DEAR THYROID^TM

We don’t usually intro letters here at Dear Thyroid. We prefer to let them speak for themselves, as it should be. We chose to introdue this particular,  letter because this is the first installation of a Dear Thyroid letter series by one of our Thyrellas, Anastasia Smith. We think her series will make a wonderful addition to Dear Thyroid and we hope you do, too.

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Dear Thyroid,

Since we are entering a new chapter of our journey as codependent dysfunctional partners, I think it’s only fair to have a little review session of how entangled we’ve become on this voyage to date. But before we clear the cobwebs and glance down memory lane, you’re probably wondering why “oh, why is July 2009 the start of our new chapter, hostess Anastasia? And so, my dear thyroid I will tell you:

1. Today marks the first letter I will be writing to you as a part of a series. And the reason I’ve decided to engage you in written correspondence is a combination of one part humor (what’s medical misery but just that if you can’t joke about it, anyway?) and two parts desperate hope for health (I’m listening to you, and now will you listen to me?)
2. July also marks the six-year anniversary of Graves Disease coming between us. (Eek!) I can’t believe we’ve let that rascal kick around here, driving a wedge between our happy times for six whole years! It’s time for a change. You may have noticed that I recently stopped drinking booze and caffeine”no really stopped, this isn’t a trick quit like I’ve pulled before. You’ve probably noticed a lot of other lifestyle changes (as in, hello grandma lifestyle!). And you’ve probably noticed that I recently started to go to a man with a silly haircut every week who listens to our problems. But seriously, we cannot let another year (month! day!) go by with Graves lurking in our endocrine system like some kind of vindictive ex-lover. Hear ye hear ye, dear thyroid: this is the beginning of the end.

So do you remember what we were doing six years ago this week? We were hiking in the Adirondacks, and I was barely familiar with who you were and where you resided back then (not very body-aware). I kept thinking it was the other hormones that were making me feel like an escaped prisoner (you know, the artificial hormones I was willfully swallowing)—not my own, for heaven’s sake. And remember all that heartburn? And muscle weakness? And that time my car made a noise and I pulled over and cried because I was so loopy? Yikes.

Well I didn’t know what to listen to in those days. I was too wrapped up in the noises that my car was making to even hear what my own body was saying. And you know what happened next: I kept hiking. I hiked my way into Mexico to start a wilderness excursion with a group of total strangers. And I kept covering my ears to all your screams until I literally couldn’t sleep because my heart was beating so fast—148 beats per minute! But it wasn’t until a good three months after (six months after you puzzled me in the Adirondacks) that we were diagnosed with Graves Disease, and I could finally put the pieces together.

I’m getting all sweaty just thinking about it! Don’t you wish we could leave those days in the past, my dear thyroid? Well I’m listening now.

Your Hostess,

Anastasia

(Bio) I blog about sisters, dream about france, and write fiction about everything. Check out Anastasia’s work on The Sister’s Project and follow her on Twitter.

Tags: Anastasia Smith, Dear Thyroid Letters, graves disease support, hyperthyroidism support, letters written by thyroid patients, support for thyroid patients, thyroid autoimmune support, thyroid community, thyroid literary healing, thyroid literary support, Thyroid patient letters, thyroid support

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