Yesterday I broke down the GI crisis and lightly glossed over 2 other autoimmune diseases I have that do not get nearly the exposure they need. 

This post will focus solely on Graves’ disease and thyroid issues, I’ll do a secondary post in regard to MG. 

Thyroid diseases are the most common thing that’s missed by doctors, especially in women and new moms. When you’re pregnant everyone harps on your health and how you are feeling but the second the baby is born most moms are shoved on the back burner. 

We are told our weight loss is stress, our hair loss is from breastfeeding or our bodies “adjusting to post birth”. We are told to focus on self care while being in charge of an immobile blob that literally forgets how to breathe the first couple weeks. 

I spent 11 months shrinking away and losing my mind being told I was just stressed. It wasn’t until I got a second autoimmune disease that anyone bothered to be concerned on how I lost 30% of my body weight in such a short period of time🙄

I’m now in remission (for the moment) from graves but there’s 19473833 things people never really were honest about. No one mentions the hand tremors, the rage, the pouring sweat, and feeling like your heart is coming out of your chest. You aren’t allowed to call off work for any of this stuff and if you work customer service while in a hormonal crisis that’s an Olympic sport in itself. 

On the opposite side of this spectrum is hashimotos and hypothyroidism- which can cause weight gain that just won’t come off, fatigue, and a bunch of other symptoms that are so often brushed off as “just part of the process”. 

You are your own best advocate in regard to the health care system. Unfortunately there’s far too much burn out for us to rely on doctors noticing or asking the right questions so it’s best to request the lab work after checking into potential options. 

When asking for a thyroid test make sure to ask for a TSH and TSI as well as full panel to ensure that every level is where it should be. You can have some symptoms but not every single one that’s listed and when your thyroid is off it effects every aspect of your body (the organ controls your hormones) 

The enlarged eyes that people associate with thyroid disease is actually a separate disease that affects about 50% of thyroid patients (thyroid eye disease or better known as TED). Enlarged thyroid’s show in the neck- but many people can never have their eyes affected or have the organ swell like others do. In the years since my diagnosis I’ve never had either of those issues despite my labs going horrific. We can’t rely on appearance and NEED testing.

Thyroid diseases can be fatal, it’s not something to mess around with but it IS treatable and absolutely worth treating. 

Any doctor can order your lab work, treatment is done thru an endocrinologist (your referral process will depend on your insurance but if it’s a crazy long wait ask your PCP about emergency bridge care- I saw a diabetes doctor at first because it was a six month wait to get into my current specialist who works specifically with thyroid diseases). 

Do not put it off👏🏻