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Christine was recently diagnosed with Graves’ Disease and a swollen thyroid gland with a small, pre-cancerous nodule. If not treated quickly and properly, further development could lead to eye disease, a heart condition, swollen ankles, tremors, muscle weakness, digestive problems, irritability, thyroid cancer, and ultimately the loss of her Thyroid gland. This would force Christine to be on prescription medication for the rest of her life.
Treatment includes a strict regimen of organic food, ultrasounds, blood tests, frequent doctor visits, and supplements. Future treatment may include prescription drugs, radiation, and/or surgery. The required treatments and tests are expensive, and not covered by medical insurance. The situation is urgent, as Christine has almost no source of income nor means of paying, and credit has already been maxed.
Money raised will help cover the cost of tests, doctor appointments, procedures, food, and supplements. Another way to support Christine during this difficult time is to assist with grocery shopping and cooking healthy meals. Doing so will allow her to focus more on self-care and healing. Please help Christine beat Graves’ Disease naturally through the practices of Functional Medicine.
More details:
After being bedridden with a high fever for more than two weeks, Christine noticed extreme swelling in her neck. She believed the swelling to be lymph nodes and carried on as usual. Many other symptoms developed that seemed unexplainable: tremors in the extremities, sweating, feeling hyperthermic, muscle weakness, fatigue, severe pain in the stomach, digestion issues, rapid heartbeat (up to 140 beats per minute - resting!), heart palpitations, tingling in the hands, legs and feet, blurry vision, irritability (poor DAK!), and major weight loss (down to 99 pounds from 127).
After 4 weeks of no change in the neck swelling, she went to urgent care. The doctor immediately told her that the swelling in her neck was her thyroid, not lymph nodes. He said not to worry, the thyroid could just be killed with radiation or removed, she'd be on prescription medication the rest of her life, and sent her home with Xeroxed pages on Graves’ Disease. This was shocking and life-changing.
The thyroid gland regulates many vital bodily functions, including:
-Breathing
-Heart rate
-Central and peripheral nervous systems
-Body weight
-Muscle strength
-Menstrual cycles
-Body temperature
-Cholesterol levels
-Sex organs
and much more!
Christine can't imagine living without this vital organ so she began researching alternative treatments and doctors. She bought a book online called "Fighting Graves’ Disease" for $100 and started a very strict diet of organic foods and supplements. Turns out everyone with an Autoimmune Disease has a "leaky gut" which means the small intestine barriers are not functioning properly.
Traditional medicine wants to simply remove the gland. Even if her thyroid is removed, there’s still a chance that she will develop eye disease or other autoimmune diseases. Christine has great resistance to prescription medicine and invasive techniques and as such, has set out to heal her "leaky gut" with major lifestyle changes.
Christine believes the new doctor that she is seeing is the best in the field of Autoimmune Disease. He is well respected and has a positive track record of helping patients obtain remission and regain a normal, "healthy" life. He is an MD and comes from a clinical, research background. Along with his father, he created a textbook on Autoimmune Disease and plays an integral role in the field of Functional Medicine - which treats the whole person, not just the symptoms, and looks for the underlying causes of disease.
This path is expensive. Buying organic food and high quality supplements quickly surpassed $3000 on her credit card in only one month. The first appointment with the doctor was $750, and he does not take insurance. The ultrasound was $250 and two additional supplements were another $150. More supplements may be necessary when the blood tests come back. The doctor fees are $275 per visit, in addition to procedure costs, and $150 for each email and phone consultation. The first round of blood tests was $425 and we are anxiously awaiting results, due in a few weeks.
Christine is considering a concierge service that will give her unlimited visits, phone calls, emails, and include any minor procedures she may need - like ultrasounds to monitor the nodule in her neck. It is now at 1 cm. If it grows to 2 cm, it’s a major concern, as it could be cancerous. This service is $425 a month but may end up being less expensive over the course of a year.
There is currently no cure for Grave’s Disease. As such, treatment is for remission without surgery and generally takes one to one and-a-half years.
It is extremely difficult for Christine to ask for help due to her upbringing and past experiences. Her desire to survive and regain her health has motivated her to reach out.
Thank you to those that donated. Christine is so touched and feels the love and support of her friends and family. She is forever grateful and there are no words to explain how touched she is by the generosity of her community.
Together, we can beat Graves’ Disease!
Treatment includes a strict regimen of organic food, ultrasounds, blood tests, frequent doctor visits, and supplements. Future treatment may include prescription drugs, radiation, and/or surgery. The required treatments and tests are expensive, and not covered by medical insurance. The situation is urgent, as Christine has almost no source of income nor means of paying, and credit has already been maxed.
Money raised will help cover the cost of tests, doctor appointments, procedures, food, and supplements. Another way to support Christine during this difficult time is to assist with grocery shopping and cooking healthy meals. Doing so will allow her to focus more on self-care and healing. Please help Christine beat Graves’ Disease naturally through the practices of Functional Medicine.
More details:
After being bedridden with a high fever for more than two weeks, Christine noticed extreme swelling in her neck. She believed the swelling to be lymph nodes and carried on as usual. Many other symptoms developed that seemed unexplainable: tremors in the extremities, sweating, feeling hyperthermic, muscle weakness, fatigue, severe pain in the stomach, digestion issues, rapid heartbeat (up to 140 beats per minute - resting!), heart palpitations, tingling in the hands, legs and feet, blurry vision, irritability (poor DAK!), and major weight loss (down to 99 pounds from 127).
After 4 weeks of no change in the neck swelling, she went to urgent care. The doctor immediately told her that the swelling in her neck was her thyroid, not lymph nodes. He said not to worry, the thyroid could just be killed with radiation or removed, she'd be on prescription medication the rest of her life, and sent her home with Xeroxed pages on Graves’ Disease. This was shocking and life-changing.
The thyroid gland regulates many vital bodily functions, including:
-Breathing
-Heart rate
-Central and peripheral nervous systems
-Body weight
-Muscle strength
-Menstrual cycles
-Body temperature
-Cholesterol levels
-Sex organs
and much more!
Christine can't imagine living without this vital organ so she began researching alternative treatments and doctors. She bought a book online called "Fighting Graves’ Disease" for $100 and started a very strict diet of organic foods and supplements. Turns out everyone with an Autoimmune Disease has a "leaky gut" which means the small intestine barriers are not functioning properly.
Traditional medicine wants to simply remove the gland. Even if her thyroid is removed, there’s still a chance that she will develop eye disease or other autoimmune diseases. Christine has great resistance to prescription medicine and invasive techniques and as such, has set out to heal her "leaky gut" with major lifestyle changes.
Christine believes the new doctor that she is seeing is the best in the field of Autoimmune Disease. He is well respected and has a positive track record of helping patients obtain remission and regain a normal, "healthy" life. He is an MD and comes from a clinical, research background. Along with his father, he created a textbook on Autoimmune Disease and plays an integral role in the field of Functional Medicine - which treats the whole person, not just the symptoms, and looks for the underlying causes of disease.
This path is expensive. Buying organic food and high quality supplements quickly surpassed $3000 on her credit card in only one month. The first appointment with the doctor was $750, and he does not take insurance. The ultrasound was $250 and two additional supplements were another $150. More supplements may be necessary when the blood tests come back. The doctor fees are $275 per visit, in addition to procedure costs, and $150 for each email and phone consultation. The first round of blood tests was $425 and we are anxiously awaiting results, due in a few weeks.
Christine is considering a concierge service that will give her unlimited visits, phone calls, emails, and include any minor procedures she may need - like ultrasounds to monitor the nodule in her neck. It is now at 1 cm. If it grows to 2 cm, it’s a major concern, as it could be cancerous. This service is $425 a month but may end up being less expensive over the course of a year.
There is currently no cure for Grave’s Disease. As such, treatment is for remission without surgery and generally takes one to one and-a-half years.
It is extremely difficult for Christine to ask for help due to her upbringing and past experiences. Her desire to survive and regain her health has motivated her to reach out.
Thank you to those that donated. Christine is so touched and feels the love and support of her friends and family. She is forever grateful and there are no words to explain how touched she is by the generosity of her community.
Together, we can beat Graves’ Disease!