The thyroid gland

Anonymous
May 25, 2009 at 7:27 am

The thyroid gland is a gland in the lower part of your neck. A person can’t live without a thyroid because it carries certain hormones in the body that are very vital. But it can be surgically removed and meds are then given to replace that missing hormone. Alot of things can happen to a thyroid. The thyroid can become overactive or underactive and then some people can get thyroid cancer. Depending on what the thyroid is doing meaning hyper or hypo. A Hyperactive thyroid can cause weight loss, hair thinning, brittle nails, nervousness, lack of sleep. It can make your body feel like its going haywire. Hypo you can gain weight and have simular symptoms. Some people can get thyroiditis. Inflammation of the gland. And that can cause problems. It can cause depression, anxiety attacks. All kinds of things. If the levels get too low in hormone a person can go into a thyroid storm and that can cause death if not treated in time. Just like a seroius diabetic! If they don’t get the proper insulin they can go into a coma because they can’t produce insulin they have to watch their sugar levels several times a day. The thyroid almost works in the same way. Sometimes trauma to the body can cause a thyroid gland to stop functioning properly. The longer it goes untreated the more damage it can do! Trust me! It stinks! LOL!I landed myself a thyroid problem last year right after I had surgery on my spine and that sucker was giving me a fit! I thought I was going to climb the walls going insane. It was the strangest feelling andI thought I was going to die! They found a multi nodular thyroid goider and one of them was hot! Meaning it was cancer. My thyroid got removed and I now take Synthroid and am doing much better. My nails are back to normal, my hair has thickened back and I feel alot better. I see an Endrocrinologist ever 3 months for it now to get the levels checked with the Synthroid. Making sure the hormone stays in the normal limits.
But you do have two symptoms here! I noticed hair thinning and brittle nails though before my surgery but thought it was Lupus causing it. A simple lab test will show if the thyroid is acting up. But it would pay to get this checked out. Good luck!
Linda H