[TI] Grave's Disease (Melanie Holtz)

[Ken Geraci]

Hi Melanie,

Fascinating posting. My sister, (whom really seems to take after my father's side of the family) was also diagnosed with Hashimoto's thyroiditis, after first suffering from Grave's disease for a few years when she was younger. The Grave's disease speeds up the thyroid so much that it basically burns it out resulting in Hashimoto's thyroiditis (an underactive thyroid).

And even more interesting, with regard to your Madonie mountain remarks, I have traced our Geraci family coat of arms to a possible connection with the Ventimiglia family who lived in Geraci Siculo, a town nestled in the Madonie mountains. So you may be on to something regarding the Madonie area having more Grave's disease (although these mountains are still pretty close to Termini).

Since my last posting on this topic, while hanging out in the Rochester, NY Border's bookstore (waiting to meet Paul Caito) I came across some info that Sicilian-American mobster, Sammy "The Bull" Gravano, was currently suffering from Grave's disease. So this disease really seems to hit Sicilians at a disproportionately higher rate that the general population. A doctor told me less than 1% of the population gets Grave's disease but if you look at Sicilians it would appear that this number would be far higher.

Ken Geraci

--- On Fri, 8/15/08, Melanie Holtz <melanie_holtz at hotmail.com> wrote:

> From: Melanie Holtz <melanie_holtz at hotmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [TI] Grave's Disease
> To: terminiimerese at comunesofitaly.org
> Date: Friday, August 15, 2008, 12:47 PM
> I did some internet research a couple of years ago and found
> Sicily had a high incidence of various thyroid problems.  A
> good many of the Sicilian females in my line had/has some
> form of thyroid disease.  I was diagnosed with
> Hashimoto's thyroiditis a few years ago.  My problems
> seem to have come down the ancestors that came from the
> Madonie rather than the one from Termini.
> 
> Sincerely,
> 
> Melanie D. Holtz
> 
> 
> > From: nellie at woh.rr.com
> > To: terminiimerese at comunesofitaly.org
> > Date: Fri, 15 Aug 2008 12:58:45 -0400
> > Subject: Re: [TI] Grave's Disease
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: "Ken Geraci" 
> > To: 
> > Sent: Sunday, February 17, 2008 5:16 PM
> > Subject: Re: [TI] Grave's Disease
> >
> >
> >> Joan,
> >>
> >> Wow, I just made a very similar posting as I also
> used
> >> to suffer from this. The experts say that less
> than 1%
> >> of the world has this rare genetic disorder and
> yet
> >> here are you and I and Roseann's grandson who
> all have
> >> this (and my sister and Termini grandfather, too).
> I
> >> am convinced that the gene for Grave's disease
> may be
> >> more prevalent in Termini. Do any other list
> members
> >> have this disorder also? If you or a family member
> is
> >> especially thin, hyperactive, emotional and have
> eyes
> >> that might tend to bulge you may wish to have your
> >> thyroid tested.
> >>
> >> Ken Geraci
> >>
> >> --- Joan Hegstad  wrote:
> >>
> >>> Roseann: My prayers are with your grandson - I
> know
> >>> what he is going through. I was diagnosed with
> >>> Graves
> >>> Disease at 28. (Actually I had Graves disease
> >>> during
> >>> my first pregnancy and didn't know it.) It
> effects
> >>> each person a different way. My eyes were only
> >>> affected a little bit, but I had severe pain
> in my
> >>> legs and could barely walk up stairs. It also
> left
> >>> me
> >>> very weak. I hope the doctors have gotten the
> >>> disease
> >>> under control already and now are taking
> corrective
> >>> action for some of the affects of Graves
> disease. I
> >>> was treated with radioactive iodine which
> >>> effectively
> >>> "killed" the thyroid. Since then I
> have had to take
> >>> thyroid pills and have blood tests regularly.
> >>>
> >>> Take care,
> >>> Joan Dattilo Hegstad
> >>>
> >>>
> >>> --- Roseann Lemp  wrote:
> >>>
> >>>> I would like to add my grandson Patrick to
> the
> >>>> prayer
> >>>> list/
> >>>> Pat has Graves Disease that effects the
> thyroid.
> >>> He
> >>>> has been thru a lot and because of the
> disease his
> >>>> eyes have been affected. They are very
> swollen
> >>> and
> >>>> he
> >>>> looks like he has a donot surrounding each
> eye.
> >>> Next
> >>>> tues February 19 Pat will under go the
> first of a
> >>>> searies of surgerys, to reduce the problem
> with
> >>> his
> >>>> eyes. Please pray for him he is only 27
> and we
> >>> are
> >>>> so
> >>>> worried about him...
> >>>>
> >>>> Thank You, Roseann (italian cousin)
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>>
> >>
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> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
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