Guest Post: Life With Hypothyroidism

A dear friend of mine found out last year that her years of health problems were predominantly tied to Hypothyroidism. Here is her story:

Sarah asked me to take a few minutes and talk about my experience with a hypothyroid. First off I think there are people who have had much worse thyroid problems than myself. So I don't think I know everything. But I do think my experience began when I was quite young. When I was in third grade, and nearing the onset of puberty, I noticed that almost every time I stood up I blacked out. That has continued on throughout my life (I am now 28). I always thought it was a little weird, and often uncomfortable (especially when in the middle of a conversation). But I never did anything about it. Well it turns out that blacking out when standing up means you have low blood pressure. I always thought my low blood pressure was the result of fabulous 'blood-pressure-genes'. I mean, when I say I have low blood pressure I mean LOW. A typical blood pressure reading for me when I was pregnant was in the 50's over 80's range. (Am I saying that right? I'm not sure).  But it turns out that low blood pressure is a symptom of an under active thyroid. 

Other symptoms I have experienced over the years (some are hard to explain): 

• Cycles of depression and anxiety - Hopefully Sarah mentions this - depression doesn't necessarily mean you have an underactive thyroid and similarly anxiety doesn't mean you have an overactive thyroid. You can have either with an underactive or overactive thyroid.
• Being cold all the time. I have on occasion described myself as a snake - the only time my body is warm is in direct contact with the sun's rays. It can be a hot summer day and if i am in the shade my hands and feet will be freezing.
• Thin Hair. My hair has always been pretty thin. In college I actually lost a lot of hair which was embarrassing and added to the depression I was already feeling that year. It was not a fun time in my life. At the time I thought it was just part of my whole freshman experience. 
• Fatigue and Sluggishness....oh the sluggishness. That's been the word to describe my life for so long.
• For about 6 months during one particular college year I had some really strange things happen. I felt I couldn't think clearly and more than that I felt like I couldn't talk clearly. I felt like my tongue wouldn't form words when I wanted to talk. It was strange and, of course, me being hypersensitive to myself was more aware of it than anyone else (I'm not even sure anyone noticed). But I think about this occasionally when I read the 'symptoms' column for hypothyroidism. 
• Arthritic Pain.
• Headaches.
• Bleeding Between my Cycles.

After I had my second baby some other symptoms became much more accute: 

• The joint pain: I would wake up every morning and be in a lot of pain at all my joints. Some mornings I told my husband: I'm just going to be really arthritic as I get older - that's just how it is. 
• The anxiety. Oh I can't even tell you how awful this was. Anxiety about almost everything. I think I'm only now beginning to recover from the emotional toll this took on me.

As I read over what I've written so far, you must think that I feel really sorry for myself. But I never really thought that I had an underactive thyroid. And I try to not dwell on the negative in my life. So I wasn't a miserable person (with the exception of the all-encompassing anxiety). I tried to excersise and eat right. I liked to go on walks in high school. I liked to go to the gym in college. I learned how to adapt to the cold: dress warmer and wear hats. I learned how to deal with my personal weight issues: first I had to accept the fact that I would never have a perfect figure...somehow that made me able to focus less on eating and in turn I ate heathier. When I got tired I took naps instead of trying to study more. When I got anxious or depressed (prior to having a family) I worked out or slept. That was my way to cope. And I was a happy person. So I didn't dwell on the bad and never thought of having an underactive thyroid. 

Like I mentioned earlier, after my second child, anxiety pretty much took over my life. You know that feeling, that rush of adrenaline you have when something is falling over and you reach out to grab it? That is how I felt with almost every movement that was going on around me. Just constant waves of adrenaline. A person can only take so much of that. 

After a couple emotional breakdowns I went into the doctor to get on some anxiety medicines. He put me on an antidepressant as well as an anti-anxiety medication to take as needed. I noticed an immediate difference in the anxiety and thought my life had changed for the better. After about two weeks of being on the antidepressant I started having more anxiety problems. I felt like my throat was swelling up. I couldn't sleep and couldn't function very well. Thank goodness I had asked my mother in law to come up for a few days to help out. The timing was a huge blessing. I took one day to go back to the doctors and get some help. I went to a different doctor who immediately suspected thyroid issues. She had me get a full-panel of blood work done as well as go in for a thyroid ultrasound. My results came in and surprise! I had an underactive thyroid! My TSH levels were close to 8.0. It's definitely possible to have higher levels. It's not like I was going to die or anything. But without treatment, the number was only going to go up. In addition, my T3 levels were a little off and my progesterone levels were WAY off. My progesterone was at post-menopausal range levels. I'm only 28! Well it turns out that there is a connection between your progesterone levels and an underactive thyroid.

My doctor put me on Levothyroxin (generic for Synthroid--the medicine Sarah takes), Armour Thyroid and a progesterone cream. Unfortuantely the cream isn't covered by my insurance. But I know it helps. Just this past week I think my thyroid was acting up. Monday I got really cold; my bones just wouldn't warm up. Tuesday I started to have more joint pain. Wednesday I got depressed. Thursday I got CRAZY emotional. Friday I started bleeding a week and a half before my period should have started. Once that happened it was like a light bulb went off! The cream is the hardest for me to be consistent with. I am supposed to apply it to my inner arm twice a day and I am really bad with remembering. After I started bleeding, I immediately started taking the cream again. In the 5 days since then I have felt so much more balanced and the bleeding stopped after two days. 

It has been about 5 months since I have been on these new medications. My life has significantly improved. I am still on a low dose antidpressant for the anxiety but I am beginning the process of weaning myself off it. I rarely have to take my additional anxiety medication. Only about once or twice a month at this point.

I could go on and on about my experience and little connections I have made here and there. Basically I just wish I had gone into a doctor so much earlier and asked for thyroid test. I have had two pregnancies and it wouldn't have been a bit deal to ask for my TSH levels with everything else they were doing. (By the way, if you are pregnant and have an underactive thyroid it is essential that you take medicine). 

Even if you get tested and your doctor isn't worried, it is important to know that different doctors treat underactive thyroids at different levels. My doctor told me that she would have started me on meds if I was in the 2.1 range because of all my symptoms. So the moral is that there is absolutely nothing wrong with getting a second opinion if you suspect an under-active thyroid!

Thanks Sarah for letting my talk about my experience! I have so much of a better outlook on life than I did a year ago and I know it is because of the help I've recieved. It wasn't at easy at the time to seek it out, but I can't imagine my life right now if I hadn't. 

Thank you, Friend, for posting! I sure love this lady! It's been nice for me to have such a close friend battling thyroid issues right along side of me...not that I wish her hardships, but at times it's been nice to be able to call her up and say "I FEEL FREAKING CRAZY" and she totally understands what I'm feeling and why. 

I really liked what she had to say about getting a second opinion. I 100% agree. I love Dr. L (as anyone who's read my blog for a while would know) but it took A LOT of work to find him. Do not settle. Get second opinions. Follow your gut feeling. Everyone deserves to be treated right, especially when it comes to your health and your standard of living. Don't settle! 

Also, when it comes to your thyroid make sure your doctor, when he or she does labs, runs a "full-panel"- meaning he/she checks your T3, T4, TSH, and hormone levels. 


***This post is part of a series I am doing because it's Thyroid Health Awareness Month. I am not a physician, nurse, or anything like that. I am a woman who's had to learn a lot about her thyroid in the past year. My almost-lawyer-husband would be so proud that I'm including the following:  I am not liable for this information nor for the decisions you make based upon what I post. My hope is to teach people some basic thyroid information but if you have real concerns talk to your doctor!***