My Health Story: Living With Underactive Thyroid

Many of you may not know this about me, i have a under active thyroid condition. And why should you know this about me? Its honestly not a big deal. I usually manage it well, i just have to take a little tablet daily, every morning before breakfast, for the rest of my life.

Recent events made me write this post, i felt my symptoms were swept under the carpet by my GP and i felt i struggled getting help after i had my little girl. You see, if i felt unwell during pregnancy was because of the pregnancy and now, its because i just i had a baby. That ‘just’ being four months.

To go to the very beginning, my diagnostic of under active thyroid didn’t come easy. It took two years of horrible symptoms and three different GP’s until i finally was put on a treatment plan. You may think that i was maybe just imaging my problem, creating an hypochondriac cloud obsessing about this illness. I wish it was true.

On and off trough out my life, when stressed, my outer corners of my brows would fall out. It happened so often and since such a young age, i thought its normal. Its not.

I was about 25 years old when i started getting anxiety on and off (im 32 now). Anxiety is the buzz word now a days, every blogger worth its salt has to have anxiety. I would be sitting in bed watching TV and my heart would start racing and this fear would just paralyze my body. It was overwhelming.

So i was getting anxiety, lots. I was also loosing my hair in clumps, eyebrows and eyelashes. My neck was kinda bulging, having a ‘lovely’ ring around it. I was constantly tired. Dark circles even if i slept all night and used the most expensive eye cream.

Of course i went to my GP and got bloods done. Days later i get a call from the receptionist, results are ‘normal’. When getting a copy of the results i notice myself that the TSH (the thyroid hormone) is slightly higher than the average limit. I start googling and learn that i might have an underactive thyroid, my symptoms certainly match. I ring again the GP and im told again in a stern tone that im ‘normal’.

I wait a few months and go back to another GP and get bloods done again. This time im told that i am borderline on my thyroid levels, but im too young to be put on medication (i was 28!) and i look healthy. I have to mention that my day job is of a Makeup Artist, so i can make myself look healthy.

I wait another few months and after getting actual alopecia aerata on my scalp – rings of baldness basically (you can see them here) i decide to go bare faced, no eyebrow on fleek to another GP and beg for treatment. Beg. This time successfully i get trough. I get my medicine. In two weeks i was another woman. After a few months my hair was back to normal, eyebrows and lashes alike.

I got pregnant easily and had a worry free pregnancy and delivery. Luckily my baby was born perfect and healthy, we got the thyroid test 15 days after the birth and so far she seems fine.

Postpartum i felt fine. The first two months were hard with the sleep deprivation and i have to admit, didnt have the best diet. But i was ok. Until i wasn’t anymore. Lots of anxiety started to overwhelm me – i blamed it on just being tired. Hair was coming out in chunks, lashes and brows completely fell off. Its ALL NORMAL. Weight was pilling up, despite not eating much – sure i had a baby, what do i expect. My GP was making fun of me every time i would bring Sophia, welcome to motherhood.

Three weeks ago i decided to get bloods done. I get the same phone call from the receptionist to be told all its normal. I collect my results and shockingly i see that its not normal. My TSH is 0.10 lowest its ever been, from being underactive ive became overactive – hence all the heart palpitations. I needed my medication levels to be changed, my medication reduced because i was producing too much thyroid hormone.

My health nurse recommended a different GP and got more tests done. It seems that my vitamin D levels are shockingly low and of course, my thyroid is all messed up. I get a change in my treatment and put on a vitamin D supplement. Im hoping now that once again my brows and lashes will regrow, my weight will stop pilling up and my anxiety will diminish.

The bottom line of this long post is trust yourself. Research. In my case, Dr Google saved me. I knew something was up, i read hundreds of articles and forums. Ask questions. Seek other opinions. Just because you had a baby doesn’t mean your health is meant to fall apart. Hell, nobody would have kids anymore.

Even if this is a beauty blog, i will write more about the Thyroid condition. There are supplements you can take, going for a gluten free diet could help with antibodies and just another few things that helped me along the way. I know myself i was searching the Internet frantically for real people stories, so if mine would help someone i will be happy. Im not a doctor, there is no cure but im determined to manage it better and be in control of my health life.

If you:

• are feeling tired no matter how much sleep or rest you get.
• experience hair, eyebrow and eyelash loss.
• feeling unexplained anxiety.
• gaining weight.
• joints and knees are aching.
• feel pressure in your thyroid area.
• have borderline blood test results. You must check TSH, T3, T4, Antibodies, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12.
• you just know something is up.

Get yourself checked. It could be nothing, so nothing to lose.

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