#Hypothyroidism

[reality-detective]

Hypothyroid 🤔

[wolfchanw]

Assorted updates!! Dragonfruit is a……..girl!! I sent a very private photo to @talesfromtreatment who let me know that what I was seeing was in fact a very swollen vulva. I separated her from her sisters to see if perhaps there was some covert suckling going on and the swelling went down rapidly. Naughty, whoever was doing that suckling!

Cantaloupe is growing! She’s now 170g to her sisters’ 230. I still think she may have hypothyroidism, but the current plan is to wait for her four week checkup and draw blood then if she’s still tiny and weird looking. She also sleeps a LOT more than her sisters.

Banana is plomp. Round. Loud AF. And perfect.

I have included two pictures of Cantaloupe’s skin after we got her diarrhea managed. Despite my best efforts to keep her clean, she wound up with some fecal scald on her back legs and tail. Pictured is her back foot before and after two applications of A&D ointment. I’m freaking impressed. Next time I have a diarrhea kitten I’m using the A&D pre-emptively to protect the skin BEFORE it gets all scaly.

[satisfiedskye]

i think its about time i made the post I've been meaning to make. i just want it out of the way.

my father passed june 27th. it was sudden, a motorcycle accident that was not his fault in the slightest. my mother was also in the accident, but survived. however, she lost a leg, among having other injuries. she will be in hospitals/rehabilitation for a long time. I'm a disabled person, as you may know as I've talked about my coma in 2022 from autoimmune encephilitis, and my many autoimmune diseases. life is both very hard right now, and has me very anxious. in the future, there will be a gofundme for my mothers needs medically, and insurance wise. my fathers job was our families insurance... and on top of her own medical expenses, I need steroids and insulin and all of my other medication to stay alive and care for her. for now, Im linking my ko-fi, as a way to get any sort of income right now. donations are very VERY appreciated right now. i also sell stickers there, and will be selling more stuff soon, so keep an eye out for posts about new stuff ! thank you very much. please share and reblog this, I'm trying my best to just be.. okay, right now.

[synbiosys]

So, I’m not proud of it, but I’m back to ask for help again. Above is the link to my Ko-Fi account; I can accept donations via Stripe and Paypal; I don’t have a preference of which method you use. Below is a more detailed explanation of the events that have led to my current predicament; it’s not entirely necessary to understand, but it should make sense of why this happened to me.

I’m dealing with some health problems and a recent car accident and I need help paying my bills for the next few months while I use that time to finish incomplete coursework for classes I took last year. In case it’s not clear, an “Incomplete” is a grade that can be given by instructors at some schools in situations where a student wasn’t able to complete a major assignment for a class due to circumstances outside their control, and allows students a pre-determined amount of time to finish that work beyond the end of the course. I had a plan for covering my expenses with a summer job at the Oregon State University Arthropod Collection (OSAC) while I finished the incomplete work, but the nature of my health issues, an outbreak of fleas, and a car accident have all prevented me from making it work. Now I’m kind of trapped; the cost of living in Corvallis is too high for food stamps to last an entire month, I don’t have a car anymore, and I’ll probably end up homeless if I can’t pay October rent and also pay November rent on time. I’ve managed to find some work doing landscaping and yardwork in my neighborhood, but I’ve realized that it’s impossible to make enough money and also handle the incomplete coursework; focusing on the former will impact the completion of my degree in June, while focusing on the latter will likely result in homelessness. The loss of my car is exacerbating all of this, in part because I live further away from all of the stores/banks/etc. in Corvallis, and public transit here is not very good.

Since late 2022, I’ve been experiencing sleep apnea-like health problems arising from swollen turbinate glands. I have some known allergies, but they’ve never caused swollen turbinate glands. The impact on my sleep quality became so severe that I had to resort to nasal strips every night. I saw doctors about this problem as early as spring of 2022, but none of them were helpful; most of them didn’t listen to me, and none of them considered trying any kind of testing. This ineptitude continued even after directly asking my primary doctor about autoimmune conditions and how we could test for them. Despite how obviously informative blood samples can be, nobody suggested a blood test. I finally lost my patience and demanded they give me a blood test for hypothyroidism at the end of August. Lo and behold, my thyroid hormone levels were an order of magnitude out of the normal range. Autoimmune problems run in my mother’s family, and it’s likely that I have Hashimoto’s thyroiditis; this disease is rarer in men, and the symptoms appear very gradually. While I can understand how this would delay detection of the disease, there were FIVE different doctors who saw me in relation to the sleep/allergy problems and none of them considered a blood test. I started taking levothyroxine the same day as the test results, but before being treated, my symptoms became so severe that my ADHD medication stopped working, my OCD symptoms went out of control, and I was experiencing severe brain fog. This is what forced me to request incomplete grades for my courses; I was trying to complete coursework despite all of this, and I was barely able to keep up. Once treatment begins, it takes at least a month to take effect, so my symptoms didn’t start improving until early October. Most recently, I found out that I needed to increase my dosage, but thyroid problems often have complex consequences, and any changes to the dose of the medication will result in unwanted side effects.

My original plan for this summer was to work at OSAC to cover my expenses while I tackled the incomplete coursework. I calculated the gross income I’d need to meet my expenses, and working 30 hours a week at this position well exceeded that amount. My duties as a curatorial assistant change slightly depending on the tasks at hand, but because I am paid from grant money, I must work efficiently, accurately, and in an organized manner. Because I have ADHD, extra measures are necessary in order to meet these requirements. I’ve worked this job intermittently since 2018, so I know how prevent my ADHD symptoms from interfering with my work. Because of the failures by my doctors to address my health problems, I was already struggling to arrive at work on time by June. By July, my symptoms had worsened to the point that I was no longer able to focus on work consistently, voluntarily cutting some days short because I wasn’t accomplishing much, and continuing to work in that state was inherently a waste of grant money. By August I could only make it to work sporadically. As a result, I missed most of the income I could have earned for August and September of this year. I was able to make up for some of this impact by selling old trading cards and video games from childhood, but that money didn’t last very long.

I was also confronted with a flea infestation that suddenly appeared in August. I rent a bedroom in a house with housemates; we tried to eradicate them ourselves, but the landlord suddenly informed us in early September that he hired an exterminator, who was arriving in less than 24 hours. I have some pet reptiles and pet invertebrates I needed to protect from pesticide exposure, so I suddenly had to move my pets to a friend’s house. I also had to re-arrange my bedroom to accommodate the exterminators. Based on the chemicals that were used, the only way I could make room safe again for my pets was by mopping the floor in my bedroom and the adjacent hallway three times. This ultimately cost me four days, and then the exterminators came back in early October, which forced me to repeat the process.

As if this wasn’t enough, I had a serious car accident in late September that annihilated my car and left me with severe lacerations to my left arm and a fracture in my thumb. The car spun out and flipped in the process, landing in the opposite lane. If another car had been about to pass me, it would have caused a direct collision at around 55 mph, and I probably wouldn’t have survived that. I realized the danger immediately and crawled out of the car, but most of the other possible outcomes would have involved my demise. I’m very lucky, but it took almost a month for the lacerations to heal, and one of them was deep enough to cause nerve damage, which hasn’t completely healed yet. My left hand has healed enough for me to use it, but I’m still having some issues with my thumb.

I wish I could say that I had help from my family, but my parents were impacted by both of the recent hurricanes that made landfall in western Florida. Even before the hurricanes, my parents weren’t really willing to understand what I was dealing with. I grew up in an abusive household; my sister and I were neglected by our parents, and we experienced emotional abuse from them as young adults. This is particularly true of my father, who himself is the product of a highly abusive upbringing. Unfortunately, research on the dynamics of child abuse has shown that children from abusive households often suffer a lack of economic mobility relative to children from more supportive family backgrounds as a result of mental health impacts. This has absolutely been the case with my sister and I; both of us are well into our 30s, and neither of us is anywhere close to long-term financial stability. That’s why it was deeply hurtful to hear my father blame me for being unable to fly to Florida on a whim to help him clean up the house, blame me for paying $950 a month for rent, and shame me for being 35 years old without a “stable job”. Both of my parents visited me in Corvallis in late July; they could tell that I was struggling, they apologized for neglecting me, and they told me they’d be more supportive, but apparently everything they said to me then must have been an act.  

Hopefully, this explanation sufficiently articulates the situation I’ve ended up in. I almost have enough money to pay my October rent, and I need to have my November rent paid by 11/5. I would have tried using Ko-Fi sooner, but in the interest of upholding my own responsibility, I wanted to exhaust my other options before resorting to donations again

[trashland-llamas]

Warm Summer's Day

x gn reader

Ace’s frown deepens with concern when he sees Reader asleep in the midst of summer with a winter duvet covering them. Thinking he had made their shared bedroom too cold but in reality, it’s just a result of their hypothyroidism. Half the time they’ll go about their day unaware of how cold their hands or feet are until they make contact with Ace’s warm skin. Cold intolerance Chopper had dubbed it. Removing the duvet, he crawls in behind them. ‘Hmm?’

‘S’just me, turtle dove. Go back to sleep, I’ll keep you warm.’ Ace whispers, maneuvering them to lay on top of him. Not minding one bit if they treat him like one of those teddy bears you can heat up in the microwave. Carting his finger through their hair as they listen to his heartbeat that still speeds up whenever he's near them. 'Don't sweat it, I'll be here when you wake up.' The pun more for him in attempts to not let his worries show. The days where they'd wake up because their body temperature would suddenly plummet in the night, tried to make its way to the forefront of his mind. That or they'd suddenly have to remove themselves from his hold as their body decided it wanted to work properly for an hour or so. Once asleep, his hands drifted downwards to their back. Going underneath their shirt to feel skin against skin.

But right now, he promised to watch over and protect them as the ship lulled them further into a deeper slumber. Swiftly following them once his thoughts silenced. 'Sleep well, darling. Sleep soundly,' kissing the crown of their head.

[spoonie-journey]

I don’t want anything to be wrong with me, but we’re past that, so I just want to know what is wrong with me

[cyber-therian]

i love to eat dried seaweed … i have hashimoto’s thyroiditis and the iodine in seaweed helps calm some of the symptoms (alongside my meds ofc) and the umami of seaweed also helps with meat cravings since i dont eat meat :3 plussss the salt content helps increase my blood pressure

not to mention makes me feel like a lil fox who just found the most awesomest snack ever by the ocean mmmmm

[charlies-a-ghost]

what do I say when it will never get better

[blitzsicedcoffee]

Yep.

Rheumatologist left a message saying I have autoimmune thyroid disease or Hashimoto's.

It just gets worse over time but the problem is that it's hormone based and my hormone is still in "normal" range even though I'm feeling a fuck ton of symptoms.

So they can't treat it til my thyroid fails.

Family curse gang rise up lol

[talkethtothehandeth]

Here is a video that talks about the reality of living with Long COVID. This is another reminder that this virus is still prevalent and just as deadly, if not more. COVID has killed nearly seven million (documented cases) people worldwide. You are not immune, you are not invincible, and this is something you should still be taking seriously. It’s not in the past, it is still spreading and mutating and harming and disabling and killing.

Wear your masks, get the vaccines if you can.

Video Length: 1m 16s

Transcription:

"Hi, my name is Hannah, and COVID took my life from me. I was 23 when I got sick in August of 2020, and I'm turning 27 this month. I was an athlete for 10 years, and I had straight A's all through high school. I graduated with honors, multiple scholarships, and I was years in the school for my PsyD. I loved going on adventures, traveling, reading, painting, drawing, I even loved having a job. I even had a healthy immune system, and that was all until I got COVID." - "I've been diagnosed with epilepsy, and the back to back seizures have caused brain damage; it has caused dementia type symptoms, spelling problems, mood changes, POTS, which haused caused me to be hospitalized multiple times with concussions and injuries. I'm on IV infusions and medications for that." - "I have to use a wheelchair, I can no longer legally drive; diabetes, an autoimmune disease, chronic and debilitating fatigue, vision deterioration, had to have my thyroid removed, lost half my hair. I still have a hard time breathing and have low oxygen at points-- chronic pain, muscle aches, tooth decay, increased mental health issues and ideations. I had to quit my job, withdraw from school, and I never see anyone but my family and doctors I can longer draw, travel, and I really struggle with reading, which is my favorite thing." - "My loved ones are terrified to leave me home alone, and I'm scared to even sleep at night because I'm afraid that I won't wake up. I spend my days alone in bed because life has to go on without me. This is the reality of it [long covid]. And 1 in 5 infections cause long COVID. I promise you, you are not invincible."

[ididit-allofit-foryou]

Chronic Illness Products: Tried and Tested by a Fellow Spoonie

Hey! I’m Rain, and I have various chronic illnesses and disabilities, including: POTS, chronic migraine, chronic pain, and chronic fatigue. The following products are some that have helped me with my symptoms!

Migraine Ice Head Wrap

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09BN7TV6N/?coliid=I2CB88I8424KRB&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This is great because it can be either heated in the microwave or cooled in the freezer. It has gel in it and it is heavy so it puts a little pressure on your head. It also has velcro closure so it can be adjusted for head size and pressure. You don’t even have to put it in the freezer if you like it cold, because if you keep it at room temperature (my house is usually between 68-71 degrees F) it will get cold by itself and it can help for a while, about 10 minutes before it gets warmed by your body heat.

Monthly Pill Organizer

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09V53JTM6/?coliid=I2IBUBXDTRNU36&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I hated having to refill my pill box every week, so I got 2 monthly organizers and use one for morning and one for night, and I only have to fill it once a month! I like this band because it is easy to open and each week comes out by itself so if you travel you can take just one week with you. I also like that they are all in a case and it closes for safe keeping.

Bed Tent

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07T4JV6ZT/?coliid=I33UE149JTQBTG&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

This is more expensive, but it is absolutely worth it if you have migraines. It has 6 zippers: one on each side, one on each end, and the top part of each end flap has a second zipper that opens a mesh area if you want air or light. You can close it entirely, and it makes it dark even in daylight, but it is still breathable and not stifling. There is also a pocket at one end that can hold a TON of stuff. I keep snacks and things in there for easy access. Finally, there is a little circle hook on the top where you can hang a camping fan or light if you want!

Cooling Neck and Head Towel

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00JH4H5AS/?coliid=I3L6Z4MFFV2IK1&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

There’s a few different brands of these, and I couldn’t find the exact one I have, but any will work! My brother used this brand for when he played sports–I use mine to cool my neck when I’m nauseous lol. It stays cold for longer than just a regular rag and the water doesn't get everywhere.

Neck Pillow

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B09MQ416CR/?coliid=I34LO7QKQ5H4Z&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

Simple, yet effective. If you have POTS or any other condition that makes it hard to sit up for long periods of time, or a condition where you have neck weakness/pain, then this is for you. Riding in a car? Recline that seat a bit and put on a neck pillow. 10/10 much better car experience.

Cane With Seat

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00DPOOCC0/?coliid=I133WRLIWPH40D&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I have POTS, and I use a wheelchair for most places that require walking, but a lot of areas where I live are not wheelchair-accessible. So, I use this! If I feel dizzy, I can just open the seat and sit down for a bit until by body chills the fuck out.

Electric Toothbrush

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08LJNZW3Y/?coliid=I189MT1VEIKUTZ&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

It doesn’t have to be this kind, but since I can’t stand long enough to brush my teeth very long (or at all some days), I use an electric toothbrush to get a better clean in a shorter amount of time. They cost a bit more, but less than a cavity filling.

Shower Chair

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07NM77DJ2/?coliid=I1SRRBS7ISI3E1&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

If you feel dizzy in the shower, or can’t stand very long due to pain, or for whatever reason, and are considering getting a shower chair, this is your sign to do it!! It has helped me so much and makes showering SO much easier and way less daunting.

Bath Pillow

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B9WG925R/?coliid=I1C4T2MUPR33WU&colid=OPCCR26R0SR4&psc=1&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it

I have chronic pain and laying in the bathtub in warm water can help with it, but it also hurt my neck to lay on the hard surface. Not anymore! I’ve also seen full-body bath pillows that would be GREAT but I don’t have anywhere to store it. For this one, I just keep it in the tub all the time.

That’s all I could think of at the moment, but I will reblog this with more items if I think of any! Feel free to add to this list yourselves!

[crippledcryptidd]

Products that help me as a disabled person

1

ID: a neck pillow that’s also a c shaped orange cat plush with eyes sits on a black blanket. End ID

I’ve posted this before but I wanted to include it, this is a cat themed neck pillow that’s also a massager

It helps me with my neck tics and the pain they cause, neck pain from migraine and other conditions and keeping my head up in a comfortable position

I don’t know where this exact one is from but similar things are on Walmart and target’s websites

2

ID: a purple cat stress ball on top of a blue square stress ball on a black blanket. End ID

Stress balls

They help me with anxiety and stress, regulating emotions, tics (keeping calm can also calm my tics) and more

These are both from the brand nee doh and from learning express

3

ID: a kroger brand pain lidocaine pain patch and an aleve pain lotion on a black blanket. End ID

Pain patches and lotion

Helps with pain which can help with other stuff since i’m in less pain and good for pain on the go since you can just stick it or rub it on

Got both of them from kroger

4

ID: a the corner of a grey blanket and a calico cat plush with blue eyes on a black blanket. End ID

Heated stuff like heating pads, plushies and blankets

They help me with pain and cold intolerance also with comfort, if you need heat on the go then packs of disposable or reusable hand, feet and body warmers are helpful

The cat is warmies brand, not sure where from and i’m not sure brand or store on the blanket

5

ID: a black and white floral cane wrist strap with a lungs charm on it is on a black blanket. End ID

cane wrist straps

It helps me not drop my cane which can happen from tics or other movement issues, it’s often hard for me to pick it back up and then catch back up

This one is made by my partner

[1863-project]

This is a really difficult time of year for me now. It's been this way ever since I got sick.

Hashimoto's thyroiditis, the autoimmune thyroid disorder I have, causes both weight gain and weight loss resistance. At this time of year, everyone is bombarded with things about weight loss and exercise and all of that stuff, and it's really difficult when your body isn't capable of it. Exercise is difficult when your thyroid pushes on your trachea and makes it harder to breathe, and you can't do it very long anyway since the same issue has caused you muscle weakness. You have to take everything slower.

I used to enjoy hiking. I can't walk uphill now without being short of breath almost immediately because of the pressure going at that angle puts on my trachea.

It hurts to see all these people talking about how they're going to "improve" their bodies and become rail thin and lose weight and knowing that they think your body is unacceptable because you're sick and it won't change the way theirs will. Diet and exercise can't really do much when you have an autoimmune disorder, and when you try to find out more you find all these quack products and solutions that clearly don't work.

My weight's plateaued at the point it's been at for a few years now. I'm not really getting any bigger anymore, and most people don't even notice it even though I feel like I'm distended. It's dysmorphia on my end - I never look the way I do in my mind - but since I'm not completely flat with no body fat the people in the commercials and ads and medical professionals are all going to just keep trying to "fix" something that can't be fixed because I have an autoimmune disorder.

I want so badly to feel comfortable in this body, but it isn't considered attractive or beautiful or even acceptable by society at large, so it makes it so difficult to really be okay with it.

I'm dysmorphic. This is what I look like in reality.

Even looking like this, doctors like to focus on my weight, so you can imagine what people far bigger than me have to deal with.

I wish we could just move on from this, but it doesn't look like we will anytime soon.

[spoonie-journey]

My favorite way to climb the stairs when I hurt is on all fours like a creachur

[kingxfmischief]

[Ughhhhhh and things contine to get worse

I've been on meds for hypothyroidism for over 10 years now. I have about 10 days left in my bottle rn.

Called to get an appointment and they can't see me at any of their locations until fucking October 29th and refuse to authorize a refill until then.

So guess I just might be without my synthroid for a fucking MONTH which definitely can't be healthy.]

[beanskelly]

Happy disability pride to those with thyroid conditions, whether it’s hypothyroid or hyperthyroidism. Thyroid issues suck!! If you are struggling with your thyroid issues, know you’re not alone