About seven years ago, a few months after my youngest was born, I started to notice my hair was getting thinner, my hands and feet were constantly ice cold – even on hot days, I was anxious, tired, could not sleep, I had really weird heart palpitations and I was gaining weight. I was also so, terribly depressed.
One doctor told me to go on Xanax. Another made some reference to the fact I had just had a baby and sent me on my way. It was a dark time, especially since I had four kids under 7 years old, my husband was on the road for work constantly, and I had never felt so lost emotionally or physically.
Finally I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disease in which the thyroid gland is gradually destroyed. Hashimoto’s is the leading cause of hypothyroidism in the U.S. (and it hits us middle aged women the hardest.)
I went on Synthroid and, well, that was that.
My baby is about to turn 8 and I’m still freezing most of the time, my hair’s a mess and the scale continues to head in the wrong direction. I’m not depressed any more and I rarely have heart palpitations, but I still don’t feel “great!”
I’m also confused by it all. Do I have to be on Synthroid forever? Am I supposed to take supplements or not? And do the foods I eat really matter (like I keep hearing we hypothyroid ladies need to avoid “goitrogens”?)
Oprah said she found out she was hypothyroid, went on vacation and rested for a month, and not too long later she was off meds? Huh?
I need answers and my guess, if you are dealing with being hypothyroid, you do too.
I’m reading The Hypothyroid Diet by Dr. Kevin Dobrzynski right now and I’m hoping I can intereview him for this blog. His wife was diagnosed with hypothyroidism and he put together a diet for her that he says works. Stay tuned.
I suspect a Live Talk here in The Motherhood on this subject is in order, too.
Are you dealing with hypothyroidism? Do you have insight or ideas on ways to successfully manage the disease? Do you have questions like I do and want to know where to begin? I’m eager to hear from you.
Feels like this could mean taking a step in the right direction, finally.
Click here for Update #1 to this post!
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