A woman shares how waking with an insatiable thirst led her to a surprising diagnosis. Photo / Getty Images
OPINION:
At 20 years old, while living in Thailand, I woke one night with an insatiable thirst.
My first thought was that I was simply dehydrated, but I was drinking litres and litres of water that was flushing straight through my body, and I was still thirsty.
Returning home to Perth and feeling even worse, it took my doctors five weeks to figure out what was causing my body to feel this way – I was unable to retain any water.
I was sweaty, my eyes were runny, my nose was runny, I was drinking water but my body wasn't absorbing it.
A MRI revealed a brain tumour on my pituitary gland, which was inhibiting the secretion of the antidiuretic hormone. The essential hormone your body needs to retain water.
The doctors told me the thirst I had been experiencing was a condition called Diabetes Insipidus, which would change the way I lived forever.
I was shocked – how could I possibly have a brain tumour?
Doctors explained the pituitary gland is responsible for producing hormones for a number of important functions in my body – including childbirth.
I was 20 and hadn't thought of having children yet, but had to face the possibility that things may look a little different for me when I did choose to try to have children. I may never be able to conceive.
They decided to medicate my symptoms and keep me comfortable until they could figure out what to do. It was the holiday period, so limited surgeons were available to perform the surgery to remove the tumour.
However, my body responded really well to the medication, so the tumour has never been removed – which I always believe was a blessing.
Now, 16 years on, I still rely on hormone replacement medication to allow my body to retain water. I've had to completely adjust my lifestyle – I can't drink too much caffeine or alcohol, for example, or my medication doesn't work. I need to be really careful when I travel to a country where the water from the tap is not safe.
When I met my husband Luke and we eventually decided to try and fall pregnant, we had to consult with specialists. I was classed as "high-risk" – they weren't sure what impact the tumour was going to have on the childbirth-related hormones, or if I would be able to carry a baby to full term.
The main issue would be producing oxytocin for labour, and due to having a very fine sodium balance from the medication, I needed to have weekly blood tests throughout my pregnancy to make sure my levels were where they needed to be.
Six years later, I am the proud mother of two beautiful children – Ari, 6, and Otis, 3 – as well as my third baby – my business Alf the Label.
While I was pregnant with Ari, I searched high and low for a baby bag that represented me as a modern woman with my own style. I couldn't find anything that I actually wanted to wear, while also meeting my practical needs as a parent.
I decided to take matters into my own hands. I designed my own baby bag and had it made.
As I navigated the early months of motherhood, my baby bag caught the attention of other mothers – I realised that the bag I couldn't find and had made myself was the one other parents were searching for too.
This is where Alf the Label was born – at my kitchen table in 2016. I never imagined it would turn into what it is today. We have just celebrated Alf's fifth anniversary, having cultivated a loyal community of over 50,000 worldwide and growing at an incredible rate.
Looking back, my journey with a brain tumour has led to an unwavering positivity in me. Being given this prognosis at a time in my life where I was just learning to figure it all out fuelled my desire to always go after what I want, and not let anything get in my way.
One of my doctors told me a little while after being diagnosed that he was stunned because in his long career in medicine, he had only come across two patients with this particular condition and both of us walked into his office in the same month.
The other patient had lost hope after the diagnosis and very sadly passed away not long after.
If there is one thing I have learned through this, it's the power of positive thinking. When you take challenges with a grain of salt and really look to put the situation in perspective, you truly can achieve anything.