So a friend suggested I write a blog recently. I had forgotten I set this one up a long time ago. But now I’m back! So here goes…
Today I woke up at 10.30am as I couldn’t seem to get off to sleep until late even though I took melatonin. I’m only on a very low dose to help sleep. My endocrinologist prescribes it for me along with Thyroxine that I couldn’t seem to get consistently on the NHS because one doctor said my thyroid was fine. However, my herbalist recommended a private endocrinologist some time ago and he actually diagnosed me with Subclinical Hypothyroidism. For many years I had suspected the CFS was linked to thyroid. I do private blood tests with Medichecks to monitor the TSH, T3 and T4. My TSH used to be just over 5 which indicates the thyroid is struggling. The NHS range used to be 0–5 for TSH but these days it has to be above 10 for them to help you. Therefore, I decided to go privately as I was at my wits end. Both my T3 and T4 were in the low end of normal. The NHS would say the TSH is fine and not bother testing the T3 and T4 but these are actually very important to test so you get a bigger picture. I’ve heard that some people feel better when their T4 is in the upper third limit. Mine is slowly increasing on medication but it’s certainly taking time.
I also wear topical iron patches as my ferritin level would often be low. I believe I was suffering from iron deficiency as I was often feeling tired and dizzy. The dizziness used to worsen around the time of my periods. Fortunately I have had the coil fitted for the last couple of years so that’s helped massively.
I was also diagnosed with Endometriosis. Something I’d often wondered if I’d had as I’d suffer quite badly with my periods, doubling up in pain, needing a hot water bottle, Ibuprofen and my bed which helped. I am just so grateful for the coil. I buy Iron Plus patches from Amrita nutrition as recommended by the herbalist. I wear one every other day to help maintain good iron levels. My ferritin would keep dropping if I didn’t supplement. Apparently it’s quite common for iron, vitamin D and B12 to be low with hypothyroidism, and those too would drop without supplementation.
To help get me through the days I sometimes read a book or watch a TV show as these are low energy level hobbies, but there was a time in the past when I couldn’t even do those things as I was severely bedridden. It is amazing how far I have come, but I do still need to be careful and pace myself or else I could be back to square one.
I also enjoy doing some gentle yoga. I usually attend a yin class once a week which is brilliant as it’s all floor based, sitting or lying. Great if you are prone to fatigue or have POTs (Postural tachycardia syndrome). I was diagnosed with POTs in 2015 when I had a massive relapse with the CFS/ME. It felt scary the way my heart would race. It shot up to 180bpm on a tilt table test that I had to travel to London for to see a POTs specialist.
Anyway, so I have been through a lot, and that isn’t the whole story but I will end this post here. My intention is to write about my story to raise awareness and hopefully help others who may be on a similar journey.
