People with Hashimoto’s come in all shapes and sizes, so don’t be fooled. Don’t judge this book by it’s cover. Some may have only one symptom or none at all and some may have every symptom in the book, this is therefore why I perceive that it must be difficult for doctors to diagnose, but I’ve done so much research that I’ll find myself in a room full of strangers and I look for people that might fit the picture of Hashimoto’s or I'll listen to someone who is having health issues and no luck in finding a diagnosis and I find myself wondering if they have any idea the picture they fit or the right questions to ask their practitioner. I’m no doctor, but my intuition tells me that Hashimoto’s is all around us. I think the occurrence is far more common than any of us realize.
When I was roughly nine or ten I was diagnosed with Vitaligo and Psoriasis. Then when I was twelve I was diagnosed with Juvenile Rhuematoid Arthritris. These are all autoimmune diseases. The clue here for doctors should have been the Vitiligo. It is closely tied with Hashimoto’s disease , another autoimmune disease and all four of these diseases are commonly clustered together. There is a gene called NALP1, which is usually found in patients with this type of cluster. More information can be found at: http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa061592. I haven’t been tested for this gene, but would suspect they would find it if I were to be tested. My question is which came first, "the chicken or the egg", the "Hashimoto’s or the Vitiligo"? My personal opinion is that the Hashimoto’s was first on scene and therefore the puppet master of all or most future medical conditions that I would face. In fact these four autoimmune diseases are often found together, so any one of these should have been reason enough of an indicator for doctors to test thyroid anti-bodies as well as the fact that I had more than one autoimmune disease and just about every hyperthyroid and hypothyroid symptom in the book and then some. I feel it is important to paint the picture here because being armed with information can help someone else perhaps put the pieces of their own puzzle together much faster than I ever did and perhaps mitigate adding any other related health issues to the list.
Here is a list of conditions and symptoms that are directly or indirectly linked to Hashimoto’s, which I am either currently experiencing or have experienced at one time or another. I will go into further detail about some of thes in future posts:
Plantar fasciitis with heel spur and an arch that is collapsing
Adenomyosis/Endometriosis
Uterine fibroids
Tilted Uterus
Dysmenorrhea
Menorrhagia
Metorrhagia
Hemorrhoids
Dyspareunia
Hemorrhage
Mittleschmerz
Fibrocystic breast disease
Fibrodenoma – interductal papiloma
Low Libido
Night sweats
Insomnia
Melasma
Goiter
Thin, dry brittle hair and nails
Hair falling out
Tinitus
Dry skin
Vertigo
Lightheaded
Depression
Anxiety
Brain Fog
Gall bladder disease with chronic Cholecystitis
Cholesystechtomy as a result with a second surgery for stones left in the bile duct which in turn caused a back up of bile and jaundice, very toxic and itchy like you cannot imagine.
Fat malabsorption
Digestive problems
Chronic Sinusitis
Community MRSA
Allergies to food and environment
Bronchitis / acute asthma
Candida overgrowth
Intestinal Parasites (a recent discovery)
Iron deficiency, almost anemic
High Cholesterol and Triglycerides
High normal fasting Glucose
Hypothermia/Low body temperature
Sensitive to cold and heat
Difficulty loosing weight or keeping weight off
Lethargy/Fatigue
Hypertonic muscles most of the time, which is very painful at times
Torticollis
Osgood Schlatter Disease
Mitral Valve Prolapse/ Heart Murmur
Dyspnea
Palpitations
Paresthesia in the hands and often under right shoulder blade near the Rhomboids
Among other health issues, Hashimoto’s pre-disposes its victims to Lymphoma and night sweats can be a warning sign of this.
A definition of Hashimoto's: http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=24319
A definition of Vitiligo: http://www.medicinenet.com/vitiligo/article.htm#tocb
A definition of Psoriasis: http://www.medicinenet.com/psoriasis/article.htm#what
A definition of Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0001487/
I hope this post is helpful. Please stay tuned for future posts and feel free to leave comments and to become a member.
