Diagnosis and the other symptoms

Ok, Now I know I have something wrong with my thyroid. The Doctor put me on a lose dose of Levothyroxine because he was worried about my heart. Heart disease runs in my family and this condition messes with the heart. I already had a slow heart rate from it. Every 6 weeks I have to get my blood tested and he will adjust my medication until I get to a level that is right for me. Then I have to keep getting blood work done to make sure I am getting enough thyroid hormone. He told me it could take up to a year to get the dosage just right. After living this long, feeling so bad, I didn't care.

Antibodies in my blood indicate it is Hashimoto's disease. Basically my immune system has been attackingmy thyroid and slowly killing it off. My Doctor figures I have had this for a very long time. At first I probably had very little symptoms or none at all. I may have even had bouts where my thyroid was over active.

I discovered that so many of the things I thought were part of the aging process was actually part of Hasimoto's and hypothyroidism. I found a check list for both conditions and was astonished to realize how many of those little things I never really thought fit did belong. Yes I gained a lot of weight and I was snoring a lot lately. They go hand in hand don't they? Well 3 days on the thyroid hormone and I stopped snoring. Which is good because my own snoring was actually waking me up.

Two weeks later and the alligator skin I was developing is starting to fade. My extra dry hair and skin are returning to normal. The carpel tunnel and numbness in my hands and feet are almost gone. The ringing in my ears that I was blaming the mp3 player on is gone. Even the constant feeling of cold has finally stopped.

I still have a lot more symptoms and some days are worse then others. I shaved my legs in April for Easter and the hair hasn't grown back. It's not stubble it's as smooth as the day I shaved them. I still get vertigo and weakness in my legs and arms but I can climb a flight of stairs without having to stop and rest when I reach the top. My face is still puffy and my hands and feet still have swelling as well as some pain in my back that lingers. Writing this shows that I am starting to find interests again. Just sitting there is no longer as exhausting as it once was. I have even managed to get out in the garden more then once this spring.