Thyroid 101

According to MedlinePlus: Your thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland in your neck, just above your collarbone. It is one of your endocrine glands, which make hormones. The thyroid helps set your metabolism - how your body gets energy from the foods you eat.

At the age of ten, in fourth grade, I developed a growth on my neck. My mom took me to our family doctor who diagnosed me with mono. It ended up being false-positive. In fact, I had something much more serious. My heart rate was in the 230s and I weighed about 55 pounds if not less. The doctor drew blood and put me on bed rest. I didn't get to finish the last several days of 4th grade.

In December of 2000, the endocrinologist I was sent to decided that the best thing to do was to ablate my thyroid. I took a pill with radio-active iodine in it. For three days I was isolated in my mom's bedroom with my own bathroom and no reason to leave. Because of the radioactive iodine, I couldn't be around any one else. Soon after the treatment, my thyroid was completely dead. The years to follow included many blood draws, doctor visits, and a daily pill.

Throughout high school and college, my doctor gave up on me. The last appointment I had with him, he left the exam room at least three times to take a phone call, leaving his training student in the room with my mom and me. I didn't like taking medicine, I could never remember, and when I did remember I just didn't care. Every once in a while I would take it, but as long as I wasn't taking it regularly, I was very hypo-thyroid. I knew it wasn't good for me, but I had become accustomed to being cold, sleepy, unmotivated, and a complete lack of energy. My grades in college were not as great as the ones I had earned in high school. I blame this solely on me not caring. Not only because I was not motivated, but also because I went home every weekend and school was just "whatever".

Now, I am 21 years old, married, and need to look ahead to the future. My husband and I eventually want to have children and if my thyroid levels are not 100% up to par, then being pregnant would not be a good idea. After talking to doctors, if my thyroid levels were screwed up, then that could cause a miscarriage, which is something I don't want to go through. It's time to be an adult, and that is exactly what I am going to do.

I have been taking my thyroid medicine very regularly for the 4 months that we have lived here. The Doctor on post raised my dosage to 200mcg. I had my blood drawn again today and I am hoping that the levels are good. I feel great and am not experiencing any signs of low thyroid. Here's to hoping for the best!