It can be frustrating when you don't have enough energy
to do the things you love,
and it's easy to blame on it being busy,
or getting older,
but there could be more to it than that.
So it's important to tell your doctor
if you notice any changes,
and that's just what this next woman did
to help get her back on the move.
Diane Russel has always prioritized
exercise and a healthy lifestyle.
- Exercise is good for everyone.
It helps to keep your body going.
- [Jane] She says starting her weekdays at the gym
helps her energize herself for the rest of her day.
- I exercise five days a week.
I'm in the gym at five o'clock in the morning,
it helps to open the mind up
and to give you the energy that you really need.
- [Jane] Because she's always been health-conscious,
Dianne became immediately concerned
when she started noticing some changes.
- I found myself with no energy, a weight gain,
some of the hair started falling out more than usual,
noticing the eyebrows and the eyelashes were getting thinner
and I wasn't sure what was going on.
I wasn't able to do as much as I had in the past.
I'd come home and say I'm just too tired.
I just can't do it anymore.
So I knew something was not right.
- [Jane] Dianne told her doctor about her concerns.
A blood test revealed what was going on.
- [Dianne] She goes, you have Hashimoto's thyroiditis.
I didn't know what Hashimoto's was.
- Hashimoto's is an autoimmune thyroid disorder.
Autoimmune meaning your own body takes these cells
and attacks your thyroid.
It destroys it slowly to the point
where your thyroid is no longer able
to provide adequate thyroid hormone.
Hashimoto's is the most common cause of hypothyroidism,
meaning you don't have enough thyroid hormone in the body.
We check the antibodies, and most people with Hasimoto's
will have these positive antibodies.
- [Jane] Dr. Lopez says Dianne's symptoms
are very similar to what many patients experience.
- The thyroid is responsible for your metabolism.
Many metabolic functions, so you may gain weight.
You'll feel cold, your skin may get dry,
nails may get brittle, hair may get dry and coarse.
As the disease goes on untreated,
you may start noticing that you're getting puffy.
- I had a determination.
I'm not gonna let this stop me.
I just thought I'm just gonna work through it,
I'm gonna accept it.
- [Jane] Under Dr. Lopez's supervision,
Dianne began taking medication to help with her symptoms.
(upbeat music)
- It's very treatable.
So if your thyroid's not making enough thyroid hormone,
we replace it.
We replace the thyroid hormone with synthetic medications.
Once you start thyroid hormone replacement
it's important to check with a follow-up lab
within six to eight weeks
to determine if it was an adequate replacement or not.
It's not an immediate resolution of symptoms,
it may take up to maybe six months.
- I just followed her lead and everything
came the way she said it was going to come.
It's been pretty successful so far, I've been very pleased.
- [Jane] With medication helping her
thyroid hormones levels return to a normal range,
Dianne began to feel her energy come back.
- It feels great.
I have all the energy in the world.
It doesn't stop me from anything.
- She's doing very well.
She's very active.
She certainly is somebody that I think
takes very great care of her overall health.
She sees me on a regular basis.
- [Jane] Dianne says those regular check-ins
give her peace of mind that her health is under control.
- [Dianne] I know that I'll be fine and I'm in good hands.
- If your noticing that you're fatigued,
that you're having a more difficult time concentrating,
your weight has crept up despite diet and exercise,
dry skin, dry coarse hair, let your doctor know.
Ask, could this be my thyroid?
Hashimoto's is very treatable,
which is why it's so important to find it.
- You can live with this.
This is not something that will hold you back.
It's not holding me back at all, oh, no.
I do what I want to do, I go where I want to go.
- Oh it's so great to see Dianne out in her garden.
Okay.