Living With Thyroid

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 The last couple of days has been spent visiting the doctors, doing blood and various other tests and least taking rest. My thyroid is playing up again. To make things worse, I have been getting severe headaches, feeling dizzy; like every time I get up I feel like I’m going to kiss the floor and my eyes are also hurting.

For those of you who don't know, Thyroid is a small butterfly shape gland that is found in the neck just below the Adams Apple. 

 The gland is responsible for producing hormones which helps control metabolism, growth and energy levels. In order for the thyroid gland to function properly, the gland needs iodine which is absorbed by the food and drink that we intake. If the thyroid gland is not functioning properly or is not producing the right amount of hormones, then this may lead to several other problems like goitre, complications during pregnancy etc.

The most common thyroid problems are Hyperthyroidism, Hypothyroidism and Thyroid Nodule or Goitre

Hypothyroidism is what I suffer from. Hypothyroidism or under active thyroid produces too little thyroid hormones.  The most common cause is lack of Iodine. Here are some of the things that i experience and which affects my everyday life.

Symptoms

• Fatigue (lack of energy or feeling sleepy all the time)
• Dry skin and hair loss 
•  Hoarse voice
• Weight loss (some people tend to gain weight but i have the blessing of losing weight)
• Heavy periods (period lasting up to 8-9 days)
• Constipation  
• Cannot tolerate cold (I actually cannot eat or drink from the fridge. If I do, I have to make sure that I make up for it by drinking hot water or inhaling steam) 
•  Slow thinking (my colleague always tell me this but I blame it on thyroid)
• Memory lapse or forgetfulness (another thing that I can blame my thyroid for)
• Muscle cramps and joints pain
• Mood swings or feeling irritated & getting angry (my family will testify, no jokes)

I've done blood and eye tests. The thyroid results are come and it shows that the hormone levels are very very low, which does explain the fatigue, mood swings and lack of concentration and the blurry eyes that I have been experiencing for the last couple of months.

I was diagnosed in 2006 and since then i have been taking Levothyroxine. I started of with 50mg but since then it has just increased. The current dose is 150mg.

There are few more results that are still pending and the doc’s wants to do further test to see why I have been getting headaches and feeling dizzy.

I have been asked to visit the surgery every 1 month to do the blood test (normally it is every three months). They want to monitor the thyroid levels. Feel like i have to report to the police station every month otherwise the cops are going to hunt me down.

My food diet includes:  Fish, meat, onion salad (basically consist of onion salt a bit of vinegar), carrot juice and lots of water which is basically good for everything. Food that is rich in Iodine

My food diet excludes: broccoli, Cauliflower, cabbage, spinach, coffee, sweet potato, radish, and soybean. These foods contains goitrogen. A Goitrogen is a substance in some foods that prevents the thyroid gland from working correctly by blocking the uptake of iodine

To distract myself from this, i have turned to mother nature and she has definitely brightened up my mood. The beautiful skyline, blooming colourful roses and our tomato garden....oh that has just been the highlight. It's our first time and watching these babies grow is such a delight.

Watching the sun go down is just beyond explanation, the sky just turns into a fireball and the colours are just amazing.

  

If you feel that you have some of the symptoms, please consult your doctor. Normally, they will do a blood test to check whether you are suffering from Thyroid.

Do you suffer from Thyroid? 

Do you know anybody who is suffering from Thyroid?

What do you do or who do you turn to when you are bored or need distraction in your life?

Disclaimer: I am not an expert. This is just my story. If you need an expert's advice, please visit your local GP or see your doctor.