Day 104 - Hashimoto's Revenge

Soooo....remember how I told you I was going to get my thyroid checked? That Dave and I wanted to make wee ones and so I needed to check out where my levels were from years ago. Back when they told me I had what's called Hashimoto's--an autoimmune disease that eats the thyroid like a sandwich. Until its gone.

The disease itself is in the same category as psoriasis or arthritis. It's where an overactive immune system thinks that healthy tissue is actually foreign and toxic. It attacks. The wrong thing (my thyroid gland). Until its gone.

Being that in my (not-so) distant past, I've had quite the perchance to destroy things that are healthy, feed things that are toxic, I understand this disease's dilemma. My insides simply don't know what's good for them. I empathize.

According to many doctors, once the process of Hashimoto's begins, it's irreversible and untreatable. It simply runs willy-nilly, unchecked. It's only mission is to destroy. After chomping away at your thyroid, Hashimoto's eventually causes its consequence: a condition called hypothyroidism.

Now, hypothyroidism IS treatable, much to the medical community's relief. Your thyroid is no longer functioning, therefore you introduce synthetic thyroid hormones to replace what you're missing. Simple as pie right?

Well, not so much. It gets a little dicey is in situations like mine.

I first found out about this civil war being waged inside of me approximately four years ago. It was a routine blood test, recommended by what I considered an overzealous doctor, after she learned thyroid problems ran in my family. I thought 'she-crazy.' I had no symptoms, no complaints, nothing. Imagine my surprise.

Her: "You have Hashimoto's thyroiditis."
Me: "What did you just say to me?"
Her: "It is destroying your thyroid gland, and you are now hypothyroid."
Me:" Huh? I feel great, how could this be?"
Her: "You need to take synthetic thyroid for the rest of your life. Here's your prescription. Have a nice day."
Me: (practically holding door open...)"Wait! What about eating better? Quitting smoking? I'm not the healthiest."
Her: "Nope. Sorry. It's unrelated. No reversing."
Me: wtf...

I went home and researched like crazy. For the most part, what she said rang true in nearly everything I read. Whether I read medical abstracts or Internet chat forums, I found the same information. Once you're hypothyroid, you need to take your pills. Once you're over a certain level (according to your blood test), about 100% percent of doctors agree: treat, treat, treat.

But the problem was, I wasn't over that certain level yet where 100% of doctors agree. I belonged to a small area of hypothyroid people called mild hypothyroid (approx. bt. 4 to 12 TSH). And in this little grey area of the medical community, the opinions of doctors swayed from one end of the spectrum to the other. Some say treat. Some say don't. There simply wasn't a clear answer.

So, I ignored her prescription. For the next three months before my check-up I did three things: I quit smoking; I ate better; and I did more yoga.

Lo and behold, on my next appointment, the doctor cheerfully remarked that my medication was working. I was within the normal ranges, and therefore not hypothyroid at all anymore. With pride and bitterness, I said, "I didn't take the pills." I never went back.

Since then, I've vascillated back and forth over smoking, eating well, and exercising. Considering my consconsistency, when I went to see my new San Diego doctor recently, I was sure my levels would be a complete and utter mess.

I thought, after four years of my slowly disintegrating thyroid due to Hashi's, I would definitely fall in the category of treat, treat, treat. And then, that I would take the medication. That I would succumb to this because I knew that if we wanted to conceive, it was absolutely necessary for the health of the unborn little guy. I wanted to lay down my sword, raise the white flag.

My new doctor agreed. And after hearing my story, his professional opinion bet that my levels would also be out of control. Imagine our surprise.

Turns out, I am well within the normal range. Therefore, I am not hypothyroid. Therefore, he does not recommend any treatment whatsoever.

Of course, my doctor did note, my little Japanese nemesis, Mr. Hashimoto, still lives in me. But he apparently isn't much of an eater because my thyroid remains intact.

I sighed so loud. I couldn't believe it.

And then I got pissed! Not just pissed in general, like pissed the cashier overcharged me, but like pissed off for the world in general. You're telling me, that had I listened to my previous doctor's advice, that I would have been taking synthetic thyroid hormone for four years?!

First, that would have been well over two thousand dollars in medicine that I didn't apparently need. And secondly, just by taking the medication, it reduces your thyroid's ability to naturally produce its own hormones. Therefore, I would actually NEED the medication, just by virtue of taking the medication.

How reckless of her! I mean, like I mentioned earlier, she's not alone in her opinion. Many doctors think you should treat mild hypothyroidism. But doesn't the medical community owe it to the patient to at least TELL you when there's a discrepancy in opinions?! She DID NOT tell me this. Even when I practically begged her for a different answer. I found all this out on my own, after hours and hours of research.

Why isn't there some form of regulation on this? Shouldn't the patient, in cases of grey areas of medicine, be given the information and the CHOICE???!!!

I imagine people with all sorts of other conditions run into similar problems. It's not fair! Most people trust what doctors say, and why shouldn't they, they went to fucking medical school for gawd's sake. We didn't.

How many people with mild hypothyroid are running around downing synthetic hormones, when a simple change of diet would have sufficed?

I hate the attitude of treat, treat, treat! What about taking responsibility for our health? Thank gawd for The Information Age or I would not have been brave enough to shirk her careless advice. (Mind you, I'm not saying all medical advice sucks. If you are regular hypo, you need your meds.) Arg. Arg. Triple Arg.

In the end, my new doctor said to me about Hashimoto's, "Well, you're one of the rare cases where you know you're going to be hypothyroid at some point in your life. You just kind of watch it happen."

I nodded. But on the inside I said, "We'll see..."

(p.s. some doctors and others have seen Hashi's go away completely. Plus, it is not 100% certain that you'll become hypothyroid if you have Hashi's (although 9 times out of 10, you will). But still, how the f*%& would the doctor know that I couldn't be in that 10%??!! It pisses me off that doctors don't HAVE to tell you this.

A guy, like me, confounded at his doctor's cold-hearted diagnosis of Hashi's with mild hypothyroidism, actually self-published a book he wrote called "How I Reversed My Hashimoto's Thyroiditis." With research, alternative therapies and healthy habits, he changed his diagnosis. What's up now doc?)