Disclaimer… I am not a Dr. and have no intention of giving anyone any medical advice about any health concern. I am simply sharing my experience with a nearly lifelong medical condition.
I was first diagnosed with thyroid disease when I was just 15 years old, 27 years ago. My parents had taken me to see an oral surgeon at the recommendation of our family dentist. It was his opinion that it was time for all four of my wisdom teeth to come out. The oral surgeon did a complete exam of my head and jaw, including my neck. It was then that he informed us that my thyroid was enlarged and needed to be examined and tested. Lots of bloodwork and an iodine uptake test confirmed that I did indeed have a thyroid problem. The autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s Hypothyroidism (too low and slow) was the diagnosis. The medication Synthroid was prescribed.
A quick Google search of symptoms of thyroid issues will give you a whole bunch of unpleasant information…too much to list in fact. Let’s just say it’s obvious that your thyroid gland is in fact your master control gland. If it’s not happy, no one is happy. In the early years of having thyroid disease, I didn’t notice many symptoms, as the disorder was caught pretty early in it’s onset. However, as the disease progressed, the symptoms would as well.
One of the biggest problems I had over the first 15 years or so was that I did not seem to be absorbing my medication properly. Every time I went in for blood work, they would tell me that I needed a higher dose of Synthroid to function right. And believe me, you begin to recognize your body clues when it’s not functioning right as the years go on when you have an autoimmune disease like this. The two red flags of when I needed more medication were fatigue and chills. And when I say I was fatigued, I mean it’s a tired that comes from somewhere else. I could sleep for 10 hours and have to drag myself out of bed. It is difficult to explain if you have never experienced it. It’s as if your body is slowing down like when a battery starts to run out of power. And you can’t recharge it. Which is probably why you also get so cold. Even today as well managed as my symptoms are, I have an intolerance to cold. My body temperature also runs low. Hence, why I LOVE Summer when it’s HOT!
Another very common symptom of low thyroid is weight gain. At times I might put on a LB or 2, but I never experienced any significant weight gain like many people with Hashimoto’s do. Oddly, when I knew things were off, I would lose much of my appetite. Believe me, that is unusual, as I am a foodie.
Thyroid disease can also affect your skin and hair by making both very dry. Unfortunately, it has taken a toll on mine. Oddly, at times portions of my eyebrows disappear, and my hair never used to be as course, dry, and frizzy as it is today. It’s pretty much unmanageable. However, a few years back, when due to what my Dr. could only explain as a thyroid storm, I lost what I would estimate to be nearly 1/3 of my hair. I swore I would never, ever complain about my hair again. I had read many times about people losing their hair due to thyroid issues, but was always thankful that I had never experienced that awful side effect. Let me tell you, when you can pull out clumps of your own hair, there is a sinking feeling. You know it’s not normal and something has gone wrong in your body. It’s terrible and I do not wish it on anyone. It took many months to get my blood work and medication right, and even longer for my hair to return. Even today I am not sure that it’s quite the same, but at least it’s no longer leaving my head.
Having Hashimoto’s for 27 years has given me plenty of time to research, learn, experiment, and figure out what works best for my body. Each of us is different. In an effort to get off of prescription medication, as well as reduce the overall inflammation in my body, I have tried many supplements and vitamins that others have claimed to have helped their thyroid disorders. And I have spent a lot of money in the process. I can honestly say that none of them did much for me. Perhaps if I would have tried them sooner, before my disease had progressed for so long. I was just a kid when I was diagnosed. I took the medication that was prescribed to me and never asked questions. It wasn’t until years later that I would become hyper interested and passionate about all things natural health and fitness. Today you would really have to make a case for me to take another prescription medication. I want to know the root cause of anything that is going wrong in my body, not a Band-Aid to cover it up.
There has been only one thing that has ever made any significant difference in terms of my overall wellbeing, and it’s dietary changes. I have been a vegetarian for some years now, but I have also reduced my dairy consumption by at least 80%. Some days I don’t have any. I can tell you that change alone has reduced my inflammation by a very noticeable amount. You may not have the same experience. My Dad reminded me that my brother and I were both allergic to milk as babies. Perhaps this explains why I feel much better with way less dairy in my life. I also notice that when I eat a lot of sugar my inflammation is worse the next day. Which is a bummer when you have a sweet tooth like mine. The only way to really know if a dietary change will help you is to experiment with it. Reduce or eliminate a food if you think it may be causing you a problem. Listen to your body. See how you feel without it. For me there’s been no easy answer, only trial and error. Talk to your Dr. if you suspect you may have a thyroid problem. Take control of your health. The sooner the better.
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