8. “You’ll Need Your Iron and Vitamin D Checking Too.”
A big piece of the puzzle are vitamin and mineral levels!
When diagnosed with a thyroid issue, it makes a lot of sense to do a vitamin workup too and assess whether low iron / ferritin, B12, Vitamin D, Folate etc. could also be contributing towards some of the fatigue, muscle aches and brain fog we often experience. A lot of symptoms crossover.
9. “Prioritise Rest.”
People with thyroid conditions are renowned for being busy bees; overworking, overcommitting and overexercising. None of these help us to get out thyroid condition and symptoms under control, nor do they promote us keeping it under control.
Without enough downtime, rest, recuperation and sleep, we’re more likely to experience cortisol issues (adrenal dysfunction) which drive a lot of our symptoms. High cortisol levels in particular, appear to go hand in hand with hypothyroidism.
Do any of these sound familiar?:
- Struggling to fall asleep at night, or waking up a few hours after you do?
- Feeling more tired in the morning?
- Having a mid-afternoon ‘slump’?
- Anxiety?
- Have ongoing fatigue that affects your day to day life?
- Often wanting to be left alone?
- Unable to tolerate stress?
- Hot flashes or sweats?
- Jumping or feeling irritable at loud noises?
- Been on thyroid medication for a while and still not feeling better?
- Brain fog?
- Joint pain?
- Weight gain or weight loss?
- Low libido?
- Coldness in hands and feet?
- Leaky gut, acid reflux, GERD, GORD etc.?
- Extreme tiredness after exercise?
- Heart palpitations?
- Hair falling out?
- Muscle pain of unknown reason?
- Inability to concentrate or focus?
10. “You’re Not Crazy.”
Did you spend a good chunk of time undiagnosed with your thyroid condition wondering if what you were experiencing was normal or common?
You are not crazy. There is a reason why you feel the way you do. Keep on digging, keep on advocating for yourself and never settle for less than you deserve, which is good health and to enjoy life.
