Hundreds of women out there suffer from hypo/hyper-thyroid problems, most don’t even know that they are! And no, you’re not likely to die from it, which may be why we don’t hear a whole lot about it. Or maybe we don’t hear too much about it because the current trend on Instagram in ‘Explants’ or SADD for the holidays.
Let me just say: Those are both legit things that happen to women and that I think other women need to know about.
Let me also say, knowing that some women will fight tooth and nail about their implants and I’m not touching that fight-I just want to put it out there I just think this topic is ‘on-trend’ and out there way too much on an overly sexed social forum. If you got em’ flaunt em’ and if you don’t want-take em’ out, whatever is your jam, its serious and I undertsand and you are validated.
Whew-now that I’ve covered my ass like all good introverts that really don’t like rocking the boat:
I have a hypothyroid, which means its not working. I won’t die from it (I’m not including thyroid cancer, y’all because that is a whole other thing), but it makes my life really hard at times. Let’s take a second to dissect the thyroid and what it really does:
Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in the front of the neck and it produces hormones that control the speed of your metabolism. It’s the system that helps the body use energy. Now anything that disrupts this system (hormone levels too high or too low) can create a wide range of symptoms.
And let me tell you, they range so much that normally you just think “man, I have a cold” or “I just need to catch up on sleep” or “I should lay off the donuts” (which, never-carbs are life!). Jokes aside, and yes donuts in moderation; symptoms can be a pain to decipher, which is why most people have no clue they have anything wrong.
The Symptoms: (Just a Few)
Hypo: enlarged thyroid, fatigue, feeling cold (all the time), lethargy, hair loss, rapid weight gain, slow heart rate, brittle nails, dry skin, high cholesterol, sexual dysfunction, irritability, irregular uterine bleeding.
Hyper: excessive sweating, unexpected weight loss, rapid heart beat, excessive hunger, nervousness and mood swings, heat intolerance, hair loss, diarrhea, insomnia, puffy eyes, irregular menstruation.
I’ve battled it for a long time, I first noticed around 24/25 that I was really having some mood issues and depression. I think this was around the time my mom was diagnosed (and later my aunt-her sister, and my grandma-her mother, also have). Fighting the genetic fight, I remember asking my doctor if it was at all a possibility. Long story short, it was my chiropractor who said “You may be in the ‘normal range’ but looking at your results, your on the lower end. You need to stay on top of it.”
Fast forward, I’m 32 and just now getting back on top of it.
I did it the wrong way too. I was bodybuilding (another post/another long ass story) and taking T3, and feeling phenomenal. I also rocked some great abs at age 28-30 and continued to take an non-prescribed T3/T4 (the hormones your thyroid needs to be making) and thought I was doing a damn god job at ‘staying on it.’
Boy, was I wrong.
I’m heading back to the lady doc today to try and square things away and also getting an appointment with a primary care (its been a while for that too *cough* 6 years). And before you judge, I was in the fitness industry, bodybuilding, eating clean, never getting sick (besides an annoying Ohio based sinus infection every year) and really over all, healthy!
This post-narrowed down and stripped bare: I wasn’t on top of my health. I’m not perfect. Looking good, doesn’t mean you are good. I’m hoping I put this out into the world and someone can connect to this story, tell me I’m not alone and that they too deal with all this obnoxious health crap. (Because I warned you, I wouldn’t be bs-ing my posts on ANY of this stuff).
I’ll keep you posted on the thyroid front-share what I learn and hopefully share the journey of healing what I I didn’t break-but didn’t help either.
Now, how do I sign off….
No artful bullshit,
Jess
The Year of the Introvert 