Endo explanation...

This morning I called into to my Endocrinologist because I hadn’t heard back from any of the messages I sent him through “My Charts”. I realize I sent them late last Friday afternoon after I got his response about not thinking my eye issues have anything to do with my thyroid…but I wanted more clarification to make sure doing the MRI is the right thing to do here, and if it truly could be my antibodies affecting it since I recently just tested positive for Grave’s antibodies. He actually had an opening to meet with him in person today at noon, so I took it.

Now after the appointment with him I feel better about what’s probably happening to me. He explained that there was some miscommunication with his nurse to him (either way I think he quick half-assed his answer back to me) but he does agree this very likely is my Grave’s Disease/Hyperthyroidism, which has now turned into Grave’s Eye Disease. In Grave’s, the body makes antibodies that attack the thyroid, which we already took care of that problem, but now they are attacking the muscles behind my eye and the surrounding tissues, causing them to enlarge or swell. This usually occurs within 18 months before or after the diagnosis of Grave’s Disease. Wish he would have told me this when I was diagnosed, but whatever… So the swollen muscles behind my eye are pushing my eyeball forward, causing it to bulge out. Not pretty, I know. It is also affecting the muscles that control my eyelid retracting so the bulging of the eye appears worse. Not only am I experiencing pain because of the pressure behind my eye, but I am having sensitivity to light and double vision when I look up or out to my right.

Kevin and I were able to ask my Endo Dr lots and lots of questions to understand how and why this is happening and what’s to be expected for me in the future, and how or if this will affect our baby…so we are at some peace with our minds. But the MRI will tell the truth tomorrow, and the ophthalmologist will diagnose it and decide on the treatment. Right now I am expecting the worse, but hoping for the best. Wish me luck…