My Thyroid. My Weight. My Issues.

MMM. . . cake.
For the past eleven years I have been in a losing battle with my weight and I don't stand a chance. No matter how much I work out (sometimes 3 hours a day) and how much I try to count those f'ing calories, I am still losing weight at a very discouragingly slooooooow pace. My skin is Lubriderm alligator dry. I always feel so so tired. Not in a lazy way, but fatigued. I just don't have the energy to do anything. I feel like I am constantly trying to drink coffee or tea to wake me up or keep me energized throughout the day. I get these really horrible headaches. Sometimes I find it hard to concentrate because I'm so gosh darn tired. All because I have a low functioning thyroid or Hypothyroid. I was diagnosed about 9 years ago. In the past two years, this may have effected my baby making abilities as well.

Most people who suffer from hypothyroidism have never even heard of the deficiency and do not seek treatment or look for answers until the symptoms are really bad.

Symptoms to look out for:

Severe fatigue, loss of energy, persistent sleepiness

Weight gain, difficulty losing weight

Depressed mood

Joint and muscle pain

Dry skin, brittle nails and hair, thinning hair

Irregular periods

I wanted to share this info. about my health issues for a couple of reasons. First, if you are reading this blog, chances are you have sensitive, dry skin which is a symptom of hypothyroidism. Another reason is just simply to put the word out. If you are experiencing any or all of these symptoms - Get your thyroid levels checked !!!! Some doctors don't think to check if you are not expressing any concerns or if you don't ask to be tested for this specifically.

I suffered from severe migraine headaches everyday. These headaches would last days, weeks, even months. I was prescribed all sorts of drugs ending up with prescriptions that were addictive and pretty dangerous to be taking on a daily basis. In college my weight ballooned from 100 lbs to 130 to 150 and more in the span of about 2 years! I really didn't know what was going on. My eating habits were the same as they've ever been. I even started working out when I never have before. I worked out for 2 hours a day walking/jogging for 1 hour and then lifting weights, and doing yoga for another hour. I just keep gaining weight. No matter what I did I gained and gained. My skin also became dryer than usual, my eczema worse. My hair was also changing.

On top of all of this, I was tired as hell. It was funny, my junior year in high school, before Starbucks and frappes were even popular, I had to have my morning coffee. I could not get by without the coffee or the caffeinated soda everyday, every couple of hours. In college my joint and back aches started. I thought ," Wow! Am I getting old or what?" Ha Ha. Nope, just a dang thyroid problem that I was unaware of for years!

What happened was I had to change health insurance due to my mom getting a new job. I got better doctors who listened to me and found the problem. Now, I take medication everyday. I am not completely cured or even close to it. There are times where I feel my symptoms getting worse which usually means that my levels are lower than usual and I need to up my medication dosage. Everything I went through still happens just not as severe. I still have really horrible headaches every so often. I am still really low on energy and fell really fatigued quite often. I still drink a ton of coffee (when I am not in baby mode.)

I still battle with my weight. I have been able to maintain at a certain weight, but to lose that weight is so hard! An hour and a half of cardio 4 to 5 times per week, cutting back on my portions, counting calories, pilates 3 times a week and nothing!!!!! I maybe lose 1 pound every two weeks? It is very discouraging - seriously! I know I could have more control on the eating end but I burn 400 to 700 calories doing cardio. You think that would do something! I could go on but um . . . we should move on.

I have posted a couple of resources below for more information on the subject of hypothyroidism as well as hyperthyroidism. Obviously you can always google it .

Understanding Thyroid Problems - the Basics

Information on Thyroid Health

The reddish thing is just an overlay of where the thyroid should be and look like approximately. I think I made it too big though. LOL!

Again, I really just wanted to share this in hopes that it might reach someone battling the same things. I have had my share of issues with my skin, health, as well as in the baby making dept. - no baby after almost three years of trying :( You can only talk to family and friends so much and to my surprise these on-line communities, message boards and blogs are what have helped me through some really trying times. It is always good and comforting to hear from someone that is going through the same kind of things you are. So I will continue to post if anything comes up in any of those areas :) Technology is incredible in the anonymous, "I don't know you but I Internet know you" way and that is what's great about this day in age. HA HA I am old.

So . . .that is it. Thanks for reading!