Last week I was out for a walk and missed a call from my GP, he left a message saying he needed to talk to me about my thyroid. I’d had a blood test the week before and he was ringing about the results.
I’ve had a thyroid condition for 13 years and it’s the “why” behind my work as a Nutritional Therapist. So I rang the surgery the next day and they gave me my results.
Not what I was expecting at all!
A major milestone on my path to wellness
My thyroid was running too high, both T4 and T3 (the hormones that regulate weight, energy levels, temperature, skin, hair, nail growth, metabolism and many more things), were running higher than the top end of normal.
Wow, I was truly excited, this is the first time this has ever happened and is just what I’ve been hoping for for years.
My thyroid has been underactive for over 13 years and Thyroid replacement therapy has been a part of my life for most of that time. It’s what inspired me to train as a Nutritional Therapist. However, these latest test results surprised me— as they indicate I can start lowering my dose.
This is a major milestone on my path to wellness.
This is what I’ve been aiming for since I started my journey to better health. My ultimate goal is to stop taking the tablets that have kept my body functioning for the last 13 years and this feels like the first step on that journey.
The breakdown
To give you a bit of history, I had 2 years of constantly feeling both exhausted and wired before my body finally collapsed in March 2011 and I ended up in A&E. The upshot of that visit was that my thyroid wasn’t working. A condition called Myxoedemic Crisis. This is the extreme version of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hypothyroidism.
I was put on medication but as my body was so depleted I couldn’t make use of it. This was a pivotal moment for me. I had trusted medics and the NHS to look after me, I had worked in the NHS and come from a family of doctors. What now? The medication didn’t work. I had to find a different way to help myself.
How did I feel?
Things were both too fast and too slow. I spent a month in bed and then, very slowly, started to build my life again but wow was it hard.
I had no idea what my body was doing or what help it needed. I felt like I didn’t know where to turn or who to ask for help. I felt lost. I was buzzing and exhausted and had no idea what to do about it.
I was 50 and my hormones were changing because of menopause but I had no idea then that this was the reason.
The lightbulb moment
It took me a few years to understand what had been happening. The lightbulb moment came when I met an amazing man, a retired Endocrinologist in his 80s, working as a Nutritional Therapist, and passionate about helping those with thyroid problems not responding to conventional treatment.
This extraordinary man, who decided not to practice as a doctor any more so that he could help people like me, started me on a thyroid replacement (containing both T4 and T3) not Thyroxine and not available on prescription. While this treatment has been crucial, it’s not cheap, it has to be ordered privately from the USA and that’s another reason why I’m so determined to ultimately regain my thyroid’s natural function and therefore stop needing it.
My new approach
The new medication he prescribed was just the start, I then had to start to help my body to use the therapy and get the systems working again. They had slowed down so much in 2011 that they were struggling to get started again.
I started with good food. Even before I’d collapsed I had massively cut down on sugar, and I’d started relying on it for energy. I had also cut down on gluten because I realised I felt better without it, at this stage I had no idea how important this was or any of the science behind why being gluten-free is so significant with thyroid disease.
He also suggested some supplements to support Thyroid Health which gave my energy levels a massive kickstart and helped my adrenal function which had taken a battering.
I also started looking more closely at my gut health. This is such an important asset of our health and it’s taken years of careful attention, to really get my gut into a place where I feel it is supporting me and helping me to stay well.
Inspired to train as a Nutritional Therapist
A casual chat with a close friend during my recovery turned out to be a turning point. As we discussed my health struggles, the idea of nutritional therapy emerged. She mentioned an upcoming open day at CNM, and suddenly, a new possibility ignited within me. With a renewed sense of hope, I signed up, determined to regain control of my health and create a life I truly wanted to live.
Over the past decade, I’ve embarked on an incredible journey of learning and self-discovery. I’ve pushed my boundaries, experimented, and achieved far more than I ever imagined possible.
So hearing my GP’s recent news – that my thyroid is finally starting to function on its own – is showing that I am starting to achieve my ultimate purpose. It was a moment of pure joy and a testament to how far I’ve come. So now I think you can probably see why I was so excited to get the call!
This condition very often (but not always) affects women around the age of menopause and can cause them to be on medication for the rest of their life. It has become my passion to help these women not feel this way and to support their bodies to recover and work efficiently without medication.
Your breakthrough moment
If you are constantly feeling exhausted, taking thyroid medication or not feeling yourself. If you can’t muster the passion for life that you would really like then please get in touch. I’d love to hear more. Helping myself has really inspired me to support others in their journey to better health as they age. If you want some of that too then let’s talk.
Dear Alice, I’m so happy to hear your news! Bravo to you xx
Wow wow wow sooooooo happy for you and thanks for sharing and giving me hope