In February I entered the Miss North Miami beauty pageant, and within 24 hours I could not get my heart to stop racing, even while just laying in bed relaxing. 48 hours after that I was rushed to the hospital because my heart rate would not go down and I was starting to have chest pains. This was on February 13th 2003.
It was then that I learned that my thyroid had gotten completly out of control. The doctor at the hospital put me on stronger beta blockers and set up an apointment for me to see an endocrinologist. Originally I went to see an endocrinologist for adults, but being only 17 at the time and feeling very scared, the doctor not being used to dealing with teenagers only scared me more. I called my doctor and asked to be switched to a pediatric endocrinologist, who was much better, and helped me feel a little less frightened about the whole situation. He also increased my beta blockers and ordered me to rest - which meant doing absolutly nothing that would increase my heart rate - and not being allowed to do anything for my 18th birthday except rest in bed.
After my 18th birthday had been ruined, I had a thyroid oblation the following day. That meant taking a Radioactive Iodine pill that would dissolve my thyroid. It also meant that I was not allowed to be in the same room as people for a week because I was radioactive. After my thyroid was completly dissolved I was started on Synthroid.
Since then I have now been switched from Synthroid to Levoxyl and most recently to Armour. Unfortunatly for me I have had the same problem as most people, and that is keeping my medicine regulated. But hopefully the Armour will help with that!
When this all started I was 17, a freshman in college, knew no one who had ever had thyroid problems, and was scared. All I really wanted was to hear from someone that had been through the same thing and have them tell my that "I know you are scared, but in the end it will really be ok... " So I have created this website because it is my mission to try and help others from going through the same thing that I did, and be here to tell you "I know you are scared, but in the end it will be ok!"
