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Your symptoms are real, and the path to finding answers is complicated. It’s not all in your head.
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Join me at the free and online event DIAGNOSED: Your Autoimmune Disease Game Plan and Summit!
Hypothyroidism and Disability Benefits
Originally published on 16th November 2018 Last updated on 11th April 2021
In the Facebook support group I created for thyroid patients, the question of whether we can claim financial support or government/state benefits crops up fairly often.
And the responses can get controversial.
Constipation With Hypothyroidism: It Shouldn’t Be So Embarrassing to Talk About
Experiencing constipation with hypothyroidism is incredibly common, yet many of us are too embarrassed to talk about it and ask if it is ‘normal’.
Although it is a common symptom and many thyroid patients still experience it despite being on thyroid medication for their hypothyroidism, it isn’t normal to still be experiencing it and we don’t by any means just have to ‘put up with it’.
Regular bowel movements are crucial to good health, so constipation really shouldn’t be ignored.
Continue reading “Constipation With Hypothyroidism: It Shouldn’t Be So Embarrassing to Talk About”
Read the last blog in this series.
I am pleased to say that quite a bit has improved over the last four months.
4 Ways to Boost Your Energy When You Have Hypothyroidism
Fatigue and low energy are among the most common complaints I hear from members of the thyroid community. Often, we are told that taking thyroid medication alone will fix this, so what do we do when it doesn’t?
Here is a guest post from Alice Godfrey, a BANT registered nutritionist and thyroid health specialist.
Continue reading “4 Ways to Boost Your Energy When You Have Hypothyroidism”
An Open Letter to Mothers with Hypothyroidism on Mother’s Day
Originally published on 31st March 2018 Last updated on 14th March 2021
To the mother with hypothyroidism this Mother’s Day,
I know at times you feel tired, achy, frustrated and strained. You push yourself each and every day to keep on going, keep on raising your family with love and kindness despite your own body fighting against you.
Continue reading “An Open Letter to Mothers with Hypothyroidism on Mother’s Day”
5 Signs Your Thyroid Medication May Need Adjusting
It is quite unusual for thyroid medication type and dosage to stay static for the whole time you are taking it. Even when we’re first started on thyroid medication, it is often adjusted and tweaked until we find the right amount to alleviate hypothyroid symptoms.
Continue reading “5 Signs Your Thyroid Medication May Need Adjusting”
A Review of The Medichecks Thyroid Function with Antibodies Blood Test
Following a change in my thyroid treatment this year, I was due a thyroid blood test (including antibodies) to see how I was getting on.
My Private GP had changed my thyroid medication from Armour Thyroid to Armour Thyroid plus a small amount of Levothyroxine and we needed to see how this was going and how it was managing my thyroid hormone levels.
Following the news of my Hashimoto’s also coming out of remission last year after the birth of my first child, I also needed to retest my thyroid antibody levels to see if what I was doing with my functional medicine practitioner was working to bring this back in to remission also.
Continue reading “A Review of The Medichecks Thyroid Function with Antibodies Blood Test”
International Women’s Day and How Thyroid Disease is a Feminist Issue
Originally published on 8th March 2018 Last updated on 7th March 2021
The 8th March marks International Women’s Day, commemorating the movement for women’s rights. Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s affects a lot more women than men (7-15 times more women), but sadly a lot of women, when they go to the doctor complaining of tiredness, depression, brain fog, memory problems, weight gain etc. are made to feel as if they are hypochondriacs.
Myself and many other women have been made to feel as if we’re making up our complaints of thyroid symptoms or are brushed off with “Well this is all normal for a woman your age”, “It’s all in your head”, “Just eat less and move more” – all of which are utterly wrong and disgusting. Read my article about medical gaslighting here.
Middle aged women are especially likely to be told that it’s all normal for someone their age and then sent back out the door with nothing more.
As someone who had symptoms since my teen years, I also experienced difficulties in getting diagnosed and being listened to, as doctor’s felt that I was too young to really be experiencing all the symptoms I said I was (muscle cramps, heavy fatigue, poor stamina, irregular periods, depression, anxiety, acid reflux, brittle nails, aches and pains). I was told that it was ‘all in my head’. It wasn’t. Continue reading “International Women’s Day and How Thyroid Disease is a Feminist Issue”
Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month 2021
March is Autoimmune Disease Awareness Month, which is important and relevant to many of us with hypothyroidism. This is because 90% of us with hypothyroidism also have the autoimmune disease Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. [1]
However, a lot of thyroid patients still do not seem to know if their hypothyroidism is of the autoimmune kind and this can play a part in the managing of their thyroid condition.
