Erin Moriarty, best known for her role in The Boys, has opened up about her recent Graves’ Disease diagnosis.
In the process, Moriarty has also given warnings of the key health symptoms that mean you should get checked out for the disease.
The actor, who plays co-protagonist Starlight in The Boys, opened up about her diagnosis via Instagram.
Moriarty announced that a month ago she had been diagnosed with the autoimmune disease, saying that ‘within 24 hours’ of beginning treatment for it, she ‘felt the lights coming back on’.
What is Graves’ Disease and what has Erin Moriarty said about it?
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The disease is an autoimmune disorder in which you ‘produce too much thyroid hormone’.
The NHS, when discussing overactive thyroids, say that four in five people with an overactive thyroid have Graves’ Disease. The condition means that your immune system produces antibodies that causes the overproduction of the hormone via the thyroid.
Moriarty shared the diagnosis with a message, saying: “Autoimmune disease manifests differently in everybody/everybody.
“Your experience will be different from mine. My experience will be different from yours. Perhaps greatly, perhaps minutely.
“One thing I can say: if I hadn’t chalked it all up to stress and fatigue, I would’ve caught this sooner.”
Symptom of Graves’ Disease and warning issued by Erin Moriarty
The disease can cause a number of symptoms, many of which could be mistaken for extreme stress.
These include a rapid or irregular heartbeat, anxiety, sleeping troubles, weight loss, tremors and muscle weakness, and a number of other symptoms that could be chalked up to burnout.
This is exactly what Moriarty thought was going on, urging anyone who feels that their ‘light is dimming’ to see a doctor.
She said: “Don’t ‘suck it up’ and transcend suffering; you deserve to be comfy. Sh*t’s hard enough as is.”
She also shared a number of personal text messages, showing how she was feeling prior to the diagnosis.
One, between her and her mother, involved her saying: “I’m serious; I really need relief. I feel nauseated tonight.
“I feel so sh*t and removed from who I am, I can’t live like this forever.”
Another showed her after receiving treatement, demonstrating the difference it has made to her life.
She shared a text conversation with her father, saying: “I already feel a world of difference.
“Primary thought (as of now): ‘Damn, this is how I’m supposed to feel? I’ve been missing out!’”
The disease can at times be treated through use of the drug carbimazole, but other times can require the removal of the thyroid gland.
If you think you may suffer from the symptoms discussed in this article, read more from the NHS about when to contact your GP here.
Michael Slavin