Monday, January 3, 2011

January is ...


National Thyroid Awareness Month. Don't feel bad if you didn't know this. I didn't either. I just stumbled across it and thought I'd look it up to see what it was about. Actually, the link says 2010, but I don't think that matters. The information is the same regarding thyroid disease.

I have hypothyroidism, which means I have very low to hardly any thyroid at all. Some of the symptoms of that are weight gain, lack of energy, depression, hair loss, etc. All sorts of not-so-fun stuff can happen, in other words. I take thyroid meds everyday, which is a pain, but I don't have much choice. I can't say I feel differently one way or another, though.

Hyperthyroidism is just the opposite of hypothyroidism. Symptoms include increased heart rate and blood pressure, anxiety, panic attacks, tremors, insomnia, and a bunch of other not-so-lovely things. Either way hypo or hyper -- none of it sounds like fun. Thyroid problems can lead to more serious complications, including cancer. They say nearly 59 million Americans suffer from thyroid problems and many don't even know it. The link is worth checking out, especially if you think you might be at risk.

5 comments:

  1. I hope you keep your health under control! Thankfully, I'm not at risk.

    Happy New Year, Rena. Stay healthy (wealthy and wise!)

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  2. I didn't know this month was awareness month either. A few of my hubby's aunts take meds for their thyroid as well. You are indeed getting healthier, Rena with your weight loss!!

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  3. I know quite a few people with thyroid problems and some of them were talking about it just yesterday. So this is a timely post.

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  4. Such big power in such a small gland. Or organ. Or whatever.

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  5. Wow. I had no idea you had a thyroid problem. And you still lost all that weight?! Nice work!

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