[TI] Grave's Disease (Ken Geraci)

Mon Aug 25 19:34:29 CDT 2008

Ken,

I'm sorry to hear about your sister.  I know how difficult this disease is to live with.  It has taken me seven years to get to the point that I can say I have more good than bad days.  For me, I was having some thyroid issues before I had my little girl but I was undiagnosed.  Immediately after my pregnancy my thyroid went into overdrive and I had a terrible time for several years until I finally got started on the right treatments.  When my eyes finally shrunk I couldn't believe how small they were.  They were enlarged for so long I forgot what I looked like before.

I'd like to research more on the Sicilian thyroid issues.  I am the fifth generation of Sicilian women in my family with problems.  I wish your sister the best of luck in treating her disease.

Sincerely,

Melanie D. Holtz

> Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 12:57:20 -0700
> From: ken_geraci at yahoo.com
> To: terminiimerese at comunesofitaly.org
> Subject: Re: [TI] Grave's Disease (Melanie Holtz)
>
> 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  wrote:
>
>> From: Melanie Holtz 
>> 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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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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