The star requires lifelong medication to keep the symptoms from ‘returning’
As well as taking part in Bushtucker Trials, Gavin and Stacey star Joanna Page will face her own challenge when roughing it in the Australian jungle for I’m A Celebrity… Get Me Out of Here! The mum-of-four will have her own “invisible” health issue to manage while away from home.
The TV star will be entering the famous ITV jungle when the show returns to screens this Monday, November 16. She will share the camp with the likes of footballing legend Wayne Rooney, soap star Claire Sweeney and Paralympian Ade Adepitan.
But the Swansea-born actress, who also featured in the festive rom-com Love Actually, previously spoke about “losing her signature energy” one year and began experiencing bouts of chronic fatigue. She also noticed her tendency to shiver.
Joanna will likely continue to manage her underactive thyroid during her stint in the jungle. The condition, known as hypothyroidism, is common, according to the NHS, and requires medication for life to “prevent symptoms returning”. An underactive thyroid is widely described as an ‘invisible’ health condition because many of its most severe symptoms cannot be seen by others.
Speaking about the situation previously, Joanna told Wales Online that she constantly felt like she was “in slow motion all the time.” She added: “I just had no energy.
“I’d get out of bed, load the washing machine, and then be so drained I’d have to sit around staring into space for the rest of the day. I was continually freezing cold.
“I’d have the central heating on full blast, be wearing three layers of clothing including thermals. My husband James would have to walk around in shorts because it was so hot in the house.”
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Symptoms of an underactive thyroid are often similar to those of other conditions, and they usually develop slowly, so you may not notice them for years. For example, if you are at an age where you may be expecting the menopause, you may think you have started the menopause rather than having an underactive thyroid.
Treatment for an underactive thyroid involves taking daily hormone replacement tablets, called levothyroxine, to raise your thyroxine levels. You’ll have regular blood tests until the correct dose is reached.
Once you’re taking the correct dose, you’ll usually have a blood test once a year to monitor your hormone levels. People usually need treatment for the rest of their life, but are often able to lead a normal, healthy life.
Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: mirror.co.uk
