Thyroid disease is one of my passions. Why? Because millions of Americans suffer needlessly because either they - or their doctors - don't know enough about how this tiny gland can impact their overall health.I was one of those patients. For years I thought my thyroid function was normal, and only after receiving inadequate counsel from my doctor did I wonder "Why is this happening? What causes it and what can I do about it?" When he didn't offer me any information at all, I went on a massive search to find out what was going on inside my body.
Considering the majority of thyroid sufferers are female, I figured I could take this information and apply it to my blog - in hopes of helping readers everywhere figure out some answers. This information is nothing that you can't access yourself, and shouldn't replace a good relationship with your doctor. Likewise, if you feel that your doctor doesn't know enough to help you, find one who will! It might not be an easy process, but it can make all the difference in how you feel.
I've compiled all the links to thyroid articles I've written here so you can easily find them in one place. You can also search by keyword under the "Stuff I Write About" tab on the right sidebar.
Although there are many out there, the two top thyroid advocates are Janie Alexander Bowthorpe at Stop the Thyroid Madness (check out her Facebook fan page, too!) and Mary Shomon at about.com. Both are patients who also want to raise awareness and have a wealth of knowledge, including a large following of patients who can share stories, advice and offer support in many ways.
January is Thyroid Awareness Month! - Find out why it's so important to know what this thing is and what it does
Testing your thyroid: Why you can't always trust the TSH - Learn why it's important to get more than just one blood test done to assess overall thyroid function, and how trusting the TSH too much can leave you undiagnosed and miserable
Understanding and diagnosing thyroid problems - Find out the long list of symptoms and how they can be misinterpreted
I'm on thyroid meds, but why aren't they working? - Common mistakes patients and doctors make when taking meds and some reasons why it might not be helping you
Stupid crap my doctor says - Patients share how their doctor is misinformed about their thyroid disease
How thyroid disorders can affect postpartum health and the breastfeeding relationship - Depression, hair falling out and low milk supply can all point to a postpartum thyroid disorder.
You've lost that lovin' feeling - Find out how undiagnosed thyroid problems can kill your sex drive
Synthroid vs. Armour - Is your doctor suppressing information on alternatives to Synthroid? Find out how physicians and mainstream thyroid advocacy groups can discourage you from using anything except T4-only meds, which make the industry billions of dollars annually.
Your thyroid and infertility - Find out how low thyroid function can affect your ability get - and stay - pregnant.
My personal experiences with thyroid disorder:
Crash - I found out that staying on too low a dose can make me feel worse than ever!
Diary of a thyroid: Thunder pig! - Switching from Synthroid to Armour
Diary of a thyroid: the misadventures continue! - Finding out that it's time for an increase
Et tu, thyroid? - Feeling like I'm falling apart, but at least I know why now
I will continue to add links and information to this page, so be sure to check back periodically.
