DR. JECKYLL AND MR. THY…PERSONALITY CHANGES WITH THYROID DISEASE

Last week a co-worker emailed to me a link with one of those personality tests. This particular test is called “How Emotionally Intelligent Are You”.  She must have read my mind, somehow knowing I needed a little workday intermission. From time to time, any distraction is welcomed, especially during those times when you are heading into a comatose-can’t-concentrate-anymore moment. Getting up to sign for a FedEx package or doing the vending machine stare down (even though you aren’t going to purchase anything)…these are office respite techniques, helpful for resting the eyes and hopefully getting back into focus.

Although I have done a ton of personality tests – in high school, college, for jobs, and for fun it dawned on me, after receiving her email, that I had never done one post thyroid disease.

Some experts say that our personalities do not change significantly throughout our lives. My guess is that these so-called experts have never tracked subjects pre, mid and post thyroid dysfunction. I do not know what the scientific definition of personality is. To me, with CTL simplicity,  it means how we behave ourselves. The years while at the peak of my thyroid dysfunction, my behaviors changed dramatically.

I became extremely insecure, confused, argumentative, irritable, intolerant, fearful, pessimistic and on my really really bad days – apathetic. On those bad days, I wanted nothing to do with the human race. Interaction was kept to a minimum; I hid from the FedEx man.

The mental and physical changes occurring in people with thyroid disease are sometimes hard to fathom, even doctors don’t truly understand what all is going on in our body.

I wrote a little bit about my ten year saga in the previous blog post; looking back, though, I wish I would have taken several personality tests, doing my own informal study – perhaps, doing one each year, keeping a diary of any drastic changes as I battled to achieve optimal to remission.

I’m not sure, where you are with your healing journey, below is the link to the personality test, make sure you read the entire bottom portion after getting to your results. This could be an eye opening experience to those who haven’t made the thyroid/personality connection.

Tell me what you think. Do you think your personality has changed, due in part to thyroid disease?

How Emotionally Intelligent Are You

CTL

THYROID DISEASE DIAGNOSIS - MORE THAN 10 YEARS LATER

I must admit, I have come a long way from being clueless and confused to cognizant and competent, since my autoimmune-thyroid-disease diagnosis more than ten years ago. My approach to taking on this disease has evolved over the years.

Through my thyroid autoimmune disease struggle, here are four things I have learned:

1.      It is MY body and I have to live in it –Finally, I realized no more putting up with doctors who are excessively conventional and lackadaisical in their approach of helping me with my healthcare. I also came to the realization that I should not have to apologize to anyone for not feeling well enough to do the things I could do previously...I cannot help you move, probably won’t be able to babysit your three toddlers all day, Hubby and son, you have to fend for yourself for dinner, Umm…I’m gonna say “no” to the all night kegger.

 

2.      Living a healthier lifestyle– A mal-functioning, diseased body needs extra care.  This only makes sense, but I have to tell you, I went along with this truth kicking and screaming. Don’t get me wrong, I did not completely make poor health choices, before diagnosis. I exercised regularly, but I never paid attention to how much gut health plays a MASSIVE role in healing and regulating the body. Some of my favorite foods (yet not fit for human consumption) processed meats, Gummy bears, funnel cakes, most of the items at McDonalds…had to bid them a not so fond farewell. And now I feel great!...(OK, I still eat gummy bears from time to time)

 

3.      Kept educating myself– So little is known about autoimmune diseases, and so few seem to know about the thyroid as well. It dawned on me one day…Hey, I need to figure a lot of this out myself, by listening to my body, instead of putting all my stock into a medical professional who may not grasp the full understanding of autoimmune thyroid healing. I was asking them questions they couldn’t answer. It took me awhile to realize the “answers” I was getting were actually “non-answers” (I think they thought I wouldn’t notice).

 

And, finally, one thing that’s remained the same over the last ten years is my ability to Go Crazy!

Conserve

Restore

Adding

Zest

In

You

Go crazy my thyroid family

THYROID MAMA CALLS A FAMILY MEETING

**Where’s my?

**Why didn’t you remind me?

**How come you are just now telling me?

**Did you forget to?

Thyroid suffering mothers, do these statements sound familiar?

There are two males in our household (my husband and teenage son) and before thyroid disease, I kept things in order, kept my boys in line - managed things well. You could even say that mama ran a tight ship. But now, that ship has sailed...annnndddd I’m totally OK with that.

But, I’ll have to admit, that immediately after my diagnosis, I wasn’t OK with the domiciliary disarray that ensued. At present, I’ve come to terms and realized that I can’t and shouldn’t be omnipotent-like to my brood. I am not the same as before, I’m not the same as before, I’m not the same as before... Ahhhh so liberating to say... acceptance is key.

It took me awhile to embrace this concept. Remember my other blog post about going crazy http://crazythyroidlady.blogspot.com/2012/09/go-crazy.html .  To remain sane, I had to go crazy Conserve, Restore Adding Zest to You.

After years of hearing those above phrases from my guys over and over again for many years, I felt it was time to call a family meeting:

"I used to juggle my life and yours with ease, but men, we’ve embarked on a new era. An era that focuses on the realization that undue stress is not ideal for yours truly. At one time I reveled in the all consuming management of this household, even though it may not have been healthy, I had it mastered. But now remembering just my stuff is almost a full-time job. I am asking you to take on more responsibilities around the house.

OK, so...I don’t know where it is, I’m not going to know where it is, I forgot to tell you...let’s get over it, I could try to remind you, but is this a risk you are willing to take? 

Well, now that we got this out of the way, you guys can make dinner while mama takes a nap. Love ya!"

In reality, this is probably how it should have been all along, after all, experts say giving your kids more responsibilities will build confidence and increase self-esteem. And it will help hubby feel like da man! I like to find as many positive as I can post-disease.

Crazy Thyroid Lady

Don't forget to get your copy of my thyroid book Wow Your Mom Really is Crazy

DISEASES OFFER A SPEC-TACULAR VIEW

This is a Blog Repeat or Blepeat

This week’s blog is dedicated to my Father who passed away in June of 2011 of cancer. I love and miss you daddy!

My father, a former military man, had a wife and two daughters. He did not want any of his girls to be sick, hurt or in pain-EVER! Scrapped knees, infections and menstrual maladies all had to be suffered in silence. Not because dad was merciless, he believed that talking about your illnesses was a sign of weakness.

In my late thirties, when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease, my father would scoff at me for lamenting about things like fatigue, or joint pain. This was after he would call me to ask, “Hey, how are you doing?”…but then not wanting to hear (or deal with) the truth, he would say, “You feel GREAT, stop saying you are tired.”

It wasn’t like I was a complainer; he just NEVER wanted to hear me say I was anything other than fantastic.

On Christmas in 2010, the chemotherapy treatments had taken a toll on my father. He said to me, “I realize now what it means to have a chronic illness, baby girl, and I apologize for ever down-playing what you had been going through."

This meant the world to me because I wasn't seeking attention, I wanted understanding.

He went onto say, “But you know, we are blessed to have the opportunity to view the world with a different set of glasses than the pair we had on before.”

Some would say, “blessed” doesn’t seem like the word most fitting, but oh… I knew exactly what he meant.

The best way I can describe it…it is like being fitted with a special pair of glasses, not the 3-D variety, where everything is distorted, not bifocals where everything is magnified, not UV where things are blocked out, and definitely not rose-colored. They are just real, authentic glasses. Glasses that help you see what is important.

With these new pair, it is easy for me to identify with the cliche “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff". I feel this mantra deeply within my soul, because, truth is, I can’t sweat it. I can't afford to spend the strength or energy on the trivial.

This truly is a blessing!

My dad’s new pair of glasses meant he could accept both of our diseases because it was reality…Good, bad or ugly.... It is life. Acceptance, understanding, and loving what life has to offer is much easier than distorting, blocking and making things bigger than what they are.

Battling an illness is not easy, however experiencing life with real glasses is. Eyeglasses that help us see what’s most important, during this holiday season and throughout the year, which is-Faith, Family and Friends…the rest is...well, small stuff.

Oh...and the great news is..as for the big stuff...the major stuff in life. I don't need glasses, God is carrying me through those times. I have blind faith that everything will work out for the good.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

From The Crazy Thyroid Lady!

It is not too late!! Get your copy of Wow Your Mom Really is Crazy before Christmas. I have gotten a lot of feedback, that this book is an excellent quick read for your friends and family to help them better understand what you are going through with your thyroid disease. This book is available on Amazon, Barnes and Noble, Kobo and iBooks.