Hi, my name is Kristie and I just found out that my Thyroid doesn’t function properly, and hasn’t since I was 13. That’s 22 years for those keeping count.
That is 22 years of confusion, stress, emotional roller-coastering, and physical pain.
So, why? What does the thyroid even do or in my case, not do? Well lack of proper functioning thyroid can cause the following symptoms:
Makes your hair dry and coarse
Causes hair loss and patchy eyebrows
Gives you a permanently puffy face
Slower heartbeat
Regular bouts of constipation
Weight Gain/ Inability to lose weight (despite diet and exercise)
Nails are brittle and break easily
Swelling and pain in joints
Intolerance to cold
Depression
Dry skin
Fatigue (ALL THE TIME)
Forgetfulness
Infertility
Pain and aches in muscles
Etc…
It turns out you do not really know what you are capable of, the kind of aches and pain you are capable of living through in your day to day life, until you put them all down on paper, and boy were my aches and pains beginning to weigh me down. I would work through my hours in the day, then drive the long journey home, only to arrive completely exhausted. I didn’t want to bother with any dinner, the energy for a shower seemed impossible, I just wanted to sleep. Then there would be days where I would wake up and my whole body hurt so much, I didn’t want to get out of bed, and would have to use one of my precious sick days.
Also, my poor, poor partner! I cannot imagine what kind of emotional seesaw they have been putting up with for well over a decade. He is my hero for putting up with my mess. From crying over a commercial, to irrational anger, to manic levels of happiness. He has really put up with the gambit of emotions.
Okay, but then what? All of these ailments, how’d it come out in the wash that your thyroid was to blame?
Sometimes you have to be your own advocate and really impress upon your doctor(s) to listen to you.
I know it is not a popular idea to demand something from your doctor(s), but it is your body, and you know it better than anyone else. If you feel something is not right, make your doctor listen to you.
You see my doctor is concerned about my lack of weight loss, despite a very serious approach to it. We are talking about counting calories, working out, drinking a gallon of water a day, and nothing-no difference. I was accused of shirking my workout routine, but he wouldn’t listen to me about the amount of pain I was in. I explained that I come from a very active background-having done gymnastics, softball, soccer, and cheerleading throughout my K-12 years-but this was met with derision and doubt. Finally I had to pull up my Wellness app and show him my data. That window into my world, combined with stellar numbers in my blood pressure and cholesterol FINALLY prompted him into taking a closer look through a blood test.
What he ended up getting tested was my TSH levels, and my T4 levels. The TSH is the hormone that stimulates your thyroid into working properly. You can have “normal” looking TSH levels, but still have a thyroid disorder, it turns out, which was the case with me. My TSH looked fine, if not a little low, the problem was my T4. It was basically non-existent, and T4 is what affects the Thyroid’s function. And my thyroid was not really functioning, it turned out. (I am not going to pretend that I didn’t do a little happy dance in front of my doctor when I found out the results, I so did!)
Now that the problem has been sussed out, begins the road of treatment. I am currently about 6 months into treatment, and doing better. I’m not exhausted all the time. Exercise is getting easier everyday, and isn’t leaving me in as much pain. I can wake up without issue in the mornings. My hair and nails are starting to break and shatter less. I am so thankful. And I know that this process is nowhere near the end, but I am hopeful. And that is more than I have been in a long time. However, I have to be more vigilant than ever about what I am putting into my body. No more processed goodness. Say goodbye to the occasional soda and delicious over prepared juice drinks. My diet is now fish and veg and fruit and water, and BORING! But, I would rather feel better. It is still an uphill battle, but I am taking it a step at a time.
For more information about thyroid diseases check it out the Medline Plus directory here.
I know this video is dry and has robot voice: but it sums it all up so nicely.
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