Natalya

For all my life, my symptoms had been relatively minor and merely interfered with my lifestyle - until I hit 30. My health suddenly got out of control. The best way to describe it would be a "hibernation" state my body entered, accompanied by severe digestive problems and other related symptoms. I could barely function and was in the process of getting fired from work. I crossed roads at a red light and lost balance in the middle of a street. Instead of gradually fading away until indefinite, this "flare-up" only worsened over the past year.

I've seen at least a hundred doctors of various specialties . I've wasted so much time and money, just to keep getting negative test results and referrals to a psychiatrist due to my "psychosomatic" symptoms. I searched through the web based on the symptoms. The word "thyroid" topped the list all the time. I repeatedly asked doctors to check the gland. Supposedly extensive blood work was done many times and always came back negative. As it turned out later, none of these tests was complete. From a physician's perspective, "complete" means 1. commonly performed, but not necessarily thorough, and 2. whether the insurance covers it. The concept is similar to that of the general blood work performed when you see a physician once a year. Not until recently some doctors included testing vitamin D levels because before it was not even covered by most insurances. And I used to think they really check "everything" when they say so.

So upon my 125th or so visit to a new GI (still searching for answers), another "complete" thyroid test was performed... and what a miracle! it showed Hashimoto. What this doctor did was he simply tested the thyroid antibodies, which NO OTHER DOCTOR DID in almost 30 years of my traveling from one provider to another. I was like "Yes! My assumption finally confirmed!