The Battle with Graves' Disease Prologue: The Thyroid Menace

I was young, I was idealistic and I was making a killing in the stock market. That was in 2004 when a silent menace crept up and cast a shadow over the next 9 years.

It started when I was getting insomnia for a couple of weeks.

Initially, I attributed that the stress and demand of trading the US Options market.

The options trading platform I uses

Fresh out of attending Atul Sharma Options course, I was making a good 10-15% returns every month writing call and put options. The only problem is that, I often stayed up late, way past midnight, to perform additional analysis and scouring the net for fresh investment ideas. The stress got worse when there are major Fed events or during earning seasons, when the prices of stock can swing from one direction, to the other, all in a span of a few moments.

I tried a couple of methods to solve my insomnia problem.

I tried mediation

I tried aromatheraphy

I bought a "Sleep Well" CD which plays smoothing music and there is some chant in the background, which was supposed to "talk" to your inner conscious and smooth a person to sleep. BTW, the CD also comes in different variety, that promises success, wealth and health.

None of the methods work.

Trying hard to solve my insomnia problem. Aromatheraphy

 Meanwhile,after the initial beginner's luck, I started to take bigger and higher risk bets on the options, and I started to lose money. I was even more stressed out by the events in US as the stakes get higher and I gave up sleep all together and often stayed up late glued to CNBC.

One fine afternoon, I was having lunch with my sis, drinking soup from a bowl and spoon. My hands was shaking real badly as I was scooping the contents of the bowl to my mouth, losing half of the spoon's contents by the time it reached its destination.

My sister saw that, and commented, "Wow, your hand is really shaking badly. Maybe you have hyperthyroid like me also. Go and see the doctor."

I was like: No no no! Cannot be! It's just stress!

But the seed of doubt has already been planted into my mind.

A few days later, I visited my General Practitioner (GP) and he ran a battery of tests on me.

Sure enough, my thyroid level is through the roof!

My GP assured me "No worries, Hyperthyroid is a very common disease in Singapore. You will be cured by taking medication consistently for the next year or two."

Well, that was assuring. However, the price of the tests and medications was not assuring. The blood test cost around $300 and 1 month medication for $40. On top of that, there is the consultation fee of $20 per visit.

After starting on the medication, my symptoms did disappear. However, after one year, the cost of treatment is starting to take a toll on me.

As I was complaining to the cost of the medication to one of my friends, he commented, "Why don't you get referred to a specialist in a hospital via polyclinic? You get an expert treating you and at the same time, the government pays a part of the bill for you."

Sound like great advice!

At that point of time, I had a doctor friend who recommended his friend who is working at CGH who specializes in endocrine.  When I consulted with the doctor at the polyclinic, he insisted that I do not need to seek specialist treatment, as hyperthyroid is a common problem in Singapore. I persisted on my part that I wanted to be treated by a specialist, and he relented, writing me a recommendation letter. However, when I asked if I could name the Doctor, he told me that I will be paying the unsubsidized rate if I chose to go down that route. Doesn't make much sense since I wanted to get a subsidized rate in the first place, so I decided to go with the flow and let CGH assign me a specialist.

Over the next few years, my condition progressively gotten worse and a higher and higher dosage of the medication is needed, to control my hyperactive thyroid gland. Along the way, mild illnesses such as viral attacks and stomach flu, developed complications as a result of the Graves' disease.

There was one particular attack of stomach flu which I still remembered vividly. Typically, we will have vomiting or diarrhea intermittently, but this attack, was so bad, that I cannot literally control my bowels. I will actually loosen my bowels while on the bed and asleep! The flu bug persisted long than usual and I had to go back to my GP two more times over the span of 3 weeks, as I ran out of medication. My endocrine specialist later told me that it was probably due to the complication from my Graves. Many small illnesses will be amplified making it worse than it usually is.     

Another time, I was attacked by a virus similar to dengue. The symptoms are pretty strange: I will have a high fever every afternoon after 2pm and my knee and elbow joints hurt so much that I had to let my 87 years go grandma, go up the stairs first, in my 2 stories apartment. In short, the pain is so bad that I am literally walking like an old man. The persistent fever went on for 3 months, and despite many blood tests, no distinctive virus was discovered. However, all the specialists I talked to agreed that my thyroid condition complicated my condition and the virus attack was more severe than it normally should be. Only time and my immune system can battle this virus. By the end of 3 months, I was so used to the evening fevers and daily paracetamol intake, that I decided to go for my Japan trip in the face of the illness. The first few days in Japan were agony. I was cursing at every flight of stair case and had to stay in the hotel room in evenings while my friends went out to enjoy the Nippon nightlife. Luckily, the Japanese air agreed with me and strangely, my conditions went away near the end of my Japan trip.

I was running a 38 degrees fever at that time

 I became much more sympathic to my grandma who is suffering from rheumatism after this episode.

By the end of the 6th year of my Graves', I was on the heaviest dosage of medication and yet, my thyroxine readings were still out of range. By than, I have adopted a healthier life style by stopping all alcoholic beverages and trying out traditional Chinese medicine. Nothing worked.

In fact, one very respected Chinese Physician told me that my problem is at the genetic level and not even Chinese Medicine can cure a DNA malfunction. He even encouraged me to go for surgery or RAI to remove the thyroid gland

My Chinese Medicine and Western Medicine

My specialist had been encouraging me to go for the radioactive iodine treatment (RAI) and I had pushed it back for years to try out alternative medicines. By now, I was desperate enough to "nuclear bomb" my system with radioactive materials and hoped that this treatment will solve my problems once and for all.....

*Sorry that I wrote the prologue way after I finished the climatic final battle of the Battle with Graves' Disease. But I thought that something is missing, so here is the real prologue!

Part I: Five Stitches, Two Weeks Running Ban: The Prologue to my Running Hobby. A Life changing Experience

Part II: The Adventure of being poked and probbed at Changi General Hospital

Part III: The Thyroid Strikes Back!

Part IV: Chickening Out.... 

Part V: Going Under the Knife