Grave's ophthalmopathy attacks the eyes muscles directly. The eye
muscle disease is not caused by high *or* low thyroid levels; it is
caused by the same antibodies that attach the thyroid.

I was diagnosed, a few years ago, with both Hashimoto's hypothyroidism
*and* Grave' opthalmopathy (more correctly known as Thyroid Eye
Disease). I have never been hypERthyroid, only hypOthyroid, but there
is no question of my eye disease. There are no tests for the majority
of thyroid antibodies, but I was negative for those few tests that do
exist.

Now I am suffering badly from some sort of myopathy. My arms are weak,
and my legs are extremely weak. I cannot walk more than ten feet and
must use a wheelchair. All of my blood tests are normal, including all
thyroid levels, and my symptoms also indicate that my thyroid
replacement is perfect. Tests for all manner of other diseases are
normal, too: I don't have MS, a brain tumor, Addison's (not even
borderline), myasthenia gravis, myositis, anemia, B12 deficiency, etc.
No numbness, tingling, or any other symptom, either. My reflexes are
slightly hypertonic. My sed rate, ANA, and C-reactive protein are all
low. The only truly abnormal results were EMGs indicating "subclinical
myopathy", not sufficient, the neurologists told me, to explain my
degree of disability.

Is it possible that my arm and leg muscles are being attacked now in
exactly the same way as my eye muscles and thyroid are? If so, what
can be done? Normal thyroid levels are not helping. I take Celebrex
daily as treatment for my thyroid eye disease.

Thanks for any help you can offer. My physicians are all baffled,
which is quite an uncomfortable situation for me.

Paula B.