Thyroid Disease – Am I Going To Die? No, LoL!

— written by Brodie Forrester —

In grade 7, I found myself miserable all the time. I just assumed it was normal.

By grade 8, I was still miserable, but now I had gained a bunch of weight, yet my eating habits hadn’t changed.

My mom decided to take me to the doctor, and sure enough, like my mother and grandmother, I found out that I have thyroid disease.

Like many other diseases, thyroid disease is hereditary. It scared me so much; I was 13 years old and my first thought was, ‘am I going to die?’.

Of course the answer is no. LoL!

Getting it under control has been difficult.
Mood swings, sleepless nights, anxiety, it was awful, and it took about a year to get the right dosage of medication.

I still suffer from symptoms and stress is definitely NOT my friend – I’m in grade 10 and the pressures of high school are a challenge, however, with the support of my family, friends, teachers and counselors, I’ve managed pretty well.

With proper diet, exercise and positive interactions, it’s not so bad, and, a good sense of humour is very important to my overall well-being.