My Least Favorite Gland: Meet Javier!

Of all the glands in the body (pituitary, adrenal, parathyroid, etc.), I have to go on record and say that I despise the thyroid gland! In 2001, I was diagnosed with Graves disease. My immune system feels the need to attack things that don't need to be attacked such as harmless pollens and unfortunately, my thyroid gland. Because of the unwarranted attack, my thyroid gland went AWOL and stopped listening to my pituitary gland. It began producing about 2.5 times what it was supposed to. This robbed me of my ability to sleep, made me jittery, and hot all the time. I went to the University of Utah for treatment. My doctor and I decided to nuke the gland with some radioactive iodine. I look at this as the ultimate pink slip - you aren't doing your job correctly and have stopped taking direction so you're fired. A few months later, I began to feel normal. It was one of those situations where I didn't realize how awful I had been feeling until I began to feel better. I went on thyroid replacement about that same time because my thyroid gland had been nuked into oblivion. I was on a stable dose of medication for a few years.

Over the last 3 years, however, getting my thyroid replacement dose correct has felt like hitting a moving target. I would feel fine for a few months and then slowly start to become overreplaced (not sleeping, jittery, and hot). I would get my levels checked and we would back down on the dose. I would then start trending toward complete exhaustion, a constant brain fog, and being cold all the time. I would get my levels checked and up the dose. After a dose adjustment, it takes 6 weeks for the medication to reach full effect and stabilize. I was getting lab work, adjusting my dose, waiting 6 weeks and getting new lab work then feeling okay for a while and then start the process all over again. My doctor continued to recheck labs, adjust the dose, and have me come back. In September, I officially reached the end of my rope. After another dose adjustment, I went to get my labs rechecked only to find out that they were still off. I sat on the floor and sobbed. Something else was wrong and nobody was catching it. All of my friends with thyroid disease were extremely stable on their medication doses. It was all so very frustrating.

I scheduled an appointment with my favorite neighborhood ENT (who incidentally first identified the Graves disease). Within the first 5 minutes of my appointment, he figured out what was going on, scheduled an ultrasound, and got me started on a new medication. The thyroid gland produces two main hormones: T3 and T4. Synthetic hormone replacement (Synthroid) only replaces the T4 component, but your body should be able to convert T4 to T3 as needed. T3 is fast acting and takes near immediate effect and T4 is the component that takes about 6 weeks to regulate. My body was not converting the T4 to T3 which was throwing off my levels and making me feel crappy regardless of my T4 levels. He started me on a synthetic T3 replacement (Cytomel) and I have felt much better. Again, I didn't realize how horrible I had been feeling until I started to feel better.

Then I met Javier. I had an ultrasound of my thyroid gland done which showed a very small gland (thanks to the radiation) and a little nodule. I chose to name him Javier. He could be causing trouble or he could just be hanging out in my neck. He is probably benign, but there is the chance that he could be cancerous. We will take a look at what Javier is doing in 6 months.

I hope this means the end of the thyroid saga and that I will become like my unfortunate friends who understand the drama this little gland can create - stable on the same dose of medication. I will feel normal again, whatever that is. This mess has been a significant part of my life for far too long and I'm ready to be done with it. I'm ready to start living instead of just existing. Now is my time!