But it was all supposed to be perimenopause!

I'm 46, female. ALL of the symptoms I had were explained as just being perimenopause. I'd love to hear from others who have been dealing with this kind of mind game only for it all to actually be Graves?

Irritability/mood swings, heart palpitations, racing heart while resting, air hunger, shitty sleep, crushing fatigue alternating with tons of restless energy, hair loss, irregular cycle, muscle loss, weight fluctuations, NIGHT SWEATS, hot flashes, anxiety.

I've always been the one who is freezing all the time, and for the last year I've been cracking jokes about how perimenopause now has me finally running warm for the first time ever, and I went an entire Great Lakes region winter without needing a coat.

Then around mid April, I start feeling REALLY weak. Then in May, the shaking/tremors started. I realized I'd lost 20lbs out of nowhere. I was eventually so shaky and unstable (mostly in the morning) that I was scared to leave the house. I was shopping for canes!

My primary doctor didn't have openings for months, so I got in with a different doctor at the same clinic in June. I could tell she was really concerned and then she started on about neurology consult for Parkinson's and ALS and orders loads of labs.

By that evening, the results start coming back and it is clear that my thyroid is all wacky. Got into an Endo two weeks later who started me on 20mg Methimazole (no beta blocker, due to some contraindications) and more blood work for TRAb, TSI, etc. that confirmed Graves.

After a month on methimazole now, I am feeling much better. I realized that for years my TSH has only ever been just barely within the lowest of the normal range. I've complained about heart palpitations since at least 2016 but with the methimazole my heart rate is the most stable it has EVER been.

I have follow up labs next week.

I have just been absolutely floored at how ALL of these symptoms were essentially normalized as being part of perimenopause. Clearly, there's overlap, but man it makes me wonder how long Graves has been simmering especially looking at my older TSH values over the years...