Is Hyperthyroidism Good for Underweight Individuals?

Linda, a 25-year-old youtuber from Sydney, Australia suffered from Graves’ disease.

At a period of time, she was getting sick so often that she visited the doctors to find out the reason. The doctor noticed that her neck area was abnormally thick and sent her for an ultrasound and a nuclear testing to test the hormone level in her thyroid. After getting the results, she was diagnosed with Graves’ disease in August 2010. Since then, she has been taking medication every day and has to seek medical consultation from a specialist.

This disease has affected her entire life. She has to watch what she ate or she can gain weight easily. It also affects her mental well-being as she suffers from stress and anxiety issues. Now, she is seeking help by learning how to manage her coping mechanisms.

Before she had this disease, she was underweight. Now, she has gained between 7 to 9 kg and is of an average weight according to body mass index (BMI).  However, her weight is currently still unstable at the moment and is on medication.

To affected individuals like her, it is something very hard to cope with and is something that she has to embrace over time. From her experiences, it is important for loved ones to be there to give emotional support, especially during difficult times like this.

Video reference:

linnya, 2015. Day 107 - LifeBeyondTheGrave.com - Living with Graves Disease. [video] Available at: <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=upZwa_CfHwg> [Accessed 21 November 2015].