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Let the Thyroid Lesson Begin

I drove home that morning, determined I wouldn’t be medicated. I would spend every waking hour researching ways to manage Hashimoto’s without medication. Every indication told me it couldn’t be done.

Hashimoto’s is an autoimmune disease. The thyroid is dead and can’t be brought back to life, I was told. Don’t always believe what you hear. That’s my motto. With that statement ringing in my head, I began to learn about the thyroid.

Our thyroid is the largest endocrine gland in our body. No wonder people have problems. Think about it. This little butterfly-shaped gland works 24/7 to keep our body systems operating properly. Compare that to your computer, and consider this. If you turn on your computer and open 20 different tabs in your browser, one of two things will eventually happen. The computer will either lock up or crash.

Our bodies are similar on many levels. We don’t eat right or get enough sleep. The food we put in our bodies if packed with chemicals that we are not meant to digest. This one abuse causes our organs to work on overload to clean out toxins that eventually cause health issues.

Consider your thyroid. It is one small gland that we pollute every day. From brushing our teeth to eating meat injected with hormones and antibiotics to slathering our skin with cosmetics that are loaded with carcinogens. That’s only the beginning. We’ll discuss this in depth in a future blog.

So, we know the thyroid is busy. It produces two types of hormones, T3 and T4. These hormones control how and at what rate your body will burn energy. It also regulates how you respond to stress hormones. That’s a big job, considering the stressful lives we live. I will discuss this in a future blog as well.

We now know basically what our thyroid function is. So, it’s time to quickly look at two ways it can malfunction. There is hyperthyroidism, where the production of hormones is excessive. Then there is hypothyroidism, in which the thyroid produces too little hormone. Both situations can be disastrous if left un-checked. There are many things that are affected by your thyroid:

  • Rough skin
  • Weight loss or gain
  • Fatigue
  • Being too hot or too cold (excessively)
  • Depression/Anxiety
  • Digestive issues
  • Frequent urination
  • Low sex drive
  • Trouble breathing
  • Hair loss
  • Vision issues
  • Migraines (a biggie for me)
  • Muscle aches/tenderness

We’ll be talking about all of these and more as the blog develops. My goal is to provide information I’ve found throughout my journey to reconcile my thyroid to my lifestyle. It is also my desire to have as many of my readers share what works for them too. We are all in this together. It is my hopes to bring to the attention to women (and men) everywhere that the thyroid is most likely causing problems for people without realizing it. Again another topic for a future blog. Thank you for taking the time to read, I hope to see you all back here for the next post. I wish you much success in your fight for great thyroid health.

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Hashimoto’s – Help!

I left the doctor’s office in shock. No, I’m not dying, I’ve been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s. At first, I thought, “This has to be a mistake,” but once I had some time to process, and research Hashimoto’s, everything began to make sense.
For years I had been tired, unfocused, and in pain. When I started reading about the symptoms of hypothyroidism, I felt like I was reading about my life. When I was 29 years old, I found myself exhausted. I was the single mother of two small girls, working full time, and balancing parenting and career. I went in for my physical and was given a clean bill of health. Blood work came back fine.

I was still tired. For years I was tired, unfocused, irritable and in pain.
My doctor thought I had fibromyalgia, which was a new medical diagnosis at the time. I gave up and lived with the pain.

When I turned fifty, everything changed. I was still in pain, tired, and unfocused. Plus, now I was having trouble remembering simple things; tasks that I performed at work on a regular basis, and at home. I went in for my physical and again was given a clean bill of health. This time, however, the blood work revealed something new. Hashimoto’s, as it turned out.

My doctor wanted to put me on medication. “I’m a healthy person,” I thought. “I can’t be on medication for the rest of my life.” I shook my head and looked at her and said, “No. Give me 30 days to try to get it under control without medication.” To my surprise, she agreed.

For the next 30 days, I spend every free moment researching, reading, and changing my diet. What you will read in the following posts will show you how I managed to defy Hashimoto’s hell and live a life free from pain and the fog that I lived in for all those years.
I hope my journey will save you time and money and sanity. Here’s to enriching and renewing your thyroid health.

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Thyroid Awareness Month

Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Before my diagnosis, I’d never heard of Hashimoto’s. I knew it was possible for a person to have a hypothyroid or Hyperthyroid. But I thought it was genetic and didn’t give much thought to the possibility that I would have to worry about it. My grandmother had Grave’s disease and had her thyroid removed when she was young, but again I didn’t think about how it affected me.

Healthy with Hashimoto’s

Today, many years later, I’m 54 years old and living with Hashimoto’s.  I spent the last three years working my way back to good health. Some days I struggle, and I spent many hours researching Hashimoto’s and how I could “beat it” or at least live a healthy life without having to take medication. Well, I continue to be a work in progress, but I’m at a point where I feel healthy, and I don’t need to be on medication. Some days I think that is a miracle.

Thyroid Awareness Month

Now I think back on the journey and realize I shouldn’t be stingy with what I have learned. So, I think it appropriate to begin this blog in January, which I now know as Thyroid Awareness Month. I am celebrating my good health by giving back to those who share my diagnosis.

Real Life Credentials

I’m not a doctor, I have no medical background, with the exception, of being the mom of a nurse. I spent many hours studying with her as she went through nursing school. She is now a nurse, I’m still only her mom; no degree, no real medical knowledge. I’m proud of her though.

So, when you read through my blog please remember I’m only a woman living with Hashimoto’s, trying to find the best way to be healthy and happy. I’m happy to share what worked for me, but please take my words for what they are; mine; my journey, my body, my results. If you have Hashimoto’s or think you do, please talk to your doctor, and if you like what you read here, share the information with him/her and use what information you can, leaving what isn’t possible for you.

Why Now?

I’m going out on a limb publishing this blog. I’m doing it because we need to make people aware that thyroid disease is serious. Twenty million Americans have some form of thyroid disease. Sixty percent of those don’t realize it. They may have symptoms of thyroid disease, but their bloodwork doesn’t show it. We need to be educating people to ask the right questions to get the correct diagnosis. I will discuss this dilemma in future blogs.

Now is the time for me to do my part. I want this blog to be interactive. If you are reading and have questions, please comment. We can help each other by supporting one another and educating others to see the signs. I hope it will help many to live with a healthy thyroid.