by Bj Binning

Created on: July 29, 2008

For almost a year I had been an emotional wreck, but I convinced myself that this was what happened after your mid-thirties. When the symptoms persisted, I went to see my doctor and asked her how old a person had to be before they began the menopausal process because I was sure that I was at that point in my life. After discussing that as a possibility, with reluctance, my doctor checked my hormone levels. However, this was a false alarm; my levels were normal.

After my initial check-up, I went back to my doctor to further discuss my worries. During one point in our discussion, she suddenly began staring at me in a peculiar manner. She asked me if my thyroid glands had always been as large as they were on that particular day. My response was that I did not know what size they were supposed to be and had never really noticed them before. Immediately, she determined that there was something unusual going on and directed me to get a thyroid blood test done.

For a year, I had been having the following symptoms, which I explained to my doctor:

Weight loss
Muscle weakness
Warm moist skin
Hair loss
Heat intolerance
Severe nervousness
Fatigue
Insomnia
Trembling hands
Acne

The test that I had to take was a simple one, a basic blood test to check my thyroid levels. The results came in, and my thyroid levels were indeed abnormal. This prompted my doctor to send me to get a thyroid scan, which confirmed that I had two abnormal nodules growing on my thyroid gland, which was causing my body to attack itself. This is known as hyperthyroidism.

This was the day that my life flashed before my eyes. I was always the healthiest person around, and the poster girl for good health. Sure, I would get a cold every now and again, but I was never seriously ill. I exercised every day, ate the right foods, and prided myself on an excellent sense of hygiene. Yet here I was thirty - something, minding my own businessand then learning that I might have a very serious health issue! What did this mean for me? Was I going to die? Did I need surgery? I was at a loss for words, and in my head I was simultaneously planning my will.

Hyperthyroidism, the doctor explained me, is the medical term to describe the signs and symptoms associated with an over-production of thyroid hormone. Although there are several different causes of hyperthyroidism, she said, most of the symptoms that patients experience are the same regardless of the cause.

A patient with hyperthyroidism usually has a metabolism that can

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