Suffering for years after Graves Disease

Hello - just found this website.  I am just so curious about something and kinda want to take a pole.  This is my experience and as I basically suffer from this alone, I have no idea what I can possibly attribute to my Grave's Disease and subsequent thyroid removal and what might not be.

I am 56 yrs. old and was diagnosed with Grave's Disease over 20 yrs. ago.  I got very thin, had tons of energy, didn't need a lot of sleep, shaky hands, and my eyes were looking odd to my mother.  Finally, when my period started becoming irregular, I went to the doctor, where they ran many tests to discover I had Graves Disease.  I was put on some medication I was told could only be taken for a year.  I remember it being like three times a day I had to remember to take this medication.  After a year, they took me off it and my thyroid levels skyrocketed again, so as they put it, I had no choice but to have it removed by drinking radioactive iodine.  That's what I did and I immediately gained 50 pounds and had no energy.  It took quite some time to get my levels right. 

So, I go along for years with mostly just being overweight, but in my 40's, weird things started happening to my body.  First of all, I suddenly had horrible yeast infections.  After one of the infections that was so horrible I couldn't even walk, the pain associated with a yeast infection just didn't go away.  I suffered for weeks and finally started working with some doctors.  One finally told me that they were sorry, but I was just going to have to live with this pain.  I was devastated.  But, I worked with a specialist and have been taking gabentin for over 12 yrs. now to keep the pain in check and I had to have a hysterctomy (not that I'm complaining about that!).  But, it didn't stop there.  I started having panic attacks.  I have always been a somewhat anxious worried person, but always controlled it.  I had such a bad panick attack that I wound up in the hospital one night with an EKG that showed I might be having a heart attack and my blood levels also indicated so.  It went so far that they did an angiogram that night.  So, then I was given Xanax.  Oh and I have been on anti-depressants (various ones) over all these years also because of having to deal with pain on a daily basis.  Then my joints started hurting, especially my back, feet and knees, but also in my hips at times.  So, I'm on arthritis medicine for that.  Then I started getting nerve pain along the sides of my thighs - both sides in the same place on each leg.  This pain just keeps increasing over the years and now I have nerve pain in many other parts of my body.  My doctor is calling this fibromyalgia.  I also have terrible problems with my gums and teeth.  I'm suffering with lots of mouth pain as I write.  I am quite heavy now - 5'9" and 250 lbs.  I also helped raise a grandchild for 6 yrs. and then his mother moved him far away into an insecure environment and my depression has deepened since then.  Yes, I have seen counselors and physical therapists, but no one can really help.

I know this is a book, but for soooooooooooo long now I have wanted to connect to other people who may have a similar history and find out if they are suffering from many of the things I suffer from now.  At this time in my life, I can't even afford to go to a doctor...  Thanks to anyone who takes the time to read.

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