Harveen (not her real name) was not prepared for a tiny thyroid gland to be the thing that would knock her off her feet.
After her son was born in 2019, her thyroid hormones began to increase and she ended up in hospital with a red and swollen left eye. A few months later it was confirmed she had thyroid eye disease.
Thyroid eye disease can occur in up to 30% of people with thyroid issues, of which around 5% are severe. It is an autoimmune condition in which the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands and fatty tissues behind the eyes become swollen due to the body’s immune cells attacking these tissues.
This results in a feeling of tightness within the eye socket which pushes the eyeball forward, a condition known as proptosis, or commonly known as bulging eyes. In severe cases, it can compress the optic nerve behind the eye.
For Harveen, decompression surgery was her best option. It was all set for March last year, three months after her proptosis appeared.
Two days before her surgery, Malaysia went into lockdown. She was both crushed and, simultaneously, slightly relieved she could delay her surgery for a little while longer.
By July, she was offered another slot for surgery as the first wave of Covid declined. She sailed through the procedure, surprised at how little pain she felt, and after two weeks was back at work as a secondary school teacher.
Over the next few months, she adjusted to her new life under Covid restrictions, teaching remotely and coping with a toddler marching into his terrible twos.
Harveen wanted to give herself the best chance of a quick and successful recovery. She set up simple things for herself like a pill box so she wouldn’t forget to take her medication, adjusted her diet, and exercised to keep her energy levels up and manage the impact on her mental health.
Her confidence soon returned. All aspects of her life began to seem normal – being a wife and mother, and feeling confident in her job. She was able to understand her recovery expectations, and began to learn about the variable experiences people have during surgery recovery.
Harveen works with her doctor to tweak her lifestyle, has regular blood tests, and exercises to boost her mood even when she doesn’t feel like it. She has learnt to appreciate that her experience is normal and is actually quite common. In accepting this, she has been able to start moving forward.
Her biggest takeaway is that after the surgery, you may feel out of sorts for a little while, but you will feel yourself again soon.
She reminds people with thyroid conditions to have regular check-ups with their eye doctor to prevent thyroid eye disease.
TELEME Healing Life Stories is a collection of inspirational stories of how ordinary people triumph over their health conditions and recover to lead a healthier life after that. Feel free to email [email protected] to share your story.
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