According to a story from Yahoo! News, a mother that is well attuned to her children can often have a special intuition when something is wrong. Thirteen year old Sheldon Cooper lived a pretty typical teenage life, but in recent months, he started to experience lowered energy levels. When he started to lose weight suddenly, his mother Brandy began to worry about her son’s health. As it turned out, the boy had developed Graves’ disease. 

About Graves’ Disease

Graves’ disease, sometimes called toxic diffuse goiter, is an uncommon autoimmune disease which impacts the thyroid gland, which plays a role in the secretion of certain hormones. It typically results in hyperthyroidism and is believed to be the most common cause. The origins of Graves’ disease is not well understood; however, some people are genetically susceptible to the illness; in these people, the disease is likely brought on by an environmental trigger, such as bacterial or viral infections. Women are more likely to develop the disease than men. Symptoms of Graves’ disease include sudden weight loss, thyroid eye disease, hair loss, tremors, diarrhea, heat intolerance, insomnia, excessive sweat, itching, increased appetite, and heart abnormalities. Treatments for the disease include radioiodine, antithyroid medications, and surgical removal of the thyroid. To learn more about Graves’ disease, click here.

Physicians Don’t Always Listen

Doctors were unfortunately dismissive of Brandy’s concerns about Sheldon, saying that his weight loss was not a cause for alarm and that he was healthy. This continued even when she pointed out that his father had passed away at an early age due to an undiagnosed heart problem. She also faced hesitation from her health insurance, so Brandy paid out of pocket to get lab work for Sheldon. Once the results came in, he was diagnosed with Graves’ disease.

While the disease isn’t that rare, it’s bizarre for it to occur in a teenager. The symptoms forced Sheldon to quit the basketball team, which was a significant blow for him. Nevertheless, he takes daily medication now and is thankful for his mother’s determination.

Brandy encourages parents to trust their instincts and keep pushing if you believe that something is wrong with your child.