I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Disease when I was ten years old. My mother’s first indication there might be an imbalance came when she noticed I was starting to put on a little weight. (Her actual words were, “Your arm is getting squishy.”) Because she herself has a thyroid condition, and thyroid conditions are hereditary, she took me in to get me diagnosed right away. A blood test later, it was confirmed that my thyroid levels were indeed low.
Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis is the disease which most commonly causes hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid.) It goes by many names: Hashimoto’s Disease, autoimmune thyroiditis, or chronic lymphocytic thyroiditis, and it’s an autoimmune disease. Essentially your antibodies react negatively to the proteins in the thyroid gland, and the gland is eventually destroyed, becoming unable to produce the hormones your body needs.
When thyroiditis is diagnosed, the doctor will usually feel your throat to see if the gland is enlarged. Then he’ll order a blood test to see if there are sufficient thyroid hormones in your bloodstream or to see if you have high levels of antibodies working against your thyroid. He may take a biopsy of the gland, looking for lymphocytes and macrophages. He could also do an ultrasound to see just how enlarged the thyroid is. At the time of my first diagnosis, I did a blood test. Then, ten years later, I had a biopsy and an ultrasound.
So what are the symptoms, aside from getting “squishy?” Some people don’t have symptoms at all. (That’s helpful, isn’t it?) Many other people have enlarged thyroids. You may also notice feelings of depression, fatigue, lifelessness, inability to lose weight, and fertility problems. The most commonly noticed symptom, however, is weight gain.
In most cases, the treatment is as simple as taking a pill a day to replace the missing hormone. I take a natural desiccated thyroid supplement, while others choose the drug version. Once in a while, it becomes necessary to have the thyroid removed, but for most patients, taking the pill is enough.
If you feel you may have thyroid problems, I encourage you to go see your doctor. Having those hormones straightened out can make all the difference in your quality of life.
(My thanks to the About.com website for help with the technical terminology for this article.)
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