What would you be most likely to do if you were... - Thyroid UK
Thyroid disease hit me when my children were first born. I was a lousy father because of it and am still working repairing the relationship with my eldest son. Doctors don't take account of the tragic emotional consequences of this disease when they pack us off and tell us to live with the symptoms and that it is not thyroid hormones that are causing it.
I'll never, ever get over the emotional damage caused by the dreadful treatment I received over the first years of my condition. If lawsuits or punishments are handed out in relationship to this condition then they are usually aimed at the doctors who are involved in trying to provide a wide range of treatment options. The ones that deserve to be struck off are the arrogant, inflexible and heartless endos and doctors that refuse to help or believe you.
If I could turn back the clock and be made well within a couple of years way back then then I would spend more time with my kids.
Before I was diagnosed with Hashimotos,I was suffering from very intense,frightening,debilitating symptoms.My GP informed me the strong chest pains I was experiencing were panic attacks.I disagreed but trusted him.He advised me to give up my University course because it must be too stressful for me.I didn't feel stressed,I was loving the course,so I didn't give it up.He then sent me for counselling because he said I must be depressed.I was so embarrassed and confused,I didn't tell anyone.The counsellor sent me away "cured",after 30 minutes.
I now,do not trust GPs or the NHS,with good reason.
My husband,my strength of character and Thyroid UK got me through this,
Thank God,
Paula
just some of my life back would be amazing
Just to do normal everyday things and go to the theatre without feeling so tired I feel sick
It's all a bit late after 20 years of struggle - the kids are gone and so has my life. I will now try and enjoy 'the golden years' before I pop my clogs
I am thankful that my husband had the patience to track down an endo that would listen and support me. I have had many negative experiences on the way including 'live with it its just like my baldness (the consultants ) Its just part of daily life. 'Tired? we are all tired' etc. If it wasn't for my husband I would have given up a long time ago. We need to hold on to the fact that there are (if only a few) human medics out there.
Just to be able to laugh more and enjoy life.
I have coped with my underactive tyroid for the past 14 yrs. There is no such thing as normal in my world. But you have to get up and carry on however you feel as i have my childern to look after. Completely well will never happen. I just make sure i look after myself the best i can. Eat the correct food, drink plenty and take vitamin tablets. And get the right amount of sleep. I understand alot of people are not getting the help they need. My doctors were not helpful at all. I have read lots on my condition, and you have to try all sorts of help starting with some of the above about food etc. You will get there, it took me a long time to get better. I just have to becareful i don't take on to much. And i have managed to loose weight with the help of slimming world. You can regain your life back but it takes time.
I would love have a good nights sleep. May seem strange, but I can cope with most things. When I am tired my judgement is impared. I can't remember when I last had a good night.
I'd take a maths course and go back to school, instead of improvising everyday
I am most fortunate to say that I now feel completely normal in health (except for a couple of things that do not trouble me much and which I hope to resolve).
Since being prescribed T3 in March of last year, changing to Eltroxin and increasing T3 I am back to my normal health.
All of the other T4's made miserable and always felt very ill with one complaint or another. Two of my friends thought it was psychosomatic.
I am now positive T3 wasn't getting into my cells.
I have energy, have resumed my outside meetings this year and thank God every day that I was allowed T3 and that it worked for me. The other T4's intefered with my getting well.
<b>Updated on Feb 7 2011 1:26PM:</b> I must say thanks are also due to ThyroidUK , Dr Barry's book and Dr Lowe that led me to recover.
<b>Updated on Feb 7 2011 6:00PM:</b> P.S. It was only in September I got Eltroxin and gradually eight weeks later all severe palpitations ceased and I have been free of them since.
I wish I could have ticked more than one choice x
I'm pleased to say that thanks to help I received from Thyroid UK I'm now much better and doing almost all of the above. I'm too old to be pregnant lol
WOW FANTASTIC LOOKS LIKE WE WOULD ALL JUST LOVE TO GET BACK TO SPORT'S AND HOBBIES.GUESS THIS IS BECAUSE IT TAKES US ALL OUR TIME AND ENERGY JUST TO DO NORMAL EVERYDAY CHORES...AND WE DON'T ALWAYS MANAGE THEM BECAUSE OF TIREDNESS! WISH WELL TO ALL THE BLOGGERS AND TO THE HEALTH TEAM..DON'T OFTEN WRITE MYSELF BUT LOVE TO HEAR ALL THAT IS GOING ON WITH ALL OF YOU.THINK I TOLD YOU THAT I'M A NURSE..WELL MUST ALSO SAY THAT DOCTORS AND NURSES KNOW A LOT LESS ABOUT THE THYROID THAN ANY OF YOU..I'M STILL TRYING TO GET MY HEAD ROUND THE NUMBERS AND TIRED OF BEING TOLD THAT THE THS IS FINE SO I OUGHT TO BE FINE ALSO!SINCE TAKING MY OWN HEALTH IN HAND I'M MUCH BETTER AND NOW ON ARMOUR THYROID...PUT MYSELF ON IT BECAUSE IF IT HAD NOT BEEN FOR ALL THE 'POPCORN'EATEN AT THE T.V. I WOULD NOT BE IN THIS 'STATE'....THIS IS A JOKE OF COURSE..BECAUSE I LIVE IN ITALY AND ITS NOT PART OF OUR HABITS! TO EAT POPCORN...BUT THIS WAS THE ONLY EXCUSE THAT THE DOCTOR COULD FIND BECAUSE OF MY WEIGHT GAIN...GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU AND THANK YOU FOR ALL THE FANTASTIC INFORMATION..HAVE LOADS TO TELL YOU SO WILL TRY TO WRITE MORE OFTEN UNTIL THEN BYE BYE MARGARET X
Apart from the pregnancy and the children being the grandchildren instead, I would love to be able to do all of the above! I am heartily sick and tired of having all these limits imposed on me by a medical profession that has the facilities to make me well again, but just does not concern itself at all with my wellbeing and is either too bloody ignorant or pathetic to shake itself up! It's always the usual NHS crap of get them through as quick and cheap as possible and tell them they're being paranoid if they dare to question the decisions!
Start up my own business, play with my little one and not be exhausted and more importantly not think about it every day!
Try Superdrugs Quiet night herbal sleeping tablets, they are really good , they recommend taking two tablets , but now I only need one, and sometimes even less, but these tablets have not made me feel drowsy in the morning , and they give me a good nights sleep .
Combination of returning to work 80% with energy to do it, have a normal social life again, and take up dancing/sport which I loved doing prior to all of this happening and as someone else said be able to focus on other things other than one's health and lack/energy.
Surprised to see that the one I chose has the biggest percentage so far. I sooo miss all the activities that I used to do.
And travel!
Just a shame we can't turn the clock back and have our lives over again , knowing what we know now 
I was diagnosed 20 years ago and it took me 2 years to feel well. My doctor prescribed 100 mc but I take 200.
My blood test are allways high; T4 is 27. This doctor is now taking a harder line wanting me to take less. If I take less my symptons return.
Reading the question as referring to thyroid disease only, I have a very specific and personal plan:
Having miraculously totally recovered (and to be honest, I am probably closer to that than most others), I would turn even more of my attention to achieving the same for my partner. Being an order of magnitude more severely affected, it is a much taller order.
When she has fully recovered from her thyroid issues, I will go on to focus on her other issues – while suffering from thyroid issues it is near enough impossible to decide which of her problems are in fact due to thyroid and which are due to other causes? So the removal of thyroid issues would be like switching on a light in terms of being able to see what is what.
And I would like to continue trying to help people who have not been lucky enough to fully recover from their thyroid issues by, for example, posting here. All too much thyroid experience has been lost when people disappear from the thyroid world for whatever reason.
Actually all of the above, except the pregnancy and now it is grandchildren rather than children.
It would be nice to be able to wake in the morning feeling normal as I used to,and to be able to do everything that I used to do without really having to push myself to extremes.wakeham.x
Incredible isn't it? 28% clicked 'Take up or resume sport/hobbies). So many of us have had to alter our daily lives just to get through the day and that which we thoroughly enjoy goes out the window. GP's, NHS, Government bodies please take notice of us 'the patient' we are the ones living within these bodies and we know how we feel.
Go on a proper holiday where I can walk and sightsee.
Be able to do some housework and a long walk with my dog, both in the same day!
I am nearly there!
I'd learn to drive a car and be independent, not keep having to ask hubby to take me, not that we go that far anyway, feel too ill some days, and to be able to take my 2 dogs a walk, would be brill, better than winning the lottery, just to feel normal, like my NHS blood tests said I was, (my urine and saliva tests said different)
I would love to go back to work and play with my children take them to the park and also get back to a social life again but i cant see that happening.
My priority would be going to work and doing something constructive, and feeling worthwhile would make my life complete.
I'd settle for just keeping up. Thanks for this site guys x
I'd just like my life to be as normal as possible without feeling down, aching all over and that can't be bothered feeling.
I chose to opt for go back to work because it's not really an option if I dont work I cannot get a house or a car or have a family...... Or go to the gym which I would love to do 
Probably all of the above but more social life as by evening time I'm too tired to go out.
Probably all of the above except the pregnancy (I've done my bit for continuing the human population!)
I really miss going to the gym and walking, it's now a struggle to go to the local shop and I found myself shuffling along the other day like an old lady
I would like to achieve a successful pregnancy. 6 miscarriages, 5 years of my life destroyed in trying, and my doctor still refuses to accept there's a problem. I cannot begin to describe my disgust with the arrogant and unsupportive 'care' that I have received from the UK medical profession.
Don't give up I had many more miscarriages than that and now have two healthy children. One of each, I became ill after the birth of my second child a much wanted daughter. Hormones are very different when giving birth to a girl. I believe I had thyroid issues all my life. Late puberty facial hair, fluctuating weight., few periods if any. I believe I became pregnant due to thyroid change and folic acid. After the birth of my daughter and the fitting of an Marina implant my life changed. 2008 was diagnosed with Graves. Now I am hypo autoimmune. Don't give up on being a parent.
I hope i can hold down the teaching job starting next week. I get so exhausted and woolley in thought some days.
Sadly you can't take away the years of not being treated correctly and the consequences that it imposes. I am lucky now in that I am exercising -albeit at a low level but I don't recognise the body that is now mine after 6yrs of hypothyroidism.....having always eaten relatively healthly (& then had a lovely toned body) I now eat healthily and fairly sparcely and have an untoned overweight body -there is no justice! i would like to be able to eat normally without having to watch every morsel that passes my lips, to see that the effects can be undone-even if it takes several years....to know that I don't have to rely on ANY doctor to gain a small reprieve from ill health.....sorry i know thats not really answered the question...but can't face the imgaination of being well again unlees I know its real!!
I would just like to say that I think this site is amazing and helpful, it has gave me the strength to question and fight my cause with my own doctor, who then sent me to see a endo. result - Hasimotos, massive massive thanks to everyone x
To wake in the morning without that feeling of dread, To be able to say to my little dog that looks longingly out of the window come on lets go for a lovely walk in the park. Hang my washing out without having to lower my arms a dozen times because they ache so much, run up the stairs, Go to the theater in London and see the revival of Hair. I was in the first one in the 70s and am desperate to see it. To go back to my beloved Paris even for a day and take a trip down memory lane. To be able to hear again properly, to get my hair back my soft skin back, not wake up everyday with a headache and walk around for the first few hours like a cripple, stop having continuous bladder infections. grow my nails again I had lovely nails. Stop wanting to sleep everyday away. Not to have such vivid dreams. Want to make the effort to shower wash my hair put moisturizer on my body all the things that healthy people take for granted that are such a massive mountain to climb... sorry for the moan but it's how I feel and im sure im not alone. Hugs to everyone on here for your continued love and support.
xxx
Iknow where you are coming from nobody knows until you been through it. I started walking about 1 to 2 years still not 100 per cent but grateful for small things i can do but i still pay for them after doing them but lost 16 years of my life i will never get them back. xx
So much agree with comment left by pureT3paul. A wonderful Doctor who helped me improve my thyroid/adrenal health using a mixture of treatments and regular testing has been struck off! A great loss to us all. T3Paul is right, it is those who refuse to accept their responsibility to their patient to improve their health who should be struck off. Doctors need to face up to this issue and challenge the decisions of the BMA. Something is very wrong!
I'd like to wake up in the morning feeling refreshed, not close to exhaution as I do now.
I was studying for my Veterinary Nursing exam, it was due in July 07, i fell ill in June 07 & was on the operating table 1st Aug 07, needless to say i did not get to do the exam & had to leave work, I dont have a 'proper' life now i have been married for a year & a half & my poor husband prob feels like he married a 90yr old!!! It seems everyone has problems with their Drs & getting them to believe the symptoms! I dont feel so alone now, thanks guys
Fell human and be as close to normal as I can.
Instead of feeling like the living dead and watching as each day goes by the less I can do.
I am very fortunate now. Felt awful on levothyroxine and had more problems on it than before diagnosis.
Had T3 added to a reduced T4 and felt an immediate improvement (NHS): went on T3 alone another big improvement. Tried Erfa - again improved and felt very good and I was relieved - through all of this and before diagnosis insomnia continued. Tried Naturethroid and increased slowly but dropped down 1/2 gr and added half T3 and, so far, for me, that has been the best, I sleep well and feel normal health, am nice and warm.
Previously, like all of you, when on Levo when I went to bed I sincerely hoped I would waken next day much better but it didn't happen.
It is trial and error if you are lucky to find a doctor who helps you find the way through the maze. Unfortunately, it wasn't the NHS.
Enjoy every day and smile, smile smile. Run along the beach, give the grandchildren piggy backs., etc
My partner and I recently realised that we don't make plans anymore. We just live day to day, depending on how I feel. (He deserves a medal!) I manage to hold down my job - just two days a week now. Back in 2004 I worked full time leading a team of 40 staff. Currently takes me a day or two to recover from my two days at work. My partner is recently retired (he is 15 years older than I am) and I too would dearly love to "retire" but financial implications (pension) etc.. mean that I can't.
