When the doctor told me I had Graves’ disease, I didn’t even know what it was. I knew the symptoms very well though because I had been suffering from them for months.
After giving birth to my first daughter, I experienced rapid weight loss, which was not unduly concerning and actually quite welcome given that I wanted to lose my pregnancy weight.
However, other symptoms developed that raised red flags. I was very hyperactive, had started sweating profusely and suffered with trembling muscles. My hair was dry and I wasn’t sleeping well. I just felt really off balance and knew something wasn’t right.
I went to my family doctor who sent me for an emergency meeting with an endocrinologist and after several tests and scans I was told I had Graves’ disease. Heart pounding with fear, I asked the doctor if I could die from it. He said, yes you can if we don’t treat it. That knocked me for six.
What is Graves’ Disease?
Graves’ disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid). This means that your thyroid produces an excess of hormones as your immune system ‘attacks’ the thyroid when your body malfunctions and sends out the wrong signals.
I had the classic symptoms but was told that if left, more severe symptoms would develop such as bulging eyes, severe dry skin, brittle hair as well as the increased risk of thyroid storm which can ultimately lead to death.
Doctors Recommendation
It was frightening news, especially as a new mum. I asked the doctor what treatment options I had. He told me that I had three: radioactive iodine, surgery or medication.
I advocate living the most natural life possible for me and my children so in short, none of these appealed and I rejected them all. He said I had to pick one.
The doctor recommended surgery. He said a simple operation would remove my unhealthy thyroid gland and I would remain taking thyroxine (an artificial thyroid hormone) for the rest of my life. Given that my best friends’ mum had died during thyroid surgery when we were teenagers, this was my least favourite option. No, thank you.
So he then suggested drinking the radioactive iodine, letting it kill my thyroid gland, then substitute the hormones for the rest of my life and remain with a ‘dead’ thyroid gland in my body. I asked what affects the radioactive material would have on my baby, as I planned to breast feed her for at least a year, he said ‘no guarantees’. No, thank you.
Trust Your Gut!
I remember a very clear moment during my appointment that something made me take a step back in my mind and say to myself, wait, slow down. I was listening to my instinct and it was telling me something.
It told me that there must be a different way.
I felt very pressured by the doctor but I found my voice to ask him about trying to treat it naturally and if he would give me 6 months to give it a go. He laughed at me. And then told me I was ‘selfish’. I’m not joking, he really did. He said that it wasn’t just about me anymore that I was now a new mum and I should consider my baby daughter (as if I wasn’t!).
Then he frightened me. He told me that he was treating a woman currently in the hospital who had gone into a thyroid storm and unfortunately had had a stroke.
In that moment of panic, I agreed to take the daily medication and I left his office, in tears.
I didn’t exactly know it at that time but that was going to be my first and last to him.
I never went back.
Taking Control
I started the medication and within a few weeks had reversed my thyroid hormones so drastically, that I had become hypothyroidic (underactive). I felt really awful. My family doctor suggested I supplement this medication by taking thyroxine to help balance my hormones, which I did.
I felt like a guinea pig. Try this, do that and let’s see what happens. I was taking two medications – one to decrease and the other to increase thyroid hormones. It did not make sense to me.
At that moment, I took control. I stopped everything. I knew this was risky but I took that risk. I decided I was going to try the natural route.
First, I started my research. I read everything I could about Grave’s disease and created my action plan. I consulted with my friend Wendy, who runs Wise Living, and she advised which Ayurvedic herbs would help me. Together, we revamped my daily diet. I stopped drinking coffee and alcohol. I started bi-weekly acupuncture and shiatsu massage sessions (both of which work on my energy meridians) and I began regular exercise.
I stuck to my new regime for 6 months, religiously.
Fighting Fit
Fast forward 18 years….I still have my thyroid gland intact.
In between that time until today, lots happened to test my body. I went on to have 3 more children, giving birth naturally without any antenatal or postnatal issues.
Of course, my thyroid is something that will always need checking. It is my little anomaly that needs extra attention so bi-annual blood tests and yearly scans are par for the course. So far, so good.
Listen To Your Body
I am not telling anyone to ignore their doctor’s advice. That would be crazy. And of course there are situations and conditions that we have no choice other than to follow medical advice, I get that.
What I am saying though, is listen to your body and trust your instincts. Maybe there is an alternative? Is there anything else that you could try before the drastic irreversible steps such as surgery? Why not give yourself some time out to research and try the natural route?
My life would have looked considerably different if I had listened to that doctor. I’m glad my instinct sent me a message but more so, that I trusted it and listened.
Get Out What You Put In
I think there is a place for both the medical model and alternative therapies to work synergistically to ensure we are treated in the most effective way that benefits both our short and long term health. I applaud those doctors who embrace both.
The way we treat our miraculous body is imperative to how it functions. Be kind to it. Fill it with goodness. Nurture it. Nourish it. Spoil it. And listen to it if it is trying to tell you something – you’ll be glad you did.
