I have had issues with my thyroid since I was in my late 20s. I was diagnosed with Graves disease, took radioactive iodine to destroy my thyroid activity, and have been on thyroid medication ever since - over 20 years. As an athlete with lean body mass, Menopause began for me at age 42. I began Hormone Replacement Therapy with bioidentical hormones, and felt pretty good, until almost 2 years ago. I began to feel fatigued, couldn't spend my normal 2 hours at the gym, had daily headaches, and started experiencing severe hair loss. Finally, after many changes to my hormone and thyroid regimen, my doctor ordered a brain scan, and I was diagnosed with a pituitary microadenoma.
Shortly thereafter, my employer of 14 years let me go - they said they moving in a different direction. I was devastated. I had no plan B, I felt lousy, and as though I had been kicked while I was down. The doctors couldn't manage or alleviate my symptoms - they had decided my tumor is too small to remove, and gave up on me. They prescribed antidepressants, anti everything drugs, which I refuse to take. "Have another MRI in a year, and if it get's larger, we'll take it out."
Instead, I decided to pursue my passion, so I created a specialty dessert company, Home Made Sweet Stuff. I could work at home, rest when my headaches become unmanageable, and do the one thing that has always brought me joy, the one thing I had been doing for nearly 50 years - bake! My kitchen aromas fill the house, and make everyone who visits just smile. They feel better. I bake to make other people happy, and I'm ecstatic when I hear the yummy noises they make after that first bite.
I am actually grateful to that company that discarded me nearly a year ago - in fact, I am sending them a gift basket for Christmas, with a note that says, "thank you for setting me free."