Dear Oprah: Why Are You Ignoring Thyroid Disease?
Thursday September 25, 2003
After the newsletter earlier this week focusing on Oprah and Dr. Phil and their less than enlightened coverage of thyroid disease, many thyroid patients were inspired to again write to Oprah to encourage her to finally do a show about hypothyroidism and thyroid problems. Here are a few of the recent letters...
I have (finally) been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I have been living with this disease since I was a TEENAGER - sleeping through Christmas, not being able to keep up with my friends (fatigue), gaining a lot of weight, losing my hair, extra dry skin, missed periods, etc. And even though I have been diagnosed, my medication is still being adjusted because my thyroid is still dying and I am still having to put up with all of the symptoms even at the YOUNG AGE OF 33. All of the women in my family (both my mother's and father's side) including both of my grandmother's have this disease and I think it would help a lot of undiagnosed women to do a show about this health issue which effects so many women, and in turn, effects the lives of the men around them.
It seems that no one cares about this disease because it has been labeled a "women's disease". Because of this misnomer, most (male) scientist's and (male) doctor's only care about men's health problems. This disease effects men too - not only physically, but emotionally too because men live with women every day.
This disease has changed my life and made it nearly impossible to be happy all of the time because of it. I am single and it has been hard to find a man willing to put up with my depression and not feeling up to doing anything because I can't get off the couch. This can also be said of my girlfriends as well, I have lost many over the years due to this disease. I use up all of my sick days at work (and then some) every year because I can't get out of bed some days. I spend hundreds of dollars (which I don't have) every year on tests, medications, exercise equipment, self-help books, etc. with no real help in any of them.
Please do a show dedicated to hypothyroidism so that other women can be informed, properly diagnosed and doctor's can start to understand this disease and treat it properly.
Thank you for reading this.
K.M.
Dear Oprah,
I recently received an e-mail from my thyroid newsletter stating that you have not done anything on Thyroid problems or disease. This concerns me for the reason that I just recently found out that I have a Thyroid disease that nearly killed me and I feel that it is a serious enough ailment to be made a little bit more public that it has in recent years. It maybe that people just don't know enough about it and it is easier to shrug it off and say that it is just an excuse for lazy people.
I am 26 years old with 3 children. I found out in January of this year (2003) that my thyroid level was 192.2, I had gained 20 pounds from the time last baby was 3 months old to the time that I found out my thyroid level was so high, my baby was six months old when I found out. Before I went to the doctor I was gaining weight like crazy, I though I was losing my mind, I had no sex drive, no menstrual cycle, I was severly depressed, losing my hair (in fact it stopped growing all together), my skin was scaley, and I was trying to nurse my brand new baby. Now, of course, my husband being oblivous to what was going on even noticed that I couldn't fit into clothes that I had worn weeks before.
When I went to my ob/gyn to ask him about my symptoms/problems his said it could all be due to breastfeeding and that I should come back after I stop for a month and things haven't changed. Well I wasn't satisfied with this answer. I went to my family doctor. I told him my symptoms and he said that he would check my thyroid, but gave me papers on how to lose weight and eat better.
Now please keep in mind that being a mother of three and one is a very energetic 2 year old, I don't sit around all day doing nothing and I don't gorge myself, in fact I really don't eat that much and I go to the gym at least 3 times a week if not more. So back to my story. He tested my thyroid and had me come back in to tell me that it was extremely hypo. In fact in the nine years that he had been practicing he had not seen one as high as mine. He immediatly put me on 100 mcg to get me back on the right track. 3 months later I saw a specialist who was also suprised by my results and the fact that I was still functioning to the degree that I was. She upped my medication and now it is September of 2003 I have dropped quite a bit of weight, but now because she is trying to shrink my goiter my thyroid has become hyper and I am now experiencing new symptoms and I am enjoying the rapid weight loss, but that is the only perk.
I want to share my story with you help raise your awareness of this. My specialist ran tests on my thyroid and we found out that I have what they call Hashimoto's Disease, which is where my immune system attacks my thyroid and it is hereditary, but I will never be able to go without medication. Please help those of us out there who have a serious condition to raise awareness to others who may be suffering and not know it.
Thank you
S.N.
Oprah, why is it that you have not done a show on Thyroid problems? From what I have read there have been several shows that have briefly mentioned the thyroid but no extensive discussion. Now I hear what Dr. Phil has said while on your show, that thyroid is an excuse for weight problems, obviously Dr. Phil has no idea what he is speaking of.
Briefly my story...It took 2 years to finally get diagnosed and I am on my 3rd doctor. All this is after a family history of thyroid problems. I gained a minimum of 50 lbs, was exhausted all the time to the point of not being able to lift my arms, I would cry at the simplest things and bark at others just for looking my way. I was unable to concentrate, remember small things and did not care to be around my friends or family. My physical problems ranged from loss of hair, dry skin and brittle nails. At the time I had no idea that these were all symptoms of hypothyroidism; obviously neither did my PCP being that all my blood tests fell with in a range that he thought was normal. Although things have improved with medication I am still working through the system to get the right dosage and discover if there are any other problems with my thyroid. I have finally found an endocrinologist.
Just recently while writing a paper on thyroid disease for a college health class I came across an article, which correlated hypothyroid disease with ulna nerve problems. Surprisingly I had just had ulna nerve transposition surgery with no reason as to what had occurred that made this surgery necessary, this was 5 months ago. I am now experiencing the same symptoms in my left arm and anticipate that at some point I will probably have to have it done as well. With this same research I also found that the National Endocrinologist society had just recently changed the levels for blood test readings that would indicate thyroid problems; this being the main reason that patients need to see a specialist, PCP's do not generally keep up with this information. Additionally a PCP may not distribute some of the basic information needing to get to thyroid patients just because they do not know.
Had it not been for the book by Mary Shomon and my determination to feel better I may still not be diagnosed today. Other than not feeling well the worst part of my 2-year ordeal was having my physician pass off my symptoms as fatigue. It was only through my own determination and research that I finally found a physician who ordered the correct tests to finally get me diagnosed.
While just one little pill once a day has rectified most of my symptoms I still find that some symptoms linger. I am now a very slow healer, for example a bug bite took 3 months to totally heal, the goiter I have changes constantly, the weight I put on is coming off slower than in the past even with extensive exercise and a better diet.
Oprah, it is extremely important for the world to learn about Thyroid disease, particularly for those who suffer in silence. Why not be the first to break this ground and educate America.
K.C.
I have (finally) been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I have been living with this disease since I was a TEENAGER - sleeping through Christmas, not being able to keep up with my friends (fatigue), gaining a lot of weight, losing my hair, extra dry skin, missed periods, etc. And even though I have been diagnosed, my medication is still being adjusted because my thyroid is still dying and I am still having to put up with all of the symptoms even at the YOUNG AGE OF 33. All of the women in my family (both my mother's and father's side) including both of my grandmother's have this disease and I think it would help a lot of undiagnosed women to do a show about this health issue which effects so many women, and in turn, effects the lives of the men around them.
It seems that no one cares about this disease because it has been labeled a "women's disease". Because of this misnomer, most (male) scientist's and (male) doctor's only care about men's health problems. This disease effects men too - not only physically, but emotionally too because men live with women every day.
This disease has changed my life and made it nearly impossible to be happy all of the time because of it. I am single and it has been hard to find a man willing to put up with my depression and not feeling up to doing anything because I can't get off the couch. This can also be said of my girlfriends as well, I have lost many over the years due to this disease. I use up all of my sick days at work (and then some) every year because I can't get out of bed some days. I spend hundreds of dollars (which I don't have) every year on tests, medications, exercise equipment, self-help books, etc. with no real help in any of them.
Please do a show dedicated to hypothyroidism so that other women can be informed, properly diagnosed and doctor's can start to understand this disease and treat it properly.
Thank you for reading this.
K.M.
Dear Oprah,
I recently received an e-mail from my thyroid newsletter stating that you have not done anything on Thyroid problems or disease. This concerns me for the reason that I just recently found out that I have a Thyroid disease that nearly killed me and I feel that it is a serious enough ailment to be made a little bit more public that it has in recent years. It maybe that people just don't know enough about it and it is easier to shrug it off and say that it is just an excuse for lazy people.
I am 26 years old with 3 children. I found out in January of this year (2003) that my thyroid level was 192.2, I had gained 20 pounds from the time last baby was 3 months old to the time that I found out my thyroid level was so high, my baby was six months old when I found out. Before I went to the doctor I was gaining weight like crazy, I though I was losing my mind, I had no sex drive, no menstrual cycle, I was severly depressed, losing my hair (in fact it stopped growing all together), my skin was scaley, and I was trying to nurse my brand new baby. Now, of course, my husband being oblivous to what was going on even noticed that I couldn't fit into clothes that I had worn weeks before.
When I went to my ob/gyn to ask him about my symptoms/problems his said it could all be due to breastfeeding and that I should come back after I stop for a month and things haven't changed. Well I wasn't satisfied with this answer. I went to my family doctor. I told him my symptoms and he said that he would check my thyroid, but gave me papers on how to lose weight and eat better.
Now please keep in mind that being a mother of three and one is a very energetic 2 year old, I don't sit around all day doing nothing and I don't gorge myself, in fact I really don't eat that much and I go to the gym at least 3 times a week if not more. So back to my story. He tested my thyroid and had me come back in to tell me that it was extremely hypo. In fact in the nine years that he had been practicing he had not seen one as high as mine. He immediatly put me on 100 mcg to get me back on the right track. 3 months later I saw a specialist who was also suprised by my results and the fact that I was still functioning to the degree that I was. She upped my medication and now it is September of 2003 I have dropped quite a bit of weight, but now because she is trying to shrink my goiter my thyroid has become hyper and I am now experiencing new symptoms and I am enjoying the rapid weight loss, but that is the only perk.
I want to share my story with you help raise your awareness of this. My specialist ran tests on my thyroid and we found out that I have what they call Hashimoto's Disease, which is where my immune system attacks my thyroid and it is hereditary, but I will never be able to go without medication. Please help those of us out there who have a serious condition to raise awareness to others who may be suffering and not know it.
Thank you
S.N.
Oprah, why is it that you have not done a show on Thyroid problems? From what I have read there have been several shows that have briefly mentioned the thyroid but no extensive discussion. Now I hear what Dr. Phil has said while on your show, that thyroid is an excuse for weight problems, obviously Dr. Phil has no idea what he is speaking of.
Briefly my story...It took 2 years to finally get diagnosed and I am on my 3rd doctor. All this is after a family history of thyroid problems. I gained a minimum of 50 lbs, was exhausted all the time to the point of not being able to lift my arms, I would cry at the simplest things and bark at others just for looking my way. I was unable to concentrate, remember small things and did not care to be around my friends or family. My physical problems ranged from loss of hair, dry skin and brittle nails. At the time I had no idea that these were all symptoms of hypothyroidism; obviously neither did my PCP being that all my blood tests fell with in a range that he thought was normal. Although things have improved with medication I am still working through the system to get the right dosage and discover if there are any other problems with my thyroid. I have finally found an endocrinologist.
Just recently while writing a paper on thyroid disease for a college health class I came across an article, which correlated hypothyroid disease with ulna nerve problems. Surprisingly I had just had ulna nerve transposition surgery with no reason as to what had occurred that made this surgery necessary, this was 5 months ago. I am now experiencing the same symptoms in my left arm and anticipate that at some point I will probably have to have it done as well. With this same research I also found that the National Endocrinologist society had just recently changed the levels for blood test readings that would indicate thyroid problems; this being the main reason that patients need to see a specialist, PCP's do not generally keep up with this information. Additionally a PCP may not distribute some of the basic information needing to get to thyroid patients just because they do not know.
Had it not been for the book by Mary Shomon and my determination to feel better I may still not be diagnosed today. Other than not feeling well the worst part of my 2-year ordeal was having my physician pass off my symptoms as fatigue. It was only through my own determination and research that I finally found a physician who ordered the correct tests to finally get me diagnosed.
While just one little pill once a day has rectified most of my symptoms I still find that some symptoms linger. I am now a very slow healer, for example a bug bite took 3 months to totally heal, the goiter I have changes constantly, the weight I put on is coming off slower than in the past even with extensive exercise and a better diet.
Oprah, it is extremely important for the world to learn about Thyroid disease, particularly for those who suffer in silence. Why not be the first to break this ground and educate America.
K.C.
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