Imagine being a young adult, suddenly having episodes of where your heart beats rapidly, “palpitations” is what some people call them, sweating copiously without any pain, feeling frightened and wondering if it is related to a recent change in circumstances. You put it down to stress, and hoping that it passes, but it doesn’t. Over time, you recognize that you are not your usually bubbly self, you are becoming irritable and grouchy to be around. Your family are noticing this, but you become defensive and tell them not to worry. Its now affecting your sleep and you are finding yourself unable to concentrate on things like you were able to a few weeks ago.
Fed up with this you make an appointment with your GP and a routine blood test (yes easy as!) determines that you have Graves disease! What the heck is that?
Graves disease is where your thyroid gland, which sits around your trachea, is producing too much thyroid hormone, and this has a domino effect on many systems, by affecting the calcium levels in the blood needed for many body processes.
If in doubt check it out!
As you can see by the scenario, brushing off the symptoms as something else is a common response. Pay attention to your body and recognize that something further could be happening!
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