I had always considered myself a healthy person.
UNTIL.
There have been too many little "untils" over the years.
UNTIL I got mono my senior year of college.
UNTIL I had trouble having children.
UNTIL I miscarried.
UNTIL I had carpal tunnel in my wrists.
UNTIL I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.
UNTIL I had heart palpitations from Mitral Valve Prolapse.
UNTIL I couldn't run anymore because my feet hurt.
UNTIL I developed allergies to sulfites and couldn't drink any alcohol anymore.
UNTIL I developed allergies to red dye in food.
UNTIL the skin around my eyes got puffy and itchy and I didn't know why.
UNTIL I had frequent bladder infections and sinus infections.
UNTIL my fingernails were dry, brittle and full of ridges.
UNTIL I couldn't ride for an hour in the car without falling asleep.
UNTIL my eyes were so dry at night it hurt to open them in the morning.
UNTIL my legs were swelling, leaving sock line indentations and itching at night.
UNTIL my memory was so bad that my husband started leaving little to-do notes for me.
UNTIL.
These things didn't happen all at once.
They happened over the course of 25 - 30 years.
But they kept happening.
How could such a healthy person have so many little health issues?????
It's possible it was all been related to one thing.
HYPOTHYROIDISM.
Did my doctor discover it? No.
Last year, my teen-age daughter got mono during her first year of college and it wasn't getting any better after 2 months. She had so many strange symptoms. And she was tired. So her pediatrician did blood work and threw in a thyroid test just in case. BINGO.
After researching the condition for her, I realized I was reading about myself.
Thyroid hormone runs the body's metalbolism.
When your body doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone, you are HYPOthyroid.
Thyroid hormone plays a role in the functioning of every body organ.
When you don't have enough thyroid hormone, so many things can happen.
It is believed that millions of people are hypothyroid and don't know it.
I had to ask my doctor to check my thyroid function.
I'm glad I did.
I have been on thyroid medication for almost a year now.
I FEEL GREAT!
I can drive to Vermont without loading up on caffeine so I don't fall asleep at the wheel.
I can wear shoes without arch support now - my feet don't hurt.
My legs no longer swell and itch.
My eyes are no longer red and irritated - even if I spend long hours on the computer.
I have much less anxiety than I used to have. I feel calm inside.
I haven't had a bladder or sinus infection.
I feel much more alert.
While my memory isn't perfect, it is MUCH better than it was.
I am much happier and FEEL GREAT!
I wrote this in hope that it might help someone else feel great too!
In addition to what I have already mentioned,
other possible symptoms are:
Fatigue, lack of motivation, sluggishness.
You feel like you have a bad internet connection!
Thinning hair and/or eyebrows. The outer half of your eyebrows are thin or non-existent.
Weight gain. This dog and cat are hypothyroid.
High cholesterol.
If you see yourself in at least some of these symptoms, talk to your doctor and get tested.
I wish I had done that years ago!
Did I mention that I feel GREAT?
UNTIL.
There have been too many little "untils" over the years.
UNTIL I got mono my senior year of college.
UNTIL I had trouble having children.
UNTIL I miscarried.
UNTIL I had carpal tunnel in my wrists.
UNTIL I was diagnosed with Crohn's Disease.
UNTIL I had heart palpitations from Mitral Valve Prolapse.
UNTIL I couldn't run anymore because my feet hurt.
UNTIL I developed allergies to sulfites and couldn't drink any alcohol anymore.
UNTIL I developed allergies to red dye in food.
UNTIL the skin around my eyes got puffy and itchy and I didn't know why.
UNTIL I had frequent bladder infections and sinus infections.
UNTIL my fingernails were dry, brittle and full of ridges.
UNTIL I couldn't ride for an hour in the car without falling asleep.
UNTIL my eyes were so dry at night it hurt to open them in the morning.
UNTIL my legs were swelling, leaving sock line indentations and itching at night.
UNTIL my memory was so bad that my husband started leaving little to-do notes for me.
UNTIL.
These things didn't happen all at once.
They happened over the course of 25 - 30 years.
But they kept happening.
How could such a healthy person have so many little health issues?????
It's possible it was all been related to one thing.
HYPOTHYROIDISM.
Did my doctor discover it? No.
Last year, my teen-age daughter got mono during her first year of college and it wasn't getting any better after 2 months. She had so many strange symptoms. And she was tired. So her pediatrician did blood work and threw in a thyroid test just in case. BINGO.
After researching the condition for her, I realized I was reading about myself.
Thyroid hormone runs the body's metalbolism.
When your body doesn't produce enough thyroid hormone, you are HYPOthyroid.
Thyroid hormone plays a role in the functioning of every body organ.
When you don't have enough thyroid hormone, so many things can happen.
It is believed that millions of people are hypothyroid and don't know it.
I had to ask my doctor to check my thyroid function.
I'm glad I did.
I have been on thyroid medication for almost a year now.
I FEEL GREAT!
I can drive to Vermont without loading up on caffeine so I don't fall asleep at the wheel.
I can wear shoes without arch support now - my feet don't hurt.
My legs no longer swell and itch.
My eyes are no longer red and irritated - even if I spend long hours on the computer.
I have much less anxiety than I used to have. I feel calm inside.
I haven't had a bladder or sinus infection.
I feel much more alert.
While my memory isn't perfect, it is MUCH better than it was.
I am much happier and FEEL GREAT!
I wrote this in hope that it might help someone else feel great too!
In addition to what I have already mentioned,
other possible symptoms are:
You feel like you have a bad internet connection!
Thinning hair and/or eyebrows. The outer half of your eyebrows are thin or non-existent.
Weight gain. This dog and cat are hypothyroid.
If you see yourself in at least some of these symptoms, talk to your doctor and get tested.
I wish I had done that years ago!
Did I mention that I feel GREAT?
Glad the medication is working! My mom just found out last week she has hypothyroidism.. she's been feeling pretty bad lately, so I'm really hoping the medication works for her! I'll have to show her this blog post! =]
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