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My Thyroid Took Over My Life

8th April, 2011 - Posted by health news - No Comments

I had the feeling that I was always tired for quite awhile. I struggled to maintain a healthy shape. No matter how hard I tried, I could not get warm enough. I knew that I would have to see a physician to find some answers. The doctor listened to all my symptoms. And instead of ignoring what I was saying, my physician listened. Because of my history and complaints, my health professional suggested that tests needed to be run. The tests were very revealing. All of the symptoms that I had were the result of my thyroid gland malfunctioning.

For many years my weight fluctuated up and down. It is something that a lot of people struggle with. It is a good thing to struggle with. People want to have a healthy body shape. Like most overweight people I had a desire to do something about it. I would follow a proper diet and make sure to work out regularly and I would still struggle with the shape of my body. The fitness professionals at the gym blamed it on my lack of effort and commitment. All I needed to do to get to a healthy weight was to make good choices. If I did the exercise they recommended and ate the way I was supposed to my weight problem would eventually go away. They seemed to downplay the problem.

I went to this new doctor and noticed that it was not going to be the same. Before I went to the doctor I wrote down my symptoms. I was able to impress upon my physician that I tried to do the right things for my body. There were a lot of things that went on around me. Keeping up with my wife and children was a difficult task. It could be the reason behind my exhaustion. But it was more than that. I never felt rested. My physician did something that no one else had ever done. He understood what I was saying. My physician did not think that it was all about me making bad choices. My doctor actually examined me for possible problems. And he found it when he checked out my thyroid.

When I got the diagnosis I researched what the thyroid is and how it affects a person’s body and as I read the checklist of the underactive thyroid symptoms in women, I found myself looking at all of the things that I had been feeling for so long but had attributed to just the normal aging process and the result of doing things that I should not be doing to my body. There was a lot of research about the problems that I would face.

It was comforting to learn that I was not alone. Many people have been diagnosed with the condition and many more are unaware that they may have a problem. It was an eye opener to find out that my dry skin and brittle nails can be attributed as symptoms of low thyroid condition and were not because I was out in the sun playing with my kids or that there are foods that help your thyroid like spinach and foods to eat less of like broccoli so rather than to live my life day to day and hope for a good day, I was going to be able to do something that would allow me to feel better on a more consistent basis.

The issues with my thyroid are a chronic condition. My mind is able to handle that. And now, I can deal with my life again.