A psychotherapist and embodiment specialist is sharing her story about being repeatedly dismissed by medical professionals who attributed her severe physical symptoms to “new mum anxiety” and postpartum stress following the birth of her twins.
Dr. Ann Saffi Biasetti, now 58, struggled with infertility for years before welcoming twin sons. While she anticipated the typical exhaustion and sleepless nights of new parenthood, she was unprepared for the escalating symptoms that doctors and even family members dismissed as normal stress. Within months of giving birth, she experienced a racing heart, severe tremors in her hands, rapid weight loss, and shortness of breath, yet her concerns were consistently met with reassurances that she was simply anxious.
“Everyone thought it was motherhood,” Biasetti told the Daily Mail. Her obstetrician, at four months postpartum, suggested her symptoms were related to the stress of becoming a mother. Even her husband, while supportive, often attributed her struggles to the demanding nature of caring for two infants. The constant dismissal led Biasetti to question her own perception of reality. “There were moments where I genuinely wondered if maybe everyone else was right,” she recalled.
Despite the assurances, her symptoms worsened. The turning point came on the night of her sons' first birthday, when the pounding of her heart was so pronounced she could hear it in her ears. This visceral experience solidified her conviction that her condition was not merely anxiety or stress. The following morning, she insisted on further testing.
The results revealed she had Graves' disease, an autoimmune condition causing an overactive thyroid gland. This diagnosis, after more than a year of being disbelieved, was validating but also highlighted how much time had been lost. “It was validating because I finally knew I wasn't imagining it,” she said. “But I couldn't stop thinking about how long I had spent trying to convince people something was wrong.”
Due to the advanced stage of her illness, Biasetti underwent radioactive iodine treatment to address the malfunctioning thyroid tissue. This treatment required her to isolate herself from her infants for over a week due to radioactivity, a separation she described as one of the most painful aspects of her ordeal. “I couldn't hold my babies. I couldn't be with them,” she said, feeling that much of her early motherhood was stolen by her illness and the fight for a diagnosis.
Her struggles continued even after diagnosis. She recounted an incident where she overheard her endocrinologist remarking to a resident, “She's a crazy one,” after she challenged his treatment plan. This comment deeply affected her, reinforcing the isolation and doubt she had experienced. A sympathetic resident later helped her stabilize her condition, but the experience left a lasting scar on her trust in medical professionals.
Years later, Biasetti received another autoimmune diagnosis: mixed connective tissue disease (MCTD), a rare condition causing severe joint pain, fatigue, and Raynaud's disease. This diagnosis, again after initial skepticism from doctors, reinforced her belief that her body was trying to communicate a serious issue.
Biasetti has since shifted her perspective, moving from questioning why her body was betraying her to understanding what it was trying to tell her. This realization became the foundation of her concept of “body forgiveness,” emphasizing that healing begins when individuals stop viewing their bodies as adversaries and recognize they are doing their best to protect them, even in illness. Her experiences have shaped her current work as a psychotherapist helping others reconnect with their bodies and rebuild trust.
“No one else was going to be my body's protector but me,” Biasetti stated. “If you know something isn't right, keep asking questions until someone listens.” She emphasizes that her body was not betraying her but trying to be heard.