As told to Jacquelyne Froeber
It’s January Thyroid Awareness Month.
“Have you noticed any asymmetry in your neck?” my friend asked.
As doctors, we didn’t usually spend our time looking at each other’s abnormalities, but he was right. The right side of my neck was slightly more swollen than the left.
Luckily my sister is an endocrinologist so I made an appointment to see her the next day. He did an ultrasound and found nodules on my thyroid. He didn’t think it was cancerous, but I needed a biopsy to be sure. When the results came back, I was relieved to find out that I didn’t have cancer, but my endocrinologist recommended that I remove the nodules along with part of my thyroid. That way, I won’t have to worry about getting checked and biopsied every year.
I agreed with the surgeon and was not too nervous about the surgery. I had surgery on my spine a few years earlier, so the thyroid procedure seemed pretty minor in comparison.
The procedure went as planned and by all accounts I had a clean bill and my thyroid levels were under control but I felt awful. I had zero energy and was sluggish — like I was moving in slow motion.
“I need more sleep,” I told myself. But no matter how much sleep I got, I never woke up feeling refreshed or energized like I did before I had the surgery.
And it wasn’t just my body. I didn’t realize it at first, but a fog had settled in my brain and was clouding my thoughts and memory.
It started small – forgetting a word or a phrase or why I walked into a room – and then I forgot an appointment with a patient. I was stunned when I realized my mistake. I had never done this before and I knew something was wrong.
I went for blood tests and my sister told me to get one thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody test;which is not part of the routine blood draw. The presence of antibodies could mean Hashimoto’s disease — an autoimmune condition that affects the thyroid and slows the metabolism that can cause a wide range of problems, including fatigue. Of course, I had TPO antibodies and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.
If I wasn’t so drained I would jump for joy. I was so relieved – and so grateful to my sister – that I had an answer to why I was feeling so bad and could start moving forward.
Even though I’m a doctor, I was new to hormone issues and had no idea how important your thyroid is or the many ways hypothyroidism can harm your health.
First, my blood test showed elevated levels of LDL cholesterol – the “bad” cholesterol. Those few months when I was too tired to exercise or eat properly took a serious toll on my health. I have a family history of heart disease, so I knew that if I wanted to live a long and healthy life with Hashimoto’s, I would have to make some lifestyle changes.
I learned that Hashimoto’s is affected by inflammation, so I started by changing my diet to include more foods with anti-inflammatory properties. That meant shopping the perimeter of the grocery store and filling my cart with more fresh produce and less processed foods. I made meals and snacks ahead of time so when I was stressed or tired from a long day at work, I would have something nutritious waiting for me, which was a big change from just eating fast food or something random when I was hungry. That’s not to say I didn’t have the occasional donut on break—it’s totally fine—but once I started cutting back on sugary and fried foods, I saw an increase in my energy.
Like many people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s, I started taking medication to supplement the thyroid hormone I wasn’t making.
After about three months of medication, diet changes and meditation, I felt like my old self again. My energy was up and I could move more. I started walking everywhere and leaving weights around the house, so when I saw one — I picked it up and did a set. (If I get a little breathless when we talk on the phone — you know why.)
It’s been about eight years since my thyroid surgery and I’m still eating clean and moving as much as I can. When I start to feel overwhelmed or drained, I meditate – wherever I am – and do a few minutes of breathing. It helps me to have consciousness and calmness and clarity in my thoughts.
Now that I’m in my 50s, I have to remind myself that fatigue, brain fog, and forgetfulness are also signs of perimenopause and menopause. But anyone experiencing these symptoms can ask a healthcare provider for a TPO test. My routine blood work was fine, so if I hadn’t asked for the test, who knows how long it would have been before I found out I had Hashimoto’s.
Hashimoto’s can disrupt your entire world, but you can reclaim your brain and your energy. For me, taking medication, checking my hormone levels regularly and making lifestyle changes help me manage the disease.
Of course, I still forget things from time to time, but I know that’s normal — not Hashimoto’s.
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