The first episode of The Thyroid Secret is titled “Thyroid Disease Revealed”. In it, Dr. Izabella Wentz begins by discussing how she didn’t get the answers she needed from her doctors to properly treat and reverse her condition. She talks about her struggles with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. She discusses the pain, confusion, and hopelessness of being stuck with a disease that seemingly would never get better. The Thyroid Secret documentary is a result of her digging for the information she couldn’t get from her doctors. It’s the information she used, and that you need, to improve your thyroid condition.
In “Thyroid Disease Revealed”, Dr. Wentz describes what the thyroid gland is and what it does. She talks to experts about the various different thyroid diseases, their various symptoms, and the treatments that most of us will encounter in conventional medicine. She then goes on to talk about so many things that your doctor never told you.
For example, she mentions that most thyroid patients are never told the cause of their illness, just that their thyroid isn’t working right. That was my experience. I didn’t even KNOW what a thyroid was and what it did when I was diagnosed. I didn’t know why I got Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. All I knew was that I had to take a pill every day for the rest of my life to survive. Dr. Wentz describes many patient experiences similar to my own in this episode. It really illustrates that we’re not alone in fighting this disease.
Dr. Wentz also talks to several thyroid patients, some with Hashimoto’s, some with Graves’ or other diseases. Their experiences are so relatable, I almost cried. Dr. Wentz really hit home when she said “It feels like your freedom is taken away.” I personally have experienced that feeling and I think many of you have, too. But, with the information she has uncovered by using herself as a guinea pig, she has helped so many to improve their lives, mine included, with her interventions.
She states that you have to be your own advocate. You have to take control of your health because doctors will often shut you down, simply because they don’t know what you’re going through. Most doctors treat the symptoms, not the root cause. This cookie cutter approach doesn’t work for most of us.
Root causes of thyroid problems, including nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, inability to handle stress, inability to handle environmental toxins, leaky gut, and chronic infections are also discussed. Dr. Wentz touches on the three main factors why Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and thyroid problems in general are on the rise: genetic susceptibility, toxic foreign substances, and immune stressors.
She ends “Thyroid Disease Revealed” by stressing that the drive to heal must come from you. No one, except another thyroid patient, will know exactly what you’re going through. Your loved ones may not want to or know how to support you. So, you have to take the reins yourself.
It’s been a while since I last posted. That’s mostly because I’ve been on the Hashimoto’s rollercoaster. I went from doing awesome health-wise, losing weight, and making steady progress toward my health goals, to getting knocked on my ass and steadily losing ground. It happened around November of last year. Stress from work got to be too much and it started affecting my thyroid. I got sick. My TSH levels rose. The fatigue and brain fog rolled in. I had my doc adjust my meds, but almost two and a half months later, I’m still struggling to get my TSH back into the “sweet spot”, which for me tends to be between 1 and 2. My TSH is still above 4.
Recently, I had some “good” days. Good is always relative when you’re talking about Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. By “good”, I mean a lot less pain that usual and a bit more energy. There was still pain, of course, and my energy was still a lot less than what a normal person has, but it was good to be reminded I CAN feel good. I think I hit the “sweet spot” in my medication levels.
After the misery of yesterday, I know I need to seriously adjust my diet. I didn’t eat particularly bad yesterday, but I think it was a few squares of dark chocolate that did me in. So, today, I skipped the Prilosec and although I’m still recovering from the horrific heartburn of yesterday, I’m doing better.
I took a 2-3 hour nap this evening and when I woke up, I was in serious pain. I knew it was heartburn as I’ve had it before, but some of the symptoms are eerily similar to a heart attack. There was a pain in my chest, pain right between my shoulder blades, pain in my throat, neck, jaw, and radiating down my arm. I took some baking soda in water and that seemed to help, and of course, I got relief once I started burping. Probably only a temporary fix, but it was so painful, I had to do it.
I have decided to start a Hashimoto’s Diary to document what I go through living with this disease.
I was recently alerted to a blog post by Dr. Jeffrey Garber entitled “