Taking the initiative

ELISA:

There is more to managing your hypothyroidism than just taking a pill. It’s not just, you take the pill and that’s it. There’s other facets to this. But it’s manageable and it, it can be done.

ON SCREEN:

TAKING THE INITIATIVE

ELISA:

My role in managing my hypothyroidism is just that. It’s mine.

ON SCREEN:

Elisa

Living with hypothyroidism

ELISA:

And I have to take the responsibility to do that and the initiative to do it. And part of that is making sure that I go to the doctor, my endocrinologist, and being as open as I can be. And when I’m having down days, telling him about it, and when I feel like I’m managing it well or I’m where I need to be within my levels, I also tell him so that everybody’s on the same page.

ON SCREEN:

Your doctor will carefully monitor your thyroid levels regularly.

ELISA:

When I’m feeling off, I definitely—the first thing I do is I call my doctor’s office because he will help me rule out whether or not it’s a thyroid issue or if I need to go see another doctor.

ON SCREEN:

PARTNERING WITH YOUR DOCTOR

ELISA:

Part of your commitment in managing your hypothyroidism is partnering with your doctor. And so, I would tell someone that has hypothyroidism that’s trying to find their doctor, they need to figure out what they’re wanting from the doctor beyond just a diagnosis. There’s another element there, which is the compassion and personal-to-personal relationship that you have with them.

Because I loved my doctor so much, that any time I had an appointment, I would drive six hours to see him. I didn’t care because it’s not just about the medication. He gave me the initiative to do something about it and give me control and educate me. By him taking that time to get to know me, and I got to know him, when it got to the point of being on medication, I was on the same page that he was at, and I knew exactly what he was talking about as far as where I needed to be.

ON SCREEN:

STAYING MOTIVATED

ELISA:

Part of what keeps me motivated in managing my hypothyroidism is knowing where I came from and not forgetting that. I’ve really learned to step up and take responsibility for it and talk to people. I don’t get to change that I have hypothyroidism, but I do get to choose how I’m going to manage it.