Don't Judge This Book By Its Cover

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.