I Have Hypothyroidism

by Jane
(USA)

I was born with hypothyroidism in August 1973. This is before they regularly tested babies using the PKU test at birth to see if there were going to be health problems for the baby. I was told by my parents that when I was still a baby, I was diagnosed as hypothyroid, which means that my thyroid gland does not on its own produce enough thyroxin for me to live, and therefore i must take synthetic thyroxin every day. They told my parents that I would be sterile, mentally retarded, a dwarf, and dead by the age of fifteen. I am thirty five years old, I have borne two children, one of whom survived and is now almost eleven years old. I am five feet four inches tall and have an IQ in the mid 130's. The doctors were either alarmists or they really didn't have a clear understanding of what my symptoms were. One thing they did not predict is the onset, at puberty, of my bipolar disorder. I have been told by my doctors that this is a physiological condition having to do with the hormonal imbalance caused by my thyroid condition. I am on medication for my bipolar disorder too, and will be taking both medications for the rest of my life. The bright side of all this is that in this enlightened age, I am living a nice quiet normal life, I have a great job, a great son, and a lot of support around me. If I have to take a couple of pills every day, I am more than happy to do it.