This guest post was originally posted in April of 2015, based on personal experience provided of Fabienne Heymanns and Pearl Thomas. I have since developed new articles and resources for Hashimoto’s that might be helpful for you. For the latest information on the topics discussed in this post, please visit the following:
- Strategies to Overcome Hair Loss with Hashimoto’s
- Brain Fog and Hashimoto’s
- 11 Strategies to Overcome Hashimoto’s Fatigue
- Is Hashimoto’s a Surgical Disease
- Top 10 Thyroid Tests and How to Interpret Them
- Is Gluten the Root Cause of Your Thyroid Condition?
- Is Blasto Behind Your Hashimoto’s, Hives and IBS?
I’m pleased to announce that Hashimoto’s Awareness has just received non-for profit status.
Hashimoto’s Awareness was founded by two very passionate women from New York, Fabienne Heymanns and Pearl Thomas.
Fabienne and Pearl reached out to me in 2014 and told me about their vision to create a center of empowerment for people with Hashimoto’s! I immediately volunteered to be a part of their advisory board to help them make it happen.
Additionally, I am joined on the advisory by a few of my favorite Hashimoto’s experts: Dr. Alan Christianson, Dr. Datis Kharazzian, Stacey Robbins, Dana Trentini (Hypothyroid Mom), Mickey Trescott (author of the amazing Autoimmune Paleo Cookbook), and Marc Ryan, L.Ac.
Fabienne’s Journey:
It is truly by accident that I was diagnosed after being sick nearly all my life. I experienced highs and lows, as you all know, I am sure! The symptoms included brain fog, extreme fatigue, joint pain, hair loss, thinning skin, sensitivity to perfumes, just to name a few.
By February 2012, my immune system was at its worst! Menopause only made matters worse. I was scheduled for surgery to remove one of my parathyroid glands which was inflamed to twice its normal size! The scan of the thyroid gland showed many patches on the tissue and a biopsy confirmed Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Yeahh, thank you God!! Ironically, one of the best days of my life!! I finally had an answer to my question about why I had all these symptoms. I finally confirmed that “NO, I wasn’t crazy” all these years!
The surgery was supposed to be a minor procedure. But, my body, after fighting all these years, on every level of my being, was emotionally, psychologically, and physically exhausted.
After the surgery, I was not waking up from the anesthesia. The entire day went by and still I wasn’t coming back from the place between life and death. To keep the story short, I finally woke up with the determination to make a difference for all the people that are in despair, struggling with Hashimoto’s, and who don’t know how or where to look for support.
All my life, the medical field insisted that all my lab tests were normal and therefore they claimed that my symptoms must be of psychological origin. I promised myself that no one should ever be in this position ever again and from there everything changed!
After reading Dr. Datis Kharrazian’s book, “Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms When My Lab Tests Are Normal?” I researched and found a Functional Practitioner in NYC. I learned the critical importance to stop eating gluten completely. I started taking the right supplements according to Dr. Kharrazian’s protocol and I started to feel significantly better.
Although the journey is ongoing, I have a strong support system and a great community as a resource when I need it. Today, I live a productive life in NYC and dedicate my days to empowering others with Hashimoto’s to live a symptom-free life.
Pearl’s Journey:
I was diagnosed with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis in February of 2012. I was fortunate enough to have been referred to a wonderful integrative physician who gave me proper testing for early diagnosis. Months leading up to my appointment, my personal trainer noticed my energy levels going down in our high-intensity workouts. I was cranky, my hairline was thinning and I was experiencing 2-3 inch hives on my calves, that were itchy, brown colored and stuck around up to three weeks. I took action and made an appointment for blood work.
Two weeks later, at my follow up appointment, I was diagnosed. My TSH and TPO levels were off the charts. I was instructed to start a natural hormone medication Nature-throid, stop eating gluten, wheat, soy, and dairy and was instructed to start adding supplements: such as Liquid D3, B-12, Omega 3’s, a powered form of probiotics, and meditation.
At the time, I realized this was a serious condition and it was time to act NOW. I chose to start doing some research. Fortunately, I stumbled across a book by Dr. Datis Kharrazian, who some call, the Functional Medicine Guru, the book is called, ” Why am I still having thyroid symptoms, when my lab tests are normal?” and I started reading. I found out that Hashimoto’s disease was killing my immune system, brain function, and circulatory system. This book was my best friend. His research gave me hope that I could put this disease in remission quickly. I followed his protocol diet and began my journey to remission.
Six months later after following Datis’s protocol diet, I was sleeping better, finally losing weight, my hair was thicker, and I was no longer depressed or experiencing anxiety attacks. It was working. Changing my diet was working! I then went for my next round of blood work and my results came back, my TSH and TPO were now in normal range! My doctor stated, “You are a miracle walking. I have not yet seen someone’s levels go up so quickly.” I was in full remission from the disease. And in that moment, I knew this was possible for others.
Today, after three years in remission, I’ve dedicated my life to being of service in the Hashimoto’s community. And through that, I am the Co-Founder and Co-Creative Director of the not-for-profit, Hashimoto’s Awareness. I work alongside of an incredibly talented and driven friend and kindred spirit, Fabienne Heymans, who is also in remission from the disease. As we work with some of the top experts in the community, we have a great vision for this organization and how we might be of service in many ways to others. We are committed to bringing clarity to the community that is in need of education on this serious disease and we believe we will make the difference worldwide.
What I will share with others struggling with the disease is that you are not alone. And remission is possible if you’re willing to do the work. We are here to support you in an empowering way and we promise your journey to remission will be inspiring, powerful, and supported by a community that stands as your greatest fans.
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