My heart was beating fast and my eyes were bulging

Mary Tighe's story:

I can trace back the symptoms of my thyroid problems to 1995. My heart was beating fast, my body was shaking all over and my eyes were bulging. I lost weight and then put it back on again.

My mother had multiple sclerosis so my first fear was that I was developing the symptoms of multiple sclerosis. My GP did blood tests and nothing showed up. When the results came back, he realised that a thyroid function test had not been done. Within two days, I had the test and was diagnosed with hyperthyroidism. I was relieved.

I was brought into hospital for a series of tests and put on a high dose of neomercazole. Over the next 18 months, I was weaned off the drugs and my hormone levels went back to normal.

Not for long. Soon after that, my thyroid hormone levels rose again and I had all the symptoms back. Over the next few years, I went on medication and was weaned off it again only to find my thyroid hormones went back up again.

In 2001, I was faced with making a choice between taking radioactive iodine capsules or having my thyroid gland removed. I opted for the former treatment which is expected to reduce the activity of the thyroid gland but leave enough function to have adequate levels of thyroid hormone in the body.

Unfortunately, the radioactive iodine raised the thyroid function and I got toxic poisoning a few months after the treatment. I was very sick. I was vomiting, had no energy and had difficulty breathing. I saw the endocrinologist who put me back on medication again.

This time, it took 12 months to bring my thyroid hormones back to normal levels. But, amazingly, since then, they have remained at normal levels. This was 2002.

I had allergy tests around this time and I discovered that I am allergic to wheat and dairy products. I now follow a strict no-wheat, no-dairy diet and I am much healthier overall.

As a side effect of thyroid problems, I also developed osteopoena (the precursor of osteoporosis) and I take one weekly tablet to help my body absorb calcium and one daily calcium supplement.

I have also discovered that coeliac disease and thyroid problems can sometimes coincide. My thyroid hormones are checked every six months or so just to keep an eye on things.

Sylvia Thompson