npattersonWhat a lot of autoimmunity/thyroid. I guess that takes care of the genetic part?! What I have always been told is that compared to a population of people without autoimmune disorders, we will have a slightly higher number of occurances of another autoimmune disorder than the number of autoimmune disorders that the "normal" group will develop, but that number is not statistically significant.
If there are a lot of different autoimmune disorders in your family (diabetes, lupus, arthritis,…the list is quite long) your chances are obvbiously greater, because you now have an additional genetic factor influencing your health. Throw in a lack of support system, living in a huge city vs. living in a small town, health habits (smoking, nutrition, exercise…that list goes on, too). There are some things you have control over, other things that you do not (gender, age, your genetic predispositions).
Educate yourself as much as possible (get a family history when possible); learn about the illnesses that "run" in your family; change the things you can; and get a yearly physical with a doctor that will listen to your concerns and check for them. At that point, you have to give yourself a break. You will have done everything you can. You deserve to live a worry-free life (not one where you don’t pay attention, Scarlett!)