Thyroid Awareness Month
January is Thyroid Awareness month and a press release dated the 2nd January 2008 from the American Associiation of Clinical Endocrinologists is advising expectant and pregnant mothers to get their necks checked.
I remember falling pregnant with my first child and I thought that everything was fine but shortly after I slowly began putting on weight and I felt my body was on ‘a go slow’. When I fell pregnant with my second child, my weight ballooned. That was back in 1982.
I went through many tests and was even called a hypochondriac, because my doctor couldn’t find anything wrong. I had diabetes tests and every test imaginable except for one. A simple thyroid blood test.
In 1998 a locum (a doctor who was covering for my regular doctor) found me in her rooms suffering from heart flutters. She did an ECG but at that time, it stopped. Out of the blue she asked me if I had ever had my thryoid tested.
She sent me for the test and immediately gave me a prescription for Thyroxine. The blood tests were completely surprising and it was a relief to find that there was actually a name to all my medical problems finally.
Please don’t go through years of not knowing. If you are unsure, have your neck checked. Have the blood test and eliminate it before it turns your world upside down.
Take some time and read the press release - Expectant and Pregnant Mothers: Get Your Neck Checked.
Toni Livesey
Thyroid Frustration
I was diagnosed with an underactive thyroid in 1998. I have Hashimoto’s Disease and one would think after 8.5 years that I would have been able to control this and be living a normal life.
I really just can’t get my thyroid to play ball because of varying reasons all which apparently boil down to me and the way ‘I don’t look after myself.’ I have to admit that over the many years I suppose I haven’t in a way because I’ve let doctors control what I do and don’t do.
I did have my thyroid levels almost to normal because I’d maintained a lifestyle where there was no added extras and things were going along nicely, until I hit a plateau and I couldn’t lose any more. That was when the lapband came into action and since then my thyroid levels have been up and down and although my weight has been up and down too it has been hard to maintain.
Over the past few weeks I’ve been waiting to have my thyroid levels tested only to find out that my doctor wants me to wait another 2 months before he does that. I was quite surprised considering the way it has been lately. So it will be 4 months since it will have been tested even though my specialist recommended the tests should be done every 3 months.
To make matter worse, I complained of being tired, and my hair is falling out and he puts that down to stress and feeling depressed… two symptoms of an underactive thyroid. But then what would I know.
He suggested that I needed to go on a diet… something I have been on for quite some time now and trying so hard to lose the weight naturally instead of becoming another statistic for mal-nourishment due to the lapband…. The reason I went to see him was because my other doctor failed to pick up issues when I mentioned them and left me to my own resources until I finally was able to see the specialist in Brisbane.
So it now it makes me wonder where I go from here… my doctors on my case about losing weight, I’m trying and yet he doesn’t see that… so I will keep trying and it’s time to visit my endocrinologist who will listen and do the appropriate tests and not push me into using replacement meals… and I can continue eating fresh fruit and vegetables and maintain my diet that way while trying to get my thyroid levels stable.
Toni
Goiter
Goiter, or bronchocele, is a swelling of the neck, caused by an enlarged thyroid gland. It is not dangerous or harmful, and can be treated quickly in the majority of cases.
Goiter is usually caused by an iodine deficincy, but can also be caused by Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, Grave’s Disease, and acute thyroiditis. When there is a lack of iodine in the body, the thyroid cannot perform its job of creating hormones sufficently.
When the hormones, triiodothyronine and thyroxine, fail to be produced in necessary quantities, the body releases a thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH or thyrotropin) which causes the thyroid gland to swell.
Read through the NHS Direct Online Health Encyclopedia for more information.
Several symptoms of goiter include difficulty in breathing, and difficulty in swallowing. These are both caused by the swelling pressing up against the windpipe and oespophagus. The major problem is the appearance. Many people find having a swelling of their neck to be unsightly.
Goiters can be diagnosed by ultrasound scanning to find the swelling. A Doctor can usually tell if a goiter is present simply by touch, but other methods can still be used for comfirmation. Radioactive iodine intake tests can be used to track how much iodine is taken into the thyroid.
Higher than normal levels indicate hyperthyroidism, and lower than normal levels indicate hypothyroidism. Once it has been established which other illness is the cause of the goiter, then it can be treated to ensure that no more occur.
Like all thyroid disorders, Goiter is more common in females, but can be removed if it was not caused by a disease. Certain types of goiter need to remove the entire thyroid gland as well, which causes the individual to get hypothyroidism. This is known as a subtotal thyroidectomy. None of the thyroid hormones are produced, which leads to many problems.
In many cases, the goiter will go away by itself if the iodine levels in an individual’s body are corrected. To see more information, click here to read through this medical encyclopedia. The best way of trying to remove the cause of the goiter, is to address the thyroid hormone levels, which can lead to a number of other problems that can all be rectified.
Fortunately, goiter has almost been eliminated in Western nations because table salts have been supplemented with iodine. This swelling is still prevelant in under developed nations however.
Historically, goiters are common in geographical areas that have low iodine levels, such as inland plains.
Goiter is not associated with cancerous growths or inflammation.
In most cases, goiter is not dangerous, but can be a sign of more harmful diseases. For most people, the swelling will simply die down on its own, but surgery can also be used if this fails to happen.
By Russ Egan
Hashimoto’s Disease
Hashimoto’s Disease is the most common thyroid disorder, and causes the thyroid organ to stop producing sufficient amounts of hormones. This is called Hypothyroidism.
The hormones that are produced by the thyroid have many tasks, and when these tasks are not completed, many different kinds of symptoms emerge. Some of the more common ones include: tiredness, depression, weight gain, and intolerance to the cold.
Because of the fact that the symptoms of Hashimoto’s Disease can be so vague, it has sometimes been referred to as the ‘great masquerader.’ Click Here for a huge list of symptoms that can be a sign of this disease.
This also means that a lot of people think that they merely have a cold, or a Doctor may convince them that another illness is occurring. Therefore there are a large percentage of untreated thyroid disorder sufferers. In the United States alone there is an estimated 13 million undiagnosed sufferers. For more details read this article go here.
For a disease that can be treated so easily, if left untreated, Hashimoto’s disease can cause all kinds of discomfort and pain. For more information check out The Thyroid Foundation of America or Thyroid Australia
Russ Egan
Thyroid Disease
Thyroid disease is a misunderstood condition…
For years people especially women from around the world are misdiagnosed with various illnesses including depression when in fact they maybe suffering from a thyroid disease. Too often doctors around the world look at other health issues rather than taking an ‘outside the box’ approach and look beyond depression or the possibility of a person being a hypochondriac
The affects of a thyroid problem can be devastating, depressing and in some cases some people feel that they are going crazy, because they are not properly diagnosed in the first place. .
We hope to help others understand that this disease that can sometimes cause death in some circumstances, the devastating affects it can have on relationships and the health and wellbeing of individuals that live day to day hoping that someone will tell them what is wrong with them.
Our aim is to give you as much information as we can about the different symptoms and list some of the similar medical conditions that are often recognised as other illnesses and medical conditions before a thyroid disease is detected.