Living Life More Clearly

Ladreaer is very personable so her family and friends noticed something was amiss when she wouldn’t look directly at them when speaking and she started shying away from having her picture taken. She found herself intentionally avoiding conversations and wearing shades just so she didn’t have to look directly at people and or catch them staring at her eyes.

Her eyes were wide, bulging, and red and hurt every morning. She also was fatigued, had insomnia, her skin was dry, and experienced weight loss. Ladreaer felt something wasn’t quite right. In January 2014 she felt her symptoms with her eyes were worsening and she had a rapid heart rate that just didn’t add up. Luckily, she is a pediatric medical assistant, so she was able to take her vitals when she got into work and checked herself into the emergency room that same day.

At the ER it was determined she was dehydrated, and her thyroid was not working correctly so she was referred to see an endocrinologist. The doctor diagnosed her with hyperthyroidism and Graves’ disease, an autoimmune disorder in which your immune system attacks your thyroid and causes it to make too much hormone. Her Graves manifested in the form of Thyroid Eye Disease (TED), an inflammation of the eye muscles, eyelids, tear glands, and fatty tissues behind the eye. This helped explain her bulging eyes and headaches.

There are a few options to treat TED, but her doctor felt that Tepezza infusions would be the most beneficial for Ladreaer. Tepezza is a prescription intravenous infusion given every three weeks for a total of eight treatments. Tepezza reduces eye bulging and double vision. It also improves the signs and symptoms of TED including eye pain, redness, and swelling.

Ladreaer started treatments in May 2023 and chose Sage Infusion in part for its convenient location to her job and daughter’s school. Now she couldn’t imagine getting treatments anywhere else. “The staff (Lisa and Renee) are so friendly and knowledgeable. I look forward to my infusion treatments at Sage, they give me the VIP treatment every time and genuinely care for me.”

Her symptoms started to improve after the 2^nd treatment.  She felt less pressure behind her eyes and her eyes weren’t swollen or red when she woke up.  Fast forward to her last treatment in October 2023, Ladrear now enjoys conversations with family and friends and even strangers.

“My old self is back, and I must thank Tepezza and Sage Infusion for helping me with the process. My sister even noticed a dramatic difference stating, “OMG your eyes are so much smaller!””

Ladreaer has completed all eight treatments with Sage infusion.