Why Are You Feeling So Tired?

Have you been feeling sluggish lately, but you don't know why?  Is your skin dry? Are your fingernails brittle?  Are you experiencing a lack of concentration &/or feelings of depression? 

Have your eyebrows begun to thin and is your hair falling out?  Unexplained weight gain?

If you answered 'yes' to two or more of these questions, you may be experiencing low thyroid levels, or hypothyroidism.  It's estimated that over 12 million people suffer from thyroid disease, many of whom have yet to be diagnosed.

What is the Thyroid Gland?

The thyroid gland is a small butterfly shaped gland located just below your larynx, or Adam's apple.  The function of the thyroid gland is to convert the iodine from the food you eat into two main thyroid hormones.  These hormones are essential for the regulation of your metabolism, body teamperature, and assisting other organs in their functions.

Checklist of Sypmtoms

Mary J. Shomon is a patient advoate and bestselling author, who, since her diagnosis has made it her mission to educate and empower others who struggle with thyroid, autoimmune, hormone, and weight loss challenges.  She has provided a handy checklist to help you determine if perhaps a visit to your doctor is called for.  It's a good idea to take a copy of the checklist to your appointment: there is a more extensive list in her book, "Living Well With Hypothyroidism; What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You...That You Need To Know".

Finding Help

The frustraing thing is finding a doctor who is willing to listen to you about your ongoing symptoms; especially when your test results show you to be in the 'normal' range.  You can find numerous accounts of people who had to go to doctor after doctor before finding one that would listen and do something to improve their quality of life.

Your best defense is to educate yourself about your symptoms, your thyroid levels, and to know that you don't have to settle for feeling okay.  You can feel wonderful!

Mary has made this easy for us, with her Thyroid Top Doctors Directory.  The directory is very user friendly and is organized by state.  Simply click on your state, find the city nearest you, and choose a doctor from those listed.  There are patient comments as well, that can help you decide which doctor would work  best for you.

In the event your state does not have a doctor listed, there is a forum moderated by Ms. Shomon, and the odds are pretty good that someone there can point you in the right direction.

Personal Experience

I've dealt with a low thyroid for years and thought that feeling 'okay' was as good as it was ever going to get.  I thought my aching joints were because I was getting older, and that I couldn't lose weight because I lacked self-discipline and motivation.  I thought my thinning hair and eyebrows were the luck of the draw from a murky gene pool.

It wasn't until I read Mary's book that I realized my GP is a great doctor, just not the correct person to help me with my low thyroid levels.  Through my reading of "Living Well With Hypothyroidism; What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You ...That You Need To Know", I realized my joints weren't achy because I was getting older, my inability to lose weight had little to do with a lack of self-discipline or motivation, and my thinning hair and eyebrows weren't attributed to a murky gene pool.  It was my thyroid!!  All the guilt and self-loathing I had been heaping upon myself for years, began falling away- the feelings of vindication and relief were so great, that I  sat there with the book in my lap, and cried.  Then I got mad!

How dare all those Doctors, who over the years wrote prescriptions for ineffective medication and sent me on my way with the parting words, "you need to lose some weight".  How dare all those Doctors, who ignored my ongoing symptoms because my thyroid levels were in the 'normal' range.  How dare all those Doctors, who showed a lack of concern about my overall health, knowing that my health issues could be linked to my hypothyroidism.

And shame on me...shame on me for not taking charge of my own health care sooner.

Feeling Like a New Woman!

Earlier this year I began reading every book on hypothyroidism and online article I could find. I was fully prepared with lab work, questions, and a thorough list of symptoms when I visited the doctor I chose from the Top Docs Directory.  He was very impressed with my knowledge and he listened to everything I had to say and then asked more indepth questions about my sypmptoms.  We discussed my current medications and my health goals.

And then, he changed my life.  He changed my medications, added a few supplements to my daily regime, and now, I feel like a new woman!  There is a spring to my step, a twinkle in my eye, and roses in my cheeks, that haven't been there in years.

Now that I have more energy and my thyroid levels are stacked in my favor, I begin the journey to lose the weight, but that's a story for another time. 

As Dr. Wayne Dyer says, "...Once you have the inner way, the outer way will follow."

Don't settle for feeling 'okay' when you can have WONDERFUL!

ree'J