Thomas Roberts9 said:I just came across this online and felt a sudden, quiet urge to share it here with all of you:
"If you don't care about her, don't waste your time; if she doesn't want you, find someone else; but if you love her and she loves you, fight for her with everything you've got."😍
🙂
Love isn't the issue, we love each other. But there are complications coming my way. One woman described hypothyroidism—specifically Hašimoto—like this:
Hi. My name is Hašimoto. I am an invisible autoimmune disease that attacks your thyroid and causes hypothyroidism.
I've latched onto your life like Velcro. If you have hypothyroidism, you probably have me too. I am the number one cause of hypothyroidism in many countries across the globe.
I am sneaky and devious—I don't always show up on your blood work.
Others can't see or hear me, but your body feels me.
I can attack you anywhere, any way I want. If I feel like it.
I can cause intense pain or, if I'm in a good mood, I can make everything hurt.
Remember when you and your energy used to run around together and have fun?
I took that energy from you and gave you exhaustion instead. Good luck trying to have fun now.
I can rob you of good sleep and replace it with forgetfulness and lack of focus.
I can make you want to sleep 24 hours a day, or I can trigger insomnia.
I can make you feel internal tremors or make you feel freezing cold or burning hot when everyone else feels fine.
I can also cause swelling in your hands, legs, face, and eyelids—basically, I can make literally anything swell up.
I can make you feel deeply depressed or give you panic attacks. I can also cause other mental health issues.
Those crazy mood swings? That's me.
Crying for no reason? Getting angry for no reason? That's probably me too.
I can make your hair fall out, turn it dry and brittle, or stop it from growing. I can cause acne, dry skin—the sky's the limit.
I can make you gain weight, and regardless of what you eat or how much you exercise, I can make sure you don't lose a single pound. Then again, I can make you lose weight. I'm not discriminatory.
My friends—other autoimmune diseases—often join in, giving you even more reasons to worry.
If you had plans or were looking forward to a special day, I can take that away from you. You didn't ask for me. I chose you for various reasons:
That virus or set of viruses you never fully recovered from, that car accident, or maybe years of abuse and trauma (I thrive and enjoy stress). Or maybe it's just in your genetics. Regardless of the cause, I am here and I don't plan on leaving.
I hear you're going to the doctor to try and get rid of me. You make me laugh. Just try. You'll have to cycle through many, many doctors before you find one who actually helps you.
They'll prescribe the wrong meds, painkillers, sleeping pills, energy boosters, tell you that you're suffering from depression or panic attacks, and then prescribe antidepressants and stuff like that.
There are countless other ways I can make you sick and miserable. The list is endless—high cholesterol, gallbladder issues and stones, blood pressure, blood sugar, or heart problems? That’s probably me.
Can't get pregnant, or dealing with a miscarriage? Again, that’s likely me.
Short of breath or feeling ravenous? Yeah, probably me.
Elevated liver enzymes? Most likely me.
Dental and gum issues? Rashes? Yep, that's me again.
I told you the list was infinite.
They’ll write you prescriptions for chronic pain, suggest massages, or tell you everything will be fine if you just sleep more and exercise regularly.
They’ll tell you to "think positive," push you, force you, and worst of all, they won't take you seriously when you try to explain the endless cycle of specialists you've seen, how exhausting this illness actually is, and how truly sick and helpless you feel. There's a high chance those "understanding" doctors will just hand you a referral to a psychiatrist.
Your family, friends, and coworkers will listen until they eventually get tired of hearing the same old story about how hard I am on you and how much I make you feel weak, drained, and ill.
Some will say things like, “Oh, you’re just having a bad day,” or “Remember, you can’t always do what you did ten years ago,” failing to realize you were talking about ten days ago!
They’ll also say stuff like, “If you just got up and moved around, went outside, and stayed busy, you’d feel better.” They don't get that I’ve stolen the "fuel" that gives your body and mind the strength to actually do those things.
Some will start talking behind your back, calling you a hypochondriac, while you slowly feel your dignity slipping away trying to find some empathy—especially when you're mid-sentence with a "normal" person and suddenly can't remember what you were about to say next.
They’ll tell you, “My grandma had that, and she’s doing great on her meds,” while you're desperately trying to explain that I don't affect everyone the same way, and just because she's doing well on a specific treatment doesn't mean it'll work for you.
They won't understand that having this disease affects your entire body from head to toe, and that every cell, every system, and every organ needs the exact right dose and type of thyroid hormone for YOU.
Not whatever works for someone else.
The only place you'll find actual support and understanding regarding my presence is with other people who have me. They are truly the only ones who can actually understand.
I am Hašimoto.
