The Life of Umami Tooth - Hashimoto's

 I want to start writing about my everyday life more, even if it doesn't specifically pertain to food or eating, so I thought I would start with this...

About four years ago I was out to dinner at Casa Bianca Pizza Pie in Eagle Rock with Mr. Tooth and my dear friend Bex when I realized I felt funny. Bad Funny. Now, this is not a story about food poisoning. I love Casa Bianca's pizza and it loves me (Order the sausage and olive pizza and an antipasto salad, trust me.) This is a story about my thyroid and it's many wonderful abilities and it's many upsetting deficits. But back to the pizza for a moment...

Here I was, enjoying my favorite sausage pizza, my then-boyfriend-now-husband was chatting merrily with Bex, when I found myself glazing over. I had blurry tunnel vision and my ears were ringing. I wasn't hungry anymore and I was doing all that I could to keep myself upright in my chair as a wave of fatigue swept over me. When I stop eating and talking something is wrong. I usually do both of those things really, really well. Apparently I didn't look too good and my dining companions insisted that I see a doctor as soon as possible. I admitted that I had been feeling unusually foggy and that all of my limbs had been tingling strangely for the past few weeks. I wish I hadn't checked Web MD when I got home. Terrifying stuff.

The next Monday I went in to my wonderful GP who ordered a blood test. Turns out I have Hypothyroidism caused by Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. I was promptly prescribed 50 mcg of Levothyroxine. And so began my journey.

Here is what I have learned:

• A lot of people have thyroid disfunction. It is incredibly common. Especially in women. Ask your family and friends and there is a high likelyhood of at least one other person who has issues with her thyroid. It's really nice to get some new perspectives.
• The symptoms of thyroid disfunction look a lot like other diseases so only a blood test can really tell you what is going on. Insist on getting a test for TSH, Free T3, Free T4 and Thyroid Antibodies.
• Not everyone will have the same combination of symptoms. For instance, I never gained a crazy amount of weight, but I did lose some hair, my skin is dry and I do get terrible brain fog and fatigue when I am not dosed sufficiently.
• Listen to your body. You are your own best advocate in terms of treatment. I am lucky that my GP and Endocrinologist trust me to tell them when I need an increase or decrease in medication based on my symptoms.
• Use a name-brand drug. I learned this the hard way. After three years on a generic my TSH all of a sudden rapidly increased and I got very sick. Levothyroxine is dosed in MICRO grams and generic drug manufacturers can have up to a 5% difference in potency in their product. Chances are good that I got a generic prescription for a few months that was "off."

After four years of treatment with blood tests about five times a year I am now taking 100 mcg of name-brand levothyroxine. I feel great most of the time and I try to listen carefully when my body says something is wrong. I take my medication every day and will have to for the rest of my life. It's a small price to pay for feeling happy and focused.