Image via WikipediaHashimoto's Thyroiditis.
The extreme fatigue, muscle cramps, thinning eyebrows, vague joint pain, cold hands and feet, low body temperature, depression, weight gain and the ever-present lack of concentration.
It seems that this has been going on for quite some time. The confusing part is that the normal thyroid panel that is run was in the normal range. I guess the most people have one or the other. I have Hashimoto's thyroiditis and a very high rate of reverse T3. This is basically your fake parking spot for the thyroid hormone but it doesn't know what to do when it gets there. It would figure that I'd have both.
It is inherited. I don't know that much about my medical history but at least I know that I did get this lovely gene from my mother. When I found this out I immediately alerted my daughter to get these blood tests because she has some of the same fishy symptoms.
The thyroid is a little butterfly shaped gland located at the base of the neck and it wraps itself around the windpipe. Slight trouble swallowing could occur if the thyroid gets inflamed and presses upon the esophagus.
This is an autoimmune disease. Your bodies own T-cells are attacking the thyroid and treating it as a foreign entity. If left untreated this can eventually lead to heart failure. Thank goodness my homocystine levels (a marker for cardiovascular disease) was very low.
The reverse T3 was very interesting. It seems that the body, in reaction to either physical or emotionally prolonged stressful periods will increase the levels of Reverse T3. This is probably the reason for weight gain. A lot of times medication addressing the active T3 levels will allow weight loss without a lot of dietary changes.
Now without insurance the medication for bioidentical thyroid, hormones, progesterone and testosterone was $262.00. How in the world do people do this every month??
Great. More stress. Just what my body needs. I do feel slightly validated. At least I know I'm not crazy about the symptoms. You know that you know that you know but no doctor will believe you or get the appropriate tests to find out what's going on in your body. Then this disease slowly progresses until you feel like a lump. A big, fat lump.
The good old fibro cake is baking and the icing is the thyroid.
The reverse T3 was very interesting. It seems that the body, in reaction to either physical or emotionally prolonged stressful periods will increase the levels of Reverse T3. This is probably the reason for weight gain. A lot of times medication addressing the active T3 levels will allow weight loss without a lot of dietary changes.
Now without insurance the medication for bioidentical thyroid, hormones, progesterone and testosterone was $262.00. How in the world do people do this every month??
Great. More stress. Just what my body needs. I do feel slightly validated. At least I know I'm not crazy about the symptoms. You know that you know that you know but no doctor will believe you or get the appropriate tests to find out what's going on in your body. Then this disease slowly progresses until you feel like a lump. A big, fat lump.
The good old fibro cake is baking and the icing is the thyroid.
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