Hashimoto’s Is Not Stopping Jen!
Hashimoto Thyroiditis is Not Stopping Jen!
One of my best friends, Jen, who has known me since we cruised the night clubs together many years ago, also has Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. If you don’t already know, I have been battling Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, a debilitating autoimmune disease, for ten years now and have written a book, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, after I was getting nowhere with traditional medical care and started my own research. 
(Frustrating!) However, unlike me, Jen has been doing extremely well with dealing with her autoimmune disease. She is able to work at a very demanding job, jogs/runs almost every day, does volunteer work, makes her own wine, and travels for fun to exotic places. I was absolutely shocked this summer when instead of meeting up with her old gal pals in Upstate New York she changed her plans and met another friend to go hiking in Peru. (Here is the trip Jen took.Click Here ) Okay, she sent her husband and son as substitutes, and we did have a great time with them, but nevertheless, it wasn’t Jen. What shocked me even more than Jen picking Machu Picchu over us, is that she has Hashimoto’s disease and she can hike for a week in Peru!!! We talked on the phone yesterday and her description of the chaotic and miserable flights to Peru from San Francisco would have put me in the hospital but she handled it with no problem. Heck, I am jealous!
Upstate NY
So, what is Jen doing that is different from the rest of the Hashimoto’s sufferers that allows her to have a normal life? I asked her probing questions as in what are you eating? What time do you go to bed? Jen says she stays away from gluten, sugar, and processed foods. I know this for a fact because years ago we were boating and came across some friends barbecuing on an island and I, dragging friends along, self-invited us to the barbecue. They were serving hotdogs, and there is nothing better than a grilled hotdog on an island in the middle of a lake on a summer day. I dove into mine but Jen turned hers down. I looked at her in shock as in how-could-you but she said, and I quote, “I don’t eat that kind of stuff.”
Now this was years before I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s so I was totally perplexed by that statement, but then again, I was blissfully living a life that was healthy even though I was eating and drinking anything I wanted with no ill effects. Jen had already been diagnosed with Hashimoto’s and I had no idea what she was dealing with. Unfortunately, I was soon to find out. No, it’s not contagious but it is happening in epidemic proportions. I used to joke that I could start a thyroid support group because so many of my friends had thyroid problems. We compare what medicine we are taking and the dosages. I am taking 135 mcg of Tirosint and Cytomel. Most of my friends are on Synthroid. So why are so many (mostly women) suffering from autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto’s thyroiditis? We seem to be way ahead of the curve as far as other countries. My friends from England say that they know no one with Hashimoto’s and I have heard this is true in other countries, so the USA must be doing something differently. Some say it is the food we are eating. All the BGH (bovine growth hormones), the GMO’s, the fast foods, and I guess you could say the substandard foods that we are consuming in abundance. However, there are a lot of people who are consuming crappy food (excuse my language) and seem to be doing okay, and how I envy them. Then there are they thyroid experts that say that there is a genetic propensity that has to be present too for thyroid disease. Is that it? I have a genetic maker that makes me more prone to disease?
Jen said that she believes it is important to exercise and to keep busy. I too have tried to exercise with 
disastrous results as in having stay in bed for three days after 18 holes of golf. What I have is called post-exertion exhaustion as my body cannot recover quickly from exercise. On good days I can walk around the block but on bad days I have a tough time making it out to the mailbox. Hiking the Andes would definitely not be something I can do. Also, working a full-time job is something I am many other Hashimoto’s patients cannot do and I noticed in the Facebook support groups that some are on disability. Most of us drag ourselves through the day. I feel sorry for younger women who have Hashimoto’s disease as they have young families and are trying to do it all, as they were doing before being diagnosed. How they cope, I do not know? As far as keeping busy I do keep a pretty full schedule. I take care of an aging parent, a large house, multiple real estate holdings, and blogging websites for kicks. Sometimes when I am feeling good for a length of time, I will take on more obligations or projects only to realize I was taking on too much when I have what we Hashimoto’s sufferers call, a relapse. When that occurs I feel like lying in bed all day but I push myself to do as many chores or errands I can do that particular day. Compared to what I used to accomplish, it is now a dismal amount. I have learned to accept my physical limitations but vowed to research and try different remedies until I find a “cure.” Until then I will take one day at a time and hope for a better tomorrow.
Some things to consider:
Enzyme replacement
D3 supplements
Eliminate SUGAR!
Skip alcohol
Reduce coffee
Meditate
Understand your disease. Read my book. Click Here
Thanks for reading!
Terry Ryan
Terry Ryan
D5 Creation