Drinking from the Tears of Turtles

Thyroid disease doesn’t run in my family: it stampedes.

To judge from the changes in my great-grandmother’s appearance, she had it. Her second daughter, my grandmother, had a thyroidectomy when she was raising her family. My mother was diagnosed with hypothyroidism in her old age. I developed a goiter when I was a child, and underwent radioactive and chemical thyroid ablation. As a young adult, I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s autoimmune hypothyroidism, which has persisted for more than 35 years. Two of my four children are hypothyroid. My younger sister was diagnosed with autoimmune hypothyroidism in middle age, and two generations of her descendants are hypothyroid. Both males and females are affected. Six generations, so far.

I’m a retired Registered Nurse, and I have no trouble with denouncing the poor job that our health care system does to properly diagnose thyroid disease. My health was destroyed by doctors who wouldn’t prescribe proper treatment.

My condition has recently become more brittle. The deterioration in many bodily functions makes what little I can do take a very long, painful time.

My doctor suggested supplemental iodine, but that may not be feasible, because of potential interactions due to my having Hashimoto’s. And because I’ve always enjoyed eating lots of fruits and vegetables, I’ve been overdosing on antithyroid phytochemicals.

Thyroid disease is one of several disabilities I have, but it’s likely to be the one that will lead to my demise. Before that happens, I hope, by means of this blog, to help others to circumvent some of the situations that can shackle their butterflies to turtles.

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The butterfly serves well to express the light, airy and active state of a euthyroid person – a state I have rarely experienced. My life has been more like that of a cold-blooded reptile.

A_butterfly_feeding_on_the_tears_of_a_turtle_in_Ecuador — *Click on illustrations for attributions*

These butterflies in Ecuador are visiting turtles to gather minerals from the animals’ tears. >>>>>

Do you have thyroid disease? If so, please consider sharing your story, diet and lifestyle tips, reliable research resources, and to contribute the names and locations of supportive and progressive health care professionals who are dedicated to treating the patient, not the lab report.

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