Over the pandemic I noticed a real change in my health. I was tired, gaining weight even though I was consistently exercising, spotting for days before my period actually started, my hands and feet were always cold.
I had always suspected anemia so I talked to my doctor about checking my iron and thyroid levels. I’d never had a blood test before so I was pretty nervous about that, I used to have a bit of a needle phobia. It wasn’t too bad though, over super quick! I got the results the next day and they showed that I was low in iron and I had hypothyroidism.
A lot of symptoms associated with low iron are also possible signs of hypothyroidism so I’d highly recommend asking your doctor to check on your thyroid levels if anemia is suspected. Better yet, try to get them to do a whole thyroid panel. Often, if your TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels are in the normal range, they won’t bother checking anything else related to the thyroid but you can still have underlying thyroid issues even if TSH is normal.
What is Hypothyroidism?
Hypothyroidism is a condition where your thyroid gland doesn’t make enough thyroid hormones. It’s sometimes called an underactive thyroid, meaning it’s not working as hard as it should. Your thyroid is a butterfly shaped gland that sits at the front of your neck that controls a lot of functions in the body by telling it how to use energy in its processes.
My doctor prescribed Synthroid, a synthetic thyroid hormone replacement, and told me I would probably need to take it for life. This didn’t sit well with me. The sound of having to take a medication for the rest of my life sounded scary!
My experience with other hormonal medications
I was also hesitant because I had been on hormonal birth control for a few years and had all kinds of side effects, my mood was all over the place, I’d be ready to cry at the slightest inconvenience, I was bloated no matter what I ate, my guts were not happy with me a lot of the time. After switching to a non-hormonal birth control my mood improved so much and I was finally getting my digestion back to normal.
So, hearing I had to go on another synthetic hormone was the last thing I wanted to do. But I was told that natural treatments are not effective and that was my only option. I also knew it wasn’t a good idea to let the situation get worse so, I took the medication.
A new diagnosis
A month later I had another blood test to check the dosage and TPO antibodies to see if I had the autoimmune type of hypothyroidism. Autoimmune conditions are one of the main causes of hypothyroidism in North America. Unfortunately, my antibody levels came back very high. I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis.
What is Hashimoto’s?
It’s an autoimmune condition where your immune system starts attacking your thyroid cells, causing it to be inflamed, which leads to your thyroid not functioning properly.
Why is this a concern?
Your thyroid plays a role in your metabolism, temperature, red blood cell formation, and regulating your menstrual cycle, along with many other bodily functions. It can affect things like your weight, fertility, digestion and energy.
Starting to connect the dots
Getting this diagnosis started to make things click a little though. Was I already low in iron or was my thyroid part of the problem? One of the many functions of the thyroid gland is to regulate stomach acid levels. Iron is one of the few nutrients that gets absorbed through the stomach (rather than the gut), but it needs sufficient stomach acid to do that. This would also explain why I was gaining weight even though I was working at staying active and my eating habits hadn’t really changed.
I also wondered if being on the pill had any connection to this diagnosis. A lot of the nutrient deficiencies caused by the pill are also related to the thyroid, such as zinc and B vitamins. These nutrients are needed for thyroid hormone synthesis. When I was transitioning off the pill, I was taking a prenatal vitamin to help with some of those deficiencies but maybe I was too depleted and needed to focus on more specific vitamins and minerals rather than a little bit of everything.
A lack of support
I had so many questions but my doctor was not very helpful. I wasn’t told how to support my body while waiting for the medication to kick in. What should I do differently? I had read that gluten was a no-no when it came to Hashimoto’s but they didn’t say anything about my dietary habits. They didn’t mention anything about managing stress or making sure I was getting enough sleep.
Taking charge of my own thyroid health
The whole thing left me frustrated that I had to figure all this out on my own. If I didn’t already have a background in nutrition I would be completely lost. Thankfully, I have the tools to get myself on track. It’s still a work in progress and I’m learning more about it everyday, making small changes to see what makes me feel good and what actually works for me. Sometimes you have to take charge of your own health!
Leave a comment and let me know if you’d like to read more about how I’m dealing with Hashimoto’s or if you’ve had a similar experience after receiving a diagnosis.
If you’re going through a health struggle right now and want a holistic approach to feeling better, learn about how I can support you here.
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