| Feeling Depressed? Check Your Thyroids. |
| Thursday, 25 September 2008 | |
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I was always chubby and depressed as a teenager. Mostly, it seemed normal to me, the way I felt and acted as most of my peers were acting in similar ways. I ran away from home frequently and hung out with the wrong crowd. I did poorly in school that is when I did go. I remember always feeling not depressed or ever happy but rather numb. Just numb. When I looked back from my early 20's, I c In my early 20's as I calmed down in life, I had my first child and settled down with her father for 3 years. We never got married. But we did argue constantly, especially towards the end. Yes, he had his own faults but reflecting back, it seemed as if I sabotaged the relationship instead of dealing with my problems. I followed my feelings rather than logically dealing with problems. I used my feelings as a compass for everything which lead to many spontaneous decisions. The only problem with that is I didn't feel as normal people did. All my emotions were magnified by ten. When I was happy, I was extremely happy. When I was sad, I was extremely sad. When I was mad, I was extremely mad. I noticed the difference between myself and other people. I knew they didn't get as happy or sad or mad as I did but I thought it was because I was different, or unique. Maybe I experienced life with more passion than others? I always knew in the back of my mind that some sort of depression was looming in my future. Mental illness runs in my family. Two uncles have schizophrenia and my grandmother has depression. Eventually, I would have to get it taken care of. But in my early 20's, I believed I had it under control. In 2005, I met my 1st husband and we got married in Florida after knowing each other only a week. We immediately moved to his home town in Missouri. I moved myself and my daughter from everything we knew: friends, family and the life we built up. But none of that mattered to me. I was in love. And yes, even that was magnified. Thankfully, he turned out to be a decent man. Although, it takes more than a decent man to make a marriage work. Although, he too had his faults, we had a very rocky marriage. One thing he said that stuck in my mind: "I cannot deal with these extreme ups and downs". Finally, it was as though something clicked in my head. I did have extreme emotional ups and downs. But why? One moment, I was angry and the next I was cool, calm and collected. It started making no sense to me either. We got divorced last year for more reasons than just my emotional roller coaster. I still didn't go to the doctor then. At that time, it was more of a fear issue. I didn't want to be labeled or medicated. I didn't feel I was harming anyone. But I knew things would get worse and I wanted to be there mentally for my daughter as much as possible. My friend (at the time), Victor, who I had known for almost ten years proposed to me. We got married December of 2007. First we moved to Tennessee and then lost everything in the tornado of Feb 2008 in Lafayette, TN. Finally, we ended up back in Missouri. The honeymoon phase of our marriage lasted a few months. Then the arguing began, just like my other relationships. I used to joke that maybe we're just a couple that bickers and should accept it. However, one day I was fussing at him and I suddenly stopped. I don't remember my exact thoughts or the argument itself but I remember looking back and studying all three relationships. It's not a coincidence that the same downfall happened in each relationship. Maybe it was me. I decided it was time to do something about it. I made an appointment with a psychiatrist about three months ago. Before our meeting I wrote down every symptom and concern I had. It ended up being about 6-8 pages long. She read every single one of them. After we talked for an hour, she diagnosed me with Bi-Polar, wrote me a prescription for Lithium and warned not to get pregnant. I was in shock. I was relieved it was over but scared to be diagnosed with something I wasn't expecting and possibly missing out on additional children. (By the way, if you do want to have children while on Lithium and you have bi-polar, they can change your medication). She instructed me to come back in a month for follow up and blood work. That following month was a month of hell. The lithium did not agree with me. Any joy I had was ripped from my soul and thrown in the dumpster. I seemed to be depressed more of the time. I felt as though I was in a constant dream-like state. I couldn't concentrate at work. It depressed me more to think I would have to take this the rest of my life. Thank God for blood work. Psychiatrist said my blood results showed my thyroid levels were abnormal. "This isn't an emergency, just get to a doctor right away." My doctor's appointment was about two months ago. He diagnosed me with Hypothyroidism, a form of . My thyroids were also enlarged. (when he examined them, it felt as though he was choking me to death). He ordered me to stop taking lithium and left it to my discretion if I wanted to keep seeing my psychiatrist. I canceled my next appointment with her and haven't needed to see her since. Currently, I'm on Synthroid. I have experienced no side effects as the medication is only replacing a hormone. I hardly get depressed anymore and when I do, I can deal with it better. I can concentrate better and I have more energy. My emotions aren't as strong anymore, therefore allowing me to think problems through more clearly. Me and my husband bicker much less. Me and my daughter get along better. Overall, I'm a much happier and fulfilled person. I can't believe how long I waited to get help and all the pain and heartache I let happen. The point of writing this is to encourage others who suspect they have depression to a) always get a second opinion before they stick you on medication and b) make sure they do blood work BEFORE you get on any medication because it could be a physical problem instead of a chemical imbalance. I can't imagine where I would be in life ten years from now if I never made that appointment. Tia Wood
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  written by Karren Hall, September 28, 2008
Thank you for sharing your story, Tia. I, too have thyroid disease. It's good to see others share their story online.
written by Taki, October 30, 2008
I can understand why you did not want to go get put on some of these medications. I myself was once on over $2000 of these medicines a month and they almost killed me physically and psychically as well. I finally come to the realization that life as it was for me sucked and no medication was going to change that. So I dropped the meds, started fixing my health problems and dealing with my issues and I feel better than I ever have. You on the other had are part of that 1% that actually had a physiological cause for your depression.
written by Christine Mattice, November 03, 2008
Wow. Thank you for sharing this story. I did not realize that depression could be some other physical disorder rather than a "brain chemistry" one.
written by Christine Jones, November 03, 2008
It was brave of you to share your story, thank you. We have a history of thyroid problems in our family and I recognise some of the symptoms. It is worrying to go to the doctor but your story proves that knowledge is power, knowing what was wrong enabled you to put it right. Even if symptoms seem to indicate a mental health problem it is best to see a doctor and rule out other possibilities before consulting a psychiatrist.
written by Fardreamer, November 03, 2008
Wow. What a powerful and informative blog entry, Tia! I'm really sorry that your condition wreaked so much havoc in your life, but at least that doctor was able to diagnose your thyroid problem for what it is and not kept you on lithium or any of those meds.
Good luck and much success!
 written by flowerhorn08, November 11, 2008
Tia, I must arrange a doctor appointment for my partner as she always get depressed no matter what the occasion. Maybe it is a thyroid problem. Hope it will help towards alleviating her of her depressed condition.
written by Tia Wood, November 11, 2008
flowerhorn, Definitely get those thyroids checked before they stick her on any medication. You never know when depression is a result from something physical. Being on the wrong meds can make it worse! Good luck to you guys. Thanks all for the comments.
written by SageMother, November 12, 2008
Thanks so much for sharing.
It is amazing how a little gland can affect so many other systems in the body. I have had the dubious honor of taking Lithium and can identify with some of the concerns associated with putting substance, that sounds like battery acid, in your body. I am glad to hear that you finally got the right diagnosis after such a frustrating journey.
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ontributed those experiences to 'just being a teenager'. 
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