It was around six years ago that my
sister got married. Now the one thing that my entire extended family
and friends started relating to my sister's marriage, after a good
six months or so, was how I had suddenly gained weight. And when I
say I gained weight, I mean I went on from 52 kg to 64 kg in six
months and then to 78 kg in another six months. Initially, I did not
pay much attention to the extra kilos I kept piling on. After the
first 6-8, I blamed it all on binging to overcome the void that my
sister's absence had created. And I do not blame myself for it too.
After her marriage, I was still scouting for jobs and sitting for
campus placements, having finished my final semester of engineering.
I had a lot of time at my disposal and would spend most of it
stationed on a bean bag with my laptop and food as my constant
companions. I thought that it was all the feel-good food that I kept
downing continuously that made me discard all my clothing for no
longer being the right size. From jeans to shirts and dresses, it was
all going to the no-longer-fits-me shelf in my wardrobe. But it
wasn't before I noticed some other major changes in my body that an
alarm rang and I knew this was something serious, something that
needed medical attention. A visit to my family doctor and a few blood
tests later, I was told I was suffering from hypothyroidism. She gave
me references of a few endocrinologists Chandigarh had and
suggested I visit one at the earliest.
I am sure there will be other women out
there who can relate to my story. I did learn quite a lot from my own
experience with dealing with hypothyroidism and I wouldn't blame
anyone of you who might be ignoring potential symptoms, just the way
I did. But real queens fix each other's crowns and that's precisely
what I am going to do here. During the course of time, my body
underwent drastic transformations which I will be listing down below.
I hope, unlike me, you do not overlook these signs that could be
signalling you to pay a visit to an endocrinologist at the earliest.
- Unexplained and sudden weight gain: As I mentioned earlier, I put on quite a lot of weight and that too in a very short span of time. Now, if you too observe that you are putting on weight without any sudden lifestyle and diet changes, you might want to consult your family doctor first, just the way I did. Your family doctor is your first step as he/she will recommend a few blood tests that will help determine the medical cause, if any. Now, it may not always happen that your weight gain will be related to hypothyroidism or for that matter any other ailment. But being sure is mandatory.
- Feeling lethargic: I always had this feeling of tiredness which would begin the moment I would open my eyes and plan to step out of bed. The urge to lay in bed a little longer is not new to anyone of us, but when it extends to hours before you actually have to drag yourself out of bed, every single morning, it is not a good feeling, trust me. Another marker here is your hours of sleep. If you notice that you are sleeping more than you otherwise do, on a regular basis, your body could be telling you something which you definitely should not ignore.
- Hair loss: This was one of the major triggers that pushed me to go and consult a doctor. Which woman does not love her hair? Imagine my plight when I saw my thick mane of wavy tresses start thinning in no time. I actually had to run my fingers deep down my mane to be able to feel my scalp and then one fine day, as I ran my fingers into my hair, I could easily feel my scalp. Now that frightened me like never before! I was envied by my sister right from childhood for my luscious locks and here I was standing in front of the mirror staring at a visibly flat hair surface on my crown area. This is when I knew I had to take control of the situation as enough damage has already been done.
- Prolonged sadness: I conveniently let myself believe that being left alone post my sister's marriage was the cause of my sad and gloomy behaviour at all times. Turned out I was wrong all along. That did leave me sad but wasn't the reason for my behavioural patterns and constant disinterest in everything around me. The blues I was feeling were more medical symptoms and less of what I forced myself to believe.
Once I put two and two together and
assessed the entire situation, I sensed the need to consult a doctor.
On my family practitioner's recommendation, I did see an
endocrinologist who took matters into her hands. It has been four
months since my treatment has started and I can already see a
difference. I did waste a lot of time before seeking medical
attention but if you notice these symptoms, you must not turn a blind
eye to it. Jump into action and visit a doctor. Though these were a
few symptoms that I noticed which acted as a catalyst in making me
visit my doctor, you might notice these or other signs, which could
be indicating you to take control of the situation. My experience
with endocrinologists in chandigarh has been exemplary and I
am glad to have found the right course of treatment through them.
