Hypothyroidism

An illness like hypothyroidism causes extreme menstrual cycles, which go on forever. This is because the thyroid regulates hormones that cause menstruation. Your hair falls out, your nails get brittle, and you feel tired a lot. Patients know the tired feeling as brain fog. Your brain gets exhausted; you can barely function. Hypothyroidism only gets better with replacement thyroid hormone. You can take Armor, which is natural and based on desiccated pig hormone, or you can take levothyroxine, which is synthetic, man-made, and ultra good for your body. Hypothyroidism causes lack of focus. Sometimes some people are at their wit’s end with that and drink a lot coffee to survive the exhaustion, which is something I did in my twenties when I had bad thyroid problems.

Labs give you a number regarding your TSH or thyroid-stimulating hormone that tells you how much thyroid hormone you have. My last TSH was done a year ago in January and was at 1.98, with the standard range being 0.34-4.82. Hypothyroidism makes you feel messed up despite getting enough sleep. As I spent my childhood sleep deprived, I didn’t know what it was like to have enough sleep until now. Hypothyroidism is caused by a flare-up or ongoing thyroid gland inflammation which is an autoimmune disorder.

This means your immune system for no good reason of it’s own, attacks the thyroid, causing your TSH to go up. All thyroid hormone does is be a replacement for your body making thyroid hormone. Hashimotos’ thyroiditis is a kind of illness I actually have, which is caused by my own immune system. I have never needed to have my thyroid gland removed through surgery. My thyroid producing cells are low, which is why I use thyroid hormone to replace them because I don’t have those cells in my body anymore.

Hyperthyroidism is different from hypothyroidism in that radioactive iodine is used to kill off the thyroid so goiters don’t get large. Too much thyroid hormone requires the removal of the gland. If the pituitary doesn’t produce enough TSH, the thyroid doesn’t know to produce enough hormone, which causes the following symptoms: feeling exhausted, feeling weak, weight gain with difficult weight loss, coarse, dry hair, dry and pale skin that is rough to touch, hair loss, and more. This winter I’m doing well because my skin is not dry and I can tolerate cold somewhat better. I do not feel weak, also. Muscle cramps and aches are a result of low functioning thyroid, and I get this sometimes. Constipation is another symptom of low thyroid, which goes away if you have enough replacement hormone in the form of the levoythyroxine pill.

Depression and irritability are the mental health low thyroid can cause. Decreased sex drive often is another situation thyroid patients find themselves in. Some people are bothered by loss of hair with hypothyroidism, so they try other remedies like powdered drinks or hair replacement therapies. Low thyroid hormone is a combination of many symptoms. Goiter can happen with low thyroid hormone when the pituitary is pestered into making more thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH.

Untreated hypothyroidism can cause massive depression, heart failure, and comas. This illness is very easily treated, however, by remembering your hormone replacement pill daily. If you forget your pill, your heart rate will go up unexpectedly, which feels very weird since it causes anxiety. I once tried working out like this. Big mistake. Forgetting thyroid hormone is not a good idea, ever. It means you mess up your body. You also mess up your mind. Don’t forget thyroid hormone ever. It is not a good idea. This sort of treatment is meant to be taken every day.