‘Grey's Anatomy' star Camilla Luddington reveals health diagnosis: ‘A little freaked out'
The actress, 41, recently revealed that after constantly feeling 'slothy' and 'tired' she got blood work done and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease.
'My doctor was like, 'Everything looks great except this one little thing.' And I remember hearing the words autoimmune disease and thinking, 'What the f–k?'' Luddington said on Wednesday's episode of her 'Call It What It Is' podcast that she co-hosts with former 'Grey's' co-star Jessica Capshaw.
'I was a little freaked out,' Luddington recalled, 'and then when they said it's really common, I was like, 'That sucks but okay.''
Hashimoto's disease is an autoimmune disorder that causes lower-than-normal levels of thyroid hormone in your body, according to Cleveland Clinic.
The disease affects about 5 in 100 people in the US. Symptoms include fatigue, weight gain, feeling cold, muscle pain and low or depressed mood.
Luddington explained that she was actually 'relieved' after she received her diagnosis from doctors.
'I felt like I had the answer for something that I've been knowing is going on,' she shared. 'And I have health anxiety, so there was a part of me that was like, 'Am I gaslighting myself?''
'I thought, I have two kids, I'm in my 40s. This is what 'the 40s' is,' the 'Californication' star continued. 'You know, I have jobs to do, maybe I'm perimenopause. It got to the point where, by 11 a.m., I felt like I had to chug Benadryl, and I needed to nap. It didn't matter how much sleep I'd gotten the night before. There was no pushing through the day.'
Luddington added that when she woke up one day her 'face and hands were really swollen.'
'It was getting to the point where I was like, 'Wow, this is hard to live this way.' I didn't realize how exhausted my body was,' she said.
But Luddington informed fans that she was prescribed Levothyroxine, a medication that treats thyroid hormone deficiency, and is now 'on the road to recovery.'
'I do feel a lot better. My energy's a lot better,' she said, adding, 'It's going to be a journey.'
Luddington has played Dr. Jo Wilson on 'Grey's Anatomy' since 2012.
The hit ABC series, which returns for Season 22 in October, also currently stars Ellen Pompeo, Chandra Wilson, James Pickens Jr., Kevin McKidd, Caterina Scorsone, Jason George, Kim Raver and Chris Carmack.
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