Check out this AMAZING blog!
Dear Thyroid
VERY cool! :)
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
About Me
- Mel
- Hi! I'm Mel, a 35 year old gal who suffers from the autoimmune disease Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I try to live the best life I can. I am in no way, shape, or form my disease but a good deal of the time my body and mind will not let me forget that I am sick.
I try take each day as it comes and try to put up the good fight. I often want to do more than I physically and mentally can which causes frustration. I am learning to cope with this. I have good days and bad days. Sometimes I overdo it on the good ones and then pay for it the next few. I try my best not to take anything for granted and perhaps this is the one gift that my illness has given me.
I often marvel at the fact that the media and astonishingly not even the medical community at large seem to be aware of autoimmune diseases.
My ultimate goal is to reach out to others who are also experiencing the same symptoms, to get talking and start acting to effectively bring about awareness and medical research ultimately giving rise to a cure.
We may not have the energy all the time but we sure have the heart. :)
Hi Mel,
ReplyDeleteI saw your post over at Dear Thryoid and thought I'd drop you a line.
I noticed that you have some of the same problems I had for a really long time. I used to have awful achiness and was in constant fear of migraines and muscle spasms every time I moved or put any challenge on my back muscles or lifted my arms (God forbid lift an iron skillet).
Turned out, yet another lovely autoimmune disease was responsible. I have pernicious anemia which prevents me from properly absorbing B12. B12, you probably know, is in abundance in meat, dairy and eggs, but if your stomach isn't producing "intrisic factor," you won't be able to make it available to your tissues.
Unfortunately, the B12 test isn't very sensitive, it has a 50% rate of false negative. If you ask to be evaluated, insist on getting an MMA test, too, which will be high if you have a B12 deficiency. You want your B12 level to be around 800, which is optimal. Unfortunately, most labs say you're okay if your B12 isn't over 200. Crazy!!
Good luck, hope you aren't feeling too lousy today. Kit in St. Louis
Hey Kit! Thanks for the comment and all the great info! Yes, as a matter of fact on the last visit my Primary Doctor told me that he wanted me to eat more leafy green vegetables because I was a bit low in the Vitamin B12 department. He didn't mention anything else however and I'm so glad you explained it all in detail here. My doctor also prescribed iron pills which I have been taking for the last few months. He didn't formally diagnose me as being anemic but I most likely am since I feel the difference when I skip a day. It's truly amazing how one disease can affects so many other factors. You're totally right about insisting on getting the proper tests and evaluations done too. We need to be our own advocates and not be afraid to speak up about how we feel and seek out the answers as to why we are feeling that way. Thanks so much Kit and hope you are feeling well today also! I'm going to go ahead and publish this comment in a blog post because the information is so great and relevant here it's worth repeating. Take care! :) -Mel in NY
ReplyDelete