Surviving Graves' Disease

In October of 2011, it was a normal day, until I went to 2nd block AlgebraII . I arrived at my 2nd block class AlgebraII and I sat down . I sat down for a few minutes, and my chest started hurting and I felt as if I couldn't breathe . I told my teacher that I was having chest pains and asked to go the nurse, she said yes and a fellow student (thank you Da Da !) accompanied me . We arrived at the nurse's office and she asked me what was wrong, I told her I was having chest pains and I felt like I couldn't breathe . My heart rate was 150 bpm, normal is 80-90 bpm . I was really scared . She asks who I could call and since my mother was at work, I gave her my grandmother's number . My grandmother took me to the ER at the nearest hospital . We sat there for almost 4 hours ! until we finally decided to leave . Later that day when I got home, my mother scheduled for me to have a doctor's appointment the next morning . I told the doctor my symptoms : chest pains, trouble breathing, dizziness, and I kept saying I was hot all the time . The doctor ordered me to go to the hospital part of the building and had blood tests done . I guess my levels weren't right so I was referred to Dr. Syed, again I had more blood tests and they referred me to another doctor, Dr. Ahmed, an endicrine specialist . I had bloodwork done AGAIN . While I was waiting, the doctor had a model of the different thyroid diseases and I kept staring at Graves' Disease model . After awhile, my doctor returned and told me that I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease, I started crying . Soon after I was put on two medications : Methimazole, methimazole is an antithyroid medication that can help bring high thyroid levels under control and works to disrupt the production of thryroid hormone and can also lower the white blood count in your body ; and Propranlol, prpopranlol is used to treat chest pains, high blood pressure, irregular heartbeats, migraine headaches, tremors and other conditions . I used those for awhile and I went back to the doctor in January to discuss long-term treatment . He told me in about 6 months, we decide on a treatment . In June of 2012 we decided to have the RAI treatment done . On June 27, 2012, I took RAI uptake pill to measure how much iodine my thyroid was absorbing , I went back to the hospital the next day on June 28, 2012 for my thyroid scan, a normal thyroid is supposed to absorb 20 to 30% . Later that day, my doctor called and told me that my thyroid was absorbing nearly 100% of the iodine and that my treatment would be the next day June 29, 2012 instead of the upcoming Monday . I was shocked and upset . I went to the doctor, got all my forms and headed to ECM hospital, my nuclear medicine technologist Karen (bless her heart ), was so sweet . She knew I had trouble swallowing a big pills so she drove all the way to Mississippi and got me the liquid form of the radiation, I owe her BIG time . She stuck a needle through the radioactive liquid container and the other end has a straw to put in my mouth . There was a doctor supervising the treatment (he was soooo cute !) . When I began to swallow it, she injected Sprite into my tube so the taste wouldn't be as bad . The whole thing took about 5 or 10 minutes . After we were done, she gave me the rest of the Sprite and air hugged me since she couldn't touch me . I had to stay with my grandmother for 3 days because I had younger siblings and a dog . During the whole ordeal, all I did was sleep, eat, and use the restroom . Some side effects I had were nausea, headaches, sore throat, dizziness, restlessness, and sleeping for long periods of time . My best friend Beverly came to visit me :) and we looked at a few videos on YouTube and talked but she was upset because she wanted to hug me but she was also scared I would get her sick lol . On Monday July 2, 2012, I was finally able to go back home ! I missed my brothers, my dog, my mom, and just my house period, especially my bed ! It felt so weird walking through that door ! On the 4th of July I was able to walk to the river to look at the fireworks . On the way back walking to the car,  I had a few chest pains, I overexerted myself . Now today, a month and three days later, I feel better . I have good days and both days but I thank God i'm still alive ! If I wouldn't have went to the nurse that day, I would've had a stroke or heart failure . I'm so grateful that i'm still here . Sometimes I do find myself asking God why he put this terrible disease on me but then I remember that there are other people in the world with conditions worse that mine . That's when I knew that I was truly here for a reason . I hope that my story inspires someone, someday to overcome their fears and to know, it's not over yet . Have hope, Have patience, Have God .