how do you get loved ones to understand what you are going through......

klmalm
klmalm Member Posts: 1
edited March 2014 in Thyroid Cancer #1
All my test before surgery were not certain for cancer. After surgery my entire thyroid was removed along with two of my lymph nodes because of cancer. Did the treatment and will know for sure in February if I am cancer free. My thyroid meds are still off and dealing with the effects of that have been tiring. I feel achy all the time. I am tired. And have no patience to deal with normal activities. I feel stressed out all the time. I get so cold to where it hurts. My family just feels as if I am complaining for no reason. I don't know how to get them to understand. Sometimes I feel that maybe I am over reacting about things. My TH levels as of two weeks ago are 47. So I am currently hypothyroid. I was doing much better at 10, but the doctor is unsure why the change when meds have not been changed. I did become sick for three week prior to the blood work so maybe that was it. I had blood work yesterday hopefully I get better news. I am just so tired all the time.

Comments

  • sunnyaz
    sunnyaz Member Posts: 582
    #2
    Getting your family on board
    It's a matter of educating them. Make sure they understand the importance of the Thyroid functions of the body. Educate yourself as much as possible and then print facts from the internet. It is normal to feel tired all the time when you are Hypothyroid. As far as being cold, the Thyroid controls the body temperature, so it acts as our thermostat. It controls blood pressure, heart rate and hormones which affects our mental health. Combine all of this and you could pretty much say that it is a major gland. Without your Thyroid or Thyroid replacement, we will not survive. Just as without a heart, brain, liver or lungs just to name a few. The Thyroid is right up there with the BIG body parts but it is so small and most people don't even know they have one. It isn't until they are personally affected or educated that they "get it." I hope this helps a little bit.
    Julie-SunnyAZ
  • Jessis
    Jessis Member Posts: 9
    #3
    Naps
    My surgery is not until the end of this month. Getting a neck disection. Sounds sooo pretty. Pretty scary. Anyways, i nap as much as possible. I hate sleeping through my life. As soon as it is the baby's naptime it becomes my naptime too.stinks that nothing else gets done but i have to get my nap nowdays. I have a very active toddler. I feel so bad because im too tired to go to the park. I am 100 % with you on the cold part. I wrap up in a blanket all the time. If the temp. In my house isnt comfortable then i play with the heat. As soon as i get the cold cold feet they are so hard to warm again. I wear my boots inside and i never walk around barefooted. Socks somehow make me cold. If i am a whiner then too bad im the sick one. Im tired and i sound like a broken record when i say it to my family. Its like pulling teeth to beg them to clean anything. I am neurotic about having a clean house. But it just takes too much of my dwindling energy to clean like i used to. Its not filthy and if it gets bad i do just have to find some energy and get something done. when my husband is home i leave the baby with him and i go sleep. I was so happy to see new years, december has never been a good month. This year was no exception as i got my diagnosis in December. I slept all day on new years and the day after that i slept too. That makes me upset. I get so tired. I fall asleep when i dont want to. Very irritating. I rarely wear t shirts even anymore. I favor anything waffle weave and long sleeved. I think im mote upset about being completly hypo and gaining weight and no matter how hard i have tried my weight refused to budge. Now i know why.i asked my surgeon when i might start feeling better. He was the wrong one to ask. The endo takes care of that and after surgery i will probably feel worse. Just looking forward to being functional again. I dont think you are complaining for nothing. You are sick.
  • BellsAngel69
    BellsAngel69 Member Posts: 104 Member
    #4
    Jessis said:

    Naps
    My surgery is not until the end of this month. Getting a neck disection. Sounds sooo pretty. Pretty scary. Anyways, i nap as much as possible. I hate sleeping through my life. As soon as it is the baby's naptime it becomes my naptime too.stinks that nothing else gets done but i have to get my nap nowdays. I have a very active toddler. I feel so bad because im too tired to go to the park. I am 100 % with you on the cold part. I wrap up in a blanket all the time. If the temp. In my house isnt comfortable then i play with the heat. As soon as i get the cold cold feet they are so hard to warm again. I wear my boots inside and i never walk around barefooted. Socks somehow make me cold. If i am a whiner then too bad im the sick one. Im tired and i sound like a broken record when i say it to my family. Its like pulling teeth to beg them to clean anything. I am neurotic about having a clean house. But it just takes too much of my dwindling energy to clean like i used to. Its not filthy and if it gets bad i do just have to find some energy and get something done. when my husband is home i leave the baby with him and i go sleep. I was so happy to see new years, december has never been a good month. This year was no exception as i got my diagnosis in December. I slept all day on new years and the day after that i slept too. That makes me upset. I get so tired. I fall asleep when i dont want to. Very irritating. I rarely wear t shirts even anymore. I favor anything waffle weave and long sleeved. I think im mote upset about being completly hypo and gaining weight and no matter how hard i have tried my weight refused to budge. Now i know why.i asked my surgeon when i might start feeling better. He was the wrong one to ask. The endo takes care of that and after surgery i will probably feel worse. Just looking forward to being functional again. I dont think you are complaining for nothing. You are sick.

    People just don't realize
    People just don't realize what an impact your thyroid has on your entire body function. Replacement meds keep us alive but they don't totally replace our thyroid. I've been dealing with thyroid cancer for seven years, three reoccurences, and I still get night sweats occasionally, mood swings, impatience, achy joints, tingling in my hands, muscle cramps. It sucks, it does,and my family, especially my husband still doesn't get it all the time. He thinks I'm just complaining and doesn't understand.

    No one knows what it's like unless they've been through it themself, period, and no amount of explaining will make others totally understand.
  • nasher
    nasher Member Posts: 505 Member
    #5
    BellsAngel69 said:

    People just don't realize
    People just don't realize what an impact your thyroid has on your entire body function. Replacement meds keep us alive but they don't totally replace our thyroid. I've been dealing with thyroid cancer for seven years, three reoccurences, and I still get night sweats occasionally, mood swings, impatience, achy joints, tingling in my hands, muscle cramps. It sucks, it does,and my family, especially my husband still doesn't get it all the time. He thinks I'm just complaining and doesn't understand.

    No one knows what it's like unless they've been through it themself, period, and no amount of explaining will make others totally understand.

    yes i agree it affects your
    yes i agree it affects your entire body.

    I have mood swings, achy joints, tingling in hand and feet, I don't know if i have worse night sweats or not. My wife dose understand a lot but not all. Some days I just feel like doing nothing. Most the time she realizes though that its the thyroid and such, I think the thing that has helped is the fact that she has had some MAJOR medical issues as well.

    Yea NO amount of explaining will get them to understand.

    Get them on this board, Get them to go to a cancer support group or such.

    My wife understands pretty well but sometimes she doesn't think about it before she makes a comment or 2 but then she realizes most the time.

    as for no one knowing what its like... yes also realize a lot of us have had different issues and problems and we don't fully understand each others problems.

    Craig
  • slippinandsliddin
    slippinandsliddin Member Posts: 10
    #6
    Sorry you are going thru
    Sorry you are going thru this.

    My former fiance just flat out calle dme a faker- my TSH level was at 84 10 days prior to my RAI- and I have a baby to take care of - BY MYSELF- as he threw us out.

    I now dont care that he doesnt understand. I offered up my doctors number and figured if he cared he make an effort to undertsand rather than accuse me of faking tiredness/pain/coldness/swollen face- etc.

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