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Entry bubble Thyroid Disease

By: Ginger | March 06, 2009 | Category: Health

Woman getting an ultrasound on her thyroidEarlier this year Oprah Winfrey did a show about her latest battle with weight gain.  She shared with her audience that the culprit of her latest increase in weight was diagnosed as resulting from a thyroid problem.  Millions of people in the U.S. have thyroid diseases. Most often thyroid diseases are diagnosed in women.

The thyroid controls a person’s metabolism, so when the thyroid becomes diseased it can affect a person’s ability to break down food for energy by either slowing it down (hypothyroidism) or making it happen more quickly than normal (hyperthyroidism)

Hyperthyroidism symptoms include:

  • Weight loss
  • Increased appetite
  • Nervousness
  • Restlessness
  • Heat intolerance
  • Increased sweating
  • Fatigue
  • Frequent bowel movements
  • Menstrual irregularities
  • Enlarged thyroid
  • Palpitations or irregular heartbeat

Hypothyroidism symptoms include:

  • Weakness
  • Fatigue
  • Cold intolerance
  • Constipation
  • Weight gain
  • Depression
  • Joint or muscle pain
  • Thin, brittle fingernails
  • Thin and brittle hair
  • Paleness

My sister was diagnosed with hypothyroidism several years ago and takes medicine every day for the problem.  Around the same time my sister was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, a friend of mine was diagnosed with thyroid cancer and had to undergo radioactive iodine therapy. She also must take thyroid medicine for the rest of her life.

For a while, I’ve been noticing what I think may be symptoms of thyroid disease, so I have scheduled a doctor’s appointment to get it checked out.  If you or a loved one suspects thyroid problems, you should do the same.  It is always better to be safe than sorry.  In the meantime, here are some helpful resources to read up on:

If you do get diagnosed with a thyroid disease be sure to ask you doctor about drug interactions before taking over the counter medicines.

| View Comments [4] | envelope E-mail This Entry | Tags: cancer   ginger   hyperthyroidism   hypothyroidism   thyroid  

Comments (4):

blue comment bubble Posted by Jess on March 06, 2009 at 08:16 AM EST

My doc. checked my thyroid levels my soph. year of college when he also tested me for mono because I was dragging all the time. Turns out my levels were a little low, not enough to warrant medicine or anything. When I got rechecked this past summer, my doc. told me the levels were fine. Strange indeed.

I hope your appointment goes well and the test comes back fine!

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on March 06, 2009 at 02:41 PM EST

Thanks Jess. My sister and my friend both are doing well on the medicine, so if it turns out that I too have a thyroid problem, I know that this problem can be managed.

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blue comment bubble Posted by shell on March 08, 2009 at 12:09 AM EST

It's truly sad how few Drs. really believe & follow-up on possible Thyroid Issues. For over 4 yrs. I complained about the symptoms listed above & had been treated & diagnosed for everything from Lupus, Fibromyalgia to IBS. Until the Thyroid was so encompased by Goiter (extending into my chest, neck & vocal chords.) That total removal was my only alternative. To this day almost a yr. later I can still not find a Specialist that can 'agree' on my thyroid levels or get them regulated. Of course this has lead me into other serious health issues. And I've only found out recently that an Endocrynologist is supposed to be Certified? Which there appear to be very few of in this country.

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blue comment bubble Posted by Ginger on March 09, 2009 at 07:35 AM EDT

Shell, I am sorry to hear of your experience. You must feel angry that our medical system has let you down. I think too often people fall through the cracks. I think part of the problem is that doctors try to cram too many patients into the day. I also think that as more doctors or specialists get involved in the treatment for a patient it can complicate the coordination of a person's treatment. I hear many stories of the medical ball being dropped, but then I hear of people who had good experiences, so I just don't know what the answer is.

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