So let’s just jump into this one shall we? Bottom line – I’m totally OK.
I was at my annual checkup a month or so ago and my lovely doctor was chatting away with me and performing various exams. She felt around my neck and said “Oh!”
Said by me “Excuse me?”
Said by doctor “Well your thyroid feels very enlarged. Are you tired? Is your hair falling out? How about your nails? Have you gained a lot of weight recently? How do your legs feel?”
Me: “Well I guess I’m a little tired.” (Said by the business owner who is also a mom to a 4 year old – Of COURSE I’m tired)
Doc:” Ultrasound, blood test endocrinologist, blah blah”
Skip ahead a few weeks.
It turns out I have a (very common) thyroid disease called Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which, honestly, is kind of a cool sounding disease (especially since it’s not serious). It’s the most common of thyroid problems, generally found in women over 50. In my case, my dad and my grandmother on my mom’s side both have thyroid problems, so I was kindof expecting this eventually and I’m assuming my family history is why it presented itself earlier than normal.
What’s happening is that my body has decided that my thyroid is a foreign body and has started making antibodies to kill it off. There is no reason for this and there is nothing to do to stop it. Little by little, my thyroid is being destroyed by my own body (awwww…). This in turn is causing a slowing in my metabolism and all the other nice things your thyroid regulates for you. You (normal thyroid person) should have a thyroid antibody level of below 35 in your blood. Mine is….over 1000. So, hi there red flag!
What this means is I will be taking a synthetic thyroid hormone once a day for the rest of my life. I can handle one pill an evening. The interesting part is that both my GP and my (newly acquired) Endocrinologist have wondered aloud why I am not suffering any extreme symptoms. They both said that I should be complaining mightily about lots of symptoms with the blood levels I have. I feel really fortunate about that part. Sure, I’m a little tired all the time, but honestly? Who isn’t? I have also had some calf cramps and a general uncomfortable-ness in my legs, but I just blamed it on photo shoots where I am bending and stooping all the time.
So there’s that. In a few weeks, I’m hoping to have some improved energy and less painful calves. Maybe I’ll be able to outdo Savannah….nah – probably not.