What Having Hashimoto’s Feels Like

Before I knew that I had Hashimoto’s and became a Hashimoto’s dietitian, I was going about my daily life completely disregarding my symptoms. Why? I was active, lean, fit, slept well, had clear skin, pretty good digestion, didn’t get sick a lot… So, I thought I was super healthy. Just because you are at a healthy weight does not mean there is NOTHING wrong. It is important to make a list of any symptoms and get regular basic blood work screenings. Autoimmune conditions are often silent for many years before causing symptoms. I probably had Hashi’s for 10 years before I knew!

However, I had irregular menstrual cycles (mostly non-existent), energy ups and downs, mood ups and downs/stress, blood sugar imbalances,constant sore throats, and constant runny nose/post nasal drip. I had a hard time keeping energy up through longer activities, and did not have a lot of energy to be social and be out with friends and family.

The fatigue has been the worst part. Figuring out how to overcome that has been something I have been trying to figure out. It is not an all-day fatigue. It comes and goes now. But, when it hits you, it hits you hard. I remember at my worst, I was driving and felt like I could fall asleep.

My best advice for overcoming fatigue is to find a good doctor that you work well with so that you can make sure your levels and T3, most importantly, are optimized. Of course, we want to focus on all of the lifestyle factors first to make sure those are not the cause: digestion, food sensitivities, vitamin and mineral levels, stress, exercise, and overall, reducing inflammation.

Make Sure Iron is Not the Cause

Get a full iron panel to make sure that is not the cause of fatigue (for me, my iron is still not high enough, so this is still the cause of some fatigue). This means at the very least having your ferritin levels checked. I would be happy to work with you to optimize your iron levels.

Feeling Good!

Now, to the fun part! What do I feel like when I feel good? When I have been cautious of my diet, and avoiding my sensitive foods such as food colorings, potassium sorbate, most grains, and some fruits, I feel pretty good. I also have my thyroid medicine fine tuned and right now it is helping me optimize how I feel.

• More regular menstrual cycles. This is often my number one indicator that I have my T3 levels correct.
• Energy that lasts all day (a slight dip in energy later in the day, but nothing problematic)
• No sore throats, no puffiness
• No post-nasal drip
• No bloating
• More engaged in social activities–energy to get out more
• Reduced keratosis pilaris (skin “bumps”)
• Greatly reduced feelings of hypoglycemia and blood sugar disregulation; Reduced sugar and carbohydrate cravings
• Improved vision (weird, but I used to get a lot of “floaters” and blurry vision and sometimes seeing halos around lights during the day)
• Much less nervousness and anxiety; feeling more calm and at ease
• Many more–I will post as I think of them!

How do you feel? Have you been able to reduce symptoms? If so, how?