The One Where I Realise My Thyroid Medication is Working

I've been sitting here for a little over an hour, trying to work out how to get the words in my head out on to this page. Every time I grab at a thought it swims away, meaning that I'm chasing thoughts that don't want to be articulated at this exact moment, leaving me feeling vacuous.

I don't like feeling vacuous.

I felt like this every minute of every day for at least three years (but possibly this has been an issue for over ten years) before I was given medication for a Thyroid issue about eight months ago. I hadn't noticed, that fog had slowly drifted into my mind, clouding not only my thoughts and hampering my ability to think, but had woven its way into all aspects of my health and life and so slowly that I didn't know that it was happening, didn't notice the small subtle changes that built upon each other until they slowly stopped and I could think again.

I didn't notice how tired I felt, even after a supposed good night sleep. That my energy was low and how I wanted to go to bed in the middle of the day. I wanted to sleep and rest and yes, having a nap is fantastic but now I've realised that waking up at my normal time each day and wanting to get on with the day, wanting to be active and not feeling sluggish is much more fantastic!

I didn't notice how I was feeling down, depressed even, to the point where my normal happy go lucky, take one day at a time personality was in danger of being replaced by the fake smiling Pippa pretending to be happy go lucky and taking one day at a time. I got so good at faking it, I didn't even notice I was faking it to start with.

I could never work out why it always seemed that I was gaining weight, despite watching what I ate and walking for miles even going to the gym for hours at a time, but without seeing any true long-lasting results. Everyone was always amazed at how slow my heart rate was, saying that athletes would pay to have a heart rate as slow as mine. Little did I know it was a side effect of an underactive thyroid and is now slowly creeping up as my T3 and T4 levels are becoming more in line with what they should be.

I had dry, itchy skin. I would drive my husband mad scratching at my legs in the night (whilst I was asleep or falling asleep) not realising I was doing it and often finding scabs the next morning where I had scratched to the point my skin had bled.

I had long heavy periods which seemed to last longer each time and come closer together with painful, often crippling cramps. I can't say that I've noticed my periods becoming lighter in the last few months, but I did realise the cramps have lessened even if my cravings to eat all the food have still persisted.

This wasn't the blog post that I intended to write, but apparently, it is the blog post my head wanted to write. If any of the above symptoms feel familiar to you, please, please, please go see your doctor and ask for a blood test to test your thyroid levels, don't let it go on as long as I did.