Silent Thyroid Issues: Recognizing the Symptoms

Ladies, listen up! While men can certainly develop thyroid problems, women are five to eight times more likely to. Why is this? Medical practitioners believe that Graves disease may be genetic. Still, they don’t have a lot of answers for the many thyroid disorders that people suffer with. Up to 60% of people with thyroid issues have no idea they have a thyroid condition. I would add that they are “silently suffering.”

Thyroid conditions can affect anyone, but women are much more prone to developing these issues. Doctors don’t fully understand why, but there are several possibilities, including heredity. There are several types of thyroid conditions. They include: goiter, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, thyroid nodules, thyroiditis, Graves disease, Hashimoto’s disease, and thyroid cancer. Thankfully, modern medicine has some effective treatments for these conditions, like radiation, surgery, and medication.

THE THYROIDS MAIN ROLE

The thyroid gland is a key part of the endocrine system. Its role is to release hormones that control metabolism. It works together with the nervous and immune system. It regulates vital body functions. These include menstrual cycles, body temperature, and cholesterol levels. It also affects body weight, muscle strength, heart rate, breathing, and the central & peripheral nervous system. It also needs the pituitary gland to tell it whether to release more or less hormones into the bloodstream. Wow, that is a lot that the small butterfly shaped gland at the base of the neck does! If it does not function properly, it can make or break you, and it just about broke me! (1) (2) (3)

MY THYROID STORY

Unfortunately, I suffered for about 12 years and was misdiagnosed the whole time. They kept telling me I had anxiety because of a couple of symptoms I was experiencing. They did run a basic TSH and T3 blood test, but it came back in the normal range. All of my symptoms clearly were not normal, but they were dismissed because my blood work showed normal. I look back now, and I was definitely a walking textbook example of hyperthyroidism. I did not only go to one doctor either, I went to about 5, including an ER visit. Not one of them considered I had a thyroid issue. At the time, I had no idea what was happening. I didn’t ask for them to run a full thyroid panel because I didn’t know about that.. They were content with telling me I had anxiety. I had heart palpitations. My hands would tingle and go numb for a few minutes during the night. The EKG showed my heart was normal, too. They didn’t seem to put the pieces together with all my other symptoms. I was cold all the time. I had cyst acne and insomnia. Heart palpitations were frequent. I could not gain weight and even lost weight. My hair was thinning. I experienced extreme fatigue.

HOW I FINALLY GOT THE HELP I NEEDED

After about 12 years, I finally found a doctor who ran a full thyroid panel blood test. It did reveal a problem. I worked with an endocrinologist. The problem was that a nodule had completely shut my thyroid down. The nodule was producing its own form of thyroid hormone. Like a little alien took it over! No wonder I was so miserable and could barely function. My own thyroid was not producing the proper thyroid hormones it needed so badly. I had half of my thyroid removed. To this day, I take a small amount of thyroid hormone to keep my body stable.

That was my story. Do you have one? If you do, it’s probably different than mine. There are so many different types of thyroid conditions and symptoms that it’s unbelievable. Out of the three ways modern medicine can help, I chose two out of the three. I had surgery and I take medicine. I opted out of radiation because I had a friend who was almost killed because they radiated her too much. What I chose did stabilize my poor body.

WHAT ACTUALLY CAUSES THYROID PROBLEMS?

Let’s get back to what may have caused it to begin with. They really can’t say for sure what causes thyroid conditions. Let’s take a look at some of the ideas floating around. Some say it can be from viruses like EBV. Others say it can be genetic. Some say lack of iodine or too much. There is also too much radiation exposure, estrogen dominance, liver dysfunction, stress, thyroid injury, toxic overload, mineral imbalance, and more. The truth is that these ideas can all be reasons why it developed in the first place. The problem is that you will have a hard time proving any of these things contributed to it. Unless they can prove it’s genetic, you are on your own. Often, it’s not genetic, so the search for the reason is up to you. You may be wondering why we need to find the cause. Why not just take the medicine and get the surgery or radiate the poor gland? It’s because the reason why your gland was having problems is still most likely there. Doing these things only takes care of an acute situation. It does not tackle the root cause, so that cause is still going to be a problem in your body.

SEEK MEDICAL HELP IF YOU NEED IT

If you are a natural minded person, please do not feel bad about seeking medical treatment. It is okay to take care of your thyroid issue. This can be very serious and can ruin your life. The doctors are there to help in the best way they know how. I am very thankful I got the help I needed. I don’t know where I would be if I hadn’t. If you suspect you may have a thyroid issue of some sort, I suggest asking for a full thyroid panel. You can find it HERE. If it is a major issue like mine was you will need to get that taken care of. The earlier you find out you have a thyroid problem, the better.

First, take care of the major issue. Then, you can start addressing your body being out of balance. I am at the point where I am stabilized. I am working with a functional practitioner to balance my whole body. My thyroid did not just go crazy by chance. Something or many things caused it.

OUR BODIES ARE AMAZING

No matter what thyroid problem you may be dealing with, you must work on balancing your whole body. This includes the mind, body, and spirit. I would not suggest trying to do this on your own. You will undergo blood work. Ultrasound scans and other types of scans are also needed. Hopefully, they will help you figure out the big problem. After that, you need to try to find out the root of what is causing you thyroid to malfunction. That can be many different things, but our bodies have an amazing way of healing once they start to stabilize. Modern medicine is great at fixing big problems, but it really doesn’t try to get to the root of anything. You are going to need to look elsewhere for that. On your journey, if you feel like someone is not really helping you and you are still suffering, keep searching. This goes for modern medicine and alternative medicine. I have experienced both. I have also experienced finally getting some help both ways.

   

When you find the right help to balance out your body, you will begin to see progress. This will lead you to see light at the end of the tunnel. If you have thyroid problems, more than likely, you may have other problems you are unaware of. Your body also can not heal if it is plugged up with candida overgrowth , biofilms or toxicity. Your immune system is compromised if you have these issues. Preventative measures are always best. Still, sometimes you have no idea there is a problem to worry about until it happens. I personally had no idea I had a problem until it hit me hard out of the blue. Looking back, there were some signs. Yet, none of them made me think I was going to have such major issues.

If I could go back in time, I would have worked with a functional practitioner. They would have helped balance my body before any of the craziness ever started. In this day and age, our bodies are heavily taxed. We should assume we can use some help before symptoms ever start. I am not a medical professional, so all I can do is tell you my story. In my nutrition blog, I let you know what I am doing to improve my own well-being. I do wish you the best of health. If you are suffering, I pray you get the answers you need.