Being diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis autoimmune disease can be scary at first, but there are answers and ways to treat this… here’s what worked for me.
March 15th, 2019….
There are certain dates that are forever burned like a scalding hot iron in your brain, and for me, this is the day when my world turned upside down.
On the morning of March 15th, 2019, I was heading off to my local minute clinic with what I thought was a seasonal “bug” of some sort…
but as the day unfolded, I realized it was something much more serious (I guess a heart rate of 165 isn’t considered “normal” – who knew?) that ultimately ended with an unexpected ride in an ambulance, a trip to the emergency room, an overnight stay at the hospital in the cardiac ward, and dozens of tests, blood samples, ultrasounds, and scans.
If you want to read more about the lessons I took away from that experience, I shared more here in my blog post “Lessons from the Heart”.
What I didn’t realize on that day in Mid-march, is that what I thought was a short-lived Winter sickness was actually the starting point of a wellness journey that ultimately took about 18 months to fully recover, and it was certainly a bumpy ride with lots of ups and downs.
On that fateful day in March, as the test results started coming back in, it became quickly apparent that I had a thyroid condition and a fairly serious one at that, and during my time at the hospital, I was in the midst of “thyroid storm”.
Luckily for me, I was able to leave the hospital after only one night’s stay with the proper diagnosis, yet, I had no idea how I was going to navigate this new health challenge.
So, I did what the ER MDs recommended…see an endocrinologist and get on the appropriate medications.
As a rule of thumb, I am one of those “granola mamas” who wants to try any holistic remedy before I seek the Pharma options, and who at my very core believes that any illness can be healed.
So you can imagine what a terrible “fit” it was from the get-go for me to see an MD that only looked at lab work and then adjusted meds accordingly.
She also informed me on my first appointment that I would be on medications for the remainder of my life and this was a F-O-R-E-V-E-R disease. #ohhellno
I really felt like there had to be other remedies that might help, and ultimately got to the point that I basically begged her to give me some other weapons to use in my healing arsenal….
food changes, supplements, exercises, detox cleanses, lifestyle changes, (full moon midnight mantra singing – I seriously was willing to try ANYTHING!!)…but her only response was “you can try that but I don’t have any medical recommendations for those things”.
After months of blood tests, adjusting meds, and continuing to feel HORRIBLE, I realized it just wasn’t working and I needed to “break up” with my MD.
At this point, I had full-blown insomnia, was losing massive amounts of hair, and was having about a dozen other very concerning symptoms (which I was told by my endocrinologist that they were “normal” for my “condition”).
To say I was in bad shape was an understatement, and I honestly was terrified that I was dying. It really was THAT bad and THAT scary.
I decided that I needed to make a significant change and sought advice from a holistic MD who is trained in pharmaceuticals yet would also look at the “whole picture” of my overall health.
She quickly figured out that there were many other things that were completely “out of whack” besides my thyroid…something that my endocrinologist never even considered or explored.
With the help of my new doctor and a new protocol (no mantra singing needed), I was able to get all of my bloodwork in the normal range and put my Hashimoto’s Disease into remission within 12 months.
If you want to know the specific things that worked for me, I share my full story here (Part 2).
In the end, my tumultuous journey back to being healthy has led me to these conclusions and recommendations that I soooo wish I would have known and followed sooner:
(* I am NOT a doctor, and this is NOT medical advice – I am simply sharing what has worked for my personal diagnosis and situation*)
1. Know That You Can (and WILL) Heal
Having a highly educated and respected specialist tell me I’d forever be on medications and would have this dreaded disease for the rest of my life was one of the most detrimental things I could possibly hear and believe…and it’s just NOT TRUE!
Our bodies love us and are designed to heal. If anyone is telling you that you cannot heal, find a new “expert” to help you on your journey.
Being healthy, vibrant, and whole is your birthright.
2. Trust Your Gut and Let That Guide Your Actions
I had a deep “knowing” that something was amiss when I met my first doctor – who I now kindly refer to as my “EX”.
I think we all are born with an internal guidance system that gives us insight and direction, and that intuitive-gut feeling has never led me astray…I so wish I would have followed that knowing within me sooner because it would have saved me a great deal of pain and suffering.
3. Look to Heal Your Body as a “Whole”
Unlike your car who needs a new individual part once in a while, our bodies are designed to work synergistically as a “whole”.
My “EX” only looked at my thyroid test results and never realized that my adrenals and hormonal systems were also not functioning optimally.
If you don’t see your body as a “whole” and focus on healing as an entire being, it’s nearly impossible to find true health.
4. Speak Up
I look back and SOOO wish I would have spoken up sooner about needing a multi-faceted healing protocol.
I would have quickly realized that my endocrinologist was not a good fit and that would have saved me MONTHS of my life and unnecessary suffering.
5. Be Open and Experiment
My full healing ultimately came down to finally finding the ONE thing that was triggering most of my symptoms (I write more about that ONE THING here).
It took some trial and error before I discovered what worked best (and worst) for my body. Being open to alternative methods of healing made all the difference for me.
6. Practice Patience
True health and well-being is a journey that usually takes time and patience. I really struggled with the pace of my healing…I wanted to be “back to normal” overnight, and for most people, it takes some time. I’d recommend finding victories in the small wins….
- any improvement in your bloodwork numbers
- feeling just a little bit better one day
- needing only 1 nap instead of 2 (yep, this was a real thing for me)
Look at the smallest of improvements, even if they are baby steps as successes. They will by and by take you to your desired destination.
As of today, I am happy to report that I continue to be symptom-free and my Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis autoimmune disease is still in remission…something that I was told was not possible!
Please know that if you too are struggling with your health, there is hope and healing IS possible…if I can do it, you can too!
My blog usually shares tips about organizing and getting things in order, and yet I realized I wanted to share my story about how I got my health in “order” because nothing else works well without good health.
I also hoped maybe my story can help others who are struggling with something similar – so please pass this on to any friends or loved ones who might be in a similar situation.
I am here to listen or share advice, or simply hold heart-space for anyone who finds themself in the midst of a challenging diagnosis….please email me anytime…you’ve got a support system and friend in me.
Until next time, cheers to endless possibilities of health and well-being, and cheers to you!
XOXO,
Magan