Thyroid Disorder – Know it well ‘Thyroweight’
I recall that summer very well, scorching hot sun blazing over our heads and we were waiting frantically for some cooler. It was the same time when my class friend’s mother asked me why my neck looks swollen? Ignoring her inquisitive eyes, I went on with life and school as usual. Being a foodie that I am and always was, suddenly all dresses started getting tighter. Mother, raised her eyebrows and dictated a ban on junk. Soon, morning walks added to my day’s routine but nothing much altered.
It was a social gathering at city’s club where we met dad’s friend, who was also an E.N.T Surgeon. When I greeted him, he immediately whispered something in Dad’s ears. Next day we (Dad and me) were sitting inside his 6×6 medical clinic. He conducted some funny tests and gave some more for pathology labs. I was wondering, what has happened to me? In a day or two reports arrived and another visit to Doctor’s clinic confirmed I have Thyroid disorder. Hypothyroidism! What’s that? I don’t have a fever nor I feel sick – so what is this all about? I was just a kid when got diagnosed and luckily for me, circumstances were in favor and got treated on time.
What is Thyroid? And why it is important?
The thyroid gland, or thyroid, as we call it is a gland in our neck. It secretes hormones regulating growth and development that maintains metabolism.
These hormones have effects on almost everything our body does. From breathing to the central nervous system. BODY WEIGHT to bodily activity and menstrual cycles, cholesterol levels to muscle strength.
These hormones further influence growth, development, and reproduction in our body. Now, do you understand why doctors always prescribe Thyroid checks during pregnancy!
If you have noticed; when we are visiting a Doctor for any health-related worry, the first question on their check-list is – Do you have or had a Thyroid disorder?
For more information please visit #RuleoutThyroweight
Can I have thyroid disorder too?
First and foremost, thyroid is not a disease. It’s a symptom of a disorder where the gland produces lesser (Hypothyroidism) or excess (Hyperthyroidism) hormones (which was my case too). With correct diagnosis and proper medication, one can lead a normal life. There are quite a few symptoms to gauge if you have this disorder or not, but the most critical among all are – Unexplained Weight gain and Tiredness.
Thyroweight
Weight gain experienced during thyroid disorder with tiredness is Thyroweight. This is the most common symptom for thyroid one must watch out for.
We take body signs or signals casually; small weight gains are never taken seriously. Thyroid disorders also have the tendency to run in families. Hence, if you find unexplained weight gain or extreme tiredness without any specific reason and a family history of thyroid disorder- visit the Doctor immediately instead of attributing it to lifestyle changes or family history.
#RuleOutThyroweight – recently I got an opportunity to attend a blogger’s meet with a cause. Educate & Create Awareness about thyroid disorder – About Thyroweight. We often take unexplained weight gain and tiredness as a common thing. Due to our casual attitude towards health – most hypothyroidism cases (with thyroweight as a major symptom) goes undiagnosed.
During this meet, Dr.Shehla Sheikh explained in detail, that patients come to her with problems related to irregular menstrual cycles and hair loss. When diagnosed with TSH, found to be cases of Hypothyroidism.
What should I do – I have a thyroid disorder?
It is perfectly fine if you have a Thyroid disorder. I too had once, and with proper treatment, I could manage to get my levels back to normal. Today I am leading a perfectly normal life, with a growing super active kid and happy life.
The Special Guest speaker at Thyroweight blogger’s meet was Bollywood Diva – Ms. Juhi Chawla. She shared her anecdotes on how her very close family members have thyroid disorders and they are leading perfectly normal and active life. Proper medication is the key to win over this disorder. Again, they are regular with their medication. It’s just a small pill every morning.
If you have any signs or symptoms, consult your doctor and get TSH (Thyroid function test) done. The test is quite simple and can be done in any pathology lab across the country. Once, its diagnosed that you have a thyroid disorder, start medication. Proper medication and correct counseling can help you understand it in a better way.
The treatment is very easy and quite affordable for everyone. All we need is – get a test done and consult an expert. Live a healthy life – eat in balance, exercise and stay alert of symptoms which might signal thyroid disorder.
31 Comments
This is really enlightening and very important to check for this early ..and yes it is really great to lead happy life with this to
Seriously this is a real big problem if diagnosed but a single pill can save u from big problems too
This is such an informative post about thyroid disorder. I too have it and found out only at the time of pregnancy. I feel we take our body very casually and so major drastic development s happen.
A useful post. Knowing about the disorder is as good as half the battle won. Thanks for sharing the info, Dipika.
i am a thyroid patient since 1.5 years now and get an insight like this is really helpful. this is very informative
very infor,ative post. Reg health chk ups will be quite useful
It’s really a useful post for every one who are preparing themselves for getting their baby. Thanks a lot.
Ignorant can’t be bliss for health care. Better one gets it checked in time.
This blog was so helpful so informative every one of us shuld knw about this will share with my family and friends 🙂
thats a very informative post on thyroid. i am suffering from thyroid too. Its a helpful post .
I have recently got my thyroid checked and the results are not very good… Luckily we have detected it just on th borderline and this is really a great post… strongly suggest everyone to get themselves examined regularly since in these days where fast food and so much contamination is present we need to be extra cautious of our health
Hey its a great post for everyone..ur blog is really beautiful ????
A very informative post on thyroid. A lot of insights that you’ve provided here are a must read for all.
As a doc, I I often have torlook for these symptoms in patients who have no idea they even have it
This is such a well-written and informative post, Dipika. Women tend to ignore themselves and a smaller issue escalates in no time. Such symptoms are often taken lightly.
Very informative post dipika.. Recently i got my thyroid test and the result was normal .. ignorance can cause problem for us ,hence it is important to check before hand..
Yeah thyroid imbalance can lead so many problems. That’s very informative post, Great initiative to create awareness about thyroid.
Glad you attended the meet and shared what you learnt, Dipika. Most people are unaware about Thyroid, which is why they treat it as a disease.
This post should help to dispel false notions
This is such a big problem which is often overlooked… very important that we get our tests done regularly
This is a very much needed awareness.
This is very useful info. I habe heard many people facing issues due to throidt, will definitely want them and other also toknow.
This is so useful I had hypothyroidism in pregnancy and it was controlled using medication. Post pregnancy it was harder to loose weight. However correct nutrition is also Important to manage thyroweight
Thanks for such an informative post Dipika; I to owas diagnosed last year and it was quite bewildering to note the tiredness and weight gain; thankfully things are under control now and I am getting my pace back!!
I have thyroid disorder – hyperthyroid. I have learnt so many things from this post thanks for sharing.
The biggest myth you have cleared today is that thyroid is not a disease. And often we take unexplained weight gain normal. We as mothers also feel that tiredness is due to children work and responsibilities. But this should be taken care of.
We often ignore small things which leads to bigger issues. Thyroid is treatable and person leads a normal life. I am sure the session would have been a great learning.
Hypothyroidism is a serious issue.Awareness events like these are much needed.
Thank you for sharing this.
Very useful post Deepika, specially for women. We ignore these small things. With regular medication one can treat Thyroid.
This is a very serious issue and needs to be addressed everywhere to create awareness.. Thanks for bringing it out so nicely.
Bahut informative post hai ??
Thyroid bhi aajkal har 3rd person ho dikh raha hai,maybe lifestyle ki wajah se
Mujhy body swelling ho jaati hai, doctor ne kai baar test karwaya per thank god ki mujhy abhi ye nahi hai )
I had very dry skin, lethargy and lot of hair loss post the delivery of my first child. Its then that I saw an endocrinologist who diagnosed me with Thyroid. I have been on medication ever since. I think if you stick to your medication and check your thyroid levels every 6-8 months, things stay under control.