Boy I am exhausted! It has been a chronic issue and maybe due to our parenting choice to not sleep train (ie Cry it out method) our daughter. It has been rough to say the least. When conversing with other parents, we found that we were not alone. Yet, I still felt alone. This was due to a change in my body and overall mental well-being. I was not feeling my best and had troubles sleeping. I had heart palpitations, restlessness, exhausted, and I was always hungry. I figured my body was in survival mode but in the back of my mind I thought…THYROID!
Having hypothyroidism for 5 years, I’ve become hypersensitive or attuned to my body and knew it may be related. I ruled out my diabetes because my management is going well (well according to my 3 month A1C’s). I am privileged to have an open lab requisition where I can check my TSH and A1C levels anytime I want. I tend to go every 3 months but if I suspect anything may be wrong I go before the 3 months. My TSH levels were in the normal range, so it wasn’t my thyroid?!
I decided to seek guidance from a Naturopath Doctor. I was obviously skeptical when my acupuncturist recommended I talk to their in house Naturopath Doctor. I guess I am all about modern medicine and the medical model but I was being failed by it in some ways. I had to seek out other opinions. What did I have to lose, anyway?
The Naturopath Doctor (ND) was outstanding and validated my suspicions regarding my thyroid. I always thought I struggled with a low thyroid before my formal diagnosis. The ND expressed that the free T3 and free T4 are important in the overall function of the thyroid gland. In my case, my free T3 and T4 were not functioning properly, hence the hair loss and other symptoms. Due to this, my thyroid fluctuates from hyper and hypo because it is not working properly. So, I am not crazy!!! I was relieved to hear this, yet, a bit saddened by it. The ND also advised that I am creating antibodies that are attacking my thyroid and will result in the destruction of the gland.
Obviously, this is good to know now then later but nonetheless frustrating. I realize that nobody has a perfect genetic makeup and that we are all unique in our dispositions. However, I may be tapping into my left brain logical thinking by making that statement, but my right brain emotional thinking is saying….AGH this sucks!!! Right now, I cannot panic and take in the information and take it one day at a time.