How to Live with Thyroid Disease

I began experiencing bouts of depression when I was nine-years-old and never really understood why until I was in my 20s and my doctor ran a simple blood test that showed I had Hypothyroidism, which is an under active thyroid.

Symptoms
Under active thyroid can cause all types of problems including thin brittle hair, dry skin, depression, weight gain and in women it can make your periods irregular. I had all those symptoms and more when I was diagnosed.

I didn't get help for many, many years even though I saw many doctors they never suspected what the problem really was. After finding out what was going on and being on medication for a few years I developed a large nodule on my Thyroid and was sent to have an ultrasound, which showed I actually had four nodules on and around my thyroid gland.

I ended up having to get a biopsy on one of the nodules, which wasn't as painful as I thought it was going to be. The Radiologist numbs it up very well beforehand but that doesn't stop the panic from setting in when you see that needle coming at you.

Hashimoto's Thyroiditis
Later I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis, which is an auto-immune disease. Which means the body attacks attacks the thyroid gland as if it were a foreign body. Symptoms of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis are depression, fatigue, sleepiness, dry hair and skin, muscle cramps, aches and pains as well as other symptoms associated with thyroid problems.

I was told after being diagnosed with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis that in most cases the Thyroid gland will burn itself out within five years and the worst of the symptoms that go along with it will diminish.

When I was first diagnosed I was put on Synthroid and in about three months I was feeling a lot better. Of course I had to go in for blood tests every three months to make sure the amount of medicine they were giving me was the right amount and the doctor adjusted it several times before the blood levels leveled out to where they were supposed to be.

Be Pro-active, Talk with the doctor
There are a lot of people who have under active or over active thyroid problems and don't even know it. Odd symptoms as well as depression should be told to your doctor so they can run the simple blood test and find out if Thyroid disease is the culprit.

You do not have to live with depression and who knows, the depression symptoms you have may be a symptom of another problem that can be fixed with medication.