Patients Who Had TED for Years Before and After TEPEZZA Treatment

Kim: I’m Kim, and this is my journey with Thyroid Eye Disease.

When I was 17, I started to get really tired, and my mom was worried about me, so she took me to the doctor to have me checked for Mono.

And the doctor did the blood work and said, you do not have Mono.

I think it’s just growing pains and kind of just sent me on my way.

And then I went to college where I was recruited to play volleyball and run track. When I went to the

volleyball camp before the season,

the coach called me into the office

and she looked at me and she said, “You play like you’re sick,

I’m cutting you.” And I was devastated.

So, I went to a doctor on campus

and he basically told me I was a hypochondriac.

My uncle is an ophthalmologist

and he looked at me and said,

”Oh my gosh, you are so sick.”

My uncle got me into an endocrinologist,

and he said, “You have Graves’ disease, and you need treatmentsimmediately.”

So, I started radiation treatments.

Once that was stabilized, my eye symptoms started to get worse.

And my uncle at that time said, “You have Thyroid Eye Disease and it is independent from your Grave’s disease.”

I had the tightness in my eyes. The bulging. And they kept getting worse and worse

as time was going on. My eyelids wouldn’t close.

So, they got me into an ocular plastic surgeon

and I had my first Levator surgery.

That took care of the major symptoms.

I could drive during the day, but nighttime no, everything, all the lights were double.

You just kind of learn to live with those symptoms and move on because you think there’s nothing you can do anymore.

So, I thought this is just how it was going to be.

You just aren’t comfortable anymore with yourself in your own skin and everything bothers you.

It got to a point where I didn’t want to be out in public because

people would look at me and I knew they were looking at my eyes.

TEPEZZA is a prescription medicine used to treat Thyroid Eye Disease or TED, no matter if you’ve had TED for months or years.

TEPEZZA may cause infusion reactions. Tell your doctor right away if you have high blood pressure, fast heartbeat, redness of the face or feeling hot, difficulty breathing, headache, or muscle pain.

Please stay tuned for additional Important Safety Information later in this video.

After 25 years and four surgeries,

my optometrist recommended

that I see an oculoplastic surgeon,

and the new oculoplastic surgeon said, “Hey, there’s this new medicine out called TEPEZZA. I think before we do any more surgeries on you, you should try it.”

I had told her I saw the commercials, and I said I didn’t think it was an option for me

because I thought I had to be in that

bad phase with all those bad symptoms I had before.

And she said, “No, I’m pretty sure this is going to be it.”

When I went for my first infusion, I was very anxious.

Then after the second treatment, I got used to everything. And then after the fourth treatment,

I noticed the bulging had decreased. It was exciting to, to see that.

The most significant difference

was infusions five through eight. The tightness was gone. When I was done, my eye bulging, decreased three millimeters in each eye, which is a significant difference.

To see myself now, after this treatment, it’s been uplifting because I don’t think about my eyes every day anymore.

I can go about my day being confident and people aren’t asking me about my eyes.

When my son got married, I actually couldn’t wait to see the pictures.

And you see a picture. You don’t see eyes. It’s been an

amazing experience. If I can help somebody

who was in the same stage as I was and thinks they can’t do this,

they should make sure they ask their doctor, “is this an option for me?” Because I didn’t think it was

and it’s been incredible.

Talk to your doctor to see if TEPEZZA might be right for you.