Why Are Autoimmune Conditions More Common in Women?Editor's note: In this article, we use "women" to describe people assigned female at birth and "men" to describe people assigned male at birth. Women are twice as likely as...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Interviewing My Mom, My Support PersonWhen we think about a diagnosis, we think about the patient first. It is only natural since they are the ones directly dealing with the disease. Then there are those...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Graves' AntibodiesI recently had an appointment with my endocrinologist. Every time I get my thyroid labs done, I have my Graves' antibody numbers checked. This last time, they had once again...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Trying to Move On: Post-Op Thoughts on Thyroid Eye DiseaseNew surgery, new me! Is that the right phrase? I would like to say that my journey with thyroid eye disease (TED) has been a rollercoaster, but it has been...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
What I Would Warn Myself About TEDThere was no time between who I was before thyroid eye disease (TED) and who I became once I had TED. Of course, there was a time between the symptoms...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Start of My TED JourneyI had noticed my sunglasses were not fitting right about a year before I was diagnosed with thyroid eye disease (TED). I thought someone had sat on them or I...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
4 Things I Would Tell Myself About TED NowWhen the puffiness from the swelling first formed around my eyes, I asked someone if it was normal. They replied, "Yeah, it's a sign of getting older." I had just...Reactions0reactionsComments5 comments
My Experience with Tepezza: The Good and the BadOn January 21, 2020, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Tepezza, made by Horizon Therapeutics, to treat thyroid eye disease (TED). It is the first and only FDA-approved...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
How TED Taught Me PatienceI have always been a pretty patient person. I am not usually someone who sighs to myself in a long line or gets antsy when things are taking too long...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Meeting My New Thyroid Eye Disease SpecialistAfter having 4 surgeries to treat thyroid eye disease (TED), I did not think that I would ever need to meet a new TED specialist again. However, my regular specialist/surgeon...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Why I Didn't Get SurgeryEveryone's journey with thyroid eye disease (TED) is uniquely their own. For me, I never thought of surgery as a possibility of being part of my journey. Maybe I am...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
An Open Thank You Letter to My Thyroid Eye Disease SpecialistWhen we last spoke we were having our final post-op appointment before you went on sabbatical for several months. This appointment marked the end (or at least what I hope...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Stranger in the MirrorI look in the mirror and do not recognize the person staring back at me. She is not me. She is not who I imagine I am. Her eyes are...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Back to the Beginning of Graves' Disease and Thyroid Eye DiseaseI have spent a fair amount of time talking about thyroid eye disease (TED), but I do not think I have talked enough about Graves disease. My Graves’ disease diagnosis...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
What I’m Proud Of - Graves’ Disease, Thyroid Eye Disease, and SingingThe same question has been posed to me several times in interviews and chats with other rare disease advocates - "What are you most proud of?" And I never knew...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Not Everyone Is Looking At MeHow you look at your eyes is not how everyone else will look at your eyes. This is something I had to remind myself of when I was in the...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
My Experience with Sleep and Thyroid Eye DiseaseFrom an outside perspective, it can be difficult to understand just how much thyroid eye disease (TED) can impact someone on a daily basis and make normal activities much more...Reactions0reactionsComments2 comments
Explaining Thyroid Eye Disease to OthersThyroid eye disease (TED) is a rare condition. This community is for people living with TED and caregivers or friends and family of people living with this condition. Our goal...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
The Support We NeedIs there a person in your life you lean on to help you navigate the ups and downs of thyroid eye disease? Do you rely heavily on one person or...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
How Glasses Helped Me with TED (Part 2)Editor's Note: This is part 2 of a series. Please read part 1 here. "Do you wear glasses?" my friend asked me. She was on the phone with her then-boyfriend...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
