My Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Diagnosis
This was definitely not a straightforward path and required a lot of advocating for myself! I spoke to different professionals, did a lot of research and asked a lot of questions. I am glad I persevered and managed to get this Hashimoto’s diagnosis fairly quickly.
I have decided to share my story, as I hope it might help someone, somewhere along the way.
This is simply my story. Nothing in this blog is medical advice. What works for me, might not work for you. But perhaps, by sharing experiences we can learn from each other. Check here to read my full disclaimer.
What made me investigate my Thyroid Health:
In late 2022, a complete stranger, a lady I only just met, cautiously asked me if I have any thyroid problems or have ever looked into my thyroid health. She noted my goiter and expressed genuine concern for my health.
She had a history of thyroid issues, and wanted to make me aware and asked me to please look into it. Her genuine concern was quite heart warming.
Before then, my TSH levels had always come back normal, so I never looked into it. And to be honest, that was the first time I paid attention to my goiter, and that it was indeed enlarged.
I look at myself in the mirror every day, and don’t really pay attention to things that don’t bother me. I have no idea when it changed, but I do remember thinking it was enlarged many years prior.
18 months to get a Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis Diagnosis:
Almost immediately I scheduled some bloodwork with my family doctor to look at TSH. And again, it was in the normal range (reference range is 0.35-4.30mlU/L here).
A few months later my symptoms started to increase. Joint pain, fatigue, brain fog, the list was getting long. Again, my TSH came back as normal.
In August 2023 I visited a naturopath for some help. I explained all my symptoms and mentioned my goiter. This was the first time I had ever heard of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
The naturopath sent me to a private clinic to run a full thyroid panel. Unfortunately provincial health care here will only run a more comprehensive thyroid panel of antibodies and T3/T4, if TSH is outside their normal range. She also recommended I get an ultrasound.
With a letter from the naturopath to support my case, I got a referral to another clinic, where they ran a multitude of other tests, including ECG, chest X Ray, more bloodwork, ENT referral, ultrasound referral. The works!
Luckily nothing else popped up, but the antibodies in my bloodwork and the ultrasound confirmed the diagnosis: I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis.
But that’s where it stopped. The naturopath recommended I take some selenium and myo-inositol, and sent me on my merry way.
I asked about the Autoimmune Protocol (AIP). She did not recommend it, but also did not shoot it down. She basically said that because of my healthy eating habits, she would not want to restrict my eating further and had no suggestions.
Dealing with the Hashimoto’s Diagnosis
Getting the Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis diagnosis can be a scary thing. No one wants to hear that you have been diagnosed with an autoimmune disease.
I did not know much about autoimmune diseases in general, so this was terrifying. It was only then that I found out celiac is also an autoimmune disease. I was shocked.
Why had no one ever told me this? I was always told it is a food intolerance, “avoid gluten as best as you can, and you will be fine”.
That makes me really mad now! If someone would have warned me, that if I do not stick to a 100% gluten free diet, that I could develop another autoimmune disease, I would have done everything possible to avoid it.
But I never experienced any bad reactions to eating gluten, so I cheated … often!
Moving forward
Medication is not an option, as doctors won’t look at medication for me until my TSH goes outside of the normal range. And they won’t look at T3 and T4, until the TSH does just that.
They won’t treat anything else either, because in their eyes, the blood work doesn’t pick anything up, so nothing is wrong with me.
Plus, I don’t want to take medication if I can absolutely help it.
So I am on a mission to find the root cause of what is causing my autoimmune disease. What causes my flare ups, and what can I do to feel normal again.
This blog is part of the process, the process of learning and growing. The process of finding the root cause and sharing what I have learnt. Hopefully I can help others along the way.
Today, as I am writing this, I feel like crap. My body hurts, my mental health is in the dumps, and I have no idea what is causing this prolonged flare up. Full AIP does not seem to be helping me right now.
I feel defeated, but am determined to figure this out!
Hindsight
There is a lot of clarity in hindsight! And now the puzzle pieces are finally starting to fit. However, I still have many gaps and missing pieces.
Over the years I have experienced various bouts of symptoms. From extreme fatigue, digestive issues, unable to lose weight, a very unstable mood with bouts of depression, and so on.
Since my 20s, on and off, I had looked into hypothyroidism and its symptoms because I struggled with not being able to lose weight, and some other symptoms. But as you all know, the symptoms are so varied and it is difficult to pin point to anything specific!
It is only in the last 2 years that the symptoms have ramped up. I don’t have a record of anything from before. I never tracked anything, never made notes.
When I was diagnosed with celiac in 2008, my mothers first reaction was: “So that is why you were such a grumpy child”! That makes me chuckle every time I think about it.
But it shows how this has always influenced me, all these years. And I could feel it with the gluten, if I cheated too much, it affected my mood.
In around 2012, Ken and myself did a diet reboot. For 30 days we did very strict paleo, and then introduced some foods back. It made a huge impact on us, and how we eat today. And there are many foods we have never reintroduced, or only in small quantities.
Plus I felt great!
So I think there was something there that helped me, that over the years I have forgotten. But having had that introduction to Paleo, definitely helped me with my AIP journey.
Tracking your Labwork – Free Tracker!
I found it very important and beneficial, to keep a good record of all my test results. I kept a copy of all my results!
You will need these for all your appointments. Be it with old or new practitioners. Also does not matter what profession, they will all want to see the full picture.
To help with this, I developed a little tracker that puts it all in one place. And it makes it easier to glance over all the data to see what is going on.
I have developed a fillable PDF, that you can either complete on your computer and save. Or print it off and complete by hand.
I also made a spreadsheet, which will automatically create a graph for you. I love having the visual element of the graph! This spreadsheet is available in either Excel or Google Sheets for you.
If you find this useful, or have some suggestions to improve on it, I would love to hear from you!
Gratitude
I am forever grateful to the lady who pointed out my goiter and asked me to look into my thyroid health. It made me aware, and take a closer look and advocate for myself.
It was incredibly hard for her to point it out to me, and it made me very aware of my goiter. To the point where I am extremely self conscious.
But without her concern, and her raising awareness, I probably would have never gone to a naturopath. And likely would have heard the same from the doctors: “all your lab work is within the normal range, there is nothing I can do for you”.
So I would like to encourage everyone to raise a little bit of awareness here and there. I make a point about talking about thyroid health to friends and family, when health concerns are discussed.
Same with celiac, I talk about it a lot, and how important it is to manage it properly.
And I would like to encourage you to do the same. Inform your friends and family, make them aware.
Sometimes it is an awkward conversation, but it could make all the difference to someone! Maybe this will help someone get to their Hashimoto’s diagnosis faster.
I hope your journey is an easier one! And I hope that together we can figure this out! Send me a message or comment below, share your story. We would love to hear from you!
