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Symptoms And Treatment Of My Childhood

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Most people would not find weight loss, heat intolerance, and an elevated heart rate in a twelve year-old particularly worrying. Most people, assuming they even noticed these things, might write them off as “growing pains.” My mother, however, was not most people. She was a registered nurse, eighteen years in, and she had an inkling of what the symptoms might indicate. I remember feeling concerned that my mother had deemed it necessary to schedule an appointment at Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital. Sitting in the examination room, I felt my nerves heighten as my mother described the seemingly inoffensive symptoms to the physician, who regarded her intently. The subsequent blood test confirmed what my mother had suspected: elevated T3/T4 and suppressed TSH levels, indicating hyperthyroidism.

The unknown term frightened me instantly. Sensing my alarm, my endocrinologist explained what hyperthyroidism meant. My thyroid was producing excessive amounts of hormones. She assured me that the condition was manageable, and with daily medication and occasional blood tests, I would be fine. The sincerity in her eyes and the warmth of her voice were all I needed to trust her words. Through the remainder of my childhood, I became very familiar with the Children’s Hospital. Spending so much time in the waiting room before appointments yielded the opportunity to observe many other children, both older and younger, many with cases more debilitating than mine. A part of me was saddened that

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