A few years after I was diagnosed with lupus, I joined the estimated 10 million Americans who have a medical condition called hypothyroidism. My symptoms were, at first, much like those of a lupus flare: fatigue, pain, brain fog and hair loss. However as these symptoms worsened, I began to suspect something else was wrong.
My approach to medical matters has always been three-fold: I note my symptoms, their duration and intensity; I pray for insight into how to communicate these symptoms and concerns; and I work with my medical team to determine what is happening and what can be done about it.
After noting that I wasn't feeling better and praying for guidance about which doctor to approach and about what, my doctor ran a blood test and discovered that I had developed another autoimmune disease: Hashimoto's thyroiditis. My lymphocytes were making antibodies that were gradually disabling the hormone-producing cells in my thyroid gland. This condition was the opposite of one I had developed years earlier --- hyperthyroidism --- but I learned that it was not uncommon for hyperthyroidism to move into hypothyroidism over time.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland at the base of the throat. This gland secretes a hormone that regulates metabolism, the rate at which every cell, organ and muscle function. Too little hormone means that the body isn't getting enough fuel and your ability to function slows way down. Too much thyroid hormone sets your body into hyperdrive.
Neither condition is healthful. If you are hypothyroid, you might feel tired, draggy, chilly, constipated, depressed, and gain weight, lose hair and have a slower heart rate. If you are hyperthyroid, you might feel jittery, nervous, irritable, hot, and have muscle weakness, eyes that appear larger than normal, and a faster heart rate. Left untreated, both conditions can lead to complications including cardiac problems, and, in extreme cases, to death.
Treatment for hyperthyroidism can include medication to slow down thyroid function, or surgery or radiation therapy to stop the gland from functioning in part or entirely. Treatment for hypothyroidism generally includes medication to supplement the thyroid hormone that is not being produced by the gland. There are no homeopathic or herbal substitutes for thyroid hormone, but there are several prescription brands and combinations of thyroid hormone available. I worked with an endocrinologist, a hormone specialist, to find the right level and type of medication that would work for me, and began the long road to feeling better.
The most difficult aspect of my diagnosis was waiting for the medication to work and for my thyroid-related symptoms to improve. I knew that I would have to be on supplemental thyroid hormone for the rest of my life, but the first year was the hardest because it was during this time that my symptoms see-sawed as I returned to the doctor for frequent blood tests and fine-tuning of my medication regimen.
At a time when my life was complicated by this new illness, turning to prayer and God was critical to maintaining spiritual and emotional well-being. This wasn't something my doctor could prescribe, but it was something over which I had control. Sometimes I was almost too tired to pray or attend Mass, and sometimes my pain overwhelmed me. But I kept at it, believing that God would hear what was in my heart, as much as what was on my tongue.
As I worked at listening to God's word and feeling the fellowship of friends and parishioners, I was blessed with calm and purpose, as well as trust that I was on the right road, one that would lead to better thyroid health and deeper spiritual understanding. This underpinning of spiritual support helped ease the stress of my symptoms --- a welcome relief in the midst of many ups and downs.
After a year of medication, my thyroid levels began to stabilize and my symptoms faded. Another blessing emerged --- an opportunity to communicate my experience to others who were going through the same thing that I had. "The First Year: Hypothyroidism" is the book that reflects my experiences, as well as those of others who have been down the same road. It's wonderful to know you're not alone, especially while experiencing the loneliness of feeling unwell.
Being diagnosed with another illness was not pleasant news to me. I didn't relish monitoring another medical condition, nor did I revel in taking more medication. But the more I learned about the thyroid gland and its vital function, the more respect and awe I developed about the miracle that is our bodies.
And I became more determined to spread the word that if we take care of the gift of life and health that God has give us, and we stay faithful in good times and bad, we will be mightily blessed!
Thyroid Facts:
---January is Thyroid Awareness Month, an excellent time to visit your physician and have your thyroid function tested.
---According to the Thyroid Foundation of America, 8 million Americans suffer from an underactive thyroid and do not know it, nor have they been treated for it. By the age of 60, 17 percent of women and 8 percent of men will have hypothyroidism.
---There are several causes of thyroid disease. People with autoimmune hyperthyroidism, a condition called Graves' disease, and who have not had their thyroid gland removed or treated with radiation, may develop hypothyroidism as the gland burns itself out. People with a family history of autoimmune disease may have a greater propensity to developing thyroid disease. People with iodine-deficient diets are also at great risk of developing hypothyroidism (although this is an unlikely cause of hypothyroidism in the United States).
---Sometimes people will develop a goiter, an enlarged thyroid gland. A few people will develop nodules in the gland, which may be cancerous.
---An endocrinologist is the medical specialist who can examine the thyroid gland and order blood tests and perhaps scans that can pinpoint what, if any, problem exists and what should be done to treat it. Family physicians and other medical doctors can also order certain tests and interpret them.
---More information about thyroid disease and referrals to thyroid specialists can be obtained by contacting the Thyroid Foundation of America: www.allthyroid.org.
---"The First Year: Hypothyroidism" (Marlowe & Company) is available through bookstores and on-line booksellers nationwide. Maureen Pratt is a Los Angeles Catholic author who focuses on spirituality and health topics. Her website is: www.maureenpratt.com.
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