My Journey with Grave's Disease

When Thin Isn't In

Flipping through any women's or fashion magazine, a reader is sure to notice that all of the models used to hawk goods from perfume to lingerie to cooking gear are thin. Not just "in shape" or "athletic" - but actually thin. But in a country where "overweight" is now "average", the thin body type has become the target of criticism, derision and jokes about anorexia and bulimia. While many are quick to blame their weight - their excess weight, that is - on medical issues, few realize that many individuals struggle with just the opposite problem. In my personal experience, because I was a very thin child and remain a very thin adult, the assumption is made that I either starve myself on a regular basis or work out like crazy. The reality - neither is true! I'll admit it - I do miss the occasional meal due to a busy work load and my husband and I work out as regularly as our schedules permit. But the real reason for my size - a time when thin isn't in - is a disorder that plagues many thousands of individuals around the world, often undetected.

In 2001, I was diagnosed with Graves' disease, which is a form of hyperthyroidism. When I was diagnosed, I'm not sure what worried me more - a disease with the term "Grave" in it, or learning how to spell "hyperthyroidism" - a term I'd previously never known. The diagnosis was a long time coming - I'd suffered the symptoms of hyperthyroidism for, literally, years before the pieces were finally connected and the right blood tests run. Along the way, I periodically worried that the symptoms were all in my head - after all, I was the child whose mother ran to the doctor at the first sniffle - and couldn't that have followed me into adulthood? I worried about my eating habits - when I'd miss a lunch, I thought that maybe I was tending towards anorexia. I listened to the concerns of teachers, coworkers, friends and family who commented on my size and advised me to gain weight. And in the mean time, I ignored many of the symptoms that make up the illness that is Graves' disease.