My name is Natalie, I am the founder of The Unchargeables. In this article I will tell you my story.
Growing up I experienced stinging pains in my arms and legs. The doctors called it growing pains. Everybody ignored it, it will eventually go away…
When I was 14 years old I sat in class. I got shooting pains in my arms so bad that I fell off my chair. Test were done, nothing was found.
I have had thyroid issues ever since I was 16 years old. I had a lot of symptoms like shortness of breath, feeling rushed/nervous, was always hot and more vague symptoms. My doctors thought I had anxiety attacks and send me to breathing classes.
I took breathing classes for two years but the symptoms stayed…
When I was 19 a doctor finally took an extensive blood test and saw my thyroid was overactive. He told me to make an appointment at the hospital. There was a 4 month waiting list.
The day of my first appointment came. I was sitting in the waiting room when the specialist called me. He shook my hand and said: ” I hope you were referred here as an emergency, I can see in your face you are very ill”. I told him, no I was on the waiting list for 4 months and have been experiencing symptoms for years. He immediately took me to the cardiac ward (passing very old people that were waiting their turn) and hooked me up to a machine. SHOCK!
Long story short, my heart could still handle it and I was diagnosed with Graves disease. I got a lot of medication for 1,5 years and after that was cured. Or so I thought…
The doctor told me that I could get the opposite of Graves disease one day and I would have to take a pill everyday for the rest of my life. But I was still young and that was not going to happen for a long time.
He was wrong…
My pregnancy
I was 27 when I became pregnant with my baby girl. During my pregnancy I felt extremely fatigued, very moody, could not hold food down, was extremely nauseous until week 27 and started having sharp pains in my belly from week 33. I was ordered to stay in bed until the baby was born.
The birth ended up in me having an emergency c-section, the baby was stuck and my contractions stopped. We were slowly dying… These are the times that I am thankful for modern medicine because they saved me and my daughter that day. Even though they still did not diagnose me with anything yet.
Healing from the operation took very long, my health kept getting worse. 5 months after my girl was born I had post partum depression. My depression got worse and worse.
It took me months to find the right help. I went to the depression clinic for 2 years 2 hours a week. And through counselling I realised, maybe it is my thyroid again. It turns out I was right.
Thyroid specialist number 2 prescribed synthetic T4 thyroid hormones and I started feeling a little better. But I didn’t fully recover. I still hurt, do not feel hunger, have sleepless nights or nights/days where I sleep 20 hours, I am cold all the time, am ill all the time. This is not how life is supposed to be right?
What is up with me?
Aside from my thyroid issues I suffer from Fibromyalgia. The Fibromyalgia used to make my joints and muscles hurt and inflame to a point that it gives me a fever. Now that I know my limits better and am sugar free the inflammations are much less extreme. It also makes me super sensitive to sounds. The smallest sound can aggravate me and start a flare. I have regular migraine’s that make me bed bound for days. Then there are the days that I simply feel like my battery is completely empty and I can not get up. What is wrong with me?
Doctors keep telling me that my blood work looks fine. I am 99% sure that I have Hashimoto’s disease, but did not get it diagnosed yet. (Update: After writing this article Hashimoto’s has been officially diagnosed)
A while ago I moved countries, that does not make it any easier to get a diagnosis since I have to get into the system first. The better climate does help me tremendously with my symptoms. I feel more energetic (meaning I need less naps) I sleep better and have less pain. I can be a better mother for my daughter.
Every day I try to work on my health. I eat sugar free and gluten free, do not drink coffee or alcohol and try to not overdo it. And most of all try to stay positive!
I just want to thank everybody who participates in the The Unchargeables community. It makes me proud to be amongst all of you.
What doctors have said to me
In this video I tell you what doctors have said to me and how I react to it. Subscribe to the channel for more video’s like these!
Hi Natalie,
Thanks for sharing your story. I have Still’s Disease and Hashimoto’s. During my 2nd pregnancy, I experienced almost exactly what you described, but it started around 14 weeks and included shortness of breath. Bed rest for me too. Just recently I discovered that appoxamately the same time my symptoms started was when my thyroid numbers changed. (My newest Dr has a nifty digital “medical chart” and I got to see all my thyroid tests side by side, comparing them from over many years) All of my levels were in normal range, but! Turns out whenever I was more healthy, less symptoms & actually able to live life, my TSH was lower (leaning towards hypo), but at that same time that my health tanked during pregnancy and since (I’m still very sick and barely able to do anything) my TSH is much higher, just still within normal making every Dr dismiss it till this last one. She checked for some thyroid antibodies which were able to prove that even though I am within “normal” that it is not normal for me. So thankfully I get to try some Armour Thyroid and see if I can start getting better!
Also, you mentioned fevers with your fibro flares. I’ve never heard of fevers with fibro, so it made me feel like I should maybe mention to you… Have you ever heard of Autoinflammatory diseases? Fevers are classic with them (my Still’s Disease is one of them) and they are not very well known yet as they are kind of rare. But I thought I would just mention because the way you describe your fibro is how I would disccribed my Still’s.
God Bless!
Thanks Amanda!
I will defenitely look into Still’s Disease. I have never heard of it before. I do not really get fevers. It feels like a fever, hot, cold, sweating, hallucinating dreams, but I do not really have a fever. I rarely get “real” fevers.
My bloodwork just came back and again everything looks perfectly fine, I am healthy…..
That’s great that you are healthy now! So happy for you!
I’m sorry, I got confused when you said “The Fibromyalgia makes my joints and muscles hurt and inflame to a point that it gives me a fever.” So it made me think of the autoinflammatory diseases. I’m glad you hear that it isn’t the case with you because it’s not very fun. Lol
Best of luck to you!
I edited the fever part. I did not even realize I do not get the real fevers anymore. I get fever like symptoms still. Healthy is a far way away, but I am slowly getting to a better life.