When Gail Devers’ health began to deteriorate, she was at UCLA, where she had been competing at the top of her game for years.
The Olympic gold medalist tells PEOPLE, “My eyes started bothering me, I had extreme fatigue, and my hands were shaking constantly. “I had sores on my face, my skin was peeling off, and I had lost so much weight that I looked emaciated. “.
Despite experiencing odd symptoms and feeling unusually weak, she managed to make it to the 1988 Seoul Olympics. However, her body would not cooperate during her sprinting and hurdling events. Devers, 55, claims that “something was unquestionably wrong.”. “When I got there, my running speed plummeted; it was slower than the first time I had ever stepped foot on a track.
“.
After the Games, she started a three-year quest for answers that involved countless doctor visits. The 125-pound athlete recalls her hair falling out in clumps and her weight dropping. She is 5’3″ tall. to 79 lbs. She claims that she would frequently be asked if she was okay by friends, family, and teammates, but “I got tired of having to answer those questions — and of having no answers for myself. “.
Her condition deteriorated, and her self-esteem suffered. A young child who was playing nearby asked her mother what was wrong with Devers one day while she was sitting in a park and remarked that she “looks like a monster.”. “.
Devers recoils from the memory. “I walked inside my home. I stared at the skeleton of my reflection, who was reflecting back my image.
Black sheets were used to cover my mirrors.
“Devers experienced a depressive episode during which she stayed home, didn’t answer the door, and didn’t answer the phone.
Then, in 1990, Devers’ visible goiter—a swelling of the thyroid in the neck—came to the attention of her UCLA track team physician, who she hadn’t seen in a while. Devers admits, “That was the first time I had even heard of a thyroid.”.
Her autoimmune disorder Graves’ Disease, in which the thyroid gland is attacked by the immune system, was identified by a specialist within a week of her presentation. One in 100 Americans are affected, and women are 5 to 8 times more likely to contract it than men.
According to Dr. Henry Burch, M.D., Graves’ hyperthyroidism can cause a person to lose their high level of productivity over a period of weeks or months. cochair of the American Thyroid Association and endocrinologist.
“The disease can be mistaken for other disorders, so patients with suggestive symptoms should inquire about the possibility of a thyroid disorder, which can be easily confirmed or excluded with a straightforward blood test,” he continues.
Devers started receiving radioactive iodine therapy, which kills the thyroid’s hormone-producing cells. By 1991, she was back in the gym, this time preparing for the world championships to earn a spot in the Barcelona Olympics in 1992, where she won gold in the 100-meter dash. She would go on to win gold in the 4100-meter relay and the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.
But not all of her symptoms had subsided. “I still had the puffy eyes, the redness, and the tears. She explains, “I was running the hurdles at the Games, but it was like I was looking through film; it was blurry. “.
She recalls feeling helpless: “I just assumed my symptoms were caused by my Graves’ and that there was nothing I could do about it,” she recalls.
Before the last enigma surrounding Devers’ health was cleared up, it took another 30 years. She suspected she had Thyroid Eye Disease after taking an online eye health quiz. This condition is uncommon and only affects a small percentage of people with Graves’ disease, but it almost always occurs in those who have Graves’. Anger, pain, tearing, swelling, and in severe cases, vision loss are all symptoms of TED that can be uncomfortable and embarrassing.
According to Dr. Dot Burch, patients with TED may experience a significant decline in quality of life as a result of their visual impairment and altered appearance.
The fact that Devers was able to receive treatment for the condition, which entails using eyedrops and consulting with her doctor to choose a course of action, was a huge relief to her.
Devers, who resides in Atlanta with her husband Mike and daughters Karsen, 16, and Legacy, 14, describes herself as a sprinter. I should be the first to cross the finish line, but it has taken me 30 years after discovering I have Graves’ disease to realize I also have TED. “.
Start paying attention to your eyes if you have Graves’ disease, she advises. “Don’t assume, as I did, that you must deal with it because it is a component of your Graves’ disease.
Not you.
“.
She’s inspired to assist others as a result of the experience.
Devers says, “I don’t want anyone to have to go through what I went through.”. “I want to pass on my wealth of knowledge to help people become health advocates. “.
