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An exasperated woman is pulling at her hair as she walks by TV's with drug advertisements.

TED on TV

Kelly Severseike's avatar image

By Kelly Severseike

2 min read

I don’t watch television (TV). I don’t have a TV in my apartment. The only times I am near a TV is when I am at someone’s house and it’s on. Which was the case when I saw another advertisement for thyroid eye disease (TED). This is different than the one that sparked my previous article on this subject. The sentiment was still the same but I was left with a different feeling — irritation.

Reminded of the reality

I felt irritated by that ad because I can only imagine the annoyance of dealing with TED and seeing ads for this treatment everywhere while feeling miserable with no light at the end of the tunnel. While it’s good to know I’m not alone, it’s frustrating to see a reminder of the reality on TV 10x a day.

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I have not been in the active phase of this disease in quite a few years but seeing those ads brought me back to a time I just want to continue to move on from. It’s a healing thing to move forward from the trauma that was TED.

The reality of TED, for me happened overnight. I woke up with double vision and my life was forever altered for the next 3 years. It sucked up a good portion of my twenties, of my dreams and goals for my future after college. I felt trapped in by this disease and oftentimes helpless by its deep ebbs and flows that comes with the awful symptoms.

This or That

Have you seen TED mentioned on TV?

Ads today

In 2024, we are fed ads online by an algorithm that tracks our every click. If I was in the active phase of TED now, I would likely be served with ads for this treatment on a regular basis. Which is fine if you are a good candidate for it but it’s not a one size fits all cure.

The irritation comes from knowing how life altering this disease is firsthand and seeing something on TV that was on the periphery on my TED reality because I was too sensitive for medications for that drug even be considered as an option when it was in clinical trials in 2018.

Tough road

I feel for those who are in a similar boat I was in with TED. It’s a numbing reality to live in when your eyes could be irritated by something so small that leaves you lying in bed with the blinds drawn for hours, just waiting for them to settle down.

I have been through a lot of trials and tribulations with my health throughout my life and TED was by far the worst thing I have ever endured.

Seeing TED on TV

How do you react seeing these commercials? Share your experience and feelings in the comments section.

This article represents the opinions, thoughts, and experiences of the author; none of this content has been paid for by any advertiser. The ThyroidEyeDisease.net team does not recommend or endorse any products or treatments discussed herein. Learn more about how we maintain editorial integrity here.

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