what caused my condition?

[hairyfairy]

I`m under treatment for a slightly underactive thyroid, & I keep wondering if I did somthing to cause it. There`s no family history, & I had a test for thyroid antibodies that was negative. I can`t help but feel angry with my body because I feel that it`s betrayed me & let me down for no reason. Do other members feel this way?

[shaws Administrator]

No, I don't feel angry. With auto-immune conditions we have absolutely no control over how our bodies react to certain things. We are fortunate that, at least, if properly medicated we can have a long and relatively healthy life. With other auto-immune conditions there are more serious ones.

It is just coming to terms that you cannot, at the moment, do things that we took for granted when healthy.

[greygoose]

I didn't feel angry, but I was terrified that it was something I'd done, my fault. Especially when one doctor told me I 'had to take some responsibility for the state I was in'! Why? I didn't do anything, I wasn't an alcoholic or a drug addict, what did I do? But then I saw other doctors that told me no, it wasn't my fault. It was just the luck of the draw.

You say you don't have antibodies, but even so, there must have been a reason for you becoming hypo. However, it's highly unlikely to be your fault, and highly unlikely that you will ever find out why, I'm afraid. Don't beat yourself up over it. Be kind to yourself, you've got enough problems without worrying about that.

Hugs, Grey

[jaxnbreeze]

I am afraid to say I did feel angry and confused 18 months ago when I was first diagnosed. Also questioned what had caused my condition as I too don't have any anti-bodies but after reading everything I can get hold of and thanks to this wonderful site I have discovered that Epstein-Barr virus can damage the thyroid over a period of time and I am sure that is what happened to me. Knowing this has in an odd way reconciled me to the fact that I am hypo. and I am OK on 50 thyro. plus supplements. Knowledge really is power with a chronic problem. I feel lucky to have been diagnosed while still sub-clinical as I know several people who need medication but their GPs will not prescribe it. Best wishes, Jax. xx

[helvella Administrator]

No - I actually feel blessed relief that I only have mild hypothyroidism. (That is absolutely not to say that you shouldn't feel the way you do.)

I do, nonetheless, wonder why, and keep asking all sorts of questions.

Mercury?

Repeated tonsillitis as a child?

Radio-active fallout in my childhood?

Eating the wrong things - or not eating the right things?

Some virus or other infection?

Or dozens of other things that have fleeted through my mind.

Rod

[greygoose in reply to helvella]

Did you have your tonsils out, Rod? I did and I can't help wondering if it was some sort of trigger...

[helvella Administrator in reply to greygoose]

No - I didn't. My mother was dead set against - despite it being in the "whip 'em out" era, she thought it wrong. But very good question.

Meant to have smoking,followed by giving up in the list!

[greygoose in reply to helvella]

I gave up long after my diagnosis. I needed all the support I could get to face all the doctors I was having to see at that time. It was hell on earth and I needed my fags. lol

[Hidden in reply to helvella]

Repeated bouts of tonsilitis too, ear ache/infections (but no treatment) & teeth abscesses, a mouthful of amalgum fillings and loads of xrays didn't help I'm sure. Looking back, probably sinus trouble, but I didn't know. I wonder what else - using sheep dip, 'bone' meal, weed killer, creosote, DDT spray, melting lead and making trinkets.....?

I never missed a day of school 'tho! J

[Hidden]

I had a moment of being miffed, after finding out I had extra neck ribs i.e. a freak (first thought - it's that causing weird symptoms, docs did too) then I took to the internet and I was upset that my happy ignorance bubble was popped, one in a million wasn't good, and of course looked back at what I used to do with ease, I think this was a regret phase and sort of mourning for my previous active life? does that make any sense?

Even 'tho it wasn't my fault, I felt angry at someone! So finding a Thyroid nodule just meant I wasn't imaging it, I'd been telling the GP for years why can't it be something physical? (anxiety symptoms were 'in your mind' in her textbook) so in the end it was rather a relief to have proof. (hugs) Jane

[Clarebear]

Mine isn't autoimmune either - both TPO ab and Tg ab were negative. I have had two serious and life threatening illnesses so I wonder if either of Hesse could have been the cause, but will probably never know.

My endo did actually say it could still be autoimmune as he sais it's possible for antibodies to show as negative for some reason, even when it is autoimmune... Xxx

[hairyfairy]

I`m wondering if having my tonsils out when I was 4, & having an unecessary number of dental x rays in my late teens might have been the root cause of my problem, but I suppose that I should be grateful that I just have mild hypothyroidism, not any of the dreadful illnesses that many people of my age have to deal with, like diabetes & heart disease etc.

[Duchy82]

I was never angry, i was expecting it as it runs in my family but i was scared the doctor wouldnt take me serious and petrified of getting as big as my gran but otball turned out ok and i function really well on levo