As Jacquelyne Froeber tells it
January is Thyroid Awareness Month.
“Have you noticed any asymmetry in your neck?” my friend asked.
As doctors, we didn’t usually spend our free time checking each other for abnormalities, but she was right. The right side of my neck was slightly more swollen than the left.
Luckily, my sister is an endocrinologist, so I made an appointment with her the next day. She did an ultrasound and found nodules on my thyroid. She didn’t think it was cancer, but I needed a biopsy to be sure. When the results came back, I was relieved to find that I didn’t have cancer, but the endocrine surgeon recommended that I have the nodules removed along with part of my thyroid. This way I wouldn’t have to worry about checkups and biopsies every year.
I agreed with the surgeon and wasn’t too nervous about the surgery. I had spinal surgery a few years ago, so the thyroid procedure seemed minor in comparison.
The procedure went as planned and by all reports I had a clean bill of health and my thyroid levels were under control, but I felt terrible. I had no energy and felt sluggish – like I was moving in slow motion.
“I just need more sleep,” I told myself. But it didn’t matter how much sleep I got, I never woke up as refreshed or energized as I was before surgery.
And it wasn’t just my body. I didn’t realize it at first, but a fog had settled in my brain, clouding my thoughts and memory.
It started small – I’d forget a word or a sentence or the reason I was entering a room – and then I’d forget an appointment with a patient. I was speechless when I realized my mistake. I had never done this before and knew something was seriously wrong.
I went for a blood test and my sister told me to get a thyroid peroxidase (TPO) antibody test, which was not part of the routine blood test. The presence of the antibodies could indicate Hashimoto’s disease – an autoimmune disease that affects the thyroid and slows metabolism, which can lead to a variety of problems, including fatigue. In fact, I had TPO antibodies and was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s disease.
If I hadn’t been so exhausted, I would have jumped for joy. I was so relieved – and so grateful to my sister – that I had an answer to why I was feeling so bad and I could start moving on.
Even though I’m a doctor, I wasn’t familiar with hormone issues and had no idea how important your thyroid is or the many ways hypothyroidism can harm your health.
On the one hand, my blood work showed an increased level of LDL cholesterol – the “bad” cholesterol. The few months that I was too tired to exercise or eat properly had a serious impact on my health. Heart disease runs in my family, so I knew I had to make some lifestyle changes if I wanted to live a long and healthy life with Hashimoto’s disease.
I learned that Hashimoto’s is affected by inflammation, so I started changing my diet to include more foods with anti-inflammatory properties. This meant I had to shop on the sidelines at the grocery store and fill my cart with more fresh produce and less processed foods. I prepared meals and snacks in advance so that when I was stressed or tired after a long day of work, I had something nutritious waiting for me, which was a big change from just eating fast food or something else when I was hungry . That’s not to say I didn’t eat a donut in the break room every now and then – they’re too delicious – but when I started cutting back on sugary and fried foods, I noticed my energy levels increase.
Like many people with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s disease, I also began taking medication to supplement the thyroid hormone I wasn’t producing.
After about three months of taking medication, changing my diet and meditating, I felt like myself again. My energy had increased and I was able to move more. I started walking around everywhere and leaving weights around the house. When I saw one, I picked it up and jumped. (If I’m a little out of breath while talking on the phone – you know why.)
It’s been about eight years since my thyroid surgery and I still eat healthy and exercise as much as I can. Whenever I feel overwhelmed or drained, I meditate – no matter where I am – and do breathing exercises for a few minutes. It helps me stay alert, calm and clear in my thoughts.
Now that I’m in my 50s, I have to realize that fatigue, brain fog, and forgetfulness are also signs of perimenopause and menopause. But anyone experiencing these symptoms can ask a doctor for a TPO test. My routine blood tests were normal. So if I hadn’t asked for the test, who knows how long it would have taken me to find out I had Hashimoto’s disease.
Hashimoto’s can throw your whole world out of balance, but you can get your brain and your energy back. For me, taking medication, regularly measuring my hormone levels and changing my lifestyle helps manage the disease.
Of course, I still forget things from time to time, but I know that’s normal – not Hashimoto’s.
Do you have any real women, real stories of your own that you would like to share? Let us know.
Our “Real Women, Real Stories” are the authentic experiences of real-life women. The views, opinions and experiences shared in these stories are not endorsed by HealthyWomen and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of HealthyWomen.
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