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All Articles
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Browsing Tag

Opinion

When I've Had to Be Selfish for My Health Conditions

When I’ve Had to Be Selfish for My Health Conditions

I’m not a selfish person naturally. Not in any way at all. But since going through…

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theinvisiblehypothyroidism

Raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ if this is you t

Raise your hand 🙋🏼‍♀️ if this is you too!

❗️Adrenal dysfunction or ‘adrenal fatigue’ (though it is more accurately referred to as hypothalamic-pituitary axis dysfunction) is very common in those with thyroid issues.

❗️The adrenal glands, which sit atop the kidneys, are responsible for producing hormones in relation to stress and the one concerned in adrenal fatigue in cortisol. If cortisol levels are out of rhythm, this can cause a whole load of symptoms.

❗️Sleep issues, fatigue, anxiety, hot flushes, feeling unable to tolerate stress, jumping at loud noises, craving salty food, weight gain around the middle, dizziness, fatigue after exercise and many more. (I’ll put the link to a full article in my stories)

❗️I completed a saliva test a few years ago to check for adrenal issues and discovered that my cortisol was high all day, contributing to symptoms of fatigue, struggling to sleep (feeling tired but wired), anxiety, hitting a slump in the afternoon, hot flushes, a weakened immune system and more.

❗️I addressed the adrenal issues and brought my cortisol levels back to normal by fixing my gut issues (Candida) and sex hormone imbalances (oestrogen dominance). As well as obviously addressing my thyroid condition (hypo and Hashis).

❗️I can’t stress how big a part adrenal dysfunction played in my quality of life. It made my mornings incredibly difficult as I felt dizzy, nauseas and fatigued beyond words, before it was addressed.

🧩 I always talk about living well with thyroid disease as requiring slotting into place these jigsaw puzzle pieces and adrenal issues is one of the most common coexisting issues we thyroid patients have.

•••

👇 did you know about this? Let me know 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!

📖 ALSO: see my book “Be Your Own Thyroid Advocate“ for more info on this.
⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀⠀
- Rachel 🦋💙

I shared a post yesterday, about the frustrations

I shared a post yesterday, about the frustrations of learning how to live with a thyroid condition and what others assume it to be like.

In a bittersweet way, I’m glad it provided community for everyone to share their experiences and relate to one another.

I also received some comments saying they were sad to hear I was struggling, so I just wanted to clarify that right now, my health is really good. I live symptom-free, and only have flares when I get glutened, don’t prioritise what I’m eating, my sleep, stress etc.

The words I shared yesterday were most applicable when I was in the thick of it - the early days of my diagnosis. However, I knew they would be relatable to many others going through that part now.

I want to continue to share all aspects and all stages of living with hypothyroidism & Hashimoto’s.

And also keep in mind that we may continue to shift on this scale, moving backwards and forwards in terms of better or worsened health again, unfortunately.

Life can change things. Pregnancy, parenting, grief, work stress and so much more can change whether our thyroid condition is well-managed or not.

But for now, I’m in a great place where I hardly notice it. But we still need a voice for all those other stages so many others are still in or passing through.

- Rachel 🦋💙

(Photo from when I went out a few weeks ago to celebrate my book release of Thyroid Superhero)

We’re often told, whether by doctors, our friend

We’re often told, whether by doctors, our friends, family or other thyroid patients, to ‘just get on with it’ when we have thyroid issues.

“Push through it.”

“Don’t be weak.”

“Pull yourself together!”

“I’ve worked hard my whole life. Nothing will ever stop my work ethic. People are using their health conditions as an excuse to be lazy.”

Oh my, the ignorance. 🤦🏼‍♀️

Let me tell you something: I’ve BEEN the person who pushes them self to keep on going. I’ve refused to be ‘weak’ because I believed this idea that a thyroid condition cannot get in the way. And do you know where it led me?

To even worse health.

My health burned out. I ended up unable to work, bed bound and suicidal. That’s not helpful in any sense of the word.

Here are some facts (and yes, they ARE facts):

❗️Hypothyroidism really can reduce someone’s quality of life hugely. It’s a chronic health condition. If you don’t experience this, count yourself lucky.

❗️Thyroid disease affects people on a scale. Different people experience a varying degree of symptoms. To assume everyone experiences it in the same way is ridiculous and ignorant.

❗️People CAN live well with a thyroid condition, but it often takes time, a lot of trial and error to find what works and, crucially, locating the right thyroid jigsaw puzzle pieces, usually with the right medical practitioner.

I’m done being someone who refuses to listen to their health condition and go at a pace of life that everyone else decides for me.

I’m done living with thyroid disease in the way everyone else seems to think I ‘should’.

I’m done feeling lonely and struggling alone. We NEED this community.

I felt ‘done’ a few years ago. When I started publicly speaking about life as a thyroid patient.

You don’t get points for invalidating someone else’s experiences of a disease. You just end up looking like a fool. You also don’t get points for being a martyr and ‘pushing through’.

Your body doesn’t deserve that. It deserves being listened to.

•••

👇 Let me know how you feel about 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 🦋💙

⁉️Need some info to explain what hypothyroidis

⁉️Need some info to explain what hypothyroidism is to family & friends?! Here it is!

•••

🦋 Hypothyroidism means thyroid hormone levels are low.

🦋 Because these hormones are needed for everything, symptoms of hypothyroidism can be very far-reaching!

🦋 Even those on thyroid meds can still feel unwell. Due to not being on the right dose yet, the right type of thyroid med or perhaps even coexisting thyroid puzzle pieces of low vitamin levels, adrenal dysfunction, poor gut health, overexercising, diet sensitivities and more.

🦋 Living well with a thyroid issue can be like piecing together a jigsaw puzzle! Would you like another reel on that topic specifically? Let me know in the comments!

•••

⭐️ Follow me for more thyroid info and please check out the resources linked in my bio for more support!

- Rachel 🦋💙

© Rachel Gask and The Invisible Hypothyroidism, 2015-2023. All Rights Reserved.

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