since you have a ticket for the hypothyroid train.....

ever feel like you have a ticket for the hypothyroid train? and that it is a runaway train, with no stops in sight? there are some inevitable symptoms of hypothyroid disease, and i think these are more pronounced with patients who have had total thyroidectomy ( cancer, graves, goiters,etc). i thought that i would cover some of  the most common, and heck, why not, some uncommon symptoms of hypothyroid disease- with an emphasis on those of us who are missing our butterfly.

i guess that my number one symptom, or complaint, is the persistent tiredness. now, i know that most people, especially this time of the year are tired- all the holiday festivities, and chores, but for those of us with a thyroid problem, it just seems like  too much to deal with  sometimes. of course, the best solution would be " get more sleep". sounds easy enough, but tell that to a mother with young children, or a not so young mother( ahem, me) who is taking care of her beloved grandson for the weekend. i try my best to stay away from caffeine- i have one cup of tea with caffeine in the morning to get my engine running, and the rest of the day i just drink decaffeinated tea. i think that too much caffeine will  cause the inevitable crash at some point. also, for those of us with blood pressure or heart issues, it can increase our blood pressure, or cause some heart palpitations. if i hear one more rave about how great raspberry ketones, or green tea extract is for weight loss or energy, i think that i will scream! these products are useless. raspberry ketones have been around for a long time, and the reason that the public has not heard of them is because one would have to eat about a wheel barrow load to get the desired weight loss effect. also, green tea extract is caffeine- a powerful stimulant, and this can cause the above mentioned side effects.

so, if you can not get more sleep at night, perhaps you can get in a short " power nap" during the day. this is not possible for me unless i am not working, as i am sure is the case for most people. actually, exercise is a great energy booster. i will admit that i sometimes want to back out of zumba class because i feel too tired to be there. luckily, my husband always encourages me to go. i find that once i get started, i get my second wind, so to speak, and i feel more energized for a day or so afterwards. now, if you do not enjoy zumba( or beautiful, sparkly, belly scarves) a brisk walk should do it. find your joy- find out what exercise you can do that is fun and does not seem like a chore. if you dread being there, going to exercise class, or whatever, you are not going to do it, period. that is" all i got" on this issue. if someone has other ideas, please let me know.

another important issue for hypos, is dry skin. and i am not talking about just a little dryness, think the Sahara desert. the best solution is to drink plenty of water- works from the inside out. besides, water is so good for many other reasons. i take two large water canteens( i just love ll bean) with me to work every day. i drink one before lunch, and one after. i think that this has really helped my skin. of course, it is also important to slather on plenty of a good body lotion- i like organic ones- less icky stuff to be exposed to- right after your bath or shower. slightly damp skin will just soak it up. reapply lotion to hands after washing, and to exposed face and skin after being outside in the cold and wind. do not forget your lips! i keep several tubes of lip balm with me- my pocketbook, beside the bed,etc, so that i can apply several times a day.

o.k. these are just two symptoms of hypothyroid disease. i will go over two or three more next time.i sincerely hope that these ideas will be helpful. i know they are simple ideas, and have surely been discussed before, but maybe it is a good idea to review them when one has a one way ticket on the hypothyroid train.