When Medical Management Fails Graves' Disease Patients, Surgery is the Only Option

TAMPA, Fla., July 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- According to the American Thyroid Association, July is Graves' Disease Awareness Month. Graves' Disease is an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid gland and is the most common cause of overproduction of thyroid hormone within the body (hyperthyroidism).

In Graves' Disease, the body's immune system for some reason turns against a part or parts of the thyroid. Graves' Disease symptoms include unexplained weight loss, heat intolerance or excessive sweating, anxiety, tremors, restlessness, difficulty sleeping at night, rapid or irregular heart rate, palpitations or chest pain, difficulty breathing or shortness of breath, goiter or thyroid mass, prominent bulging eyes, blurred vision, double vision, muscle weakness, change in menstrual periods, increased frequency of bowel movements and more.

There are several different approaches in the management of Graves' Disease. These include medical management with anti-thyroid medication, radioactive iodine therapy, and thyroid surgery.

Surgery for Graves' Disease is the only 100% effective therapy. Surgery for Grave's Disease requires total removal of the thyroid gland. When the Graves' thyroid gland is very large, thyroid surgery is widely considered the preferred treatment. It is also the best treatment option when other treatments have been ineffective or if a patient cannot tolerate another form of treatment. This surgery should only be performed by expert thyroid surgeons and managed by an expert thyroid surgery team.

"Many patients don't do well with medical therapies for Graves' Disease," said Dr. Gary Clayman of the Clayman Thyroid Center. "Often their disease becomes difficult to consistently control and they can experience roller coaster symptoms of very high thyroid hormone levels followed by periods of very low thyroid hormone production. After a period of treatment, many patients get exhausted by these roller coaster hormone rides and seek surgery for Graves' Disease."

What is most important in the treatment of Graves' Disease is choosing the right treatment that best suits each individual patient. Surgery for Graves' Disease may be the best treatment for many patients and can be accomplished through several different approaches. Surgery for Graves' Disease may include minimally invasive thyroid surgery, robotic thyroid surgery which does not produce a neck incision as well as transoral thyroid surgery which uses an incision within the mouth. The best surgery for Graves' Disease requires the safe removal of the entire thyroid gland no matter which approach is chosen.

"Just this week I saw a patient who was diagnosed with Graves' Disease several years ago," said Dr. Rashmi Roy of the Clayman Thyroid Center. "She was trying to manage her disease with several medications, none of which were working for her. While trying these medications, her thyroid grew substantially, and she developed a large Graves' goiter in her neck as well as Graves' eye disease. Because her goiter was so large, she was suffering with significant symptoms including difficulty breathing, swallowing and speaking. I removed her thyroid gland with an operation that lasted about an hour. She spent some time in recovery and was discharged the following day without any complications. If you have Graves' Disease and medical management is failing you, please consider surgery. It's the best option for your recovery."

Founded by Dr. Clayman, the Clayman Thyroid Center is widely recognized as America's leading thyroid surgery center, performing nearly 2,000 thyroid operations annually. Patients from all over the world travel to Tampa to have their operation performed by the Clayman Thyroid Center's surgeons at the brand-new Hospital for Endocrine Surgery. The Clayman Thyroid Center is a full-service thyroid surgery center, offering the most advanced forms of thyroid surgery for all types of thyroid tumors, from small thyroid nodules to large Graves' goiters and complex thyroid cancer.

The Clayman Thyroid Center's philosophy centers on a customized surgery plan for every single patient which includes:

• Complete and extensive ultrasound examination
• Ability to biopsy even the smallest nodules or lymph nodes
• Consultation regarding every option for your specific thyroid disease
• Expertise in complex thyroid diseases
• Expertise in robotic thyroid surgery that leaves no neck scar
• Surgeons work as a team to assure highest cure rates and best outcomes
• Highest volume, most experienced thyroid surgeons in America

"I am not one to fully trust testimonials, but I have to tell my story," said Carol, a recent patient at the Clayman Thyroid Center. "I was diagnosed with Graves' disease and had a long-distance phone consultation with Drs Clayman and Roy regarding my thyroid surgery. On the way to Tampa, I told my husband I was prepared to "just be a number" in the surgery process. Wow, I couldn't have been more wrong. It is amazing how individualized this treatment made me feel during this trying time. I cannot say enough amazing things about how I was made to feel and the level of treatment I was given. These people and this place are absolutely amazing. Not that I would wish this surgery on anyone, but if you need thyroid surgery, there is only one place to go."

Founded by one of the nation's best-known thyroid surgeons, the Clayman Thyroid Center is the highest volume thyroid cancer referral center in the United States. The Center boasts the most experienced thyroid surgeons in the US who provide personalized care allowing the greatest opportunity for cancer cure, wellness, and cosmetic and functional outcomes via all types of thyroid surgery from minimal incision to scarless thyroid surgery to advanced cancer care.

www.thyroidcancer.com | (813) 940-3130

Media Contact: Julie Canan, [email protected] 

SOURCE Clayman Thyroid Center