Health Update ~ New Diagnosis
Hello Readers,
I thought long and hard about writing about this, especially as I’ve said I’m taking a break from all the Chronic Illness related articles this year. But I cannot ignore the fact that I began this blog to share my experience of long term illness and when I first started blogging, all those many years ago, I actually wrote about the beginnings of this health condition. So, I feel it’s only right to acknowledge this moving forward and have some measure of closure around it.
But before I dive into the diagnosis, I feel I should give a little bit of background…
All the way back in 2007, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism ~ this means I have an under active Thyroid gland. At the time, my Thyroid levels weren’t too bad and so I was prescribed a very low dose of a Thyroid hormone replacement. Once the medication began to work, my levels became more stable and everything seemed fine.
Then after a few years and a number of routine blood draws, my Thyroid levels began to drop and my dosage was raised to compensate. My levels would then stabilise again but at the most they’d be okay for 6 months to a year and then my dosage would have to be either lowered or raised and this went on for a long time. Then last October after having my routine blood draw come back with low levels for my Thyroid, the Doctor I spoke to suggested I alternate my dosage each day and then have another blood draw done to see if that helped stable things again. The Doctor’s reasoning behind this is that for some people they need a dosage between the two I was going to and fro from.
So I wrote down a schedule so I could keep track of what dosage I needed each day and did this for 6 weeks. So on the very last day of 2021, I had a blood draw ~ little did I know that I would finally get the answer to a question that has been lingering in the back of my mind for a number of years.
Unbeknown to me, the Doctor {a different one from the last I’d seen} who had put in the request for my blood draw {I have them done at home via the Community Phlebotomist} had decided to check my Thyroid Antibodies. Although my other Thyroid levels were stable, the Antibodies test came back positive and so I arranged for a telephone appointment with the Doctor to discuss the results and what they mean. I then spent an agonising 3 weeks waiting for that appointment and after one of the nicest Doctor’s appointment I’ve ever had, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease. {Also know as Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Chronic Lymphocytic Thyroiditis, and Chronic Autoimmune Thyroiditis.}
Hashimoto’s Disease is an Autoimmune disease where the Immune System decides that the Thyroid Gland is a threat and attacks it; this causes damage to the gland and results in it not working properly. From what I have since read and come to understand, this isn’t constantly happening but you can experience “flares” in which the symptoms of the disease worsen for a time and this is when the Immune System is doing it’s best to get rid of your Thyroid Gland.
While anyone can develop this disease, it is most common in middle-aged women. Although I’m in my 30’s my Doctor told me that while I do have it, I was a little young ~ but hey I’ve always liked being an early adopter of things - social media, health conditions…
But anyways, I’m sure you’d all like to know what some of the symptoms are, other than Hypothyroidism, and boy are they a fun time ~ though many of these actually cross over into my M.E, so I get double the fun! {*holds up sarcasm sign*}
Fatigue and Sluggishness
Increased sensitivity to cold
Increased sleepiness
Dry skin
Constipation
Muscle weakness
Muscle aches, tenderness, and stiffness
Joint pain and stiffness
Irregular or excessive menstrual bleeding
Depression
Problem with memory or concentration
Swelling of the Thyroid Gland {Goiter}
A puffy face
Brittle nails
Hair loss
Enlargement of the Tongue.
Plus all the symptoms that come from having Hypothyroidism
Aside from taking Thyroid Hormone Replacements, which I am, there’s not cure for Hashimoto’s. It’s all about management through medication and a yearly blood draw to keep check on your Thyroid levels.
{There are more symptoms but these are the main ones listed from the Mayo Clinic. I’ve included a link to their website below.}
I’ll be completely honest with you all, I got off the phone from my appointment and just cried. Getting a new diagnosis or being diagnosed with any health condition is a complicated experience, especially if you’ve been dealing with the symptoms for a long time. It can come as both a relief and a shock to the system. For me personally, this diagnosis was the answer to a question I never really pushed hard to find ~ I spent so many years getting a Doctor to listen to me and finally diagnose me with M.E, that my Hypothyroidism just kinda flew under the radar. I was on the medication, I had my routine blood draws to keep a check on it and that was that really.
On the odd occasion I wondered if there was a cause for my Hypothyroidism and I’d seen Hashimoto’s mentioned in connection to it but I had other more pressing health issues going on that I set it aside ~ I didn’t have the energy to fight more than one battle and my experience with Doctors regarding M.E left me with little confidence in them {I’ve seen numerous Doctors and can count on one hand the ones that have truly helped and listened.} that every appointment gives me a lot of anxiety. So for a Doctor to just casually decide to check my antibody levels just to double check how often I needed my levels checking, to getting a new diagnosis and finally a cause of my Hypothyroidism was a little overwhelming to say the least.
But it was also a relief. I now have an explanation of the symptoms I was experiencing that couldn’t be explained away by being an “M.E Thing” and why I feel I experience certain symptoms doubly at times ~ as they’re part of both diseases.
So I’ve spent the better part of the last couple of weeks processing this and while the effect it’s had on me mentally has been a little tough, overall I’m doing okay with it. Like I said, it’s a relief that I finally know what I’m dealing with and I’m slowly trying to learn more about it and I’m hoping in time I may be able to pin point when I’m experiencing an Hashimoto’s Flare. Though I know that won’t be easy because of the cross over symptoms with M.E and every time certain symptoms worsen, I’ve always put it down to an M.E Flare. So now when I feel worse than my “normal” I’ll be asking myself ~ “M.E, Hashimoto’s or something else?”
So there we go, a new diagnosis to add to my list and a new disease to learn about. I’m sorry if this article is a bit of a ramble, I just felt like I needed to write it all out and properly acknowledge it ~ writing has always been my therapy and getting my thoughts and feelings out about this helps me to process it even more. But hopefully there’s something useful in there for anyone reading it.
Though I’m still very much learning about Hashimoto’s still, if you’d like me to do a full piece on it, like I’ve done in the past with M.E, going into more detail than just a brief overview of what it is and the symptoms, then please let me know. In the meantime, if you want to know more, you can visit the dedicated page on the Mayo Clinic’s website as that’s where I got my initial information and the list of symptoms included in this piece.
Stay Safe.
L x
