That little organ we don't even know exists, the thyroid gland, is responsible for many functions of the body. Mainly the metabolism. Say your metabolism is high, you are producing a high output of thyroid hormones. And if it is low, you are producing a low output. However, this article is to give you an quick overview of the gland and it's importance in the body. How am I going to do that? I'm going to share my story. I call it
"The Thyroid: My Journey From One End to the Other."
January 2001:
My weight held at a comfortable and healthy 135 lbs. I began eating everything in sight and lost weight no matter what I did. Our grocery bill suffered drasticly. The problem was that my thyroid was overactive. I didn't know at the time. Matter of fact, I didn't know at this point that I even had a thyroid and it's purpose.
April 2001:
I'd lost 40 lbs. Weighting in around 95 lbs, I was skin and bones. Clothes were huge on me but I ate about 10+ meals per day. Bedtime came and I was more awake than any nocturnal animal. It was winter and all I wanted was an air conditioner on high. My blood pressure was through the roof and my heart rate, resting, was 148 beats per minute. The normal is 70+/- beats per minute. My body was slowly eating itself away.
I finally saw a doctor to seek treatment for the problems that I was having. My symptoms were so drastic that I was referred to see a specialist (Endocrinologist). The specialist called immediately after seeing my test results. I was having EVERY symptom of hyperthyroidism.
I was given medication to slow my heart rate and slow my thyroid production. The medicine to slow my heart was to be taken 4 times each day, one pill. The medication for my thyroid was to be taken 4 times a day also, 5 pills each time. But still, 24 pills each day was not enough to slow it much at all.
July 2001: I was finally ready for surgery. Because of having this disease for a prolonged period, my doctor was concerned about my eye sight. He recommended a thyroidectomy instead of the other methods of treatment. It was the best for me since my symptoms were so extreme.
The day of my surgery, the surgeon removed over 90% of my thyroid. Now my metabolism was set at zero. Nothing without my daily hormone pills now.
Now that my thyroid gland was removed, I will be dependent on medicines for the remainder of my life. In the line of all doctors prescribing thyroid medication, I too, was prescribed Synthroid. Synthroid is synthetic T4 hormone, lab processed and lab created. My body didn't respond to it. Everytime the dosage was increased, I felt great. However, weeks later, my energy was back to nothing. I finally broke down and cried to the doctor and we discussed other options. The end result was a new medication containing both T3 and T4 hormones. Real hormone, not synthetic. The doctor said my body was unable to convert remaining T4 hormone into T3, so I now was prescribed a new medication with both hormones.
Since the surgery, my weight was a never ending issue. With years of lack of energy and drive to do much other than sleep, my weight suffered drastically. I got up to over 150 lbs at one point. I'd always been able to shop at the Junior's department in stores, not anymore though. I entered into a plus size store and vowed to myself that I would never again go there.
Over the last few years, things have finally got to normal. My medication is constantly being raised and I am having more energy to do things that I need to do. For instance, back then I had no energy to exercise. Now I enjoy it and look forward to it.
It's a constant battle when you can't naturally raise your metabolism. But it's something that I have to live with for the remainder of my life.
I hope my story has been informative. Too many underestimate the importance of that little organ that determines whether you have a high or low metabolism. Or in my case, no metabolism.
Your Thyroid Gland
