An interesting turn of events

The last time I ran today's route, I was limping back to my car in pain for the last 3 miles. After that, I couldn't run for a month or two and struggled for another six months to heal. I thought today would be a fitting day to try that route again. Despite being chilly outside and feeling a little tired, I was able to run that route again, pain-free. The bright sun and snow covered fields of the Cuyahoga Valley provided me with nice scenery and a chance to ponder on a new development in my life.

Yesterday, I found out that I have hypothyroidism. When I began counseling a few years ago, I was told to get my thyroid checked to rule out a thyroid disorder causing panic attacks. I didn't listen for two reasons: fear and no insurance. Lately, though, I had begun to wonder if my thyroid was to blame for a lot of things: sweaty hands, anxiety, hands always falling asleep, yeast problems, and very dry or itchy skin. So, I finally got the courage on Tuesday to ask the clinic at Akron if they offered the test. Low and behold they did. And it was very cheap without insurance ($11).

On Thursday, I met with the doctor. I told him my symptoms and the fact that my aunt on my mother's side has hypothyroidism. I was thinking my symptoms were more hyperthyroid-related. The doctor, on the other hand, was looking at me like I was crazy. I was too young and not heavy or tiny enough for this problem. When I told him it was recommended I get my thyroid checked, he agreed to it. I'm sure if I didn't tell him that, he would've went on without it, ordered the cliche anemia test (which he also did) and wrote down that I was a hypochondriac, and not hyper or hypothyroid.

Part of me was hoping that the results would come back as hyperthyroid so as to finally find an explanation for my anxiety and very hyper sweat glands. I was shocked when they called me back to tell me that I was, in fact, the opposite. Typically, symptoms of hypothyroidism include always being tired, cold, and gaining weight. The only one I could correlate to my life was being tired. And that was a stretch because I attributed my constant tiredness to running, work/school, and just having an inconsistent sleep schedule. After the news, I headed to my computer, like a good hypochondriac would, and started putting into various search engines my recurrent symptoms with hypothyroidism. And this is what I found:

• Studies have found correlations with anxiety and hypothyroidism. The thyroid is the largest gland in the body. If it's out of whack, the gland sometimes works extra hard to produce the lacking thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). When it's working hard and not successful, the body can feel out of whack, dizzy per se, and this can cause one to feel anxious.
• Studies have found correlations with yeast infections and hypothyroidism. Not to get too intimate, ok, I'm getting very intimate, but only for the sake of prevention, I've had problems with yeast for about a year. The doctors constantly told me, make sure you change out of your running clothes right away! Not once did they think it could be thyroid related.
• It is common for hypothyroidism to be genetic. I knew my maternal history of this disorder. But when I was diagnosed, I thought it might be a good idea to learn about my paternal side. Surprisingly, I learned that my dad and my grandmother have it. We will now all be on the same medication. I found this fascinating! And after searching letsrun.com boards, I learned that Galen Rupp and Bob Kennedy have hypothyroidism. We're not related, though.
• I found another surprising correlation: one between plantar fascitiis and hypothyroidism! Several international studies indicated that low thyroid levels can cause deposits within the connective tissue, making the healing process more difficult. While my heal is feeling a lot better there are still some rough days if I am not careful. It should be interesting to see if the medicine will help with healing.
• Lastly, I found that hypothyroidism is very common yet often overlooked and misdiagnosed. If it is so common (1 in 100 people, 3 in 100 women) then why isn't the relatively cheap test not ordered as often when a patient comes in with reoccurring symptoms? If someone can answer that, please do, as I am still learning.

The next step involves meeting with my doctor on Monday to go over the condition and to discuss and prescribe medication. Unfortunately, it will take about a year to find the right level of TSH to take and that will involve blood work every six weeks. I am looking forward to seeing how this hormone replacement will effect and hopefully improve my body. I used to be more environmentally based in my views on medical conditions, but this new turn of events has taught me to not discount biology. And so begins the arduous journey of leveling out my hormones.