Motivation Monday & Your Thyroid Disorder

I hear that it’s Motivation Monday in the social media world. Here’s what I want to say to you today. I spend an hour or so every day answering emails and Facebook messages from fellow thyroid disorder sufferers. There is a common theme and it’s this: “I’m taking thyroid medication and I still have _____ symptoms.” Are there some things that you may always deal with when you have a thyroid disorder? Yes, of course! However, if you are doing everything else right (taking your thyroid medication regularly, eating well, exercising, taking your vitamins and minerals, etc.) AND YOU STILL HAVE SYMPTOMS (like depression, hair loss, weight gain, etc.), then something isn’t working!

It’s not normal to feel like crap! Let me say that one more time: IT’S NOT NORMAL TO FEEL LIKE CRAP! If you still feel rotten, go back to your doctor, insist on repeat labs (and a full thyroid panel that is checking thyroid antibodies). If your doctor isn’t listening, then seek a second opinion. If you don’t have another doctor available because of where you live, do your own research and read some of the awesome resources available to thyroid sufferers like: Isabella Wentz’s “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause”, Datis Kharrazian’s “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?”, or Mary Shomon’s “Living Well with Hypothyroidism”.

If you are still not feeling well, perhaps it’s time to try a different medication. There is more than one thyroid hormone medication available. There is no ONE SIZE FITS ALL treatment for thyroid disorders. It’s frustrating, but this is largely trial and error until you find what works for you. You may find that eliminating gluten works well for you. You may find that switching to Armor or adding T3 to your regimen works for you. You may find that switching to another form of synthetic hormone works for you. You won’t know unless you try. Perhaps there is something other than your thyroid disorder going on. Talk to your doctor about your symptoms and see if there is a need to run an autoimmune panel to determine if you have another autoimmune disorder that could be causing these symptoms.

My children were born with thyroid disorders. They have been on medication since there were a few weeks old. They are thriving and it’s because we have found medication that works for them. We test their levels frequently and monitor what they eat. You too can thrive!

This is urgent! Please, please, please take care of yourself. Advocate for yourself. You are worth it! You deserve to feel better!