perspectives on Covid change as it seems relatively benign when in the community, but working in a hospital, and seeing the worst-case scenarios, well, far more sobering.
A number of decades ago, I had an early mild Graves diagnosis. My primary noted swelling in my thyroid on exam, and lab work reflected early mild Graves. I was given the choice of treatment or wait and see if the inflammatory process settled. I chose to wait, worked with my chiropractor, which could be hokey, or not. But, it did settle and my TSH and T4 have been fine since.
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I believe that covid can definitely flip a switch as other viruses do. I know three people who developed diabetes as kids after viral illness. One of my children had the switch flipped from the covid vaccine which made her immune system go haywire within days of her first shot. I’m hoping it might calm down someday but for now she is on an immune modulator. I had reservations early on about how the vaccines might affect us because our family tends to have high auto-antibody levels.
My mom had Graves disease about 25 years ago. I had been living overseas and when we visited, it was in the worst of it and her eyes were in bad condition. She was on the medication to suppress her thyroid function for about two years and her doctors were encouraging her to get radiation treatment, but she kept delaying it because of a difficult family situation. Then suddenly it went into remission. Her eyes even returned to normal. I have no idea what triggered her Grave’s disease and what triggered it to stop, but it was very much like a switch being turned on, and then off again.
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Some of you may remember the actor Marty Feldman, best known for his role in Young Frankenstein. I was reading about him and learned that he never sought treatment for his eye condition, which was caused by Graves disease. He said it set him apart from other character actors.
“If I aspired to be Robert Redford, I’d have my eyes straightened and my nose fixed and end up like every other lousy actor, with two lines on Kojak. But this way I’m a novelty.”
His eyes got worse and worse as he aged. Hard to imagine deliberately letting that happen, though I do get what he was saying. I saw photos of him as a younger man, and then photos late in the course of his illness, and it’s actually kind of horrific imo.
My MIL had thyroid disease treated with radiation years ago. She has thyroid eye disease and is very sensitive to light. She has a hard time being outside even on the shady patio of her assisted living place in Seattle. This isn’t anything to take lightly.
H had Graves’ disease diagnosed 8 years ago in his 60’s a month after running a half marathon. Odd that he was male and older. Had a memory of his grandmother being one of the first to get radioactive iodine in Texas. H ended up with the same treatment -as all options were presented and that made the most sense. He had had a dramatic weight loss (not accounting for the race training) in the span of 2 weeks and did not have the typical symptoms of increased hunger. We were all relieved to know it was Graves’. Believe me none of the alternative diagnoses are good.
The disease is known as the toothy smile diagnosis where the doctor comes out and smiles declaring that you’ve got Graves’!
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I am very close with two people, one an immediate family member, who have Graves’ disease. Both have been in remission for MANY years, well over a decade. Their lives are normal. Neither had their thyroid irradiated. I also have a friend who did have her thyroid irradiated for a different reason and has suffered non-stop issues since that time. I’d probably encourage the person to get second or even third opinions. Irradiation isn’t an easy prospect.
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Interestingly, according to the literature, the second opinion is wrong 33% of the time. If the primary plan and second opinion agree, it’s probably the correct course of action. If they’re at odds, you need a tie breaker.
My wife was irradiated and she’s done fine. The only challenging part was bottoming out prior to supplementing. Anti-thyroid medication can, and probably should be tried prior. It isn’t always effective though. At the end of the day, you can’t ignore it.