Thyroid: An Evil Little Gland

My name is Jayne Denker, and I’m hypothyroid.

It’s not like I wanted to be; I didn’t have a choice. Thyroid problems run in the family (I found out way late in my life, after contracting the disease myself) and also runs rampant in my part of the country, although no one knows quite why.

See, that’s the problem: Nobody knows much about thyroid disease, not even endocrinologists, who are supposed to specialize in fighting this particular form of evil. Why is it so hard to understand the workings of the thyroid? Theories abound. Mainly it’s because the thyroid is pretty complex. Plus (getting cynical now), because thyroid disease affects mostly women, for decades—hell, racking up centuries now—it’s been dismissed as a “woman’s problem”…that is, when it’s recognized at all. Too frequently doctors see an overweight, miserable, distraught woman in their exam room and figure she’s looking for a “diet pill” so she can continue to eat 12 boxes of Ring-Dings every night. They tell her to get lost, clamp her mouth shut, and go get her fat ass to the gym.

I know. It happened to me.

You can read more about it at a fantastic Web site called DearThyroid.com. My article was published today, only one in a long line of personal accounts of thyroid disease (and thyroid cancer) that the Wonder Women at DearThyroid publish every day. They also post tons of articles that help thyroid sufferers cope with the myriad ways this terrible disease manifests.

The word needs to get out; there are too many women (and men) out there who might very well have thyroid problems and not even know it. So check it out. DearThyroid could help you or someone you love…before it’s too late.

Update 5/2/10: FYI, the DearThyroid site has been having some technical difficulties, and my link may not work. They hope to have everything restored by later in the week, fingers crossed, so please try to get to my piece later. Thanks!

Update 5/6/10: The DearThyroid site is back up and running and safe to visit. My letter has been reposted, so the links above are working fine. Go check it out!