Hashi-WHAT?!?!

I have been struggling with the common signs of aging (fatigue, weight gain, memory loss…) for the past few years. Last November, those signs started to get worse. At 37 years old, I started to wonder if it was something more than just aging happening. I had been working out 3-5 days a week at a very high intensity, but my weight continued to go up! I was waking up still exhausted after sleeping 9-10 hours each night. It got to the point that I had to call my husband and talk to him until I got to my school’s parking lot just to stay awake!

I went to my primary doctor on November 20, 2017 and explained what was happening. She ordered bloodwork. And so it began…

I received a call from my doctor’s office about a month later requesting that I go back and have more bloodwork done. They said that they wanted to retest my thyroid to be sure the numbers from the first test were accurate. I went during winter break and had more bloodwork. My doctor’s office called on January 11, 2018 stating that I had hypothyroidism and they had already called a prescription in to my pharmacy. The nurse on the phone briefly explained that my thyroid was underactive, and the medication would help. She also told me that the doctor was referring me for an ultrasound of my thyroid. I started taking Levothyroxine on January 13. I also went to the library and Amazon and rented/purchased many books on thyroid health. I learned a lot from Thyroid for Dummies and The Complete Thyroid Health & Diet Guide. In these books, I always skipped right to the pages that discussed hypothyroidism and read nothing else. I do remember starting to read a little bit about Hashimoto’s but quickly stopped because it seemed a bit overwhelming.

My doctor’s office called on February 19 to tell me that my ultrasound was clear. I had been taking my thyroid medication for weeks and felt no relief. I asked for another appointment. My doctor was booked, but they were able to schedule me with another doctor in the same office. I went to this new doctor on March 5 and she didn’t seemed too concerned with my symptoms. She was much more concerned with the fact that I had gained 10 pounds since November. I explained to her that I had been working out and watching what I ate. She just looked at me in disbelief and said the reason my medication wasn’t working is because it was too low of a dose based on my weight. She wrote me a new prescription for double the dose I was originally prescribed. Her attitude toward me was very negative. I could see the disappointment written all over her face when she scowled at me. I asked if she would recommend an Endocrinologist and she asked me why. I said I had been reading up on thyroid issues and endocrinologists were experts. She shook her head and said it would be a waste of time but gave me the referral anyway.

I went to the endocrinologist on March 27, 2018. I explained everything I had been experiencing for the past few months. He dug a little deeper and asked me to try to remember any changes that I’d noticed over the past few years. I explained that my periods changed about 4-5 years ago and I couldn’t really remember when the “brain fog” started. I asked him what he thought was going on and he said it sounded like Hashimoto’s but he needed to see my thyroid antibodies to be sure.  He ordered a new batch of tests and sent me for bloodwork and told me to come back in a month.

After leaving his office, I began researching Hashimoto’s. It is an autoimmune disease, a disorder in which the immune system turns against the body’s own tissues. That’s just great.

On April 26, 2018 I went back to the endocrinologist for my follow up appointment. He jokingly congratulated me on being the poster child for Hashimoto’s. He immediately changed my medication to Nature Thyroid and increased the dosage. He told me to pay attention to my symptoms. We discussed the AIP (Autoimmune Protocol) diet that was designed to help people with this type of disease. He said foods help some people more than others. He said to minimize stress and try to slow down my workouts. My heart rate was lower than normal and raising it too quickly could cause a heart attack. Great. That news won’t stress me out at all!

After being diagnosed, I joined a couple Facebook groups and followed a few new people on Instagram and have learned so much about Hashimoto’s. I have also begun the AIP protocol. I have purchased many books on Amazon, my favorite one is The Paleo Approach. The main thing I’ve learned is that everyone’s experience is different. Even knowing this, I still feel like I am legitimately going crazy. My symptoms dived to the other side and I started to experience hyperthyroid symptoms. I was sweaty, anxious and my mind was going a million miles a minute. Most days, I flip back and forth between hyper and hypo symptoms. My brain fog is out of control. I have noticed that I’m not as tired, but is that because I am off work for the summer and able to take naps anytime I want? Speaking of summer, I was born and raised in Henderson. Summer has always been my favorite season. I love the heat! But this summer, I’ve noticed a bit of heat intolerance going on. I feel myself getting overheated. I feel lightheaded and nauseous when I’m in the heat for a moderate amount of time. I can feel my energy being zapped and get extremely fatigued. I called my endocrinologist on July 3, 2018 to ask if this was a side effect of the new medication. They said no it was not a side effect and told me to get my bloodwork done ASAP and schedule an appointment within a week. I just got my bloodwork done. And now we wait.