That strange sounding diagnosis is my new life. That is right, I officailly have a disease called Hashimoto's. Dont worry, it really is not a huge deal and actually I am so happy that we finally figured out this craziness that has been my body lately! For those who are confused, here is a brief summary of the last few months. First off, I went to my OB/GYN becaause my lovely monthly friend had not come to visit for over 6 months. I had been feeling abnormally sluggish and tired, and just not myself. My doctor ran a few basic tests and my thyroid level (TSH) had come back elevated. Basically, my body was not producing enough of the thyroid hormone which is mainly responsible for helping metabolize your food into energy. So my doctor didnt seem too concerned and sort of lead me on my way, saying it wasnt "high enough" to treat. Well, being in the medical field I was not satisfied with that answer at all. I did a lot of research and talked to a family member with the same problem and concluded that I needed a second opinion. Thyroid levels should not be over 3 and mine was over 6. I decided to go see my Family Practice Doctor, who immediately took things seriously. He actually felt my thyroid (which my other doctor didnt) and he said it felt huge. He wanted an ultrasound immediately, and re-drew all my labs including an Antibody test. Well guess what... all my inclinations were confirmed when my antibody test came back sooo totally whacked out... 21,000 to be exact. Nobody should have thyroid antibodies in there blood at all. My doctor had never seen anything so high, and my ulrasound proved that my tissue was diseased and enlarged. So, to make a long story short... I have a disease called Hashimoto's which is an autoimmune disorder where my thyroid is attacking itself, killing tissue and my body is trying to build new healthy tissue resulting in enlargement of the thyroid. Ahhh... that was a lot. So now what? Well, there is no cure for the disease, but basically the side effect is Hypothyroidism, which in itslef is pretty common. I am now taking a supplement which I will for the rest of my life. I am on my fourth week and am slowly starting to notice some changes. Hopefully, my thyroid will start figuring thins, and it will slowly stop killing itself.
Saturday, August 23, 2008
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6 comments:
Wow Ashley, I'm happy you found a diagnosis, and I hope you feel better SOON! I'm really impressed that you were so aggressive about learning info on your own and getting a 2nd opinion....a good lesson for all of us to trust our instincts!!
I guess a sorry and congrats are both in order. I am glad that you were finally able to figure out what was going on, but sorry that it is something you have to continue to deal with. Good to hear that things are starting to back to normal!
I'm sure glad that they figured it out. It's always so much easier to handle when you actually have a name for what's going on with you. I hope the medication continues to work. I'm sure it will!
That sucks ash... but deep down you knew it all along, so good job on taking control of your body. DOCTORS. Sometimes they make me nuts. I am glad to know that you are finally starting to feel better.
Yeesh! It sounds like you have been through quite the run around. I'm glad that you were able to finally get some answers and that is wasn't anything too serious. Hopefully you can start to really feel better now!
You are awesome to take matters into your own hands and get a second opinion... thank heavens you did. Best wishes getting your health back 100%!
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