Ana, 33, Spain
“A little gland I had hardly heard about before. Suddenly it became the cause of all my problems: weariness, weakness, weight increase, sensation of coldness, menstrual disorders, my hair falling out and emotional changes. I had had these symptoms until then but I had never thought it could be because of a thyroid dysfunction. It was like reaching the light at the end of a tunnel, finally I wasn’t going to feel weird anymore.”
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Lisa, 28, UK
“Looking back now, I think it was easier for those closest to me to recognise the physical and emotional changes caused by my thyroid problem than for me to see it myself.
Being a woman, you automatically put mood swings and weight changes as part of ‘that time of the month’. Apparently, my experience with thyroid disorder is really common. I just wish I had seen my doctor sooner rather than suffering for so long and continually dismissing my symptoms.”
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Fredrik, 28, Sweden
“I first started feeling unwell when I was 16 years old. At that time in a boy’s life it’s not unusual for them to feel tired all the time, become lethargic and seem lazy, which is why it took years to get diagnosed. It got to the point where my friends and family had nicknamed me ‘Zombie’. I found this very frustrating as I was a sporty boy in a sleepy boy’s body.”
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Michel, 52, UK
“My symptoms included tremor in my hands and swelling in my eyes, both were really distressing and made me extremely depressed. I also suffered memory loss which affected my concentration. I couldn’t talk to my family and friends as I found it hard to talk to anyone about my symptoms. I just kept putting off going to the doctor until I got worse and my husband said that he did not recognise me. Then I went to see my doctor.”
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