Many of you who know me well know that after my last fitness model competition (I may have to cover off those days with another post!) I got really sick with a horrid flu that had me on the couch for days barely able to move and once I got off the couch I didn’t feel much like my old self. I had been in the gym 3 hours a day leading up to the competition and now I could barely get enough energy to teach a spin class. So off to the doctor I went… blood work showed nothing… but I didn’t get better… so back to the doctor I went insisting something was not right. She then testing me for Hashimotos which is an auto-immune disorder and discovered that I did have it and my own body was attacking my thyroid. I was prescribed Synthroid to deliver the stuff my body wasn’t creating on its own.

Now I have a lot to stay about this topic and I have to state the obvious … I am not a medical professional and what I say only comes from experience and nowhere else.  Oprah single-handedly derailed a whole bunch of hypo-thyroid fans byt claiming she didn’t need her medication … how did that work for her? (EXACTLY!)

Some things I learned that might be useful to you or someone you know:

• Challenge your doctors – my doctor admitted to not knowing the diagnosis levels had changed for hypo-thyroidism had changed to a lower value between 1 and 2 from below 10. Thank goodness I have a friend who is a nurse and was working with an endo at the time!
• Synthroid is not the only game in town – I have tried it and actually use dessicated thyroid. It is dried up pig thyroid. Sounds gross but remember the days before synthetic insulin?
• Do your research – there are a lot of experts and opinions so look around but also do what works best for you. You know your body better than anyone.

Some online resources:

• Thyroid Mary 
• Thyroid Foundation of Canada

Message me if you too are hypo… we can swap tips and stories OR if you think you are and have any questions. I think I have mine pretty much under control but who knows…