iThei mdcdaelcinfd o c elllllrlllll tcfdohsc dtDiagnosis: Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and subclinical hypothyroidism
I was also told I had a possible mitral valve prolapse or murmur that
needed to be checked by a cardiologist.
I was in shock and disbelief.
I read up about the symptoms of hypothyroidism (an underactive thy-
roid) and though I had some of them, the symptoms were so nonspecific
I had rationalized them away to stress, work, getting older, and everyday
life worries.
While it was true I slept over twelve hours a night, I had just grown to
live with it and decided it was the new normal for me. I had previously
been checked for anemia, thyroid disorders, and other common reasons
for fatigue a few years prior while living in Arizona, and I was told every-
thing was fine.
I’ve always had cold intolerance, but I attribute that to my low body
fat. Weight gain? Not me, well maybe a few pounds here and there, but
nothing major.
Depression? Not at all, this was the happiest I had been in my life.
Slow, sluggish? Have you seen me running around at work??
Frankly, I was shocked I had hypothyroidism and not hyperthyroidism.
In my pharmacy school textbooks, people with underactive thyroids were
overweight and sluggish. This clinical picture did not fit me.
Despite sleeping over a dozen hours a night, I was anxious, thin, and
tired—but wired. If anything, I thought, the symptoms of an overactive
thyroid (hyperthyroidism) seemed to fit me better.
What I came to later understand is that as the thyroid antibodies pro-
duced in autoimmune thyroiditis were attacking my thyroid, packets of
thyroid hormone were being released into my bloodstream, causing over-
active thyroid symptoms in addition to those of underactive thyroid—
the best of both worlds.
Once the shock settled, I learned that lifelong thyroid medications were
recommended and that, left untreated, Hashimoto’s can lead to serious
manifestations such as heart disease, severe weight gain, and infertility,
which as a newlywed was very painful to consider.