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My Thyroid Is Killing Me

The Inside and out with Living with Hypothyroidism

By Sarah SandersPublished 6 years ago 5 min read
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It has been ten years since I have heard the dreadful news of my diagnosis of Hypothyroidism. Now you would think by now I would have everything figured out about this disease but you would be wrong. The thing is with this disease is there is no telling whether its going to get worse or better. That's just what the doctors told me at least.

At the age of twelve I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism at my local doctors office. My mother brought me in for yet another check-up due to my lack of energy and excitement. Being that age and having a very busy athletic schedule my mother knew something was off. My swim times became worse and worse over time, I barley wanted to leave my bed, and I started gaining weight unexpectedly. Things I once loved to do became a chore. Even my attitude became poor causing my grades and friendships to decline.

The doctors ran their tests and did their examinations and with their conclusion I had Hypothyroidism. This didn't come as a shock to my mother. Come to find out that half my family was struggling with this same disease. They told me with a pill a day I should be right back on schedule. But I should have known that wasn't true.

Now I would like to get this out of the way, I am not a pill taker. It took me years and special tricks to finally get me to swallow pills. My mother put my pills in applesauce and tried to trick me into getting me to take them. It was a challenge I faced for a very long time and still have to this day.

Now I don't know about you but I like to know what I am ingesting and how it works. But do we really understand how all of this works and what it does to our bodies? There is something I just do not like about having to get up and swallow little tiny pills and have no idea whats in them. Now don't get me wrong I understand that there are many people out there who desperately need their medication and I am in no way saying to stop your medication and go against any doctors orders. But all I can say from my experience with taking medication is that there are alternative remedies to help and ease the backlash and symptoms of many diseases.

Now if you have hypothyroidism then you are probably used to feeling sluggish, tired, depressed, and overall feeling ran down. You may even feel cold and have dry skin and hair. Also that follows this disease are the more unpleasant symptoms like; constipation, heavy menstruation in women, and muscle cramps. I don't know about you but feeling these all the time for ten years hasn't been fun. I have done endless research and searching for other remedies for this disease. I've bought books at Barns and Noble and became a google doctor. I've even gone as far as buying endless amounts of supplements to try and kick this awful disease in the rear but it never seemed to work.

With going to the doctors back and forth and switching medication levels it almost seemed as though nothing would work for me until one day I realized I had the answer right in front of me. It was the most simple but yet most difficult solution to my problem. It was in all caps and written on my forehead; "Diet & Exercise".

I continue to struggle with this because it's not as easy as it sounds but I do realize that this is a huge step in the right direction. I have never seen such drastic results in such a short amount of time. I think back to all those years I tried masking this disease and finding quick fixes to this simple solution. But I also realized I knew it all along but was just a little too lazy to do anything about it. But what I didn't realize is that my thyroid was slowly killing me. My mind, body, and soul where slowly ticking away. I felt like I was in a deep dark hole with no way out and my only destiny was to live in this grey fog.

Now I am here to say that doesn't have to be your life. Take charge and believe that beating this disease is possible for you. All you need is dedication and hard work and a little bit of hope. It will take time and there will be times you slip up and take a couple steps back. That is alright as long as you continue to push forward and better your life style. You have to want to be healthy and be the best you can. Take the time and do your research. It is healthy to fail and grow and is natural to get lost at times but always know that there are people out there going through the same problems and that there is a way to fix them. Always strive to get better and never believe you are stuck. You are just turned around heading in the wrong direction. All you need to do is pull over and park, take the time to look around ask for directions. There is always someone who drove this path before and are willing to take the time and help you get to where you need to go.

I hope this inspires you to get better and live the best life you can live. I want to continue to help and spread awareness on this issue in any way I can. Coming out soon are foods to eat and to say away from for Hypothyroidism.

Photo credit: https://www.google.com/search?q=hypothyroidism&rlz=1C1CHBD_enUS803US803&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwikotTTkJfcAhVGrVkKHWPmDhEQ_AUICygC&biw=1536&bih=710#imgrc=cYzVSDTP6gB7CM:

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About the Creator

Sarah Sanders

Hi! I'm Sarah. Starting to step out of my comfort zone and become more creative. Love to write and escape the day to day loop by writing about things I'm passionate about.

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