Hashimoto's Disease, anyone have this?

I am curious if anyone else has Hashimotos and how they deal with it.

I was diagnosed in my twenties after the death of an immediate family member. My endocrinologist told me it may be a result of the environmental stressors I experienced from the grief. I found this fascinating (this was before I became a nurse), as I had a viral "stomach flu" five times the year following the death. Certainly my immune system suffered as a result of the stress. It makes sense then that autoimmune disorders (Hashimoto's is one in which you produce antibodies that destroy the thyroid), may develop from being overly stressed. However, many researchers believe that there has to be a predisposition to the disease already (e.g. maybe I would have developed it eventually after age 50, but instead it happened after the stress in my twenties).

Others say it is somewhere in the DNA that they have not yet isolated. Basically if you have too much thyroid hormone they radiate/destroy or remove the thyroid (this is an easy fix since you can get prescription thyroid hormone cheaply in a pill that will give you a steady dose of it instead of too much). If you produce too little of the hormone, you just take pills until you have enough hormone in your blood.

There are a lot of problems that can develop from not taking care of your thyroid (heart problems, weight problems, fatigue, heat or cold intolerance, sexual changes, memory problems, the list goes on...).

Fortunately for myself, I had little problems with Hashimotos, I just took the pills and I had no problems. Later I had more problems they could not determine for awhile, and I found out I have lupus too. Unfortunately you may be at increased risk of developing additional autoimmune problems, so watch out for that and share any problems with your doctor.

Good luck, Lori
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Disclaimer: I am a Registered Nurse posting to this social forum with my personal experiences; my comments are not intended as a substitute for medical advice. My experiences may or may not be similar to yours or the public majority. Severe life-threatening diseases can initially present as "minor" symptoms, these symptoms might be overlooked if treated as a minor illness. This is why the internet cannot be utilized as a substitute for medical care. I recommend you schedule an annual physical exam and health assessment with your regular family physician. This is the ideal setting to discuss any frequent or bothersome physical or mental problems that might be indicative of a more serious disease process.

it has to be treated with thyroid hormone replacement therapy. more commonly called thyroxine. hasimoto's destroys the thyroid. so it is more than likely to be a permanent condition, too.