One Woman's Low Thyroid Nightmare
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It used to be a few years back that I personally knew almost every member of my mailing list. The members of this list were my neighbors or fellow moms from my daughter’s nursery school or someone who had attended a small class I’d given. But while I have been so thrilled to see my mailing list grow exponentially over the years, the downside of that growth is that that same list has expanded into nothing more than a random collection of hundreds of emails and click statistics.
That’s why one of my absolute favorite things in the whole world is getting letters from YOU, the moms who visit this blog and my website, so that I can connect with new people outside of my own little boring 4-square blocks in central Jerusalem life. And last week I got an extra special treat! Even better than an email, a mom living in a small Jewish community in the US asked if she could actually speak with me on the phone. WOW! I’m not sure that has ever happened before in all of the history of JewishMOM.com.
The woman who called me is a teacher in a Jewish school and the mother of five children. She wanted to speak with me about my books, but we ended up mostly talking about the very difficult period she faced when she first became a mother 15 years ago.
This mother grew up in an Orthodox home, so when she got married in her early twenties and soon after gave birth to two children over the course of a year and a half, it wasn’t much of a surprise to her or to anyone else for that matter.
What did surprise her was how she felt.
She had so looked forward to becoming a mother, it was the fulfillment of a life-long expectation and dream. But now as the mother of two adorable, healthy babies, she felt like she had been run over by a steamroller. She was exhausted, and even worse, she was seriously depressed. She was miserable in her home, miserable with her children, miserable in her life.
Thank G-d, today, this mom is in a very different place. She feels transformed, energetic, occasionally struggling but generally thriving. What saved her? She credits her salvation, her resurrection to three smart people and three smart pieces of advice:
1. A very insightful (not to mention world-renowned) rabbi in her community who advised her to take a long break (even years) before having her third child, until he felt she could feel genuinely excited about having another child.
2. Another very wise rabbi who told her that she should exercise 5 days a week.
3. A very smart doctor who diagnosed her with sluggish thyroid or hypothyroidism, and started her on a highly-effective hormonal treatment that she continues to this day.
After that phone call, I knew that I had to tell all of you about this mom’s story. And, in particular, I wanted to help raise awareness about the plague of low thyroid.
Did you know that 59 million Americans (the vast majority of whom are women) suffer from hypothyroidism– a leading cause of fatigue and depression? If you are feeling depressed or post-steamroller, I highly recommend that you speak with your doctor about hypothyroidism.
Watch this informative interview with a doctor specializing in hypothyroidism in women to learn more about symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment.
Jenny,
Just to let everyone know. I was suffering from hypothyroidism and I went to an acupuncturist who helped bring my hormone levels down to normal. I never (thank G-D) took a pill.
Love,
Elana