Thyroid Support

Archive for the ‘Hashimotos’ Category

I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 1998. I have Hashimoto’s Disease and one would think after 8.5 years that I would have been able to control this and be living a normal life.

I really just can’t get my thyroid to play ball because of varying reasons all which apparently boil down to me and the way ‘I don’t look after myself’ I have to admit that over the many years I suppose I haven’t in a way because I’ve let doctors control what I do and don’t do.

I did have my thyroid levels almost to normal because I’d maintained a lifestyle where there was no added extras and things were going along nicely, until I hit a plateau and I couldn’t lose any more. That was when the lapband came into action and since then my thyroid levels have been up and down and although my weight has been up and down too it has been hard to maintain.

Over the past few weeks I’ve been waiting to have my thyroid levels tested only to find out that my doctor wants me to wait another 2 months before he does that. I was quite surprised considering the way it has been lately. So it will be 4 months since it will have been tested even though my specialist recommended the tests should be done every 3 months.

To make matter worse, I complained of being tired, and my hair was falling out and he put that down to stress and feeling depressed – two symptoms of an underactive thyroid. But then what would I know.

He suggested that I needed to go on a diet – something I have been on for quite some time now and trying so hard to lose the weight naturally instead of becoming another statistic for mal-nourishment due to the lapband. The reason I went to see him was because my other doctor failed to pick up issues when I mentioned them and left me to my own resources until I finally was able to see the specialist in Brisbane.

So it now it makes me wonder where I go from here; my doctors on my case about losing weight, I’m trying and yet he doesn’t see that; so I will keep trying and it’s time to visit my endocrinologist who will listen and do the appropriate tests and not push me into using replacement meals… and I can continue eating fresh fruit and vegetables and maintain my diet that way while trying to get my thyroid levels stable.

Toni

Hashimoto’s Disease is the most common thyroid disorder, and causes the thyroid organ to stop producing sufficient amounts of hormones. This is called Hypothyroidism.

The hormones that are produced by the thyroid have many tasks, and when these tasks are not completed, many different kinds of symptoms emerge. Some of the more common ones include: tiredness, depression, weight gain, and intolerance to the cold.

Because of the fact that the symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease can be so vague, it has sometimes been referred to as the ‘great masquerader’.Click Here for a huge list of symptoms that can be a sign of this disease.

This also means that a lot of people think that they merely have a cold, or a Doctor may convince them that another illness is occurring. Therefore there are a large percentage of untreated thyroid disorder sufferers. In the United States alone there is an estimated 13 million undiagnosed sufferers. For more details read this article go here.

For a disease that can be treated so easily, if left untreated, Hashimoto’s disease can cause all kinds of discomfort and pain. For more information check out The Thyroid Foundation of America or Thyroid Australia

Russ Egan