I'd never heard of Grave's Disease until I realised that I had it. The first symptom was a sense of my heart racing out of control (although my heart rate had increased, what I was hearing was my thyroid throbbing but I didn't realise this at the time).
I had given up smoking six months earlier and I was particularly active - swimming and jogging. I thought I had overdone it with exercise but really I was feeling totally lethargic.
It was like everything was speeding up on the inside yet slowing down on the outside. I was also eating a lot but losing weight at the same time. It took between six to eight weeks to find out what was wrong. This is the really scary part because you're really sick and your imagination runs away with you.
Once I realised that I had Grave's Disease and that it was treatable, I felt much better. Grave's Disease is not life threatening but it does alter the quality of your life. Within five days of starting on medication, I began noticing an improvement.
However, after the initial relief of finding what's wrong and feeling somewhat better physically, there is the emotional side. I felt I was locked into this system of taking seven tablets a day and I was someone who previously avoided tablets. I'm an artist in my 30s but while I was sick with Grave's Disease (otherwise known as a hyperactive thyroid gland), I felt very, very old. It made me realise what it is like when you want to do so many things and you can't. It impacted on all my daily activities.
Once on the tablets, there is a period of adjusting the dose to maximise their effect. This involves going back to the hospital every three months or so for blood tests. Having these regular visits to a hospital was one of the hardest things to get used to.
During the initial stages of being ill, I had extreme mood swings but this lessened over time. My periods became very erratic. Some research points to women with Grave's Disease being less fertile but this wasn't an issue for me as I wasn't trying to have a baby at the time. My weight fluctuated a lot too and my thyroid gland went from being hyperactive to underactive while the correct dosage was being worked out (the correct dosage is something that is constantly in flux and changes from hospital visit to visit). I also had the bulging eyes and swelling in the throat which are characteristic signs of Grave's Disease.
The energy levels I was used to were noticeable lower during my illness. Although I did participate in a study programme at the Whitney Museum in New York the first year and completed an M.A in film studies at DCU the second year of having it, I felt like I was under par all the time. Prior to getting Grave's Disease, I had a traumatic reunion with my real father and for me, there is definitely a connection between this and becoming ill.
I'm quite lucky really because after about two and a half years on medication, I was given a clear bill of health last January. Other people are not so lucky and may have to have their thyroid gland removed and stay on medication for life.
Since stopping the tablets, I know that I am better able to do things like I used to. I am slowly getting my energy back and getting used to not feeling lethargic. I am also back walking and swimming.
For anyone who has just been diagnosed with Grave's Disease, I would say that once they take their medication, they will feel better. It is possible to have an active life with Grave's Disease - but you will have less zest than you were used to.
In conversation with Sylvia Thompson