Reflecting on My Autoimmune Diseases and the Long Term

I feel like I have had a ton of time to reflect on everything, from my Graves' disease diagnosis to my thyroid eye disease (TED) diagnosis. It was and continues to be a journey. The journey will never end, because like I have mentioned previously it is something you have to monitor your whole life.

Thinking about everything, I seriously feel like it has changed me. I am not the same person I was when I was first diagnosed.

What I have learned by reflecting on my journey with autoimmune diseases: Graves' disease and thyroid eye disease

It's okay to ask for support

First of all, and I have talked about this before, I recognized my OCD and anxiety was debilitating and making everything worse for me, and I could not continue down that path. I got into therapy and got on medication and I can honestly say it was one of the best decisions I have ever made.

I think in my early to mid-twenties I just did not think anything was wrong and nothing had to be fixed. Or, I just kind of ignored everything thinking things would go away.

I have learned that there is always room for improvement. Acknowledging that you need help and things are not perfect is a remarkable first step to living a happier life.

We cannot always tell what someone is going through

Something else I have learned is to never judge anyone else. When it came to my autoimmune disease, it was not something that was like a cold. You can tell that someone feels sick when they have a cold.

With my Graves’ disease, what was making me not feel great, on the outside, was not obvious. I will never forget, I was at work one day, before I was officially diagnosed, and I was telling a co-worker that I was really not feeling well and felt something was wrong. My co worker basically told me to stop being dramatic and that I was fine.

Sure enough, a few days after that I received my diagnosis. I told myself I would NEVER say something like that to someone who is confiding in me about not feeling well. You seriously never know what people are going through. I told myself I would be someone who others could vent to, and I would never make someone feel bad for opening up to me.

I will never forget how I felt after that, and I vowed to never make anyone else feel like that ever.

I am strong. We are strong.

Finally, I learned how strong and resilient people who are diagnosed with autoimmune diseases, like thyroid eye disease and Graves' disease, are. I used to think I was weak. I used to think that my body was weak. That is so far from the truth.

You cannot help what happens to you when it comes to an autoimmune disease but it is crazy how strong you become when you are fighting through it. I am grateful for having the strength I had to get through it. Having a disease does not make you weak.

The fighting that you do is what makes you incredibly strong, no matter how long you have to fight or if it’s a constant fight your whole life. You are so strong for it.