He had had many medical problems since he was 27 that no doctor could definitively identify and diagnose. A handful of doctors told me what they thought was wrong. I ended up hearing things that ranged from being premenopausal to being a little depressed. I even ended up seeing a psychologist to make sure it wasn’t depression. How silly is that? In February 2007 I ended up seeing a surgeon at Penn University in Philadelphia. They told me my thyroid had to be removed because of a goiter. Naturally, in shock, I go home, research thyroid function, and read all the information I can about it. Then I start to investigate what it will be like to live without my thyroid and what the changes will be in my body. What I found is that all the research and all the knowledge in the world couldn’t even begin to prepare me for the journey I was about to undertake.

For any of you who are not familiar with the thyroid or its function, I will give you a brief synopsis. The thyroid is one of the largest endocrine glands in the body. It is a butterfly-shaped gland found in your neck, just in front of your windpipe. Its main function is to produce thyroid hormone. These hormones are chemicals secreted by the gland to act as messengers that tell specific parts of the body what to do, such as regulating heart rate, blood pressure, body temperature, proper brain function, and most importantly, converting food into energy. The function of the thyroid gland is to take iodine, which is found in many foods, and convert it into thyroid hormones: thyroxine (T4) and triiodothyronine (T3). Thyroid cells are the only cells in the body that can absorb iodine. These cells combine iodine and the amino acid tyrosine to produce T3 and T4. T3 and T4 are then released into the bloodstream and transported throughout the body where they control metabolism (conversion of oxygen and calories to energy). Every cell in the body depends on thyroid hormones to regulate its metabolism. The normal thyroid gland produces approximately 80% of T4 and approximately 20% of T3, however, T3 has approximately four times the hormonal “strength” of T4.

Without proper thyroid function, you can expect to see these symptoms:

• Fatigue and weakness
• Low basal temperature (cold intolerance)
• Dry and rough skin
• Hair loss
• Cold hands and feet
• Weight gain
• Insomnia
• Constipation
• Depression
• Bad memory, forgetfulness
• Nervousness and tremors
• Immune system problems
• Heavy menstrual periods.

The terrible thing about having a thyroid problem is that all the symptoms I had could have been menopause or depression. Each and every one of these symptoms goes hand-in-hand with many different problems, but today most doctors will immediately jump into depression first, without delving into the problems. This is how I was NOT diagnosed with a thyroid problem for years.

An endocrinologist told me that after surgery I could live a fairly normal life while taking thyroid medication for the rest of my life. Part of the research I did before my surgery was on the different thyroid medications on the market today, most of which are synthetic. However, I found that there was a thyroid medication that was naturally made from pork thyroid hormones. Learning all of this during my research, I feel like I know my body and how it reacts to synthetic things and that my only option was the natural hormone. Armor Thyroid, the natural hormone, has been used successfully since 1891. In the 1960s, the big pharmaceutical companies were replacing Armor with the synthetic brand, which is very different from Armor in the fact that all synthetic hormones are only T4 . What is the problem with this? If you remember reading earlier, T3 has about four times the hormonal “strength” of T4. T3 is the one that puts the spring in your step because it is very powerful. So my doctor, like many others, did not even listen to me about the fact that I would like to start Armor Thyroid. She says we go to Synthroid first, and if there is a problem, then she will tell me about Armor. Okay, I decide I’m not the doctor, so against my good judgment, I’ll do what she thinks is best.

I continue for the next year and a half, taking Synthroid and getting sicker and sicker. Any and all side effects of Synthroid AND being hypothyroid were mine to have. Over the course of the next 8 months, I gained 25 pounds. I had a lot of muscle pain and I’m sure it had to do with the weight gain. I am five foot tall and I always weighed around 110 pounds after the birth of my son. At twenty-five extra pounds, my body always felt physically ill and then emotionally ill due to the extra pounds that I was seeing. I was still so fatigued that I had gotten used to drinking energy drinks to keep myself afloat, so I’m sure I put it down to weight gain. To make matters worse, I had severe constipation that made or break every day with discomfort and bloating. I rarely slept through the night, which made my daytime life a struggle to hold together. I was forgetting a lot of things and couldn’t think clearly so soon that I became seriously depressed due to all these symptoms and the fact that my doctor kept telling me to hold on. I cried all the time and couldn’t control my emotions.

My doctor told me that this had nothing to do with the thyroid, but I felt like my body was rebelling against me and I had no control over anything. I went through a Synthroid dose change every three months until we got it right. Changing the dose sometimes made the symptoms so severe that I just didn’t know how to deal with them, neither did I nor my family.

During this period of time while taking Synthroid, I did my research and research things that would help with all of my symptoms. It was Rebecca, my healer, who gave me a natural product that would help me with some of my physical problems.

After reading all about this “Holy Tea” I was intrigued and by its claims, I gave it a try. I can say right now that I will never be without him. I have not had the physical slowdown of my GI tract due to this detoxifying tea which, over time, removes the supposed dirt that builds up in your system. It has been used with excellent results for many things, such as: Crohn’s disease, IBD, spastic colon, enlarged abdomen, excess stored fat, skin conditions, allergies, fibromyalgia, joint pain, insomnia, low energy, loss of clarity and forgetfulness, just to mention a few. This wasn’t a cure for me, but man, how nice life becomes when your body starts to feel like it’s working again!

After having great success with tea, I started researching their other products, one of which is Coral Minerals. Without my thyroid, it is very important to keep my calcium levels high because the surgery also removed most of my parathyroid glands. The main function of the parathyroid glands is to keep the body’s calcium level within a very narrow range, so that the nervous and muscular systems can function properly. I found that calcium is the most abundant mineral in Coral Complex 3. Coral Complex 3 has helped people maintain strong bones, people with biased periodontal diseases, varicose veins, and even mood swings. I have been using this as well and it has been a great supplemental boost.

Well, I found a few things that helped make life a little more bearable, but the next time I went to see the endocrinologist, I told him enough was enough. I was ready to try the natural hormone and hopefully feel better. She finally, after a year and a half, agreed. I can tell you that in a period of two weeks, all the aches and pains I was going through disappeared. I was no longer so sad. I started sleeping through the night. My head was a little clearer and things were looking up. I still had a long way to go, but at that point life was good, FINALLY !! At this point in my life, three years later, I can say that I am still struggling because for the last three years, I still have not been able to stay on a dose. It seems like I’m finally on that track now, and it was only 3 years in February. I’m sure I’ll always have some kind of fight, but I’m on the right track, I can feel it.

So at this point I finally find the correct drug that works with my body and the manufacturer now has the product on backorders nationwide. Boy, was he starting to feel like he couldn’t get a break. Fear not, whenever I have problems with my thyroid, I always return to http://www.stopthethyroidmadness.com. This is a website that has helped me with many questions that I have had, as well as being able to chat with people who have the same problems as me. Every once in a while, you learn something from someone you didn’t know would help you. It is a wonderful site, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is going through these struggles.

Over the past three years, I have been able to find many things that have helped me in this fight. The main thing that has gotten me to where I am today is my support system. I have the best husband, family and friends anyone could ask for. They have helped me get through this moment, listening to me speak or sometimes cry and complain. They have helped me make sense of everything every step of the way. So, to all the people in my life, I have to say “I love you!” and thank you. “This doesn’t even begin to make you understand how much each of you is an integral part of my life. I value you all and feel blessed to have so much love in my life to help me get through one of the most difficult times with the ones I’ve had to deal with. And my husband, God loves him, it was the best support system anyone could ask for. I know during this period of time how bad I was constantly feeling and that I was never easy to deal with. But Dave was with me and supported me every step of the way. What I learned most from all this, and mainly from my husband, is that whatever happens, you must trust yourself and be your own advocate in this world. You know your body better than no one … including doctors. They know medicine, but only you know when something is really wrong and even though they may tell you that it is perfectly fine, you must defend yourself and keep fighting until you know in your heart that everything is fine. .

Thank you all for listening and being well.