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Freshman Year in Thyroid College
Dear Thyroid
It’s very frustrating dealing with the roller coaster ride you put me on. It’s frustrating that I had symptoms for 3 years, but no one noticed except for me, even though my blood work was negative. It’s because of you I lost abnormal weight and my family thought I was suffering an eating disorder or I had bad eating habits. It is YOU that caused me to suffer anxiety, brain fog, and my family thought I had depression, but really it was YOU tearing me apart. When I was finally diagnosed with you, it was too late. You reversed from hyper to hypo. It was my freshmen year of college. I could not enjoy a night on the town with my friends because YOU made me exhausted and sick. You caused me to gained so much weight and my doctors have told me I am a rare case. I was a marathon runner before you reversed and you crushed my dreams of running the Rock N Roll marathon, that I had trained so hard for. Why did I have to cancel it? Because YOU made me gain so much weight, YOU made my knees become weak, and I was mentally physically and emotional exhausted.
You caused my mom and I to argue many times because she thought I gained the freshman 15 and I was being lazy. Its you thyroid that would not make me feel better even after being on synthroid. Only you and I know thyroid,that no one listens when you still aren’t feeling well. 5 months ago I was diagnosed with Celiac Disease and they have said it’s because of you. I am too young for this. The weight you caused me to gain,thyroid, has brought upon metabolic issues.
I am only 20 years old thyroid. I Hate you, but I am going to conquer you. I am ending this war you have entered with me. The weight is coming off and the metabolic issues are going to go away. I jogged/walked 3.38 miles today. You are not going to stop me now. I have my whole life ahead of me and YOU can’t bring me down thyroid. You have made me stronger and allowed to me overcome obstacles that I never thought I was going to endure. Through the trials and tribulations, I am coming out stronger than you are. I am sick of this roller coaster ride and it is time for me to get off. I hate all the times YOU made it seem that everything was getting better, but then I would hit a road bump and I would fall back down. No more thyroid. You can not do this to me any longer. I am going to start training for the Rock N Roll marathon soon. I understand you are not going to go away, but I AM going to stop the issues you cause.
I wish the best to all the other females and males going through this journey. Believe in yourself and know you are stronger then this. WE CAN ALL CONQUER THIS.
Elizabeth =
(Bio) Hi! My name is Elizabeth and I am 20 years old. I am a college student majoring in Radiography. I live in Georgia and have had hypothyroidism for 2 years. I would like to name this ” Hello , My name is Thyroid and I crush people’s drams.”
Tags: being a proactive patient, defeating thyroid disease, patients with hyper and hypothyroism, rare thyroid disorders, young adults with thyroid disease
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17 Responses to “Freshman Year in Thyroid College”
Leave a Reply to LizaB0723
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Oh you took me back to my freshman years also–mine was not getting enough sleep–ever. I hope the best for you and your future.
This story sounds so similar to mine! I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism after my second year of college, and I too suffered for long before I was diagnosed. It has been 3.5 years since, and after 2 years, I finally went back to school full time. It’s not easy, but there’s hope! Best of luck to you.
Leslie- Thank you for your kinds words! It is not easy and all but I am glad we have the tools to overcome it! I hope you are doing wel!!
Elisabeth- I can only imagine what you went through experiencing this all through your 2nd year of college! I am so glad you are back and school! Stay positive! I know this is so hard on all of us but we luckily this website helps knowing you aren’t alone! Best of luck to you!
Keep on fighting Elizabeth! You can and will run the Rock n Roll marathon. You may have times during your training where your thyroid may make training harder but do not lose sight of your goal and know that those thyroid flare ups will pass. I recently ran my first marathon. Around a month prior to the race I went completely hypothyroid. I felt so discouraged and felt as if all the hard work I had put into training for the race was gone. I kept getting weaker and weaker during my runs. I started on a new dose of meds and kept training the best I could. I may not have ran the marathon in the time I wanted due to my hypothyroid setback but I completed my first marathon. I know it’s hard to live with thyroid disease and having to deal with the roller-coaster ride it puts us on. I believe that if we accept that the disease isn’t going to go away and learn to alter our lives in a way to accommodate it, then there is no reason we can’t reach all of our goals. Even if we have to alter the path we take to obtain them. Good luck and hope to see you out there someday at a race.
Hi Ruthie!
Thank you so much for your sweet words! It is so nice to have a fellow runner experiencing the same issues I have had and have. I am so proud of you for running your first marathon! I worked with a trainer yesterday and he pushed me to the max I woke up quite sore this morning but I quickly realized how amazing it is to have that feeling knowing I stuck with it even when I felt like I couldn’t. I hope to continue to gain the momentum you have while running! You have inspired me by showing me the words “I can”. I hope you continue running and staying positive. if you have any tips please let me know!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth
Hey, girl. I feel as angry and pissed as you in many ways. Constipation, bloating – it’s quite a ride.
Do not give up. DO NOT – DO NOT – give up. You may also want to get tested for celiac disease to make sure it’s just your thyroid and not also a gluten or diet sensitivity thing.
Foods can make a wreck of you. Soy – for hypothyroid sufferers – must be avoided. Studies show it interferes with your medication absorption.
I highly recommend this book: http://www.amazon.com/Thyroid-Diet-Revolution-Metabolism-Lasting/dp/0061987476/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359144435&sr=1-1&keywords=thyroid
Diet can be a very overlooked factor. She stresses that.
Keep a food diary and keep us in the loop about your progress. It can only get better. Honestly, once you’ve hit bottom there is nowhere else to go.
I feel your pain! It is absolutely terrible. I am 20 years old and was just finally diagnosed two months ago, when I’ve been going to doctors for six years complaining of bone numbing fatigue, anxiety, dizzyness, memory loss, ect. It almost feels like we’ve been ripped off, having to put up with chronic medical issues that we’ll have forever now thanks to this, at such a young age. At least we can take our weakness’s and make them our strengths. I hope you find a way to feel better soon! Synthroid doesnt do anything for me either. Neither did a gluten free diet really. *sigh*
Hey Katlin,
I am sorry we have had to go through this terrible journey at such a young age! DO you fast 30 minutes after taking your thyroid medication? That makes a HUGE difference. My doctor taught me that in october 2012 and it honestly has made a huge difference. I take vitamins that do not contain gluten. But again make sure you don’t eat or take any other medicine until 30 minutes after. I take my synthroid as soon as I wake up and then about an hr later take my multi -vitamins and that helps as well.
Please don’t hesitate if you need help or someone to talk to let me know!
Best wishes,
Elizabeth.
Thanks for writing this. I was much older than you when finally diagnosed. I was put through the ringer. No one checked my thyroid, they did not know until about 5 years ago. I can think back to my twenties and I KNOW I have been dealing with Thyroid issues for far more years than what I was diagnosed. I felt horrible all the time. And I felt horrible for feeling horrible. I was told I was depressed and put on meds that made me think I was crazy… so on and so forth. I dont think I have ever had a healthy thyroid. I hope your story/letter makes it to more young people before they are put on the wrong meds for almost twenty years! Good luck!
Hi Angela,
Thank you for commenting on my letter. I am so sorry for the suffering you have had to endure over the years, especially with it being such a long time. I would love to have the opportunity to be an advocate for young adults and even adults who have had thyroid issues. I have so much to say about what I have gone through and what I learned that I am sure so many other people would love to hear and could relate to. If an opportunity came up for me to speak at a conference I would LOVE it. I wish the best to you and your thyroid and don’t give up! Please feel free to share my story. I too hope it reaches young teens who are having a difficult time.
Hello Elizabeth,
Our stories are almost identical, hypothyroid and celiac. The difference is our age. I wish you well…never lose hope even when you feel you have!
Hey–So sorry to hear what you’re going through, but I can tell you with 100% certainty that you can get through it! I was exactly like you–a serious runner who gained a ton of weight at age 18 because of a thyroid problem. It took me several years to get it figured out (including a very heavy and very frustrating period in college) but I’ve lost the weight, am running all the time again, and honestly don’t even feel like I have a thyroid problem on a daily basis! It will get better!!!
HI Kate,
Thank you so much for your encouraging words!!!! How did you get back to running again? What was your work out routine and diet consist of ? I am so happy that you have bounced back! It gives me more hope than you know!!
Thanks,
Elizabeth
Hi Elizabeth,
I’m trying to write a book to help teachers and parents understand students with hypothyroidism. I’d love to include your story. How did your experience with hypothyroidism affect your performance in school? How did your friends or family react? If you have any advice or stories you’d like to share, I think it would be great to hear them.
Thanks so much, from a fellow hypothyroid student,
Samantha
Hey all. I am a college student that was diagnosed with hypothyroidism at the age of 20. The symptoms of this has changed my performance in school drastically. I have had this disease for about 8 months and it has been a non stop roller coaster of pain, fatigue and memory loss. I have always been an outstanding student and my grades have dropped significantly due to all of the side effects and symptoms I experience. Being out of state and away from home down not help either. Wondering if anyone has any coping mechanisms or advice on how to handle the stress of school, work, friends and hypothyroid.
Hi Sam,
You can definitely include my story! Send me a copy when you are done! My performance with school has definitely been affected but I am trying new methods to be able to succeed. The biggest affect was the brain fog and emotional hardship I experience the first year and a half. It will be 3 years this June. If I could tell my old self when being diagnosed to stay positive and be stronger and use it as an experience to make my life better I would of. With that being said I can’t look back because I am going to keep moving forward from it. I have done the best with having a positive support. To be completely honest my boyfriend was the biggest support. He would go to appointments with me and when I cried he was my shoulder and told me I can do it. We have been together for 3 years so he has seen before/ during/after. He would take every single negative comment I made and would turn into something positive. If I just wanted to cry and feel sorry for myself he would comfort me and make me get up and do something about it. I am so very thankful for him. My family was supportive except they did not fully understand the complications and how hard it is for a thyroid patient .They did not know how to react and lift me up. They now have a better understanding after sending them articles online and reading them posts off dear thyroid what we really go through. I would tell someone going through this to surround yourself with the biggest support, however the only one that can make a difference is YOU. Instead of sitting in your room crying about it ,get up and make your life better. When it comes to school you just have to pace yourself. I should be done may 2014 but I will be done closer to the end of 2015. I am only taking a couple classes a semester so I am not putting extra stress on myself. Exercising and eating gluten free has made me feel 100% better. There is many times when you are having ” one of those days” and you want to talk to someone about it that doesn’t understand but I found it more frustrating so I have found a coping mechanism instead which is exercising and music.
Elizabeth
Much more research coming out lately that is showing this link between celiac disease and hypothyroidism. At our Naturopathic clinic, http://www.drmorsillo.com, we test for this with every thyroid patient…following this diet should help significantly.