I'm 17 and I've just been diagnosed...

Hi I have also been diagnosed with Graves in the last few months

I was just wondering why your mother is against iodine?

I can fully understand that it must be scary for you being diagnosed so young. I was diagnosed at 14 with hyperthyroism. I have also had iodine treatment, but it didn't work for me.

I suffered from very severe depression and panic attacks and it was horrible. But i have come to understand mor and more about this condition and how it can effect my moods and everything else in my life and can now (over 6 years later) view my experience as, well an experience.

I just wanted to let you know that you aren't alone. It is rare for people to get this while being so young, but it can get sorted, in time.

Keep fighting and take care.

x

Hi there. this is the first time i have posted on this site but i felt like you could help with some of my experiences. I was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism (graves disease) at the age of 12, however i would contest that i suffered the thyroid problem many years before my diagnosis was confirmed and it too k for me to physically collapse in front of medical staff for them to treat me seriosly. I weighed 4st at the age of twelve and was literally skin and bone. Being diagnosed at a young age can be tough especially as at that time i was moving into high school and had to miss classes ever week for hospital appointments for the first year or so. It can also be very difficult as the people around you don't understand the condition (and to be honest it takes time to understand it fully yourself) My high school years were filled with the repetitve question of 'are you anorexic' 'whats wrong with you' 'why dont you play sports' etc etc.. This could be hard as i felt excluded sometimes but my school were very supportive of me and helped in ever way they could. I think i was probobly one of the very few pupils to know the office staff and school nurses by first name :lol:

I'm nearly 20 now and still taking Carbimazole as my treatment. I have relapsed 3 times during these years so now am deciding upon the next course of action, most probobly radioactive iodine.

It takes many years to fully understand all of your signs and symptoms as every thyroid patient is different and dont let other people fob you off. If you think there is a problem or anything you are unsure about with your treatment GET IT SORTED. There has been many an occasion where i have found myself knowing more about hyperthyroidism than the doctors i have encountered along the way.

In your case, being diagnosed is not the end of the world. It may be hard at first to adjust and get dosages right but you'll know straight away when that happens. I know my medication isnt right when i lose concentration in class, am distracted and feeling down. Sleeping ALL the time is another major sign for me, but as i say everyone is differentso dont suffer in silence.

I wish you all the best in your treatments and feel free to contact me if you need any support as i would be more than happy to provide it :D

i felt exactly the same when i was dignose depressed that my hair would fall out or somthin stupid like tha or the tablets wouldnt work n id have 2 have surgrey, i am also 17 the doctors said it rare 4 someone of my age to have but i feel alot better now . i goin 2 see he specailist in a week n hopfully he/she :? lol wil sort everythin out 4 me n things wil get bk 2 normal. just try not to think about the negatives u wil feel a lot better in a couple of months trust me :D x

[quote:a96e9bfde3=\"miruku \"]I've started on carbimazole...but I'm scared that I'll end up having to have surgery or iodine. My mother has had radioactive iodine before and advises against it, but I've heard that surgery can alter your voice quality?

Anyway...I'm feeling kind of bad at the moment...depressed, exhausted and unable to concentrate on anything really. I feel kind of young to have something like this. Does anyone have any advice they can give?[/quote:a96e9bfde3]

I was diagnosed with over active thyroid last year, tried 3 months 20mg carbimazole then 3 months on 40mg, saw consultant just before xmas who has reduced my carbimazole to back down to 20mg he felt that at 46 the dosage was too high for someone of my age. neither dose brought my levels back to normal. going back to see consultant soon. I had the sweating, itching, palpitations, aching joints before i was diagnosed, sadly no weight loss. as everyone assumes you get with overactive thyroid. recently have started to pur weight on - so fed up. feel exhausted, aching joints again don't know wether this is the medication or just symptoms - know really knows what to say other than it is a very complex problem and the thyroid controls so many parts of the body.

the only options remaining are surgery - but am told this is very much a last resort - knowone likes to do this proceedure, or the radioactive tablet, but my gp tells me it will kill my ovaries - early menopause - no thanks.

i cannot imagine feeling like this forever, feel like i am 80, don't know wether to come off the tablets altogether to see what happens, but my gp says you cannot leave thyroid un treated - dangerous!!

[quote:107982a99a=\"miruku \"]I've started on carbimazole...but I'm scared that I'll end up having to have surgery or iodine. My mother has had radioactive iodine before and advises against it, but I've heard that surgery can alter your voice quality?

Anyway...I'm feeling kind of bad at the moment...depressed, exhausted and unable to concentrate on anything really. I feel kind of young to have something like this. Does anyone have any advice they can give?[/quote:107982a99a]

I was diagnosed with over active thyroid last year, tried 3 months 20mg carbimazole then 3 months on 40mg, saw consultant just before xmas who has reduced my carbimazole to back down to 20mg he felt that at 46 the dosage was too high for someone of my age. neither dose brought my levels back to normal. going back to see consultant soon. I had the sweating, itching, palpitations, aching joints before i was diagnosed, sadly no weight loss. as everyone assumes you get with overactive thyroid. recently have started to pur weight on - so fed up. feel exhausted, aching joints again don't know wether this is the medication or just symptoms - know really knows what to say other than it is a very complex problem and the thyroid controls so many parts of the body.

the only options remaining are surgery - but am told this is very much a last resort - knowone likes to do this proceedure, or the radioactive tablet, but my gp tells me it will kill my ovaries - early menopause - no thanks.

i cannot imagine feeling like this forever, feel like i am 80, don't know wether to come off the tablets altogether to see what happens, but my gp says you cannot leave thyroid un treated - dangerous!!

Hi everyone,

I was diagnosed late last year at 21 years old, i am currently studying at university and have found that i cant concentrate on anything and am a tad (very) grumpy most of the time :P !

My endocrinology Doctor said i would be too young for radioiodine therapy- said it was a treatment for people in the 30s! i dont know how true that is!?

Miruku: i wish i had some golden advice that we could all take heed of, indeed im sure we are all searching for it, but all i can say is keep your chin up!

I also have a question: do any of you drink coffee? Does it mess with your symptoms? are we allowed it? It makes me shakey and jittery but i am hooked!

:shock:

xxx

Was advised to drink decaffinated tea and coffee which helps. No coke, no Chinese food, nothing spicy, avoid dark chocolate. Have been hyper since November, 15mg carbimazole a day, now on the mend but it's been a hellish 4 months of feeling really poorly.

Hang in there.

Kaye

Wow...from reading all of this it seems like lack of concentration is a common symptom. I've never thought that that might be linked to thyroid problems before but conisdering it now i think i do struggle more with focusing on something when am overactive.

I was also diagnosed with suffering from an overactive thyroid at a relatively young age (think was 16or maybe even 15) but think it had probably been there a little while before that. Some of the symptoms can be a bit of a pain, one of my worst ones was being incredibly shaky and would sometimes get moments where heart would start beating very fast, would sweat, go extremely shaky, feel sick and could barely stand up..symptoms which to many people look like a panic attack and so i found it quite frustrating with people just thinking i was really nervous rather than acknowledging that it was thyroid related. I also had some issues with PE. The 2nd time thyroid problems came back i also had more of a problem with weight loss which was, again, slightly annoying as people often make commetns about being too skinny even though i am actually eating fine and it is not my fault. Some of the symptoms make you feel extremely unwell but a lot are just irritating. There are many far worse illnesses.

I went on carbimazole the first time round and when came off that my throid was normal for around a year. Fortunately the carbimazole worked very quickly and so it didn't take long for me to start feeling better from the start of treatment. Sadly, it has now come back and so am back on carbimazole but the specialist has suggested i have surgery but like you that idea just scares me.

The chances of it damaging your voice are extremely minimal but possible and so obviously have to be taken into account, just don't put too much emphasis on that when it comes to making your decision.

I was pleased to read that that some people stay on carbimazole as this is what i would rather do and just avoid surgery or iodine until i really deem it neccessary. xx

Hello

I am 39 and too had the same experiences as everyone has shared..but this is my second month of taking carbimazole.

Reading all the comments made me to feel worse .

But dear friends, please do not give up!

I do pray to Lord Jesus and ask to heal everyone.

I do hope and trust only in Him.

I wish you all recover and be healed!

All the best!

May God bless you all richly, especially in the health issues!

bevuk

No doctor would do the surgery, if the t3 and t4 levels aren't normalised before surgery it will cause a thyrotoxic storm the survival rates is around 50% even in a hospital.