From Struggle to Healing: Transforming Thyroid Health with Hillary’s Journey

What if you could transform your life by understanding and treating your thyroid condition more effectively? Join me in an eye-opening conversation with Hillary, a nurse practitioner at Modern Thyroid Clinic, as she shares her personal battle with hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's. From the pressures of nursing school to the rigors of college athletics, Hillary faced a tumultuous journey before finally receiving her diagnosis. Her story underscores the life-changing potential of comprehensive thyroid care and the importance of persistence and self-advocacy.

Discover the critical differences between conventional and functional thyroid care approaches. Hillary sheds light on the shortcomings of traditional treatments that rely solely on T4 medications like levothyroxine. We discuss the benefits of comprehensive thyroid panels for accurate diagnosis and how medications like Armour, which offer a broader spectrum of thyroid hormones, can lead to more effective and tailored patient care. This segment will equip you with vital knowledge to better navigate the complexities of thyroid treatment.

Lastly, we delve into the emotional and psychological toll that untreated thyroid issues can have on a person. Through heartfelt anecdotes and professional insights, we explore the importance of holistic wellness, self-care, and breaking free from societal stigmas. From the struggle to feel heard by healthcare providers to the joy of reclaiming one's life after receiving the right treatment, this episode is a testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Tune in for a powerful reminder that everyone deserves to feel good and live fully.

Transcript

Speaker 1: 0:02

I'm so excited. Today I am getting ready to record a podcast with my functional medicine physician. How cool is that? Yes, so you know I've done other podcasts with McCall at Modern Thyroid Clinic. Now I'm actually going to interview today. Her name is Hillary. She's going to be with us. I'm so excited, so we're getting ready to go on here in just a minute.

Speaker 1: 0:26

But I wanted to introduce this part of the podcast because this, literally, thyroid care has changed my life and I want to share it with the world, and so I'm excited to have Hillary join us today to share her experience. She's also a thyroid patient, she's also a PA. She has all the experience, all the expertise has went into functional medicine, has learned everything that she needs to learn from McCall to help you live your very best life. I know for me, thyroid care has completely changed everything that I do with my life. It's changed the way that I look, it's changed the way that I feel. It's just, it's changed everything. It's changed my outlook, and so I'm excited to bring this to you today. So tune in very soon and I will see you all inside the podcast. Bye-bye for now.

Speaker 2: 1:22

You are listening to the intuitiveuitive Healing Connection, where intuitive healing connects with everyday living. Hi, my name is Gina Stroll and I am your host. I am best known as the down-to-earth energy healer that doesn't sugarcoat the truth. I walk my clients through the healing process so they can find freedom from their emotional pain, heal from their past and find peace and joy again. If you are interested in healing your emotional past, tapping into your spiritual side to receive your own answers, finding your own clarity and discovering your own spiritual truths, then you are in the right place own spiritual truths then you are in the right place. I am here to lead the way and to help you discover your own intuitive healing connection.

Speaker 1: 2:13

Welcome to today's podcast. I'm so excited I have one of my favorite people here with me. I've been able to get to know Hillary this last year or so I don't know for sure how long it's been, but almost a year. It has been crazy. So I'm excited to have Hillary here with us and I'm going to let her introduce herself and then we're just going to dive right into today's podcast because it's going to be marvelous.

Speaker 3: 2:39

So yeah, well, I'm Hillary. I'm a nurse practitioner, I work for Modern Thyroid Clinic and one of the best experiences of my life to work for them. I have a history of hypothyroidism and Hashimoto's and that journey just has really spurred me to try to get the word out about thyroid care and looking at it in a different way and then just helping as many women as I can get their lives back Men too, but primarily women. We all know women primarily struggle with this but just getting helping people getting their life back after struggling with thyroid symptoms. So I'm excited to be here today and talk through kind of my experience and what I see and yeah, so I think that's all that you take over.

Speaker 1: 3:31

I'm excited to have you here because you have completely changed my life. Modern Thyroid Clinic has completely changed my life in the last year and a half. You know I don't even look like the same person anymore, because I'm sure you remember when you first met me versus today, like so many things have changed. So let's talk about your journey and getting where you are today, because the thing that I love about Modern Thyroid Clinic is that you all understand because you live it, because you're doing the same thing that we're doing. So tell me about your experience how, how did you get here?

Speaker 3: 4:10

I've always had this in the back of my mind that I was probably going to be one to struggle with thyroid symptoms. I remember probably being 16 and knowing that my mom had it, um, aunts, um, cousins, several people in my family, especially on my mom's side of the family, had hypothyroidism. And you know, of course, at 16, I thought, yeah, that's just probably something I'm going to deal with when I'm older, but for now I'm living life. Well, I think back on my twenties and probably a little bit into like my late teens. As far as like, how did I feel? And I truly think I started to see symptoms, probably around 20 years old, just going through the stress of nursing school. You know, I played college softball, so there was just a lot of demand there on my body that I think shifted so many things for me, and so probably I spent probably the first half of my twenties just like. I always had this like great memory in high school and like could remember anything, and school came really naturally to me, and then I got into college and I was like, why can't I remember anything? So I just I think back on those times and I thought, ah, it's just because it's a new adventure. It's stress, all those things which I think is so common for us to think of. It's just what I'm going through right now and while that yes, that might be true I think those stressors can really shift our hormones and how we, how our body, responds to that. Um, I think I was probably 25. Uh, no, no, no, I'm sorry, 27. I'm sorry when I kind of.

Speaker 3: 5:47

First, that's when I graduated from NP school, I had some blood work done. I worked for right out of school. I worked for a primary care clinic in a small town around me. She did a lot of hormone replacement therapy. It wasn't this like straight, you know, straight PCP. We did a lot of other types of things and that's kind of where I got introduced to hormones and decided one day I'm going to do my blood work. Well, that's kind of where my thyroid function at that fine. At that time I considered fine, um, before I really knew you know what I was getting into. But I did see that little Hashimoto's antibody number and it was low and I think I did a few things at that time to just kind of keep it at bay. But I didn't really think too much of it for myself. Symptoms at that point just started to progress.

Speaker 3: 6:37

I could, I could start to see them, but I was also going through another immense amount of stress with job transitions, working for a new. I mean it was just kind of a big change in my life. So once again blamed it on all of that. Then I mean, when I turned let's see, I probably turned 29, 30-ish, it was like 40 pounds came on. Um couldn't even think like I was working for um.

Speaker 3: 7:09

An orthopedic surgeon at the time Couldn't grasp anything Like we were. Probably I was probably six months in and every day in surgery it just felt like this is the first time I'm seeing it, cause I couldn't remember anything. So brain fog, weight gain, fatigue, you know, just trying to get as much sleep. I would come home, probably go to bed at like 7.30 as soon as I could, just so I could get more sleep. It still wasn't enough. So those are like my big major symptoms and I know so many women struggle with those. Once again didn't think anything of it because I wasn't really in that world anymore. I was in more of like an orthopedic type world, so kind of fast forward to when I had my daughter. So I had my daughter, she's three, almost three and a half now, and pregnancy was really hard and I once again thought, okay, it's just because it's the first time, I've never been pregnant before. But, like, the fatigue factor was horrible, and I know that's common in pregnancy anyway, but it was like I could spend 20 hours sleeping all day long, the entire time. So I never really got like that second trimester a little push of energy. I mean I could have slept all day, every single day, for 10 months and would have been perfectly fine. The problem is I have to make a living, right. So um, didn't. Once again, you know, thyroid was not really at the forefront of my mind. Um, I do look back on my blood work and go, oh my gosh, how do I have a? No wonder I could have slept 20 hours a day the entire time. Um and two, how do I have a good, healthy baby? I mean, it's just really by the grace of God, I think. But, um, I look back at my numbers and go, wow, like they were dangerously low from certain perspectives.

Speaker 3: 9:07

So then I had her. I was actually doing really well like kind of immediate postpartum, three, four months in and it was like, wow, where did this come from? So I'd felt pretty good. It was kind of this weird period. I don't know if it was just hormones, whatever. But it was this weird period right after I had her where I felt good and then shift quickly happened at three to four months and I actually put on 20 more pounds even though I had gotten back down to like my pre-baby weight.

Speaker 3: 9:37

Um, couldn't even I was back at work, couldn't even like think about medications that I'd prescribed for six plus years now, like what they did, what they were for. It was like what is that for Um patients, names that I had seen for two, three years. At that point um just couldn't come to me and and it was almost scary, almost to the point that I remember telling my husband like if this is how I feel at 31, what am I going to be like at 65? I can't even remember, you know, the simplest things to do, simplest tasks to do. So it was, it was kind of scary and um, that's kind of where.

Speaker 3: 10:18

I went to this hormone conference the clinic I was working for was starting to dig into a little bit more hormonal stuff and went to this conference once again, decided to get blood work and it was like there it is. You know, thyroid function was just at that. I mean, it was really actually just off, like obviously off. Luckily I had the foresight to be like you know what my mom takes armor, I want to take armor. I want to get on that immediately. So luckily I had that knowledge a little bit.

Speaker 3: 10:49

And then, when I didn't feel better immediately I was like there's got to be more to this and just really started to dig into hypothyroidism and trying to look at it in a different way and sought out as much counsel as I could from you know different types of people that were looking at thyroid from a different perspective. And then eventually just kind of got caught up with McCall and really harassed her just a little bit because I just felt this huge, this huge, this need to just reach out to her, like multiple times, like it was like there was this force that was keep wasn't keeping me from breaching out to her. So we you know I probably harassed her just a little bit being I either need to open up a clinic here where I'm from, or I need to work with you, or something, something is wrong with you. And anyway it ended up being one of the best decisions I've ever made.

Speaker 3: 11:48

So that's how I got with Modern Thyroid, but also my journey led me here too, and the things I heard even as a clinician, you know I don't want anybody to ever hear they. I heard them myself about your medicine, you're fine, and I'm like, no, I'm not fine, I'm 32 or whatever age I was that I can't sit here and like I can't think, I can't, I'm so tired. My daughter goes to bed at 730. She sleeps all night. There's not a reason like that, that, where I'm up all night, that explains this amount of fatigue.

Speaker 3: 12:23

So, you know, things that I was told just really spurred me to have a different perspective for, for women, um, who are going through this, to look at it from every aspect, that I could and and give them their life back. You know, um, because I do think overall, as women, we spend a lot of time just blaming things on everything else, like, oh, I have young kids, I have a stressful job, and while I do think those things affect how you feel, I think there can also be this driving force behind it too. That is just so important to get locked in and dialed in. So that's kind of what led me to Modern Thyroid and why I'm so passionate about helping women just get their life back and be able to be the mom they want, to be the wife they want to be business owner whatever it is that they want in their life. I want them to be able to have that capacity to go and do so. That's me kind of in a nutshell. Hopefully I answered your question well.

Speaker 1: 13:25

It's beautiful and I love listening to you because I went through a lot of the similar experiences. Only, I went through it a lot longer than you did. I was looking back and I thought it was like 22 years. But I'm like you. I think I started in my late teens having symptoms but didn't realize it, because I remember I was diagnosed with Epstein-Barr virus in high school and I was out, down and out for like a long time. I didn't go to school for a while and and I was thinking back on that the other day and I was like, I know when that there was some shift, something happened in there, like you know, and I'm 50 years old now and it's just been in the last year and a half that I've discovered all of this. And I'm like you I yell it to the rooftops, people start talking to me and I went to my doctor today and they put me on. I was like, oh my gosh, quit messing around with this and let's get some serious care.

Speaker 1: 14:15

Like because I don't want anyone to have to go on as long as. I did and live with those symptoms and it's terrible. It really is just the most debilitating thing it is and it's the thing about it is is.

Speaker 3: 14:31

I do think the beautiful thing about where I work is that we do have that experience of living through it, because it is sometimes one of the most difficult things to explain. Um, even to just like your spouse you know somebody that you live with every day to be like it feels like every ounce of meat weighs a thousand pounds when your thyroid is off, and for them to look at you and go what. You know it. Just for somebody, when I talk to somebody, and for them to be like everything on me feels heavy and I'm like stop no, like say no more. I know that feeling, you know, maybe not exactly like you feel it, but I I get a lot of those symptoms and I like weight gain. I'm like, trust me, I know what it's like to gain 20 pounds in a month, like I'm not one of these that's over here going. I have no idea what that weight gain feels like.

Speaker 3: 15:25

I do know, and I think that's the beautiful thing about modern thyroid. But I also think it's so pivotal in getting good thyroid care because there is a level of empathy that does need to go into this and, um, you know, I think that's having that experience and be able to walk through it and just be like you know what I mean. I get what you get like what you are experiencing, but I do get it on some level. I'm here with you and maybe not as long or, um, as severe in some areas, but I I want to hold your hand through this and I want to get you to the other side. So, anyway, that's.

Speaker 1: 16:08

I love that, because I think that's what this all is about and why we're here on this. Let's talk about the difference. You know you've been talking about a lot of the symptoms and I think we'll go into a little bit more of that, but let's talk about the difference, literally between regular medicine, where most of us go to seek treatment and and, and most of us don't find the treatment that we need there versus functional or integrative medicine. Let's talk about the differences between the two, especially as related to thyroid care, because they are very, very vastly different.

Speaker 3: 16:43

Yeah, yeah. I think one of the biggest differences is the reference ranges in which you you know they're guiding their treatment plans off of.

Speaker 3: 16:52

So it's a huge difference and maybe talk a little more about that, so that people understand what that means to get this really wide range of references which is really based off of kind of sick and unhealthy people so it's kind of an average of the people in your area and there's really no standard lab range for thyroid levels.

Speaker 3: 17:21

So I think that's a big issue is that there's just no standard value. It can be, you know, there can be a zero to four, there can be zero to five. You know, some are even pushing it to 10, which I think my TSH was at a six and I'm like if I would have waited until I was a 10, who knows where I would have been right. So you know there's, there's. That is, the reference range value is just very wide and you can miss. Patients can actually be very debilitated with symptoms within those normal ranges. And I remember early on as a PCP like I can't, this is where I got my start. So I have that, hey, this is where I was and this is where I am now and how things are totally different the way I look at thyroid. But I remember just kind of reading through and going, yeah, everything looks fine, nothing's flagged red, right. So that's just kind of. The thing is that you're just so busy as a PCP trying to keep up with the 40 patients you're trying to see that day, but all the other things that you have to do, so part of it's just our system, but also the standard of what they are looking at. So big difference is those reference ranges, I think, and you can really miss truly like there's this kind of I think this thought process of this is what hypothyroidism looks like and there's a certain way it should look, and I think that you can still have symptoms. You can still be hypothyroid and look different, right, like it may not be that traditional, classic elevation in your TSH, low thyroid hormone, you may have conversion issues, things like that. So I think that's a big difference. I also think the treatment paradigm is very different difference. I also think the treatment paradigm is very different, um, hugely different actually.

Speaker 3: 19:18

Yeah, yeah, I, you know there's a lot of things I have a firsthand experience on, but being on T4 only treatment is one I don't have, and and luckily it was. You know what my mom is on armor. I think armor probably would work really well for me. Um, I don't even know that I want to mess with the other option, and there was just something in my head that was like I think that's what I should do. So I don't have that experience, but I see it a lot and I see you know these women coming in, who their levels, you know. I think the other thing when you think about reference ranges is also the full. The full panel is not necessarily a full panel, it's just your TSH, maybe a free T4. So looking kind of further at what's happening, um is also really important. So I kind of got off on a tangent there. But um, you know, the the full panel is so important.

Speaker 3: 20:07

And when patients are on T4 only treatment, which would be like your levothyroxine or your Synthroid their labs may look great but they don't feel great, right, they're not using that medication, usually appropriately. And I see this all the time where patients are just they can't use that medication well and they need extra help, and so that's where that those additional labs come in. But also, you know, layering in and adding in some of that active hormone really becomes such a pivotal piece to their care. And that's that's. The difference too between Armour and Levo is in levothyroxine is that it does have some of that active hormone to where my body is not solely reliant on its ability to take that T4 and use it. I actually just have a little bit of help in that medication. So that's you know.

Speaker 3: 20:58

Those are some of the major differences. I also think the other big difference is I do have a history of Hashimoto's and you know they. I think regular conventional medicine really views that as just something that you have and you can't really do anything about it, or there's no options given, or if you mentioned something, they're like, well, you can try it, but I don't think it's going to make a difference in how you feel, right. And so you know, looking at it from a functional perspective, on how can we help keep inflammation at a more manageable level, which is so much what Hashimoto's is driven by, is also kind of the major, huge differences that I see within conventional versus kind of a functional, integrative type of approach.

Speaker 1: 21:49

And that was my experience too. I know I. I had my thyroid removed back in 2018, knowing what I know today, oh my gosh, we would have went totally different with that, you know. But they started throwing out words like thyroid cancer and all, and my daughter actually had thyroid cancer that year, and and so. But I yeah, I was on t4 forever. Yeah, I would take the t3, but it or I would take the armor. I did that a couple of times, but it was never enough. Like right and and they're like well, if you don't feel good, let's just go back to the standard protocol. So then they would, you know, take that away and put me back on, and it's just yeah there's vastly different.

Speaker 3: 22:28

You know the, the way the armor works and the way that your T4 based meds, your levothyroxine, your Synthra, work. It's so different and you know thyroidectomy patients are. There's near and dear to my heart too, like I don't have that experience, but you guys, like now, you're solely dependent on this and you get some of the worst treatment ever. But yeah, I mean, there's so the and knowing the differences, and I think that's the. The other thing is that going through school, you don't get trained on thyroid. I think I remember the.

Speaker 3: 23:04

The one thing I remember about thyroid care is when I went to take my boards. I went to do this, like I said, in this board preparation class, and I remember. The only thing I remember about thyroid is free T3. It's affects your metabolism, affects your energy. Stay away, it's kind of dangerous. Like that is what I remember, um, whenever I was taking my boards, and so that's what we're taught. But, um, you know. So then you don't have that training or that understanding that there are other medications out there that can be used in a way that are very beneficial, that are um help you kind of get that physiological response back that can give you your life back too.

Speaker 1: 23:47

So yeah, a lot, a lot of differences in um yeah, I even remember when I first started listening to McCall and I found McCall totally by accident, I I thought that I was being led to TikTok. I felt like I needed to get on TikTok for my business and I so I opened up a business account and started and lo and behold, here's McCall in my feed. I had nothing to do with the business, but I started listening to her talk about T3, and I was like, holy, I need some T3 in my life. And so I went to my regular PA and asked her to prescribe me. She prescribed me 50 milligrams of T3.

Speaker 1: 24:22

And then I'm hearing McCall tell me we need to take it twice a day. So then I started doing one in the morning and one in the afternoon like and the crazy thing is it felt fabulous for a little while. I actually got a taste of like what real life felt like you

Speaker 1: 24:42

know that. Then, oh my gosh, the anxiety, the, you know it was unreal. And I remember I had taken McCall's class and I was telling her one day we were. She was asking me, you know, she was doing the calls where she went over your labs and was talking about and I told her what I was doing and she said you're taking how much T3? Like it was one of those, like you're doing what we need to fix that right now, like, but they just don't know.

Speaker 1: 25:07

They don't understand and you know you look at regular T3, they got five milligrams is it 10 milligrams?

Speaker 3: 25:14

And yeah, there's three doses. You know, and you know, hey, when I first started trying to figure out T3 for patients, it was probably very similar. Like you know, you're just trying to doing this job. You have to have a heart for people to try to help them. I mean, I think, even though regular medicine doesn't feel like they don't, I think there's this stigma that people in regular medicine just don't want to help. But I also think there's just this level of just not knowing, just not knowing, not understanding, right, you know, my mom tells me the story that whenever she was talking to her first doctor, he told her yeah, I'm not going to lie, I probably fell asleep during this part, you know, like it's, there's that sounds bad, but like there's just this level of just not understanding and I I think it does come across as well they just don't want to help and and I do think that they do I just don't know how to.

Speaker 3: 26:09

You know, I'm not going to lie, I probably, when I first started, it was like, yeah, let's try this, and I probably overdosed. Many people and I, you know, I hate admitting that, but I know a ton more now. Um, much better. You know, much, much more training, much better training, just much more digging, experience, practice, right, like so, um, but it just, even if you're like willing to help, that's a huge thing too, like willing and um, and I think that's hard to find. It is hard to find a clinician that's willing and and, and just from a lack of knowledge on T3 and how to use it, um, as well. So, yeah, I do tell that story and I'm like I probably was that person too for a little while, and then I kind of came to the light.

Speaker 1: 26:56

Yeah, but I'm like I appreciated her. Yeah, because she was the first one who listened to me and I said Look, here's what I understand, here's what I think I need. Can you help me? Because at this point, you know, I've been without the right and proper thyroid medication for years now and I've been without a thyroid for nine years. At this point, like we try something, I'd rather have way too much than keep doing what I'm doing.

Speaker 3: 27:20

Yeah, and she was willing to try, because when she yeah, like something's gotta be better.

Speaker 1: 27:27

I was just yeah, that she would even just listen to me for a minute and and she was willing to try, because when she came into my life she actually gave me hope again. She was a because I had been turned away by so many doctors. The doctor who took out my thyroid's, like you know what, we're not going to care for our patients anymore, we just take them out. Now you got to go to a different. You got to go to your regular, your regular family care doctor to get your care now. And I was like are you kidding me? You guys left me hanging here late.

Speaker 3: 27:54

And tell me you'll be fine People live without it every day.

Speaker 1: 28:00

That's what I heard. You'll be fine. People just live without it every day, you'll be fine. That's what they told me. Yeah, that's that's the story that I got, and it's like are you kidding, knowing what I know now? Oh my heck, I would totally I've said that a million times Like I would go back, but there is no going back here we are, and that's kind of where I, you know, I am like when I deal with patients.

Speaker 3: 28:21

It's, you know what we have. This, let's deal with it, let's move forward. Forget the past I know you've probably worked with thousands of other people or it feels like it, but let's put one foot forward and let's get going Like we can get your life back. I, I feel very confident with every patient. I can get you where we need to be, um, you know, just through training, through knowledge of what we do. But let's, I think that I think that can hinder a lot of patients when they, when they do get kind of caught up on the where they've been and then they finally get to us and I'm like, listen, let's put that aside, like let's move forward, because I do think it can kind of keep you from feeling good as well.

Speaker 3: 29:04

And, um, but so many women, they do have that story. They struggle far too long 22 years, 25 years, 30 years, far too long. And you know, I think about the life that they maybe kind of missed out on, you know, and um, um, that's just a huge driver for my heart is if I felt that six months I was going to miss out on my entire daughter's life because of how I felt I wanted to stop it right then. I didn't care what it took. I was going to try to figure it out, even if it meant figuring it out for myself, and eventually just reach a point where you need somebody else to look at it and deal with it. And, and um, there was only so much. I could be like, yeah, I need you to change my medicine to this. And before people started going, hang on, who's? Who's making the call here, right? So, but I think about that, that it was six I think she was four to six months when I was like I'm just wishing her life away because I can't wait to go to bed.

Speaker 3: 30:07

And there's so many women out there that have spent the last 20 years who now their kids are grown and they miss. You know they, they missed, not that they missed out, but they. I don't feel like they got to be that fully present mom that they wanted to be or dad, right. So, yeah, I mean very appreciative of the people that helped me early on, but, um, at least they gave me a chance, right? Um, at least you know, at least help me get my medicine. But just knowing and being able to help you. On the other end, like there, there is a hope, there is, there is change in how you can feel, um, and you don't have to live like this forever.

Speaker 1: 30:44

So you know, I it became very vastly acutely I don't even know the word. I became very aware of it. This and you've you've been working with me, so you know, when I've had a knee accident this year, I've had surgery, I've had all this stuff going on in the middle of, but I'm feeling fabulous, like literally, even even because of all that, like I have felt fabulous. And I remember though I've been angry a few times, like I just have to admit because it's like I'm realizing how much I've missed out on life. But we actually, just after knee surgery it was only three months out of knee surgery and we went to Croatia, and you know all of this, but I was walking around Croatia. I was walking around Croatia.

Speaker 1: 31:36

I walked 113,000 steps in Croatia after having a total reconstructive surgery and being a thyroid patient who hasn't felt good for years, and I felt fabulous while I was there.

Speaker 1: 31:41

I didn't swell up, I didn't do all the things that I normally do when I travel, but I remember walking around and I looked at my husband and I said I've missed out on so much in life and it broke my heart. I was like, oh my gosh, I have missed out on life and I'm like you, I I yell it to the rooftops for everybody because I don't want anybody else to miss out on any more of life. We deserve to feel good, we deserve to be heard as women and men and all of us, and we deserve to have that in our lives and we deserve to be able to go walk on vacation and walk all the steps and not doing it and I think there's I think that's kind of part of the healing process too is that realization of oh my gosh, you know, and then, and okay, but you know what that's done, that's over with, right Like it is.

Speaker 3: 32:34

It is such a mix of emotions being a thyroid patient and it really is like the difference in my life, the difference in my relationship with my husband. You know, just the little things that seemed so hard are just not as hard. And going through the hard is I'm not going to say it's easier, but I've just learned how my body responds and what I need to do and through this whole process and so, but I do think there is a level of healing of thinking back on your life, and not that we need to disregard our past at all, but just you know what we're here now, we're going to move forward, and there is, I think there's times where patients are like I just realized how much I missed out on and it's, it's really sad that we have to. We have like, we feel like we have to do that, but that all we can do is is just get through the day and um, I think your children feed off of that and I think you know it's just.

Speaker 3: 33:43

It affects everything, right, and not just you, but it affects your kids, your spouse, and so, um, yeah, I shout it to everybody. I'm like go check your thyroid. Are you sure it's not your thyroid? Can you send me your labs please? I would love to look at these and give you my opinion on if you should or shouldn't have this checked out in a different way, or at least consider looking at options for treatment, because, man, there's so many women that struggle with it, that just chalk it up to something else, and I think they can spend years missing out.

Speaker 1: 34:19

So my daughter even my daughter is with McCall. My son actually sees you. Because of all this, I realized my kids all have issues too. Three out of my four kids have thyroid issues. It's insane. And my daughter actually called me the other day and it was one of the most healing moments in my life because she called me and she said mom, how did you raise all of us kids and feel like shit, this is what she like she's because I'm starting to feel better and I'm realizing you spent our whole lives feeling this way and it was one of the most healing moments for me because I looked at it. I said, honey, I did the best I could, right, because I didn't have a choice.

Speaker 3: 34:56

Right, you don't have a choice.

Speaker 1: 34:58

But I'm like you. How did we have four amazing pregnancies? How did I bring these kids into the world Knowing what I know? Now I'm like what a miracle.

Speaker 3: 35:06

What a miracle Because my body was so screwed up.

Speaker 1: 35:12

Yeah, and it was working overtime to do like. No wonder I was so tired, it was trying so hard, but it just wasn't enough Like. But you know, they're there again. So what do we tell women? Because I hear this daily. I work with women too. I love and I work more on the mental, emotional, spiritual side of all things. But here's what I'm hearing now and it's really interesting because a lot of my clients all have thyroid issues as well. So it's very interesting how this all works out and they're struggling to get their emotional and mental health back together. So what would you? How do you think those all work together? Because you know, when we're not feeling well, we've got all these other components over on the side that are all messed up as well, and I don't think sometimes we realize that it's the big picture.

Speaker 3: 36:02

Right. So I think for me, the biggest thing, that the biggest realization, was that I didn't have to to do what the culture says I needed to do. I think there's a huge cultural. We just have to constantly be going and pushing through and there's no time to whine or cry or whatever. Like you just got to keep going, you got to get your kids involved, like, I think for me the biggest thing was realizing I am not um, was realizing I am not um, I have an expiration date. Like I am not immortal. Yeah, and if I need to do that, I need to do that.

Speaker 3: 36:50

And I think and and and not really listening to kind of what society says I should be doing as far as, like pushing myself with workouts, pushing myself to just keep going through the mode, like going through everything. And I was in a period of of a very stressful event of life and it it really just dawned on me that I just I've got to start to focus on myself, that that if your cup is empty, you can't serve others. Right, like, if you're empty, you can't help others If you're not helping yourself. It's that oxygen mask right, like, if you can't breathe, you can't help your kid breathe right With the oxygen mask. So for me it was a huge realization of I can't put myself on the back burner, and it's not out of a place of selfishness, it's actually a place of I want to help my family thrive. I have to do the things that I need to do, and that looks different for everybody. For me, I'm a hundred percent an introvert and I quickly realized I have to figure out how to find those moments where I just relax my mind by myself, I fill my cup in whatever way I need to do it, and and I got bombarded from you know a bunch of people that I'm friends with and why aren't you going to this? Why aren't we doing this Like just being realizing I can't be involved in everything, I can't constantly be that source that helps everybody, right? Because then the ones that I do need to help get the worst part of me, and that's my family, and I think for me it was just that huge realization of they come first. I need to do the things. I do that put them first and and realize that those things that are extra will be there when I feel better.

Speaker 3: 38:44

Um, but I also think, just just not giving up either, just not feeling like there's there's no hope for any of this, because there really is and just keep keep seeking people out that can help, that can help you, like that's one thing I did was I, I just still didn't feel good and I just kept trying to find answers, um, just trying to find somebody that would, would help me, because I reached a point where I was like I've reached my limitation. I need other people to help me, and so just, you know, hey, you know what, if you need to rest, rest, if you can't go work out seven days a week, there's nothing wrong with you. In fact, if you can't even do two days a week, yeah, exactly, right. Like we really shouldn't, but there's nothing wrong with you. If you don't have the energy to go work out two days a week, right, like I think we just get so bombarded with what perfection should be and I think I, growing up as a perfectionist and having that kind of innately in me and wanting to always do my best, it was a huge learning moment for me to realize I'm not perfect, I can't live perfectly. In fact, if I try, it actually causes me to feel worse and just trying to figure out like, where does my priority lie in trying to heal? What are the things I can do? Is that eating better? Is that prioritizing sleep, resting when I actually do need to rest, and telling my husband listen, I have to rest. I have to figure out how to do these things for myself, otherwise you suffer, my daughter suffers, you know things like that. So I think it's kind of pushing aside those cultural stigmas of what we should be doing as moms, as wives, as women, and figuring out where our priorities lie and what is.

Speaker 3: 40:38

What are things that we can do that are sustainable for the rest of my life, not just for the right now? You know, like what can I? What can I do with my diet that I can take with me for the next 65 years or however many years I have left right? What are things I can take with me for the next 65 years or however many years I have left right? What are things I can do in my lifestyle that are going to benefit me for the rest of my life rather than kind of detriment me? And then, what's my reasoning behind those? Who am I trying to help with those?

Speaker 3: 41:09

And really it just boiled down to my family was the one that was suffering the most to my family was the one that was suffering the most, and I don't get those moments back. I don't get another chance to raise my daughter Um, I have 18 years to raise her, and then she flies the coop Right and I want those 18 years to be as positive as enriching and I want her to know that her mom was present in all of them. So that's really what it was for me. It was figuring out what my priority was, realizing hey, I'm not perfect, hey, I'm not, I need the rest. I've got to figure out what that looks like for me. But then also, just that, it's that balance of just not stopping to find an answer, you know, to figuring out how can I get better treatment, where can I go, um, and and just somebody to listen. You know just kind of still continually seeking out people that will listen.

Speaker 1: 42:04

That's one thing that I, looking back, I never gave up and even took so long, like I never gave up there were times when I would just say, you know what, screw it, I just don't care, because I wasn't getting. I felt like I was just like beating my head on the wall and I wasn't getting more and I would told like I mean, they would put me on medication. Looking back now, I didn't need that. I needed thyroid medication.

Speaker 1: 42:43

But you know if you go to mainstream doctors, they just want to medicate you. I think depression was huge. It was a huge part of my life. One because I didn't feel good, my hormones are a wreck, but also, you know just the whole situation of realizing, just being discouraged yeah, discouraged, that was really me.

Speaker 3: 43:03

Um, I went through like a couple year period of just a huge piece of stress, um, that really this, that this was kind of towards the end of it where I realized you know what my this is where my priorities lie.

Speaker 3: 43:19

During all of this. It just took, took me a little longer Sometimes I'm a little hardheaded, but going through that and then it finally ended and it was like, okay, I'm going to be better, like everything's going to be better, and then I realized, oh, no, I'm not better. Um, and so it was about the kind of maybe about a year ago that I've kind of went through this where everything kind of finally ended and my, I didn't realize how much my mood was affected, like to the point that I was like this is kind of scary. Where I am right now, mental, wise, and realizing, like at that point it was just this huge turning point of this is not the life I want to live, but being told, hey, you should probably be on medicine. And realizing you know what, I don't think so. And I completely disregarded myself for a period of time going through all of this and finally was like you know what? Nope, I'm not going to be on medicine for this. I've never needed this in my life. I know there is something else going on Come to find out like my body had really shifted I had been really stable on a dose of thyroid medication for really about two years shifted drastically, um, and decided you know what I hadn't I don't think I've actually checked that in a little while, like, don't get me wrong. I I preach all these things, but this was the the turning point in my life of I have to take care of myself, otherwise this is where we end up and it was like wow, I was actually the other way where my body had really shifted and I actually was on way too much medicine at that point and even just being on a little bit too much, how much that drastically affected me.

Speaker 3: 45:15

So you know, looking that drastically affected me. So you know, looking. That's why looking at it in the way we do is so important. But um, it and then it, just the adrenal side of it, I mean there was just so many factors that I just completely disregarded for myself and I think we, we do that right Like we get in that rut or we get, you know, we, we do that right, like we get in that rut or we get, you know, we, we feel like that stressful situation that we're going through is just never going to end and we eventually end up in this hole and we then I had to dig myself out of it.

Speaker 3: 45:46

But, yeah, I mean, mood was huge and it's still something that I, I kind of see come back and forth at times where, um, you know, that hormonal piece is so huge and affecting and affecting my mood, um, and so it's something that I think, um, I'll probably constantly battle.

Speaker 3: 46:05

I'm not it's, it's just the way my brain, I, my brain fog, like I get all of the brain symptoms when, when I'm like stressed out or whatever the case may be, so brain symptoms when, when I'm like stressed out or whatever the case may be, so, um, but yeah, mood is huge and I think, in cases of like I think I talked to women who are maybe have like treatment resistant type depression or anxiety and I'm like maybe we should look at your thyroid, you know, at least let's look at it what, what is it going to hurt at this point If we look at it and try to get this more optimal for you and while you may not ever get off medication completely.

Speaker 3: 46:46

At least maybe it would work a little bit better for you. I mean, there's just, it's huge, and I think it does get kind of pushed aside too quite frequently, from a thyroid standpoint as well, like it's like nah, you just got a lot going on, or you just have this tendency to be depressed, or you know whatever weird answer you might get. But I just tell patients like your thyroid is that foundational piece. It is such a huge piece of the puzzle and it's really, in my opinion, the starting point and everything else just kind of flows from there and we start to see what happens, what changes, what gets better. Where can you go from here?

Speaker 1: 47:24

Right everything in your body. It regulates so many things, that one thing is off. It sets everything else off, but yet a lot of times when I went to doctors they would want to fix the pieces out here and I'm like it's not the pieces, I know, I think it's just so funny.

Speaker 3: 47:48

I mean it's funny. I don't know if it's ironic, I'm not really sure like what the right word is, but that this, this one thing that we know affects everything, is almost downplayed in the medical world. As far as like oh, it's not, that, it's not your thyroid at all.

Speaker 1: 48:10

Right, we'll test your tsh. It's not that it's fine, it's less than 10 yeah, it's so funny to me.

Speaker 3: 48:17

I'm like I I could tell you all day long, kind of where my thought goes, my head goes and, um, sometimes I have like some conspiracy stuff when it comes to this. But I'm like this one thing affects so much but gets so downplayed in in medical world and medical and the community and conventional medicine, traditional medicine type things. So it's, it's just funny to me.

Speaker 1: 48:42

I don't know, it is to me too, and I I mean, it wasn't funny at first, but now I look, why do we downplay this one thing so much? Because it regulates everything in our body. It literally and I'm like you, man, I had, I had, I mean, I've lost 70 pounds this last year, which is huge Like, and I had pounded on all that weight Like, and there was really I felt like nothing that I could do about it. Everything that I tried didn't work, but it affected, I mean, everything in my life, from my hair to my nails, to my skin.

Speaker 3: 49:14

To you, know my mood, yeah, that's the other thing. Like when my thyroid's been off in the past, I don't sleep, I'm all night long. Just you know which makes things worse. You know there's really no extent to what, when your thyroid is is not functioning well, to what can can be affected. There's no limit. Yeah, I mean, anything can be. I, when I was pregnant, I laugh because I lost my eyelashes when my first daughter and I was like is this a normal pregnancy thing?

Speaker 3: 49:52

and then you're going through that again. I'm like no, that was a thyroid thing, like that was 100%. My thought it was the weirdest symptom. But you know, there's like no extent to what you can can be affected by your thyroid when it's off, so it's huge to get better.

Speaker 1: 50:10

Yeah, I know, one of the weird symptoms I had is I realized when we would go up into the higher elevations I couldn't breathe. Yeah, it was the strangest thing. And you know, you go read traditional thyroid medication, you know symptoms and none of that was ever in there. But that was one of the things that I noticed that went away the quickest is we. After I started getting treatment and I still wasn't optimal, but I was way better than I'd been in years and we went up on the mountain and I was like I can breathe. Yeah, it was the strangest thing.

Speaker 3: 50:42

Isn't it funny, the things that I don't know, the little things that you I don't know if you take for granted, but you're like I've struggled with this for so long that I just kind of felt like this was me. And you're like, oh my gosh, I can actually go climb up a mountain and enjoy it and enjoy it. I love it.

Speaker 1: 51:03

Now I'm like yeah, that was fun, like well, and the first time I really noticed it I didn't realize I had gotten lightheaded when we had been like at 10,000 feet. But we actually went to Peru and I didn't think I was going to make it through Peru. I mean, there were some places that are 13,000, 14,000 feet and I just remember being so sick and and I was beating myself up because if you weren't so heavy maybe we wouldn't be here, if you weren't so fat like maybe this wouldn't, be a problem Like, and it had nothing.

Speaker 3: 51:32

I mean that that that contributed to it, I'm sure, but the real cause was my thyroid was so off and I think that's the other thing too that that changed my mindset was there's a lot of these things that are out of my actual control with my thyroid, like I was a college athlete there are huge demands with college athletic athletics for sure which I don't think helped me in the long run but I knew how to act. Like I, I exercised, I ate well, and it was like 40 pounds just came on out of nowhere, like within two months. So when I tell patients I'm like I get that 20 pound weight gain in a month, like I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it, I get it.

Speaker 3: 52:19

And um, you know, I think that's one thing, that that patients feel like they're all alone in with the weight gain Um, and I'm like no, no, no, like I promise you are not, um, it's a lot out of your control and so many of these things are, you know, and, and I think that's kind of a societal thing too to to. It kind of goes back to that perfection of I'm I guess I'm just not taking her myself, well, and and um, it's my fault that I'm, you know, 80 pounds overweight or whatever it is. And and um, I don't think that it always is. I think there can be circumstances, but I don't truly think, especially in cases of thyroid that is so far out of your control in so many ways.

Speaker 3: 53:05

So many symptoms are not just waking, but so many symptoms are that. Give yourself a little grace.

Speaker 1: 53:13

That's the one thing that I've probably learned the most this last year and a half is that I needed to give myself grace this whole time, but I was judging myself so harshly because I wasn't like everybody else, you know, and I and I will never be like everybody else, and that's okay. But you know what I've had to learn? To love myself more. Yeah.

Speaker 3: 53:30

I think that's really the healing part of it, right, yeah, yeah, just being, you know, being kind of okay, not okay, but like accepting. Hey, this is where I am, and I'm going to appreciate my past, because I probably learned a ton about it, about yourself through that, about your ability to just keep going and pushing through anything, no matter how you felt, right.

Speaker 3: 53:59

But I also just think learning how to be gentle with yourself, I think, is such an important, important piece to all of this, no matter if you deal with health issues or not. But we're so hard on ourselves as women and I I just speak for because I am one I don't know what men actually go through, right, I know they have tons of responsibility as well, but we are very hard on ourselves and I think there's a level of it, just societally, culturally, I mean, that says that we should be and we shouldn't be. Um, and I think that you're right, that was a huge part of my healing process was learning how to be accepting of who I am, and I'm not going to say I'm perfect at it. It's definitely a work in progress, it's a daily thing. I have a high expectation of myself to do good in life, but also learning how that if I don't have a great day, it's not the end of the world and just you know what, what, what pushed that Right.

Speaker 3: 55:01

So, um, yeah, being gentle, being graceful, just give, giving yourself a little bit of a pass to an extent, right, like not to where we don't want to get better. But just hey, it's okay. We don't have to be perfect all the time. We don't have to live up to this constant expectation of that's what I should look like, that's what I should feel like, that's what I should be like and what do I want to feel like. What do I want to be like, who do I want to be is kind of the most important, and that's different for all of us, absolutely.

Speaker 1: 55:37

Absolutely yeah. One final question yeah, um, because I hear this every day not every day, but a lot of the time. Because when I start, when I meet with women and we start talking about what's going on in their life and they start telling me all these things and I'm like, have you looked into your thyroid? They all get scared because they have been to the doctor so many times, have been told that everything is okay. And I I talked to my clients and go look, you know what. This is worth getting checked out. I promise you. Like, what would you tell women who have heard so many times that they're fine, but they just don't feel well and, no matter what they're doing, they're just not being heard? What would you say to them?

Speaker 3: 56:23

Um, well, I the I kind of joke. I'm like look up modern thyroid clinic, cause you're definitely going to get it. I mean, honestly, that's where I turned, and and um. But I think it's the hard thing is is sifting out like the truth, right, like there's a lot on TikTok, there's a lot on social media, um, I do think it is one of those things that you really just can't give up Um, and and there is a hope out there.

Speaker 3: 56:59

I do think it takes finding the right person and if you're not getting the answers, you know your body is so so much better than I actually do as a clinician. Like you know, intuitively, there's something wrong, right, there's something that's not right. I know that I keep getting this answer, but intuitively, I, I, we know our body really well. Um, I think as women, we're kind of gifted that in my opinion, and I think if you keep like, if you have that feeling that hey, there is something else driving this, you know, seek out, like I said, modern thyroid. Like McCall posts all kinds of things on her Instagram to help you guys understand and learn, and and just kind of not accepting no for an answer. Um, yeah, I mean, I think for me it was. Just. This is not what I want for my life. There's gotta be a better way where just finding a way to to figure out where to go and there are people out there that can help Um, I think, um, it does take a different perspective when it comes to thyroid issues.

Speaker 3: 58:16

It really does, and if you're getting somewhere where people are like just telling you the same thing, seek out somebody else who would at least be willing to. That was one of the things when I was in the primary care world. I was like you know what? I don't know all about this thyroid thing. I know, I live it, I'm I'm, I'm learning about it, I'm trying to, I'm trying to learn it so I can help you guys, but I'm at least willing to look right, at least willing to look, and I think it just takes finding somebody that's willing to look and that may mean the other side of the country, right, like there are people out there that want to help you, um, that that will look at it in a different perspective. Um, I think modern thyroid honestly does it the best way, but I'm a little biased, but also I have lived through that treatment regimen that we went.

Speaker 3: 59:11

You know that I got from modern thyroid, so um you know it's. I don't know if that even answers your question.

Speaker 3: 59:17

It does it perfectly does Keep going and, um, I also think, like you know, if you are married or if you have what you know, whatever the case may be, just having that constant conversation with your spouse of of they want to help you too, and I can't tell you how many women I actually have that they're like my husband found this, or you know whoever, my mom, whoever found this um for me, um, because I was just at my wits end and so discouraged and so ready to just give up that they actually turned me on to this and just maybe, having that constant conversation of I just don't know where to go, and maybe they can help you.

Speaker 3: 1:00:01

You know, leaning on the ones around you, um, I think is also really important because, um, they're going to be able to help you through this and they may be able to find you the answer to somebody to go to. So, um, that's just another big thing that I see that happens with so many of my patients is they're like my mom found this, my daughter, you know whoever Um, and it's always really cool to me. And then you just start to see the family trickle in because they're like I think I have this too and um, so it's just really cool and um, I just don't think you should give up um, because there are people out there that want to help.

Speaker 1: 1:00:39

Well, you've got my whole family pretty much, so I can't imagine doing it any, and I'm grateful that I found you, because my kids don't have to do what I've been through for the last all these years.

Speaker 3: 1:00:49

I mean I will screen my daughters early on.

Speaker 1: 1:00:54

Absolutely, because we all deserve to feel good. We all deserve that, so I appreciate you so much being here today. You're welcome. We could go on. There's so many different layers.

Speaker 1: 1:01:06

We could do this again, because there's so many layers to thyroid care. You know we could talk to so many things. You know we could talk about the weight loss part of it. We could die. There's just so many. So I loved having this conversation with you and I thank you for being here. I know you are a busy, busy lady and but I appreciate you being here so much and I appreciate all you've done for me, and so thank you for being here today.

Speaker 3: 1:01:30

I appreciate you having me. This was so much fun. This is, honestly, a little bit out of my norm. I'm such a like I said, I'm such an introvert that these things used to make me so nervous, but I think it's just learning about myself and learning that you know what. Sometimes you just got to put yourself out there and this is so important to me and so important to you. It really has actually become just very important to my family.

Speaker 3: 1:01:54

Like my husband, he goes and tells everybody to get your thyroid checked and just you never know who, just telling one, like who it might reach and um, so this is just a I mean passionate about this want people to get the help they need, because I don't want them to feel like I did ever um or hear what I did. So I'm, you know, happy to to do as many of these as you want. Um, you know, just get that word out and and um, I've enjoyed having you as my, my patient and it's become one of those things where it's no longer just patient clinician relationship. Like I could, I feel like I could talk to you about anything, um, you know, outside of just medical stuff, which is just, it's just the beauty of healthcare in my opinion, but I also think it's the beauty of um being able to actually have time with patients Like you, actually get to know them, and I wouldn't be able to get to know you if I didn't actually have the time to do that.

Speaker 1: 1:02:58

So that's the other thing I love about Modern Thyroid Clinic. Nobody is going to listen to you for an hour, like nobody's going to talk to you for 45 minutes in any doctor's office.

Speaker 3: 1:03:10

Like sometimes, like I've had such healing experiences with patients where maybe we didn't even talk. We talked a little bit about their medical stuff, but they just got to talk to me about what's going on in their life.

Speaker 2: 1:03:21

Yeah.

Speaker 3: 1:03:21

And okay, let's, how can we help you through that? Right, Like so much can happen when you just talk and you actually have the time to talk, Absolutely. But yeah, thank you for having me and it's been such a wonderful journey helping you. You've done all the work. I just kind of helped to get it going, but you've done all the work and I could just see it like in your face from the first time I saw you to now just the brightness, the joy. I mean to that. There's no extent to what feeling good does either, and and um, and so I. It's just, it's been such a special journey, um, to be able to just help you, help you through it and, like I said, it's all, it's all you. I'm just kind of here to to give you some of the resources, so I don't think it's all me.

Speaker 1: 1:04:16

It takes a group effort it really does. Because I've tried to do it on my own.

Speaker 3: 1:04:22

And like you, like I was so grateful.

Speaker 1: 1:04:26

I think about it every day because I was out walking my dogs this morning and every day I'm like I am so grateful to be able to go walk and it's not heavy. I feel good, I want to do it. I'm excited to do it Like and that has never been something that has been in my not for many, many years. So, honestly, every day is a gift.

Speaker 3: 1:04:46

I bet I think a few tweaks in medication can get you there, Um, and and then you just continue to build from there right, Like it's amazing how just some, some minor tweaks and then and then you just build off of that as as you continue to feel better until you can continue to see, like, what your priorities are in changing. And so it's been a wonderful opportunity helping you and just being a part of your journey and thank you for entrusting family members with me.

Speaker 1: 1:05:22

Um but yeah, so anyway, all right. Well, thank you so much, hillary.

Speaker 1: 1:05:27

I appreciate all you've done for me and I appreciate your time today. So thank you so much, and thank you everyone for listening to us today, and we will see you all again very soon, I'm sure so. Thank you so much, and thank you everyone for listening to us today, and we will see you all again very soon, I'm sure. So, yes, all right, bye, bye for now. I sincerely hope you enjoyed today's episode. I love connecting with my people, so if you would like to get in touch with me, you can email me at junastroll, at junastrollcom.

Speaker 2: 1:05:53

You can find me on Facebook and Instagram and on YouTube as Junastroll.

Speaker 1: 1:05:57

Intuitive Healing and, of course, if you have any interest in anything that we talked, about today.

Speaker 2: 1:06:03

all of my stuff is available on my website at junastrollcom. And again, thank you for joining me and I can't wait for us to connect up again. Have a great day.