MY THYROID STORY

My Story

It all started in the year 2013 with fatigue, irritability, lack of motivation, brain fog, panic attacks, and anxiety among other symptoms. I visited several hospitals where I was subjected to many tests and the common question was if I was going through a strain in my relationships. In all occasions of the hospital visits I ended up with pain killers and sleeping pills. At one point I was convinced I had a heart problem because of the palpitations hence consulting a cardiologist, who from the symptoms refuted it could be the case, but did an ECG test for my sake.

As a psychological counselor it is mandatory as part of the progress to have at least ten sessions of counseling. During the sessions I shared my experience and the counselor suggested I see a psychotherapist. I did one session with the psychotherapist and I was prescribed for antidepressants that didn't agree well with me. I ate like an ogre; I guess that is the only progress that I made as far as the medication was concerned. I never went back to complete the sessions.

My situation did not get any better; it got worse day by day. In the year 2017 after I gave birth, the fatigue was intense, palpitations, anxiety, confusion, brain fog, difficulty with the speech, fear of dying filled up my mind. I sort for medication in the process a doctor noticed a growth around my neck and suggested I do an ultra sound. This prompted for the testing of the thyroid function, which came out normal according to the results. I was prescribed for propranol in the meantime as I was referred to see a physician.

The day came when I saw a physician and she prescribed for me anti depressants and some drugs for anxiety. Fortunately for me as it could turn out into my salvation, she asked if I could do the ultra sound elsewhere for her to compare the results. I went to a private clinic nearby and requested for the test. When I went back to collect my results, the technician informed me of a doctor who was interested in my results. I saw him, explained to him what I was experiencing. He said we wait for the results and discuss further.

 The time when the results were out, he had left and I met a different doctor and explained to him what was happening. He gave me levothyroxines and advised me to see an endocrinologist and stop taking the antidepressants. To my shock in two weeks the growth had disappeared.

I decided to do an online search about the levothyroxines and that is when I learnt about hypothyroidism. Checking out the symptoms, they were exactly what I had been experiencing. It occurred to me all along I was being treated for symptoms and not the disease.

I went to the endocrinologist and she did several tests and told me everything was okay. Whereas anxiety, panic attacks, and irritability had vanished, I still suffered from massive fatigue; I was a shell of the old self. This prompted for the search of support groups where I found one but most of the members were Americans, and they discussed tests that I have never heard of. They talked of functional doctors and naturopaths, but never heard of that in Kenya. Further I discovered most of those patients are taking supplements besides the levothyroxines.

Further I discovered the terms adrenal fatigue, from the group and how the individuals were dealing with it. This let me to the investigation about hormones in place of mental health.

Living with Hypothyroidism

It is the hardest adjustment I had to go through in my life from being energetic to becoming like a stump. It doesn’t help that this is a rare condition and very few people can identify with it. It is hard for those around you to understand that you are unwell when on the outside you seem okay. The fatigue experienced in this case is way too much and cannot be compared to any kind of exhaustion. Basically the body becomes a shell. I lost interest in everything except for my family and a few friends who understood what was happening in my life.

This condition does not only affect self but also affects relationships, given the irritability, brain fog which hampers communication. It is almost impossible to hold and sustain a job or any income generating activity. Without proper and timely intervention one’s life can be beyond salvation. It doesn’t help when you are taking the wrong medication for it only makes things worse.

It is important to note that not that, panic attacks, anxiety, irritability, palpitations are symptoms of depression, but there could be an underlying causes and it’s best to seek a second opinion before taking antidepressants, my take.