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
The Financial Impact of My Thyroid Eye Disease JourneyLet’s face it, getting treatment for chronic/rare/complicated medical conditions like thyroid eye disease (TED) is incredibly expensive and a challenge for many individuals. From doctors to surgeries to travel to...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Self-Care is Always ImportantHey there! We are back again with another talk about self-care! I have written other articles about how self-care is so important and what I do that I consider self-care...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Navigating Thyroid Eye Disease - How Am I Supposed to Feel?Something that became apparent in my experience with thyroid eye disease (TED) is that other people’s journeys would not be the same as mine. In my head the road map...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments
Eternally OptimisticAfter almost 3 years, my thyroid eye disease (TED) specialist has informed me that I am in an "inactive" phase of this disease. There has been so much uncertainty and...Reactions0reactionsComments0 comments