Thyroid Cancer Support

Posts Tagged ‘graves disease’

Right now, there is no official word on the cause of 32-year old actress Brittany Murphy’s tragic death, other than she suffered cardiac arrest. Rumors are flying, as they often do after the death of a young celebrity, suggesting that Murphy may have been using drugs. The actress had become extremely thin in recent years, and the tabloids had suggested she might have an eating disorder such as anorexia.

Some of the rumors have also suggested that Murphy may have had a thyroid disorder. Her rapid weight loss may have contributed to that rumor. Interestingly, at one point, in vehemently denying allegations of drug use, Murphy told reporters “I can’t even take an over-the-counter cold remedy like Sudafed, because it will make my heart explode!” (Interestingly, some thyroid patients are extremely sensitive to stimulants like pseudoephedrine, which is in some formulations of Sudafed.)

I don’t know what killed Brittany Murphy, or if she did have a thyroid condition. We need to wait for official word to find out the truth.

But could Murphy have been suffering from an undiagnosed thyroid condition? It’s possible. There are millions of women in the U.S. with undiagnosed thyroid conditions. Sadly, some younger women who develop Graves’ disease/hyperthyroidism — an overactive thyroid — experience rapid weight loss as a key symptom. Far too often, however, these women are assumed to be anorexic, and friends, family and even doctors do not recognize the signs. So when they see a teenage girl, or woman in her 20s and 30s, who is experiencing hyperthyroid symptoms such as rapid weight loss — often accompanied by anxiety, insomnia, and even panic attacks — even the doctor may assume that the woman is suffering from anorexia, bulimia, or an anxiety or panic disorder. Many of these women never get proper medical tests — including thyroid evaluation — and are instead sent off to therapists, or given antidepressants and antianxiety medication. I’ve heard so many stories like this that I can say that this sort of midsiagnosis is more common than is acceptable.

If someone has undiagnosed or untreated hyperthyroidism at any age, they are also at risk of a condition known as thyroid storm. Thyroid storm is extremely dangerous and frequently fatal, as the heart rate, blood pressure and body temperature can become uncontrollably high, and cardiac arrest or stroke can occur.

If it turns out that Murphy did have a thyroid condition, she would not be the first celebrity to have had a thyroid condition.

Note: Our terrific Heart Disease Guide Dr. Rich Fogoros has an informative post, Brittany Murphy: Sudden Death In the Young that talks about some of the reasons for cardiac arrest in someone as young as Murphy.

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Did a Thyroid Problem Kill Brittany Murphy? originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Tuesday, December 22nd, 2009 at 14:25:44.

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One of the most amazing things about the Internet is the ability to connect with people, around your town, your state, the country — or even the world — who share similar interests. And for many thyroid patients, the Internet can be a terrific resource to connect, find other patients for support and information, and a friendly voice who understands what you’re going through.

If you’re interested in thyroid support online, there are a number of places you can start. First, we have eight thyroid support forums right here at the About.com Thyroid site. Your starting point can be the main About.com Thyroid Disease Forum features hundreds of active discussions each day, on a broad cross-section of thyroid-related topics.

We also have a number of other specialized thyroid support forums here at About.com, including the following:

• Thyroid Diet and Weight Loss for Thyroid Patients: Support Forum
  
• Thyroid Disease Support Forum for Patients in the United Kingdom and Ireland
  
• Hyperthyroidism & Graves’ Disease: Support Forum
  
• Thyroid & Hormones, Fertility, Menopause Support Forum
  
• Thyroid Cancer Support Forum
  
• Discuss Top Thyroid Doctors & Thyroid Support Groups
  
• Alternative Medicine for Thyroid Disease
  

Listservs

Some people prefer a listserv format for support, in which case, you might want to join:

• The Thyroid Listserv on Yahoo — which covers all facets of thyroid disease, diagnosis, treatment and support

• Save Natural Thyroid Listserv on Yahoo — is an online support listserv for patients and practitioners interested in protecting the right to natural thyroid drugs

Facebook

For those who prefer Facebook for support, here are some resources:

• Thyroid Patients Global Support Community — a Facebook online thyroid support community

• Facebook: Save Natural Thyroid — a Facebook support group for patients and practitioners interested in protecting the right to natural thyroid drugs

• Facebook: Mary Shomon — Mary Shomon’s Facebook page, where many thyroid patients share their stories, experiences, and questions as part of the thyroid community
  

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Thyroid Support on the Web originally appeared on About.com Thyroid Disease on Thursday, October 29th, 2009 at 22:14:37.

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