So how did I get here??
At the end of January I started experiencing some shortness of breath. I was knee deep in dealing with Steven having the flu and the worst back flare up he’d ever had (which led to a back surgery in March) and kept ignoring it. It seemed to me that my vision was getting worse as my breathing was worsening so I decided they had to be related (this is one of my special talents, finding ways to ignore things). When I finally went to the doctor, he told me that nope, that’s not a thing and I need to get to an eye doctor. The breathing deal went downhill quickly and I landed in the hospital for a week with bilateral PE’s. The double vision got worse and worse and I found myself closing my left eye the majority of the time. After I got home I made an appointment with an ophthalmologist to see what the deal was.
My eyes and vision were tested in more ways than I ever imagined possible. He kept asking me about my thyroid and clarifying that I have Hashimoto’s and not Graves. Finally, he told me that he was ordering a CT of my orbits to confirm but he was pretty certain I have TED. He gave me a little bit of info about it but was quick to say the folks that treat this would explain more. He was able to fit me for a prism that sticks on to my glasses lens (that day was the last day I’ve worn contacts) and eliminates the majority of the double vision. He was clear that he couldn’t treat me and that he wasn’t sure anyone in town could.
I saw my endocrinologist who was stunned to agree with the diagnosis. He told me that he was sending me to Vanderbilt for treatment. He’d only ever had 1 other patient develop TED and she was treated there with great results.
The CT results confirmed the diagnosis and I was referred to the Vanderbilt Eye Institute. I’ve had 2 visits there and my next post will get the backstory caught up and I can write like I need to. I find myself already forgetting different aspects (I’m a complex medical mess and sometimes details muddle together).
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