Something is just "off"!

Oh man, where do I even begin? I guess first I should say that I am not used to being vulnerable. I tend to keep myself, my feelings guarded, which means I don’t always share what’s happening in my life. After thinking on this for the last week and really digging deep, I came to the conclusion that sharing this aspect of my life could not only help me but could in turn help someone else going through it and that’s my goal in life….to help others!

Now you may be wondering what this issue is and to some it may not seem like a big deal but to me it’s HUGE! I have been dealing with some “symptoms” for the past 3 or so months and because I have been just writing them off as stress or anxiety from this move overseas they have gotten worse and are to the point now that I need to see the doctor. I believe that my Thyroid is “off” and causing me quite a few problems. I honestly would have not even known the different symptoms if it weren’t for my experience with an enlarged Thyroid in December 2012. When I saw the Endocrinologist in January 2013 we had just found out I was pregnant with my second child so the doc wrote off my enlarged Thyroid as being a surge in hormones from pregnancy. That seemed legit to me and I went on not thinking twice about it. Fast-forward almost 2 years and I just don’t feel, look or act like myself. Let me break down some of the main symptoms that I have been experiencing.

Mood Swings

My poor husband doesn’t know what to think from one minute to the next. He’s been very supportive and tries to handle my INSTANT change in moods with grace but I’m not sure how he does it. I can’t even stand the change in my moods. It’s one of the top two WORST symptoms. I can be happy, laughing and joking and within seconds my fuse can be so short and my nerves rattled without anything happening. The worst part is not having any control over it! I’ve always had my moody PMS days but this is constant and pretty much a daily occurrence. A huge shout out is owed to my husband for just rolling with my moods!

Extreme Exhaustion

I can get 8-10 hours of sleep at night and still need to sleep more! This is horrible for a stay at home mom. I have two children to take care of and they don’t want to spend their days in bed….they want to be up playing and want mommy to play with them! The exhaustion is so bad that it’s hindering me playing with my kids, doing daily chores around the house, heck even finding the energy to make dinner is hard. Now some might say that I am just being lazy but unless you experience this then you have no idea how bad it is and how crippling it can be. The only reason I am able to pinpoint this as a symptom is because I know the person I was before. I was the mom that would get up, play with my kiddos, have dinner cooked, the house clean, and the laundry done and not even think twice about it. I had never had an issue getting things done. There were days that the kids wouldn’t sleep well and I would be tired the next day but NOTHING compared to how I feel DAILY right now. I don’t expect everyone to understand but those who know me know that I strive to be and do the best each and every day and right now, getting out of bed is a task.

Hair Loss

I am not talking about stands of hair…I am talking about CLUMPS of hair and all day! When I brush my hair each day my brush is FULL. I have to clean it out after each time I brush my hair. That’s just not normal!

Bloating

Yes, I know every woman experiences bloating but I’m bloated 90% of the month. I’m talking 3-4 pounds of bloat. Again, that’s just not normal unless it’s that time of the month but it’s not and I am!

Fatigue

The mental fatigue is the WORST! I am the type that likes research, analyzing and creating. I feel like it takes me FOREVER to complete a task that involves any analyzing or research. Heck, this is just a personal blog post and it has still taken me 3 days to type it up. It’s almost like a fog on my brain. I just want to think clearly again!

There is also physical fatigue. I haven’t been able to workout in almost 2 months! After spending my days with my kids and using every bit of energy I have I just can’t get through a workout. I hate that too because I know how good I used to feel when I worked out and I’ve tried to get through a couple of workouts but I just couldn’t. Physically my body did not have the fuel to push through even though I had eaten, hydrated and done everything I should.

Always Cold

There’s not much explaining needed for this one. Regardless of how many layers I have on, you will probably find me on the couch with a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, jeans, tall socks and a blanket on…and yes I just described what I currently have on LOL.

Headache

That’s not abnormal right? WRONG! I have a constant headache. It does NOT go away! I wake up with it, I go through the day with it and I go to bed with it. No, Tylenol doesn’t work, caffeine or water doesn’t take it away, Excedrin doesn’t take it away either. It’s even recently escalated into migraine status. It’s painful and doesn’t go away.

Cramping

I have always had horrible menstrual cramps but recently I have started having cramps even though I am not on my period or even near the time for my period. These aren’t slight cramps either! I’m talking about doubled over in pain cramps. Just this week I was in tears on the couch while my kids are playing on the floor next to me. Extremely painful and NO FUN!

Now those are some of the main symptoms that I have had. I could probably go on for a while about everything that seems “off” about me. There are also people that may say that my symptoms are just individual issues or even that I am depressed. I do not believe that is the case though. Once looking at all my symptoms and talking to some other friends, I believe that my Thyroid may be the cause. I have made an appointment with the doc and will be getting my blood work done on Monday. I am hoping for a quick response because I really don’t want to spend the holidays feeling like this and would love to start the New Year feeling better. What matters is that I am taking action and listening to my body. Would I love to keep being super mom and wife? Of course I would but I know now more than ever that my body just can’t do it. I need to listen to it and rest whenever possible. Once this is all figured out then I will be back to my normal and January starts a rigorous workout plan to get myself back. I’m also working on making serious changes to my diet. It’s believed that a gluten free diet will help people with Thyroid issues so I am up to the challenge. It definitely doesn’t happen overnight but if it will help me then I plan on putting it into action.

I guess my point for this post is that if you are struggling with anything like this then know you are not alone. I understand the struggle and helplessness you probably feel. Know that I am here for support and here to help you. I will share whatever information I find and I know that with the exceptional health care they have here in Belgium that I will be well taken care of!

If you want to follow my journey with this then please subscribe to my blog because I will be posting a lot of information here. If you are feeling like you need some support or that you may be experiencing some similar symptoms and want to chat then you can email me at cyoungblood1127@gmail.com.

Don’t take your health for granted! If something is wrong or “off” then get it checked out! Thank you for reading my post and as always feel free to share it. You never know who may benefit from it! Thank you for your support, have a wonderful day! Xo