...On his way from Genoa to Sicily, Dr. Robert James Graves saved a ship and its mutinous crew by assuming command during a storm in the Mediterranean. During a gale the vessel sprang a leak, the pumps failed, and the crew attempted to abandon ship: Graves holed the one lifeboat with an axe, declaring to the crew, "let us all be drowned together, it is a pity to part good company", he then proceeded to repair the pumps with leather from his own shoes, so saving the ship and all aboard.
Dear friends: I bet you may not know what is "Graves' disease", or you do?
It is a disease if left untreated will bring one to the grave. Just kidding! However, it used to be not treatable in ancient years.
It was named after an Irish surgeon Robert James Graves who was the first doctor reporting it. It is an autoimmune disease that your immune system turns against yourself.（自己跟自己過不去）
Well, after losing 10 lbs in 2 months last Spring. I knew something had to be very wrong with my body and went to have a regular check up. A week later, I went to see the specialist who ordered another blood test to check antibody counts in my blood. I was found to have this Thyroid autoimmune disease, Graves' disease.(hyperthyroidism).
I then just started to realize in details how our Thyroid gland (甲狀腺) has played such an important function in our bodies, although it is only very small size. (approximately 15 to 25 g, with each lobe 4 to 6 cm in length and 1.3 to 1.8 cm in thickness.The Thyroid gland looks like a butterfly.) Along with Subcutaneous gland 腦下腺 ( size as a pea, very very small) they both control all over most important functions of our bodies--metabolism, heart rate, body temperature control...etc. They work together to achieve the delicate balance of Thyroid hormones.
Within one week, my pulse has increased to 109 at the time I saw the endocrinologist, and he prescribed a Beta blocker to block the Thyroid hormone from speeding up my heart beats. After reading the many possible side effects of the Beta blocker( a common drug for high blood pressure but I am usually having low blood pressure, so I never use it before.), I was scared and decided I was not going to take it yet, thinking my pulse was only a little bit faster than normal range and my hands were only slightly trembling. Besides, I was foolish to have Pneumonia vaccine last Wednesday when I went to see my eye doctor because that vaccine was long overdue and I wanted to get it done with. That caused some slight pain too. All a sudden, that night, my pulse was up, up , up to 116. and I couldn't sleep. So I swallowed the pill to stop this crazy upward march of my heart beats. There is no room for me to argue not taking the pill any more. I had to, I have to swallow the pill right then..
Well, I have learned my lesson and have some insight to share with you through this short ordeal. First of all, our Creator God has made such a small gland work so well for us. For more than 71 yrs, my Thyroid gland serves me well. it is so small, yet it is a control center of the body. Isn't it amazing? When it serves us well, we never appreciate its existence. Now that I have autoimmune problem, then I have just realized what a big contribution of Thyroid gland did to me in all these past years and I am full of thankfulness to God.
Secondly, though I don't know how and why my own immune system has turned against myself, ( gene or stress as most articles suggest??) Yet I do know I am sick when I lost weight rapidly and suddenly my pulse rate increases, . The reality is I am sick and need to take medicines prescribed to me by an authentic specialist whether I like it or not, regardless if that particular medicine may give me terrible side effects or not. In a word, there is no time for me to keep arguing for the unknown causes of this disease, I better took action to take the remedy pills. Thank God, after taking the pills two times, my pulse went back to normal.
Dear friends, generally speaking, don't you realize humankind's souls( or minds) are sick? You may not like or understand the reasons Bible gave us about the cause or root of human sinful nature. Perhaps in this side of heavens, we may not have the perfect answer because we are very limited in our understanding. Yet the reality is humans are sinful in our fallen nature. So called the dark side of human mind/heart, by many people, right? Look around our world, so many evil things are going on, we simply can't deny human nature is fallen, right? We are also running out of time for those who hit 70 years plus like me. There is a sense of urgency, don't you realize that? I don't know how long I have left to have the chance to tell you the good news of Jesus. Please don't let many biases keep you from knowing our Creator God! Just because we don't understand God's mind and His way of doing things, shouldn't make us to deny His existence and His offer of eternal life through Jesus Christ, the eternal God.
May God give us wisdom to count our days and hurry up to be connected with Him!
Note:
What Causes Graves' Disease?
Hormones secreted by the thyroid gland control metabolism, or the speed at which the body converts food into energy. Metabolism is directly linked to the amount of hormones that circulate in the bloodstream. If, for some reason, the thyroid gland secretes an overabundance of these hormones, the body's metabolism goes into high gear, producing the pounding heart, sweating, trembling, andweight loss typically experienced by hyperthyroid people. Normally, the thyroid gets its production orders through another chemical called thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), released by the pituitary gland in the brain. But in Graves' disease, a malfunction in the body's immune system releases abnormal antibodies that mimic TSH. Spurred by these false signals to produce, the thyroid's hormone factories work overtime and exceed their normal quota.
Exactly why the immune system begins to produce these aberrant antibodies is unclear. Heredity and other characteristics seem to play a role in determining susceptibility. Studies show, for example, that if one identical twin contracts Graves' disease, there is a 20% likelihood that the other twin will get it, too. Also, women are more likely than men to develop the disease. And smokers who develop Graves' disease are more prone to eye problems than nonsmokers with the disease. No single gene causes Graves’ disease. It is thought to be triggered by both genetics and environmental factors, such as stress.
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