How My Life Changed (for the Better) After Receiving a Graves’ Disease Diagnosis

Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD
·8 min read
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Fact checked by Nick Blackmer

Meet the Author

Lauren Panoff, MPH, RD, is a preventive health advocate who speaks and writes on the power of adopting a plant-based lifestyle for wellness and longevity.



My eyes filled with tears as I grappled with the nurse’s words: “Your thyroid antibodies are consistent with an autoimmune condition,” she said. “So I have Graves’ disease?” I asked, and she confirmed that was likely. I felt simultaneously relieved and disappointed.

This call came after months of not feeling like myself. Despite being a disciplined athlete, I struggled to keep up with my regular fitness routine. I felt more fatigued than ever, and there were days that I couldn’t finish a workout.

I’d been training for an outdoor competition, and the heat of that summer made me abnormally light-headed and sweaty. It was hard to explain to those around me, but everything felt “off,” and I couldn’t physically push past the fatigue.

Receiving a Graves’ disease diagnosis gave that off feeling a name, but getting the diagnosis and finding treatment did not come without challenges.

Read more to learn about how I managed my Graves' disease diagnosis.

Symptoms Leading Up to My Graves’ Disease Diagnosis

A few months before the confirmatory call from the nurse, I logged into my patient portal to see the blood work from my annual wellness exam. I noticed that my thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) was less than 0 (the average range is between 0.5 and 5 milliunits per liter, abbreviated as mU/L). Nobody contacted me to explain the numbers, so I called my doctor.

They brushed it off because all my other blood work appeared “normal” and offered follow-up testing in three months. But between my low TSH numbers and the symptoms I had been experiencing for months, I knew something wasn’t right. The predominant symptoms I experienced included:

  • Rapid heartbeat, even at rest

  • Increased anxiety

  • Unusual fatigue, requiring afternoon naps

  • Heat intolerance and excessive sweating

  • Light-headedness

If there’s one thing I’ve learned in my life, it’s that your gut never steers you wrong, and mine told me that everything was not normal. I demanded follow-up testing and began searching for a specialist who could give me answers.

Weighing Graves’ Disease Treatment Options

After searching online for highly rated endocrinologists (thyroid specialists) who were in-network and reading patient reviews about thyroid-specific treatments, I got an appointment with a specialist and drove 45 minutes to their office in the Denver area.

My endocrinologist ordered a radioactive iodine uptake test and thyroid scan to measure my thyroid size and function to confirm the Graves’ disease diagnosis. Then, it was time to understand my treatment options.

I assumed that I would be presented with several treatment options; however, my provider abruptly recommended radioiodine to kill the thyroid. I was stunned. I had just been diagnosed, and I thought, “Is this really my only option?” It didn’t seem right, so I asked about other possible treatments, and it turns out there are some.

I opted for the antithyroid medication, methimazole, which I started the morning of my birthday in 2022 and is at a very low dose a year later. It works by reducing the amount of thyroid hormones my thyroid gland produces to restore normal thyroid function.

I chose it because it’s the primary choice for oral therapy to treat hyperthyroidism, and I didn’t want to pursue more invasive (and permanent) options when I had a chance at remission.

I’ll be on this daily medication for two years, at which point I’ll work with my specialist to begin tapering and determine whether I can achieve remission. If I’m unable to be medication-free at that point, we will reevaluate my thyroid function and determine additional treatment options.

Learn More: How Graves' Disease Is Treated

Lifestyle Changes I Made After Receiving My Graves’ Disease Diagnosis

What discouraged me most about my experience of being diagnosed with Graves’ disease was that nobody talked to me about lifestyle changes. So, over the last year, I’ve taken the initiative to learn about and incorporate lifestyle changes to support my health. After all, my medication resolves my symptoms; it doesn’t resolve the underlying disease.

Nutrition

As a dietitian, I view nutrition as a crucial medicine. I’ve followed a plant-based lifestyle for over a decade and focus on optimizing the quality and balance of nutrients I receive from my diet. A significant amount of research supports nutrition therapy for preventing and reversing disease, and I’m confident in my potential to experience that personally.

I emphasize:

  • Whole grains

  • Nuts

  • Seeds

  • Legumes

  • Fruits

  • Vegetables

To help me maintain variety, I use Dr. Michael Greger’s Daily Dozen app. This daily checklist reminds me to eat things like berries, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, and legumes regularly.

This ensures that I get the antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals to support my body’s ability to function properly. I also supplement my plant-based diet with vitamin B12, vitamin D, and omega-3 fats from algae oil. Selenium is also an essential mineral for thyroid function, which I get by eating a single Brazil nut a few times per week (one nut provides almost 200% of the Daily Value).

I’m also lucky to have a network of nutrition colleagues specializing in various areas, including thyroid health. I’ve been able to ask them questions and incorporate their advice into my day-to-day life. For instance, when first diagnosed, I switched to decaffeinated coffee to help keep my heart rate in check and began monitoring my heart rate regularly.

Exercise

I’ve always led an active lifestyle, so I was devastated when Graves’ symptoms threatened to take that away from me. Fortunately, as the medication began working and my symptoms subsided, I could increase the intensity and frequency of my exercise again.

Today, I can work out five days a week alongside my fitness community, which challenges me and keeps me grounded. I participate in cardiovascular, high-intensity, and strength workouts for full-body fitness.

My routine has also taught me to make time for intentional rest amidst the hustle culture we live in. The best part is that I no longer feel like my heart will beat out of my chest, and my body craves the movement, which benefits my overall health.

Mental Health Support

Being diagnosed with an autoimmune condition is scary. Physically, I felt awful at the time of my diagnosis, but it affected my mental health as well. My diagnosis triggered me to reflect on all of the challenges I’ve experienced throughout my life that may have contributed to this disease.

Seeking therapy has been monumental in my ability to accept my diagnosis and work through the past traumas that, in my humble opinion, probably played a role in my disease development. I believe that letting those things go and finding deeper healing is integral to achieving remission.

My commitment to supporting my thyroid health is the same as it would be if I were diagnosed with another condition: a combination of community, mental health support, fitness, and nutrition. Being invested in all of these areas of my life gives me hope that not only can I put my Graves' into remission but also excites me about how it’s benefiting my health and longevity overall.

How Did I Get Graves’ Disease?

Like many other people with a new diagnosis, I wondered how I developed Graves’ disease. The etiology (cause) of Graves’ disease is unknown. Researchers believe it’s likely caused by genetic, environmental, hormonal, and immunological factors.

I have a family history of thyroid conditions, and I believe that genetics may play a role in my story.

Interestingly, studies have found that up to 80% of individuals diagnosed with autoimmune diseases report uncommon emotional stress before disease onset. My diagnosis came after a period of prolonged extreme stress, which included a divorce, multiple living situations, a pandemic, and lots of unpacking old traumas in therapy.

I had experienced other physical manifestations of my stress over the years, like skin and hair changes and sleep disturbances. I’ll never know for sure why I got Graves’ disease, but it seems logical to me that I internalized years of emotional stress that ultimately showed up physically in my body.

My experience is not unique. Research has found that having a stress-related disorder or severe stress reaction is significantly associated with an increased risk of being diagnosed with an autoimmune disease later in life.

Other studies have also found that traumatic stress in childhood increased the likelihood of an autoimmune diagnosis—like Graves’ disease—decades later in adulthood, suggesting that early life stress deeply affects your inflammatory response.

Sometimes, You Have to Fight for a Diagnosis

Graves’ disease came into my life during a time when most things already felt difficult. In some ways, receiving that diagnosis was the push I needed to take back the power in my life. If something feels off to you about your health and you’re not receiving satisfactory support, consider this your cue to demand a next step and be your best advocate. You never know what other positives will come out of it.

Read the original article on Verywell Health.