Wednesday 24 February 2010

Why hypothyroidism worries women!

I was detected with Hypothyroidism quite accidentally. I was suffering from a throat infection for a long time and I had to get well as I had a gig lined up in a month’s time, and I was supposed to sing. My friend, who was also a part of the band, was so tired of my sore throat, that she took me to her doctor friend to get a check up done. The doctor prescribed a course of Azythral and a set of vitamins. I had them for a week but nothing happened. I went back to the doctor again and she asked me to repeat the course. While talking to her I casually mentioned to her that lately I feel very tired and sleepy without doing much work. On hearing that she asked me to get Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) blood test, along with T4, T3 tests done. I used to be so scared of the needle and the pin prick that I just ignored her advice and did not get the blood tests done. The day of the gig was nearing and my throat still felt terrible. I was not worried about my health; all I cared was that I had to get fine to be able to sing. Therefore, I popped in a few more Azythrals; this was the third round though.

The gig went off well but the throat irritation would not go. And I knew that continuing with such strong antibiotics would not be a good idea at all. With no choice left I went to get my blood tests done, and as expected, my TSH level was high, which meant I had Hypothyroid.

I have Hypothyroid for six years now. All I need to do is take a pill of Thyronorm everyday in the morning. I live a very normal life. I haven’t bloated. The little fat that has accumulated around my tummy is just the result of eating unhealthy and not exercising. Besides that, I am 34 years old, and it’s ok to have a little tummy; this is just my way of consoling me for the tummy that just doesn’t seem to go in!

The only thing I suffer from is periodical bouts of cough and cold. But in India, who doesn’t? Thanks to the pollution and poor eating habits we all suffer, don’t we? The degree of suffering may vary from one person to another but the suffering is very much a part of normal living.

Some doctors say that Hypothyroid slows down the system slowly. Initially, when I heard this it did scare me a little, but it didn’t affect me too much as my mother has it for about 25 years, and she is just fine. I am sure there are some negative effects of Hypothyroid on the body, but it varies from one person to another. I very strongly believe that a lot of pain and suffering can be reduced by staying active and happy. My body ache may have gone up a little because of Hypothyroid. I am not sure about the body pain bit as it was told by one doctor I consulted once. Many doctors in India tend to shift the focus onto something else when they realise that they cannot help their patients heal from an ailment. So instead of going back to understanding the symptoms as common sense would suggest, they recommend a different course of treatment. As far as I am concerned I still jump about all the time; a mere body ache cannot stop me from doing what I want to do!

It is also believed that memory gets affected because of Hypothyroid. When did I have good memory power anyway? I used to forget almost everything as a 10 year old; I am sure I did not have Hypothyroid then! Coming to think of it, I forget many important things, but I do remember a whole lot of things, even those things I would rather forget.

My suggestion to all the women with Hypothyroidism is to stay calm as there is nothing to worry about. Eat healthy, exercise a little, get blood tests done once in three to four months, take the tablet regularly, and stay active and happy.

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