My next doctor's appointment is tomorrow, but I believe in being my own advocate. I have sadly learned that many physicians aren't knowledgeable in thyroid issues. It's difficult to get proper diagnosis with the one test that is relied upon. By the time the one level out of five is "out of range" in bloodwork, the individual has generally fought symptoms for years and gotten more and more sick.
Even with a diagnosis, it is difficult to have options. Often nutrition isn't addressed, or knowledge is limited. One brand of medication is prescribed, and that brand doesn't react well with many people. Lab work will tell people on this medicine (actually a synthetic hormone replacement) that they are fine, but symptoms remain or worsen. A different hormone replacement, a more natural version, isn't as well liked by many doctors and patients must often fight to get it, despite a decreasing of symptoms while using the "old medicine"(as my doctor called it).
For me, I have felt that I was hypothyroid for years. Blood work would not come back and state so. I had so many of the symptoms that I could have been a text book case. Instead, I was made to feel like I was fat and lazy and a bit of a hypochondriac. It didn't matter how much I worked out or what restrictions I placed on my diet. I should have seen an improvement of symptoms with all the supplements I've taken and eating gluten-free. I did not. Over the years, I have gotten worse.
I would jump at every bit of hope like a lifeline. When it was discovered that I had a vitamin D deficiency, I thought that was they solution. As I began to feel better with the the vitamin D supplement, I assumed my health would turn around. Instead, it was simply a small part of a puzzle where I couldn't find all the pieces.
My family history of autoimmune diseases gave me the knowledge that I knew this wasn't a simple issue. My mother has at least five autoimmune diseases. One sister has three. The other sister has at least two autoimmunes. My oldest daughter has two, and my next daughter has at least three.
It's a helpless feeling. These are serious diseases like types one and two diabetes, Hashimotos, celiac, alopecia, endometriosis, IBS, and even depression. One autoimmune has led to other autoimmune diseases, and it feels like it is escalating.
A couple of us have made difficult dietary choices, eliminating things we believe might be triggering the problems and upsetting the immune system in our guts. However, it doesn't seem to be enough, and doctors most often treat problems, not prevent them.
I look at my younger children and pray. I pray God gives me answers before one more child of mine ends up on a life-long med, such as insulin or hormone replacements.
Taken as one person, maybe I wouldn't be so frustrated. Taken as an entire family, the issues stand out clearly. I want to find people that are knowledgable, but this has been a struggle. Even Endocronologists are limited in their training about hormonal roles and nutritional impacts. Meanwhile, my family members develop more and more illnesses. One sister out of all of us likes her doctor, and he is a doctor that won't take new patients.
At this point I am praying for God's guidance and direction. It is simply not acceptable to watch my family struggle to the tune of $75 - $150 per visit, without the cost of lab work or other tests, and never feel we are improving our health.
I'm a homeschool mom. Research is in my blood. I will not give up! This journey seems to have started long before a doctor's diagnosis. I am hoping it leads to answers for my family.
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