Don’t stop!

The truth will set me free. I’m 95% positive that my bipolar diagnosis was incorrect.

Yup.

I signed a petition today demanding better care from our endocrinologists and there was an optional box asking why I was signing. I wrote:

Under a doctor’s care for Hashimoto’s, I ended up in a mental hospital and was misdiagnosed bipolar. I took psychiatric medications for 7 years, even during pregnancy, because I truly thought that I was mentally ill. I was mentally ill, but it was because of my thyroid. It wasn’t until I found a D.O. who ran the right labs that I realized I was never bipolar in the first place. I’ve almost lost my marriage and lost a lot of my life because of poor thyroid care.

That pretty much sums it up.

I’m trying to stay out of anger and blame. To get well, I must move forward. Of course, I’m an advocate by nature and I will not be quiet about this travesty.

But right now, it’s time to focus on getting better. I’m researching like mad. I’m resting as much as life with a baby, two dogs, a husband and a job allow. I’m meditating. I’m taking my Nature-Throid and supplements and am weaning off the psych meds.

It’s going to be a long road, but at least I’m on the right path. 

. . .

I’m already feeling better. I have an increase in energy. I’m not napping as much.

I’ve had a little too much energy at times. Anxiety, chattering jaw, tinglies – they come and go, but they don’t scare me because I know where they’re coming from and why they are there. I’ve had them most of my adult life, after all.

Answers are popping up all around me and it’s a very exciting time. I’m not afraid.

There are many blogs to write to let you know how I know, but most of all, I have a gut feeling. For today, I pulled these two quotes:

Patients with thyroid dysfunction complain of difficulty with mood management and lethargy. To remedy this, endocrinologists recommend anti-depressants or refer us to psychiatrists. This is a travesty and an oversight. Research demonstrates an improvement of depression using T3 medication. However, thyroid patients find it challenging to find endocrinologists willing to prescribe Cytomel or natural thyroid, which contain T3. The failure of an endocrinologist to correctly attribute the psychological and systemic symptoms of a thyroid patient to thyroid dysfunction perpetuates the patient’s illness. This usually leads to the prescription of a pharmaceutical that may alleviate the reported symptoms, but ignores the root cause; the mismanaged thyroid.

- ThyroidChange.org

Bi-polar can often be a misdiagnosis for Hashimotos disease, since the latter can cause the same swings. Even without Hashi’s, bipolar and other mental health issues can be a common manifestation of low cortisol aka adrenal fatigue, also caused by undiagnosed hypo because of the TSH, or undertreated hypothyroidism with T4.  At the very least, bipolar can be a common manifestation of a hypothalamus-pituitary–adrenals (HPA) axis dysregulation, again common with those undiagnosed or undertreated hypothyroidism.

- Stopthethyroidmadness.com

. . .

Where do I go from here? Do I change the blog name? I’ll keep posting, but I feel like a Hashi in BeePea’s clothing! What do you think, readers?

I’m super open to your suggestions and thoughts!

As always, thank you for reading and supporting me through this journey of self-discovery. This isn’t the ending; this is just the beginning.