Hi fellow nice person.
Dropped Simon off at school this morning and stopped by the credit union to deposit a check. At the teller's counter was a framed sign that said,
hi fellow nice person
I love that. Seriously. How can you read that and not smile just a bit? I think it is a brilliant form of putting out there what you want to see in the world. I wonder if it has made an impact on how people treat the tellers? Or if a grouchy person has gone in and come out just a tad less grouchy?
A week ago Chris and I had an interaction with a very nice woman who made a pretty big impact on me. She is definitely on my nice person list.
We were at a local place that sells rocks and mulch and such (we are having our backyard landscaped). After looking around at all the different sorts of pavers we went into the office to talk about price and ask a couple of other questions. At the end of our conversation with the woman at the counter she asked me my name and said the following, "May I say something personal to you?"
Um, ok, thinking maybe she reads the magazine or has a child or relative with autism or wants to know what it is like being married to a politician.
"Sure." I said with a sideways glance over to Chris.
"It looks like your thyroid is enlarged."
First thought: um, what is my thyroid? And where do you see this? She touched her neck to show where it is and I touched mine (thinking I have always just had a big neck which Chris confirmed later on that was what he was thinking at that moment too). My response, "Oh, really?"
She went on to tell us about her mother and her daughter who have both had issues related to their thyroids. She talked about some of the symptoms of hypothyroidism and hyperthyroidism and other related issues such as Graves Disease and thyroid cancer. She mentioned words like depression, weight gain, and fatigue and I found myself listening a bit closer.
I could tell that she was somewhat uncomfortable bringing this all up but that she felt she needed to. She was kind and genuine and even though it was strange, it did not feel intrusive.
"You should call your doctor and get it checked out." She said.
I told her that I really appreciated her bringing it up (even though I still really didn't know what she was talking about) and that I would get it checked out. I think I said something cliche along the lines, "better safe than sorry."
Chris and I said goodbye and walked out to the car. Of course I am totally touching my neck the whole time.
We get home and the first thing I do is jump on the computer and google information on enlarged thyroid.
I start reading about goiters and then go into the bathroom and look at my neck in the mirror. My thyroid is totally enlarged. Not noticeable enough to me as I looked at myself every morning and evening while brushing my teeth, but now that I was aware it was definitely there.
So I call my doctor. Get an appointment for that afternoon. And yep, she tells me, I definitely have an enlarged thyroid. I tell her the story of what brought me to this point. We laugh. She schedules an ultrasound to see what's happening with the enlargement and I go have my blood taken to check for hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism.
I call my mama. Of course I do. She tells me that my Grandmother has hypothyroidism and that she has taken medication for years and years. I call the doctor back and have that information added to the file.
The doctor called two nights ago to let me know that the blood test did show that I do have hypothyroidism (low functioning thyroid) and that I will need to take medication (and probably will for the duration of my life). Based on what she saw on the ultrasound results she is also sending me in for a couple more tests (iodine uptake scan) related to the growth issue and to figure out the underlying problem more clearly.
How long have I had this? Who knows? When I look at the classic symptoms of hypothyroidism, depression has been an issue for me for quite a few years now and I take medication to regulate that part of myself. Fatigue? Sure thing, who isn't tired these days? I am busy with a crazy schedule. Weight gain? Check. Irritability? I definitely have my moments...sometimes worse than others. In learning more about hypothyroidism it sounds like people can have any number or combination of symptoms ranging from barely noticeable to severe.
So why in the world am I sharing all this? Come to find out, hypothyroidism (not necessarily the actual enlargement of the thyroid - there are potentially two things going on here with me) is fairly common and often goes undiagnosed. It occurs more often in women than men. Maybe one of you out there will be helped by the information. I guess you could say I am paying it forward.
All of this because a nice woman at the rock yard decided to say something.
thank you for sharing Ali -- fellow nice person.
maybe a picture of what your neck looks like -- if it's obvious would help people know what to really look for.
i love you! and if there's anything you need, i'm just a flight away!
jessica
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I believe you have met a real life angel and you listened to what she told you and acted upon it. you made the right choice.
corinnexxx
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Thank you Ali for being so "real". I have come to look forward to reading your blog each day as a source of inspiration and information. I pray that God would bless you and your family as you begin to unravel the cords of this new-found situation in life. A good friend once asked me - "How do you eat an elephant?" I replied with the typical, "I don't know." She then said, "One day at a time." I heard these words from a very wise friend of mine as I was facing intestinal surgery at age 25. It's stuck with me ever since and I try to pass it on when I can!
Have a blessed day!
~ Amy L. from Columbia, MO
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Ali, thank you so much for sharing. Totally love your blog, and everything you have to say. SO glad you got yourself checked out - mama's need to make sure they take care of themselves too, and not just everyone/everything around them (easier to say than do, I know!)
Lovin' the "hello fellow nice person", absolutely have to use that . . . tempted to make that into a sign to put by my front door!
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Ali,
I haven't read all the comments, but I bet there are quite a few saying they have the same thing. As do I. I actually was diagnosed with it a few months ago, right before finding out I'd been walking around with mono! So you can imagine, tired city. I'm on meds now and my levels are coming down, though I think I need to take more because I can feel my exhaustion getting a bit worse again after getting better. You should totally send a thank you note to that lady. Btw, once your thyroid levels improve, you will feel like a new person!!!
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Ali,
I think it's a both generous and courageous of you to share so much of your personal life to help others, both with your journey with Simon and now your own health concerns. I'm glad you were able to find out about this before things get too crazy. Best wishes to you.
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Ali - Nice to know you have a guardian angel at the mulch store! My daughter was diagnosed as being hypothyroid when she was only 6 days old. (In Massachusetts it is a mandatory blood test for newborns.) She has taken levoxyl (synthroid) every day of her life since. No big deal. She is followed by a pediatric endocrinologist and is doing superbly. Had that test not been performed, we would likely not have even discovered her thyroid issue until she was well into her teens with delayed puberty. What a blessing it has been that she has been treated from the beginning. Good luck with your treatment! You may be amazed at how much more energy you will have! Tracy
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How cool that she was able to help you & didn't even know you. God is awesome in the way he provides for us like that.
By the way, your neck never looked big to me... in case you were wondering. lol
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Just about everyone in my family has thyroid problems. 3 of my sisters....and my mom had a goiter in her past.
My husband has graves disease too but the opposite of what my sisters have. He has the hypo.
All of them take the meds. It's very good that you checked up on this with your dr. Most people would have just shrugged the nice lady off and said she was wierd for bringing it up. Good for YOU! The meds will really transform your life....and you never want to let thryoid syptoms go unchecked..it's good your getting the word out on Thyroid disease.
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yup, common. runs in my family too. Both my sister and I have been on meds for hypothyroidism forever. I am so glad for you that someone thought to mention it...
take care, God bless
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Ali, thank you.
Thank you for Simon.
Thank you for your blog and views and opinions and honesty.
Simply, what we are all saying, and I mean all of us on here, leaving lots of love and comments.....
Thank you for you.
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I was diganosed with hypothyroidism 5 years ago...taking my medication makes all the difference in the world in my symtoms. I wish I would have had a dr. years ago that would have been more pro-active with the symtoms I was having. It just goes to show you that you have to take control of your own health-good luck with your tests and I hope that you start feeling better soon.
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Thanks for sharing such personal information, Ali! Once you get on a plan (ie. medication) please let us know how what positive results you experience!
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I, too, was recently diagnosed with a lazy thyroid. ;) I have medication but have a difficult time taking it as it must be taken on an empty stomach, and whenever my stomach's empty (first thing in the am or before bed) I have so much else on my mind that meds don't get remembered. Any suggestions?
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I've read your blog from the beginning and many [not all] of your CK articles, books, etc. Not once have you ever mentioned depression or meds. I guess dealing with Simon's autism might lead anyone down that road, but you always talk about it so matter of factly, like this is what this is, and this is how I am working on that. No grousing or whining even a little.
So, that said, the fact that you can be so unfailingly kind and friendly to people with that burden on your back is FREAKING AMAZING to me.
Heck I thought you were just that way naturally. I was, in fact, a bit envious, bc it is such an effort for me to be nice to random strangers, esp when I am having a Crabby Day.
So, wow. Kudos to you. And blessings on the rock lady. You should make her a thank oyu card. :-)))
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wow that's pretty awesome...& all of those symptoms are quite familiar to me too...hmmm...may need to go see the doc...thanks, dear:)
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Well that's really something! Just amazes me that this woman could SEE your thyroid enlarged. I was so anxious to look through your blog comments to see how many more people like me are "raising their hands" to say they also have thyroid disease. I'm right there with you. Unfortunately it took me many many years to get a doctor to diagnose it. I was treated very badly and told I was lazy. eeek! Finally I had three kids and I'm like look, a mother of three is not lazy! LOL Anyway, I got a laugh at you walking away touching your neck. After I finally found a doctor who specializes on thyroid, it was the first time I had a doctor push on my neck. I felt it for the rest of the day! I told my husband, how did I never notice this bulge in my neck?! LOL
God bless you!
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Thank you for posting this Ali. How awesome that the lady had the guts to say something to you. I am actually heading to the doctor tomorrow to get mine checked out. I've had an annoying cough for 3 months. I originally thought it was allergies, so I ignored it thinking it would pass. Then I realized that I was a different kind of cough. Like I had something stuck in my throat. I have many of the other symptoms too.
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How odd that you should write about this today. I am going to see a specialist on Wednesday for mine and get my ultrasound. I am displaying many symptoms.
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Not sure if someone has addressed this issue or not (forgive me for not having the time to read all the comments) -- I went through 3 years of infertility and finally someone suggested I get my thyroid checked. Low and behold, I have hypothyroidism. Started taking medicine and within a few months, my cycles were normal...NORMAL! I know a lot of people read your blog, Ali, so I just wanted to encourage anyone who may be having cycle issues and trouble conceiving to first check their thyroid...it may save some heartache, aggravation, and poking and prodding.
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Hi Ali
Looking back over photos I can see now that my thyroid enlarged during my pregnancy with our now 6 year old son but since the rest of me had also 'enlarged' nobody really noticed. A year later during a pre-admission check for an ovarian cystectomy my enlarged thyroid was noticed and it was very casually mentioned that next time I see my gp (general practioner) I might like to mention it to him. I was so unconcerned by this (next to my ovarian cancer scare) that it was another year before I remembered to mention it. Blood tests showed no abnormalities but a nodule could be clearly felt, a scan confirmed this, and a fine needle aspiration (biopsy) was inconclusive. A partial thyroidectomy was recommended (left 1/4 of my thyroid to continue functioning) and performed more than 3 years ago now (leaving just the faintest white line scar) and concluded the nodule was benign, so aside from semi-annual blood tests to confirm my remaining portion of thyroid is still functioning normally I've had no other problems with it.
I admire you greatly for your honesty and generosity in sharing all your experiences but especially for your positive and healthy attitude towards depression, understanding it as an imbalance like diabetes, hypothyroidism, high blood pressure etc which you take medication to help regulate, and why wouldn't you. Thank you for contributing to a healthier society, Good job Ali!
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Wow, Ali...that is a pretty amazing story. Thank God for people like that woman.
Have a wonderful weekend,
Jennifer
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You should go find her! I can't imagine how uncomfortable she must have felt about saying something...there has got to be a story there that she would be so knowledgeable of the signs...and be brave enough to say something.
Thanks for sharing this, and the signs...I've had hypothyroidism for about five years now. I am glad to know I am not alone!
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I was so interested to read this on your blog because I was diagnosed earlier this year. My dr. diagnosed me within minutes, and, after checking it out online, I realized I had 99% of the symptoms, including the rare ones. It's amazing how much it affects a person and how so many people are affected and aren't diagnosed. I feel worlds better now that I am on medication. :) I'm glad someone was concerned enough to bring it to your attention.
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*Hugs*
I also have hypothyrodism....actually I have a version that is called Hashimoto's disease. My body actually makes antibodies to combat the hormones that my thryoid uses...or something like that. I take medicine every day and I can honestly say it doesn't bother me one bit! It's really not that big of a deal. Now that you mention it I have noticed in your pictures that your thyroid was enlarged, but never thought to write you. I'm so glad that there was someone nice enough to take the time to help you out. ;) Just wanted to let you know I'm thinking of you and to let you know that soon you will be feeling SO much better that you will wish you knew about this much sooner.
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