Hypo- Ohhhhhhh

So for at least the past year or so, I looked at my ballooning self in the mirror, perplexed. It's hard to say exactly when I started feeling not really like myself in many, many ways. I wondered at my inability to motivate myself to move more. I pondered as to why my head was likely to explode in frustration at small things. I felt like something was not quite right, but there was nothing specific to point to. I just called myself a big fat ass and despaired.

During the summer, I told myself that I was going to eat pretty much exactly what Mr. Personality eats, which is healthy healthy healthy, for the most part. A little experiment on my part, just to see what would happen. Of course, I was not perfect, but a concerted effort was made to put good things in, hoping for an outcome that would slim me down. My activity level stayed the same.

I actually gained weight.

I watched my clothes become tighter and tighter, and I said to myself, this is just not right. I told Hubba-hubba that I thought something was wrong physically, because there should have been no way my weight went up. He will vehemently deny what he said, but he basically said wasn't that the wish of every overweight person, that they could point to some physical malady to blame their weight on.

Well, after some bloodwork submitted, I now can.

It seems that I have hypothyroidism. Basically, a slow metabolism due to lack of the thyroid producing a hormone. And just look at this fun list of symptoms:

Fatigue
Weakness
Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
Coarse, dry hair
Dry, rough pale skin
Hair loss
Cold intolerance (can't tolerate the cold like those around you)
Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
Constipation
Depression
Irritability
Memory loss
Abnormal menstrual cycles
Decreased libido

Well no freakin' wonder! Not to say that I have been a model citizen of eating healthy and moving as much as I should, I have not. I eat many more bad things than I should and I don't work out even close to enough. But the puzzling major gains and lethargy are finally understood. Now I just need to pop these hormones for probably the rest of my life and see if we can't get things revving again. My only problem with the hormone is that I have to take it first thing in the morning and wait an hour to eat. And sometimes I am just damn hungry in the mornings, and that makes me crabby. I'm pathetic, I know.

I started wondering when exactly this reduction in the thyroid produced hormone began. I read on one site that sometimes pregnancy can cause it in certain people. I'm wondering if that is the case, although I am sure that it will never be determined.

Just another reason to thank Mr. Personality, that memory loss was a bitch. Actually, I don't care if I only had one of those damn symptoms, I'm going to claim each and every one. I'm all about shifting the blame.

Comments

Suzanne said…
eb you crack me up.

But really. I hope the homones will help. That's an impressive list of symptoms. I must ask, how many of those are you affected by?

Suzanne
Suzanne said…
I'm sorry about the diagnosis, and I hope that the medicine works!
Piece of Work said…
I've read about pregnancy causing thyroid problems too, and actually read somewhere that OBs should make the bloodtest more routine for postpartum women.

Glad you figured a cause, and that there's a relatively easy treatment.
Andi said…
I am still fighting this...today I asked my husband to bring me medicine at work and a customer overheard me....the customer proceeded to inform me that hypo only causes dry skin and that she "knows these thing because she has raised dogs who had thyroid tests and her mother had it"....nuts...you will possibly find that a lot of people are not understanding about this.
Melodee said…
Damn you! I just had a test done to rule that out (and explain a few things) and my test came out fine. Now I have to take responsibility!
Gina said…
eb- yeah yeah. It's a good thing I like you because you are sooooo annoying.

Suzanne- I have to say that in retrospect, quite a few, except perhaps the skin. But then I keep thinking that I am just chalking everything up to that. It is hard to tell, but definitely the crabbiness, periods, fatigue, and weight gain.

Suzanne and Amy- Thanks! It seems like there is nowhere but up to go from here.

Bluestbutterfly- Thanks for stopping by, and I am always amazed when people turn into MD's just because their friends' friend had X disease. So far, I have gotten nothing but support, and I will count myself as lucky.

Mel- :P But really, I hope that whatever is troubling you can be found out and helped.
chichimama said…
Glad they found it found it. I have a friend who suffered for years before her eye doctor of all people caught it. She said the meds took a while to work but now she feels perfectly normal again.

Hope you feel better quickly...
karla said…
Gina
Just wanted to send my well wishes for health and well being.
Those are alot of symptoms to deal with. Wishing you a speedy road to betterness! :)
Dani said…
It's good your condition was caught. I actually had my thyroid removed as a teenager due to cancer and ever since it's been interesting trying to find the right dosage, since everything from medicine to pregnancy, etc, can have an impact.

When you get on the appropriate level you'll be amazed about how much better you feel. It's subtle but very distinct, especially in terms of energy level.
Gina said…
yellow- That is so interesting, one of my very close friends also had thyroid cancer in her early 20's and had to have it removed.

She is currently on her honeymoon, but I have been dying to ask her about her experiences and if she has any advice for me regarding the levels.

Thanks for your advice and for stopping by!
Gina said…
chichmama and Karla- Thanks!
Gina said…
yellow- Please forgive me. What I really wanted to say was that I am so very sorry you had that experience in your teens, it must have been very hard. I am glad that you came out of it cancer free.

Popular posts from this blog

Fallen Between the Cracks

Onward

All I Saw was a Beard and a Moustache