Thyroid Dilemmas

DrVinodAbichandanianswers frequently asked questions about thyroid and how it affects the body.

- Dr Vinod Abichandani

Case history

This article is the story of a patient with a thyroid disorder. She is a qualified nutritionist and a fitness buff.

For the past one year, Ms A has been battling with health issues. Ms A was in the U.S.A for eight weeks when she first started noticing symptoms that seemed very unlikely of her. She had a puffy face, fluid retention around the thighs, strange sinking sensation, dry skin and suddenly gained three and a half kilos. Ms A felt irritable and exhausted all the time.

Ms A suspected something was wrong, but as a health expert and someone who looked after herself nutritionally and physically, she had no idea what it was. After returning to India, initially, Ms A attempted to tackle the condition herself by modifying her diet and resorting to a more vigorous workout. But these efforts proved futile and finally, she sought the opinion of her family practitioner. Even after a few weeks of taking a prescribed multivitamin preparation, things didn't improve for her. Ms A's family doctor then referred her to a consultant physician who recommended a battery of blood tests. She was shocked to hear that she had a thyroid problem called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. She was in utter disbelief with the diagnosis. None of this was making sense to her as she thought she eats so well, doesn't take any prescription medicine, manages her stress well and lives a balanced life yet she has developed a health condition. Ms A's self-esteem took a hit and she felt confused and lost.

The article is a conversation between an endocrine expert and the patient, focusing on the functioning of the thyroid gland, how it affects the well-being of a person and how to better manage the conditions of the thyroid.