Just A Girl Missing Her Thyroid

Okay, so lately, I've had a few people ask questions, and I want to address something to bring a little bit of public awareness to it.

In 2014, I was diagnosed with Graves Disease.  This is an auto-immune disorder that attacks your thyroid.  Many people have thyroid issues....many people have problems with their thyroid not working properly.  I'm no different.  Where most people struggle with their thyroid not working enough, mine was working OVERTIME.

At the time I was diagnosed, I had dropped 60+ pounds in a matter of months. My thyroid was working SO well...it was affecting my heart too.  My resting heart rate was at around 130-140 beats per minute.  The doctor was concerned with arrhythmia.  He said that my heart could not continue to beat that fast for a long period of time without running into major issues.  He sent me to an endocrinologist, and after testing and an ultrasound, it was determined that I had Graves Disease.

On a side note...at the time around my diagnosis, I could've run a marathon.  I would be up at 2 a.m. with my mind running rampant, and be up and ready to go to work at 5 a.m. the next day....this had gone on for months.  I always liken it to what I would assume a person on speed would feel like.  I was literally buzzing.  The funny thing is...when the doctor came in the day of the diagnosis...she said "You can almost always tell when a person has Graves Disease.  They almost have a buzz to them."  She went on to make me straighten my arms out in front of me, and you could visibly see my hands and fingers shaking.  It was the craziest thing.

The cure for Graves Disease is either surgery to remove the thyroid, or killing your thyroid with Radioactive Iodine.  We chose the latter, and the less invasive of the two.  After a 10 day stint on a "no-iodine diet" (which liketa killed me...Do you know how many items have iodine in them??! I basically survived on homemade popcorn, and salads)  I went into the hospital, and was given a pill containing the Radioactive Iodine.

It has been 4.5 years since the treatment, and it's still a bit of a battle with blood tests and tinkering with medicine to keep my levels normal.  I have a great doctor and PA that I see every three months.  I will be on medicine the rest of my life, but I am blessed.

I tell you all of the backstory to tell you this....there are still some things that I struggle with daily:

Brain fog.  The doctor said that for some reason one of the common complaints among people with thyroid issues is problems with memory and focus.  This is absolutely true!  It's something I struggle with daily.  I am so thankful to have a coworker who can remember everything and who is understanding.  I often can't remember from one week to the next, and she helps me daily keep things in check.

Energy.  There are some days when I am full of energy and can go go go....and then...I crash.  And I can almost always tell when it's going to happen.  It's a different kind of tired.  My body just drains.  That's the best way I can describe it.  My whole body gets tired, and I may have to rest a whole weekend to recover.

My Immune System is compromised.  I have never in my life gotten sick as much as I have in the past 4.5 years.  I seem to get sick at the drop of a hat.  So, if I act funny around you or request space from you if you have the sniffles, please don't get offended.  I get sick extremely easy.  It also takes me a lot longer to get over it than normal people.  A common cold can have me down for two weeks.

I struggle with temperature.  This is a biggie.  And many people don't understand.  When I get hot, I am HOT.  It is like my blood is boiling on a pot on Satan's stove top.  I can't cool off.  It is an inner heat that I can't cool.  And when I'm cold, I am freezing.  There is no in-between.  It is not uncommon for me to have my fan on high in the morning at my office, and my space heater on 86 degrees later that afternoon.  And yes, it's nuts.  I just ask for a little patience and understanding.

Anyways...if you see me fanning away like some Southern Belle at a Funeral, or dragging butt one day,...or unable to remember what I was saying mid-sentence.... just be a little understanding.