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Home
About Rachel
Start Here!
- Symptoms of Hypothyroidism and Hashimoto’s
- Order Your Own Thyroid Tests
All Articles
Newsletter
My Books
- About My Books
Store

Browsing Tag

Gaslighting

Thyroid Patients Experience Medical Gaslighting

Originally published on 14th May 2019 Last updated on 17th June 2024 As of May 2019,…

Find me on Instagram

theinvisiblehypothyroidism

🩺 How do you feel about doctor appointments?

🩺 Before I was diagnosed with hypo and Hashi’s, I pretty much trusted whatever the doctor said without questioning anything.

•••

🦋 But after being diagnosed and still feeling no better on thyroid meds, plus having my concerns batted back with “it’s probably just in your head”, this changed.

😫 I started to dread them. I’d be very anxious and feel intimidated.

🦋 I would pretty much know straight away if a medical professional was going to be one I could work with - or not. I still pick up on this now. And I’m not afraid to bin off a medical professional who isn’t helpful. I’ll just continue the search for another!

✊ Generally, because I’m such a strong advocate for myself these days, doctors can be taken aback by how confident I am, how much I know about my health conditions and the testing and treatment options I ask about. But without this knowledge and confidence, I would have stayed very sick.

•••

👇 What is your experience of appointments? How do you feel about them?

I have one this morning which should be pretty straightforward, but I still rehearse what I’m going to say and make notes on my phone to prompt me. 😛

💙 Don’t forget that my book ‘Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate’ is a great starting point for learning how to advocate for yourself with medical professionals in order to get the treatment that works for YOU. Comment “BOOK” and I’ll send you the link.

- Rachel 🦋💙

🦋 Whenever I talk about the fact that my Hashim

🦋 Whenever I talk about the fact that my Hashimoto’s in remission, I’m inevitably asked “so you’re not on thyroid medication anymore?!”

•••

💊 These two things are not exclusive to each other.

💊 Most people who eventually see reduced thyroid antibodies back within normal ranges still require some amount of thyroid hormone replacement.

💊 Let’s stop viewing thyroid hormone replacement as something “bad” or negative. Something we should aim to come off. Something we should feel guilty for.

💊 Your body needs enough thyroid hormone to function!

🦋 However, Hashimoto’s being in remission is often associated with improved health and quality of life. But we don’t know why some people find it harder to get it in remission yet.

•••

👇 Let me know your experiences with this in the comments and as always, follow me for more thyroid info and please check out the resources linked in my bio for more support!

📖 Do remember that my amazing book “Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate” breaks all of this down so it’s easy to understand!

- Rachel 🦋💙

#theinvisiblehypothyroidism #thyroid #thyroidmedication #hypothyroidism #underactivethyroid #thyroidissues #hashimotos #hashimotosthyroiditis #autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #chronicillness #thyroidhealth #thyroidwarrior

“Having a ‘thyroid problem’ is an excuse for

“Having a ‘thyroid problem’ is an excuse for weight gain.”

•••
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👀 Many of us have heard this ignorant comment. Of course it’s not an ‘excuse for gaining weight’. And whilst weight gain with an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism IS a legitimate symptom of the condition, some patients also don’t experience this.

❗️The main purpose of thyroid hormones, produced by the thyroid gland, is to ensure the metabolism is running properly, and the metabolism’s job is to produce heat and fuel to keep us warm and give us energy.

❗️Now, being underactive, those with low thyroid don’t have enough thyroid hormone, so their metabolism often doesn’t work as optimally as it could. Sometimes even when on thyroid meds.

❗️Therefore, people with an underactive thyroid or hypothyroidism can have a slow metabolism, with symptoms associated with a slow metabolism, such as cold intolerance, extreme tiredness and weight gain.

❗️However, since we’re all individuals, this can differ from person to person - based on our genetic make up, our lifestyles and any other health conditions we have, so some people don’t experience weight gain. Some even experience weight loss.

❗️Either way - Hypothyroidism, an underactive thyroid, Hashimoto’s, any thyroid disease really - is so much more than just weight anyway.

🌪️ The list of symptoms runs in to hundreds, affecting everything from your head to your toes. To just talk about thyroid disease as an ‘excuse for weight gain’ is very ignorant.

•••

⬇️ What is your experience of this? After struggling with my weight and body image for most my life, and thyroid disease impacting this further, it’s something I no longer focus on much to be honest. I prefer to focus on reducing thyroid symptoms like fatigue, brain fog and muscle pain instead of focusing on weight above all.
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- Rachel 🦋💙

#theinvisiblehypothyroidism #thyroid #thyroidmedication #hypothyroidism #underactivethyroid #thyroidissues #hashimotos #hashimotosthyroiditis #autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #chronicillness #thyroidhealth #thyroidwarrior

☝️Around 1 in 10 females of childbearing age h

☝️Around 1 in 10 females of childbearing age have the condition known as PCOS (Polycystic Ovary Syndrome).

✋However, many of the signs and symptoms of #PCOS are similar to hypothyroidism.

•••

❗️On average, women with PCOS tend to have higher TSH levels and be subclinically (borderline) hypothyroid when compared to controls of the same age without PCOS.

❗️Hypothyroidism, and in particular, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, is more common in women with PCOS than in the general population. High levels of thyroid antibodies (Hashimoto’s) are found in one in three PCOS patients.

❗️If a person has either Hashimoto’s or PCOS, the chance of being diagnosed with the other increases up to ten fold!

👀 So, Are Your Symptoms Thyroid Related or PCOS?

The best way to know is through testing.

• A full thyroid panel of TSH, Free T3, Free T4, Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies, Thyroglobulin Antibodies at the very least, with results compared to optimal levels, should show if your thyroid is really causing the symptoms.

• Non-optimal thyroid levels can cause a lot of ongoing issues.

• A diagnosis of PCOS is usually made following a ruling out of conditions with similar symptoms and a match of two to three of the following:

💜 Irregular periods which indicate that you don’t regularly / predictably ovulate

🧡 Blood tests showing high levels of male hormones, such as testosterone

💛 Scans showing you do indeed have polycystic ovaries

❗️If it’s found that you have both hypothyroidism and PCOS, you’ll need treatment to address your low thyroid hormone levels, as the combination of both diseases can accelerate the overall reduction in egg count.

•••

👇 Let me know your experiences with this in the comments and as always, follow me for more thyroid info and please check out the resources linked in my bio for more support!

- Rachel 🦋💙

#theinvisiblehypothyroidism #thyroid #thyroidmedication #hypothyroidism #underactivethyroid #thyroidissues #hashimotos #hashimotosthyroiditis #autoimmune #autoimmunedisease #chronicillness #thyroidhealth #thyroidwarrior

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2024. All Rights Reserved.

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