Living With Chronic Diseases (Part 1)

Living with chronic conditions can be tricky, especially if the symptoms are not constant or even consistent. Currently I live with IBS and other lower GI issues, which I have had for almost 20 years. Sure, the symptoms are annoying and can be severe at times, and with a family history of colon cancer, sometimes gives me anxiety, especially during a flare up which causes me to lose a good amount of blood (TMI?).

A more recent condition that has been diagnosed is hypothyroidism, which is basically my thyroid not wanting to participate in all of the responsibilities it is usually tasked with completing. I only found that it wasn’t working when I went in to the doctors (reluctantly) when I was in pain, living with a 5/10 on the pain scale, with some moments being 25/10. I had back surgery about 10 years ago for two herniated discs (laminectomy of L4-L5 and S1-S2), which at the time I had tried to “walk off.” Yes, I can be stubborn at times. Well, after seeing the doctor, I had to get a check up, including labs since the last time I had been to a doctor was five years ago, when I was a student at Oregon State University, and that was just for birth control (Mirena, which I highly recommend), so no labs were done. The results of my lab were good except for my thyroid; I will be starting medication to help with managing the symptoms this week.

I did some research and found out that the thyroid is responsible for more than metabolism, but also plays a role in heart and digestive functions, muscle control, brain development, and bone maintenance, as well as nerve entrapment syndromes, fatigue, depression, and irritability (Roberts & Ladenson, 2004). These symptoms, along with my weight gain and chronic back pain, in conjunction with living in a place that challenges my sanity all combine for a miserable existence, which are exacerbated by the hot weather associated with living in West Texas. 

However, we are taking steps to change what we can...moving to another state, taking medication, trying to stress less and get more sleep, as well as keeping active when my body allows and attending physical therapy a few times per week. It’s hard to separate chronic illness symptoms from personality, but I know that I am capable of being happy, and I know that with some conscious changes, I can regain that feeling.

Reference

Roberts, C. & Ladenson, P. (2004). Hypothyroidism. The Lancet, 363(9411), 793-803.