Health: Living with an autoimmune disease.

Afterr reading alot about other people's illness and hospital trips, and what not! i though i would share with you my autoimmune disease. i have had a autoimmune disease since i was 16, maybe even had it at birth? i dont no i was diagnosed with hypothyroidism when i simply went too the doctors for a completly different thing! and my doctor noticed that my kneck was alittle swollen, i had been having swollen glands feeling for about a year and kinda sore around my thyroid and she said she wanted too do some test because she could already tell why i have been feeling so poorly! after half a year of test nothing coming back they finally got too the bottom of it being a underactive thyroid which means that my thyroid wasnt getting enough of a chemical called hormones which makes you have these lovely simptoms! 

• Fatigue
• Weakness
• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight
• Coarse, dry hair
• Dry, rough pale skin
• Hair loss
• Cold intolerance (you can't tolerate cold temperatures like those around you)
• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches
• Constipation
• Depression
• Irritability
• Memory loss
• Abnormal menstrual cycles
• Decreased libido
• infertility and miscarriage
• irregular or heavy periods
• pain, numbness and a tingling sensation in the hand and fingers (carpal tunnel syndrome)  
• loss of libido 
• • muscle aches and weakness
  • muscle cramps
   

so its not really been a fun experience in my teen years or adult years with having so many different hormones flying every where! 


taken from a book called' The Thyroide Diet..

 
 so i have alot more to come in my olderr life!! including early menopause or depended on the person it could be late menopause, i have a older friend who is 67 who has ONLY just stoped her periods and started her menopause and she feeling okay and doesnt even need too take much vitamins too keep her body okay! so i might have that too look farward too ;) here's hoping aye! haha.. so apart from that i also get a lovely thing called IBS which is really not a fun time while i have anxiety disorder, which is also could be cause by my disease!! so research says thats hypothyroidism only affects 15 in 1.000 woman! 




and hypothyroidism can lead to a number of health problems!

• Goiter. Constant stimulation of your thyroid to release more hormones may cause the gland to become larger — a condition known as a goiter. Hashimoto thyroiditis is one of the most common causes of a goiter. Although generally not uncomfortable, a large goiter can affect your appearance and may interfere with swallowing or breathing.
• Heart problems. Hypothyroidism may also be associated with an increased risk of heart disease, primarily because high levels of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol — the "bad" cholesterol — can occur in people with an underactive thyroid. Even subclinical hypothyroidism, a more benign condition than true hypothyroidism, can cause an increase in total cholesterol levels and impair the pumping ability of your heart. Hypothyroidism can also lead to an enlarged heart and heart failure.
• Mental health issues. Depression may occur early in hypothyroidism and may become more severe over time. Hypothyroidism can also cause slowed mental functioning.
• Peripheral neuropathy. Long-term uncontrolled hypothyroidism can cause damage to your peripheral nerves — the nerves that carry information from your brain and spinal cord to the rest of your body, for example your arms and legs. Signs and symptoms of peripheral neuropathy may include pain, numbness and tingling in the area affected by the nerve damage. It may also cause muscle weakness or loss of muscle control.
• Myxedema. This rare, life-threatening condition is the result of long-term, undiagnosed hypothyroidism. Its signs and symptoms include intense cold intolerance and drowsiness followed by profound lethargy and unconsciousness. A myxedema coma may be triggered by sedatives, infection or other stress on your body. If you have signs or symptoms of myxedema, you need immediate emergency medical treatment.
• Infertility. Low levels of thyroid hormone can interfere with ovulation, which impairs fertility. In addition, some of the causes of hypothyroidism — such as autoimmune disorder — also impair fertility. Treating hypothyroidism with thyroid hormone replacement therapy may not fully restore fertility. Other interventions may be needed, as well.
• Birth defects. Babies born to women with untreated thyroid disease may have a higher risk of birth defects than may babies born to healthy mothers. These children are also more prone to serious intellectual and developmental problems. Infants with untreated hypothyroidism present at birth are at risk of serious problems with both physical and mental development. But if this condition is diagnosed within the first few months of life, the chances of normal development are excellent.

Who knew that little butterfly shaped thyroid gland at the base of my neck could affect my life so much aye!? 


if you have any of the symptoms of hypothyroidism, please get it looked at, i waited 16 years of my life with out being treated and i really did not feel right or well i would get tierd just walking too the shop or playing with my little sister and brother, i would even sleep up too 18 hrs a day and woundered where my life was going! i was so tiered all the time, if you wanted too ask me any question or are worried you might have an autoimmune disease like mine please please email me or inbox me at xheatherlouisedillonx@gmail.com orr inbox me here
and if you are woundering what an autoimmune disease is you can go here and read all about them



 Hope you liked finding out a little bit about what i go through daily, and sorry if it upset any of you, i just though i might be a intresing topic and may be alot more common than i though  lots of love xoxo

edited. 30.06.14

weight up and down..