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May 26, 2005 I was young, ate a sensible diet and exercised regularly. Health-related worries were the furthest thing from my mind. At least my wellbeing was never an issue until I fell asleep at my hairdresser’s while she was in the process of cutting my hair. I jerked awake, embarrassed, and she laughed. She probably assumed that I was just another young, professional Torontonian functioning on too much coffee and a dearth of sleep. However, what she didn’t know is that same week I’d fallen asleep in a physiotherapist’s waiting room, that my hair was falling out in handfuls and that I sometimes spent entire weekends in my pajamas due to depression. Something was gravely amiss with my health. Two years earlier I’d tested borderline for hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid function resulting in hormone deficiency), but came out in the normal range when retested a month later. After the incident at my hairdresser’s, I went to see my GP who patiently listened to my concerns about my health and well-being. When I explained that I constantly felt like one George Romero’s cinematic zombies, she advised me to get more sleep, but reluctantly agreed to send me for blood tests to rule out diabetes or anemia. My friends and family weren’t very worried about the situation either. They attributed my weight gain of about ten pounds to the fact that I’d been “too thin” and to metabolic changes that came with age (I was only in my late twenties). Even my hair loss was attributed to years of highlights and colouring! I felt like a hypochondriac and spiraled into a deepening depression. Thing came to a head in the winter of 2003. I was teaching full-time and trying to write in the evenings, though I would spend most nights sleeping for two hours after dinner and then go to the gym or for a run in a desperate attempt to ward off my ever-increasing weight. A few months earlier my live-in relationship had broken up, due in no small part to my erratic mood swings and lack of libido. I no longer felt capable of maintaining a healthy relationship. My self-esteem plummeted, my depression increased, and I began dating people I wouldn’t have considered as potential partners just a few years earlier. My complexion, which had always been flawless, was now plagued by adult acne. When I began seriously contemplating quitting my job, selling my condominium, and moving back to live with my parents, I knew I had to find out what was happening. I couldn’t continue living the way I was. I decided to search the Internet to see if I could find any answers to my health problems and discovered many of my symptoms matched those experienced by people with thyroid hormone deficiencies. In hindsight, I’d been living with these indicators of hypthyrodism for years, at least since graduate school. Though not an exhaustive list, some of the symptoms I’d been trying to cope with were: intolerance to cold, hair loss, dry skin and nails, skin ailments such as acne, repeated sinus and chest infections, extreme and constant fatigue, depression, erratic mood swings, goiter, bloating, weight gain, dizziness and lack of libido. The likelihood of my health problems being caused by a thyroid imbalance increased substantially due to the fact that my mother took daily medication for hypothyroidism. My mother hadn’t made the connection between her hypothyroidism and my own health problems as her doctor attributed her thyroid problems to radiation treatments she’d received during a bout of Hodgkin’s cancer. I immediately made an appointment with my doctor, who, upon examining me, discovered a goiter about the size of a green pea at the front of my throat. Goiters are abnormal swelling on the neck caused by an enlarged thyroid gland. A subsequent blood test confirmed that I was, indeed, hypothyroid. I was immediately prescribed Levothyroxine, a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement. It was quite a shock to be informed that I’d need to take this medication daily for the rest of my life, as I avoid conventional medications of any kind, even aspirin. And though it would take months of blood tests and experimenting with varying dosages before I began to feel remotely physically healthy again, just knowing that my health problems weren’t “all in my mind” helped me incredibly in my road to recovery. I now regularly see an endocrinologist to monitor my hormone levels. This past summer he diagnosed me as having Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, which is the most prevalent disorder that causes hypothyroidism. This means my thyroid doesn’t produce sufficient hormones. Hashimoto’s is an auto-immune disorder as well, which means that my immune system actually produces antibodies that attack my thyroid. Without my daily dose of levothyroxine, my body will eventually destroy my thyroid gland. Hashimoto’s is estimated to affect more than 10% of women. It is not easily diagnosed and many women (and men) suffer from the symptoms of thyroid deficiencies for years before receiving treatment. It is estimated that as many as 40% of Canadians may be deficient in thyroid hormone. And our present lifestyle choices make thyroid problems difficult to detect. When one of my close friends was diagnosed as being hypothyroid, her doctor asked why she hadn’t come in sooner since she was so fatigued and experiencing considerable hair loss. My friend simply thought that the transition from a student lifestyle to the stress of being a working professional had caused her symptoms. I wish I could say that I feel one hundred percent better now, but I don’t. I definitely feel better than I did before the Hashimoto’s was diagnosed. My weight has stabilized, though I still suffer from fatigue and a persistent sore throat. Stress sends my thyroid production plummeting, often resulting in hair loss and battles with acne. The most significant thing I am dealing with is the emotional baggage. I am still trying to work through much of the toll that Hashimoto’s took on my personal life and attempting to re-establish confidence in my ability to be a healthy and effective partner. I’m also trying to take control of my health now that Hashimoto’s is a factor in my quality of life. It is difficult as many GPs and the healthcare community as a whole doesn’t seem to be fully aware of the impact that thyroid dysfunction has on one’s psychological as well as physical health. Obtaining reliable information about my condition is sometimes difficult and requires a great deal of research on my own time. There needs to be greater awareness about thyroid disease in the medical community and the general public so that fewer people go undiagnosed. Although it is not life threatening except in extreme cases, the impact of thyroid dysfunction is far-reaching for the lives of those affected and their loved ones. Information on support groups and associations in Canada: www.thyroid.ca ------------ About the author: Jennifer Payne lives and works in Toronto, Canada. She is the author of numerous short stories, poetry, articles and reviews. Currently she is finishing her second novel. Please visit her website at: www.maryjenniferpayne.com Email: mj_payne00@yahoo.com Tell a friend about this site! ------------ All articles are EXCLUSIVE to Useless-Knowledge.com and are not allowed to be posted on other websites. ARTICLE THIEVES WILL BE PROSECUTED! |
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