Search This Blog

February 25, 2011

Hypothyroidism / TMI

Note: This will have some medical terms and such and may be boring or TMI so feel free to skip this post if such is not your cup of tea. Also I'm taking requests for reviews and post ideas so feel free to comment below with any suggestions. Nothing is too weird or off limits (I may not actually do a post about it but that doesn't mean you can't suggest it :D).
 
Or....WTF is wrong with Ash?

Hypothyroidism is defined as:
hy·po·thy·roid·ism
1. deficient activity of the thyroid gland.
2. the condition produced by a deficiency of thyroid secretion, resulting in goiter, myxedema, and, in children, cretinism.

According to dictionary.com

Symptoms include but are not limited to:
  • Fatigue
  • Weakness
  • Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
  • Coarse, dry hair
  • Dry, rough pale skin
  • Hair loss
  • Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
  • Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
  • Constipation
  • Depression
  • Irritability
  • Memory loss / lack of concentration or focus 'brain fog'
  • Abnormal menstrual cycles
  • Decreased libido
  • Eyebrow thinning
Usual forms of treatment are: Thyroid hormone replacement of synthetic T4 only. Common brand names are Synthroid, Unithroid, and Levoxyl. Very occasionally other treatments including cocktails that contain synthetic T3 or even dessicated thyroid itself may be used.

There are several known causes for hypothyroidism from cancer to auto-immune disease, most do not have a clear cause but do have two types of pathologies. In one the gland itself is malfunctioning and not producing enough hormone. In the other the pituitary gland is not stimulating the thyroid enough to  produce adequate hormone.

I don't know why my thyroid decided to quit being effective (it still works just not as well as it should) but I do love my wee little pill. The change in quality of life is night and day. I've lost weight, feel better, stronger and happier, I can actually think again, remember things and have energy. I strongly encourage anyone that has any of the above symptoms to get the blood test to check for thyroid problems. My levels were 8.85, the norm is .5 - 5.5. So I wasn't that far off from normal but the impact was ridiculous. So if you ever see me saying anything about a blood test or medication it's referring to this. I have to have periodic blood tests to check my levels and see if my meds need to be adjusted.  So there you have it :)

As always thanks for reading and feel free to comment below :D

Total Pageviews