Do you know the difference between tiredness and fatigue?

How many times do you say, think, or feel I’m tired?  I do.

Do you know the difference between just being tired and being fatigued? I considered them pretty equal until now.

Do you ever wish you had more energy? Um, of course who doesn’t?!?

I often need a nap because often a nap is the only way I can feel re-energized.  However, there was a time my naps were cause for concern…

…it was late summer in 2004 when I decided to run a marathon. I turned 30 and had a “things to do at least once in my life or before I die” list.  Running a marathon was number 2, right after skydiving.  So I went to a Team In Training information meeting, talked to the coaches, and took home some information.  A week later I joined the Fall team and began the grueling process of training to run a marathon.

I was excited and emailed my old college track coach.  He thought it was funny that a sprinter was running distance — so the challenge was on!  We ran our long runs on Saturdays and at first they weren’t very long.  Newbies such as me started out with 2 miles and gradually worked up in distance.  When I reached the distance of 10 miles, I noticed that I started taking ridiculously long naps after each run!  I would sleep the entire afternoon, wake up and go back to bed for the rest of the night!

I couldn’t believe I was so tired. I consulted my primary care physician and his response was, “Of course, you’re tired you’re running 10 miles. Stop doing it and you won’t be so tired.”  I was disappointed in how quickly he dismissed my concerns.  The tiredness didn’t go away.   A few weeks later I went back to him he ordered a test for mono.  The test came back negative but the tiredness remained.

It wasn’t until about a month later at my annual gynecologist appointment that I finally got an answer.   I mentioned how tired I was feeling to the nurse practitioner and she assured me that it sounded unusual. She ordered a full thyroid panel test.

I’m glad she did because it turned out I had hypothyroidism…

The MayoClinic.com defines fatigue as a lack of motivation to do anything, accompanied with a desire to sleep.  Lifestyle, psychological and medical conditions are all factors that are associated with fatigue, including thyroid disorders such as hypothyroidism (under-active thyroid) and hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid).

The Thyroid Gland

Our thyroid gland is butterfly shaped and sits just above our collarbone in our neck.  It produces the hormones thyroxine (T-4) and triiodothyronine (T-3). T-4 and T-3 help regulate our metabolism and extract energy from food.  Calcitonin is also produced by our thyroid to help control the amount of calcium in our blood.

Two Types

There are two basic types of a thyroid disorder:

Hypothyroidism, an under-active thyroid, is when your thyroid doesn’t produce enough hormone. Hashimoto’s disease is a form of hypothyroidism.

Hyperthyroidism, an overactive thyroid, is when your thyroid produces too much hormone.  Grave’s disease is a form of hyperthyroidism associated with the overproduction of T-4.

Testing

There are two types of thyroid test. One only measures the level of thyroid stimulating hormone in your blood and the other measures the levels of T-4 and T-3.  I believe it is important to ask for a full thyroid panel.

Why? Because the first test my primary care physician ordered only looked at my TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) levels and they were fine. The problem was found in the second test (a full thyroid panel) ordered by my nurse practitioner.  My uptake was low.

Basically, the pituitary gland was telling my thyroid, “hey we need more hormone!”

My thyroid was releasing it but my body wasn’t converting it fast enough.  So my pituitary gland kept thinking I needed more and my thyroid was responding, “I’m giving her all she’s got Captain!” (yes, I’ve seen all the original star trek movies and am looking forward to the new revamped ones to come!)

I now take a synthetic hormone that basically helps my body efficiently use the hormones produced by my thyroid.

Why the concern?

• This disease affects not only women, but men too.

• This disease is mostly associated with senior women and men when the metabolism is expected to slow. However, thyroid disorders can develop at any age. I was only 30 when I was diagnosed.

• According to American Thyroid Association Guidelines for Detection of Thyroid Dysfunction, adults should be screened for thyroid disfunction beginning at age 35 and continuing every 5 years.

• Thyroid disease and Celiac Disease appear to go hand in hand according to an article by the Gluten Intolerance Group and listed as reference on the National Institute of Health’s website.

• January is thyroid awareness month.

Those crazy long naps and feeling so tired all the time coupled with weight gain were symptoms of my thyroid disease. I felt unsure of myself especially when my own primary care physician was telling me that nothing was wrong with me.

This is a disease that affects millions of people (men and women) and is easily misdiagnosed.  It is important to know our family history and to accurately fill out those charts for our doctor.  It is also important to communicate with our physicians and if they aren’t listening then seek someone who will.  I was lucky my nurse practitioner took the time to listen to me and ordered the right tests.  Oh and, of course, I found a new primary care physician.