#checkyourthyroid

Well, I don’t really have any updates for today, so I wanted to talk a little about this thyroid thing.  What I’ve found out is that it is very common, and the older you are the more common it is.  If you are 30, you have a 30% chance of having thyroid issues, if you are 40 you have a 40% chance of having issues and on up like that.  Women are more likely than men to have issues

Yesterday at the end of the day a few co-workers were chatting while we waited for the final client to finish up.  One mentioned that her hair was thinning and I automatically looked at her neck because I know that thinning hair can be a symptom of thyroid issues.  I’m no doctor, but I could see she had swelling around the thyroid area; which is called a goiter.  Of the 4 of us standing there 3 (including me) had that swelling. 

So I encourage you to check you neck, I’ve posted some pictures here to give you a little bit of an idea of what they look like; borrowed these from the internet.

The swelling at the bottom of the neck is indeed swelling, not fat.  Each of these women have a goiter.  Sometimes it is very obvious (in thinner women); looking like a ring of fat around the bottom of their neck (again it isn’t actually fat, it is swelling).  So I encourage you to check your neck; or ask your Dr to do so.  Remember my blood work came back normal for almost 10 years.  I had one doctor tell me he felt a node, and another point out I had a goiter (I can’t actually tell I have one). It wasn’t until I got an ultrasound that they found very large nodes/cysts on my thyroid.  The moral being that if you don’t feel your normal self, don’t let the doctor stop at blood tests that may come back normal; continue to search for answers until you find one that truly makes sense for you.

That’s all I have to say today; hope you are standing up for yourself to gain or regain your health! And don’t forget to check you neck!!