Thyroid..so small to be such a BIG problem!

For years, I have been battling the bulge, fatigue, heavy menstrual cycles, all over body pain, feeling of excessive hunger, slight sometimes severe depression and overall feeling of not being able to concentrate on one certain task at a time or "foggy brain". I had my thyroid checked many times by many different physicians but it always came back negative. I fit the profile for hypothyroidism, just like my mom who has had it all of her life since her 30's. I really noticed these symptoms coming on after the birth of my first child(which is common). Come to find out, these physicians were only checking my TSH level and not Free T4 / Free Thyroxine, Total T4/Total Thyroxine/Serum Thyroxine,Total T3/Total Triiodothyronine or Free T3 / Free Triiodothyronine. There are several more tests that they can do but I thought I would just list the ones they did on me. All of these tests taken together instead of just taking the one is more accurate. You can have a normal TSH level but still have thyroid disease. If you suspect that you may have thyroid disease, please ask your doctor to do a more thorough exam. Since I have been diagnosed and have started medication (Levothyroxine 25mcg), I started to feel a whole new Lisa emerge. I feel happier, more energized, thoughts are clearer, hunger is not as strong and an overall sense of feeling good which is such a blessing because for a long time, too long, I did not and at times just felt like giving up. Now, along with my new lifestyle change, I feel stronger and more in tune with my body and mind. Who knew that your thyroid being off, even a little, can throw your whole body off.

I also wanted to touch on the pre-diabetes a bit. This also was probably missed because they never have done a fasting blood draw for this and that can make a big difference in that diagnoses as well. I was checked during pregnancy and was fine, but after her birth had only had a simple blood draw, not fasting, and it always came back normal. Little did I know that they should have been doing the ones listed here: FASTING PLASMA GLUCOSE (FPG) TEST,GLYCOSYLATED HAEMOGLOBIN TEST or ORAL GLUCOSE TOLERANCE TEST (OGTT). Well, I guess all that matters is that the Lord was looking out for me and sent me a doctor who really cares. I went in for a pre-pregnancy consult because we have had three miscarriages and wanted to know if there were any other factors going on that may be the reason why we were having them. This is why she ran the tests she did because your thyroid being off and diabetes can cause problems with having miscarriages. So, now that I am on the right track with my overall health..here's hoping for a new baby to cradle by next year.

Have a wonderful Sunday and I'll have another rant on Tuesday!