Essay On Hypothyroidism

Hypothyroidism is a silent but effective disease that affects many every day. As a person who has the disease, I have experienced firsthand its symptoms and the pain it brings. When I was first diagnosed, I was afraid that the worst was going to happen. On average, your hormone levels are supposed to be around 4. When I was measured, it was at a 15. Being who I am I looked up the worst case scenarios of hypothyroidism and scared myself crazy. It wasn’t until my doctor let me know that it was a very treatable disease and explained what it was that I truly began to relax.

Hypothyroidism occurs when the thyroid is not producing enough hormones for the body. In my particular case I had Hoshimoto’s thyroiditis which is the most common cause of hypothyroidism. Hoshimoto’s thyroiditis is when extra antibodies are produced and begin to attack

the thyroid gland. The thyroid in turn, believes it is providing enough hormones throughout the body when in fact it is under performing. When this disease first touched me, it took my feet. I began to feel a sharp pain beneath my foot but I paid it no mind. The following morning when I tried to stand, I fell straight to my knees because the pain was unbearable. I tried taking a hot shower to see if the pain would ease itself and unfortunately it did not. I went back to sleep given that it was 4 a.m. and hoped that when I woke up it would go away. At 8 a.m. I woke up and the pan spread to my calves. For 3 days my body was screaming in pain from the tip of my toe to my swelling lips. Finally my father demanded I be taken to the hospital to figure out what was going on. Common symptoms consist of thinning hair, dry skin, heavier and longer menstrual cycles, depression, fatigue, inability to tolerate the cold, and many other symptoms that I had formed. The doctors didn’t come to this conclusion because often people with the disease gain weight and at the time I was 120 Lbs at 5’4. It is an often misconception that if you are thinner you probably don’t have it but given how often I worked out every week, the weight hardly came on to me.
The most common treatment for hypothyroidism is a medication called Levothyroxine.

What this medication does is it provides the body with the missing hormones that the thyroid is not producing. It is very important to take this medication everyday to regulate your body’s function. In some cases over time you can reactivate your thyroid function and you will have no need for the medication. In my particular case however, my levels have not evened out so I have to regularly take the medication possibly for the rest of my life.

There is no way to really avoid contracting the disease because you can be perfectly healthy and still have problems with your thyroid. I was working out regularly and eating healthy but still I experienced all the symptoms at one time. It is commonly found in women but particularly of an older age. Lately more cases have been displayed that there is an increase in female teens. It can be triggered by stress so sometimes it is important to take a step back and take care of your mind not just your body because they are connected. However, overall there really is no true way to avoid it sometimes it just

happens.
I had never truly looked at the symptoms of the disease although I have had it for going on 6 years. When I looked at everything listed, it surprised me how many of the symptoms I have. With the exception of 2, I truly am textbook hypothyroidism. It was a very scary process in the beginning because you feel like you have no control over your body. Everything just stops in your head because the pain is too great to ignore. However, if you experience some of the symptoms, go to your doctor because it is better to be safe than sorry. If I listened to my body I may have picked up on the little signs that were shouting at me. I live my life like everyone else but sometimes I have to adjust and take it slow because I now listen to my body.