The way people respond to your revelation that you have a Thyroid Disorder...

[pep88]

K, so a thread about weight loss made me think of a cousin.  And her first question for me when I hadn't seen her for a few years (and she was aware of my thyroid cancer the year prior), was: "So, will it be hard to control your weight now?"  Who asks any other type of cancer survivor this question?  And first out of the gate???  

I've had all of the reactions listed below.  Ranging from genuine concern to outright thoughtlessness.  But I was just wondering what the highest rated response would be from all of you.  

Totally unofficial and poll.  Results will have a +/- 2% margin of error... (isn't that what they say?)

[pep88]

The most horrifying answer to me is the one by johncp, where his coworkers actually thought, and treated him, as if he'd tried to commit suicide by trying to slit his own thoat.  It must be the movies these days that give people the imagination to dream up this freakishly weird stuff...  I'm sorry but that's just wrong.

[Jennifer1987]

Laura is so right! the only ones who turely seem concerned are people on this site!!!  And we don't even know eachother!!! Shows that unless you actually expeirence it you won't understand! Im sure everyone on here has been told 'to get over it' now and then!

[KD9ER]

The only person who really and truely supports me is a person I consider my sister.  Nik is the sister I never had growing up and the sister and best friend I have been blessed with by the grace of God.  We met in HS and by chance bumped into each other on a dinner cruise a few years ago in Hawaii of all places!  The most by chance meeting.  And like we'd never missed a beat---we've managed to stay in closer contact and talk almost daily despite the many miles between us.  She is constantly trying to help me find a support group and when she can't, she's there for me.  :)  She understands my ranting as a way of dealing/coping with who I've become...my version of Insomniatic HULK if you will.  She is my Angel on Earth.  

Although I chose the all inclusive answer, because that is what I get.  I get some people who are dealing with what I am dealing with (besides my MedHelp Family), I get the crazed looks of 'a what???', and I get the constant answer of "hypochondriac/complainer"...my only good retort to that is "I'm sorry you misunderstood me, I said hypoTHYROID."  It's a difficult balance on a daily basis and I can honestly say the last few months (since Aug) have not been the easiest.  I feel like I am truely at my lowest.  I've been bad before, but lately the insomnia has hit an all new low.  The pharmacist understands, but I've still yet to find that one Doctor.  I might have him found, but I'm still not sure.  I'm waiting for a slue of blood tests to come back and I still don't feel confident.  For the better part of the decade I've been in a downward spiral.  I know if someone would just look at the rational explainations, the rational symptoms and truely look at me as a person---they would find the puzzle pieces fit with one simple answer.  I've yet to find that doctor who knows how to put a puzzle together.  I'll continue searching though.  I will.  I'm not giving up on me.  I might be tired of being tired.  And maybe the whole world is sick of hearing my "complaints", but they don't matter.  I do.  I'll continue fighting for my health if it takes me my whole life, I'll do it.

[Totie]

My friends and family show concern with my thyroid issue because they think it is causing all of my weird symptoms and physical appearance. I do not have to justify my illness to them, they keep telling me to go to the Mayo clinic for better care.

[laura1967]

I think the genuine concern is only found here in a support forum of other patients...sad but true. The age old... been there....done that...is the only way to truely understand any of us and what we go through.

[pep88]

And still no votes for "genuine concern"....  Shoot, I thought someone would check that box...  If only just in jest...

[bet643]

Most of the people that I have talked to, have no idea about the way a thyroid functions. Most have never given it much thought, though they know of people who have thyroid disorders, they still have no clue. And it's way over their heads when you start talking about hashimotos. They look at thyroid cancer as if it"s no big deal. They have no idea on what your body goes through. No one cares, no one listens. They think that all you have to do is pop a pill and everything is peachy. We've done our research, educated ourselves through the net, band together as a group to try to understand what it is that we need to do, in order to live a somewhat normal life. I've become a stronger person because of it. I'm not going to let it beat me down. Still looking for answers and willing to help others and share with you, my experiences.

[crucian]

My family thinks I am going to die any day now.  If I stay in bed too long, they wake me up and ask if I am not feeling well.  What scares them the most is when I don't comb my hair in the morning.  I had thyroid cancer surgery the day before Thanksgiving.  I look well even though sometimes I don't feel like it.  I have maintained my current presurgery weight and I still have all of my hair.

[johncp]

I did not have cancer but a partial thyroidectomy to remove a benign growth.  A few co-workers stared at the scar and truly beleived I tried to comit suicide by cutting my throat.  They had no idea what the thyroid was.

[ChitChatNine]

As soon as the hear the word cancer, all they do is stare at the neck and block the rest cause they don't have knowledge in that area and are scared themselves and don't know what to say.

But if I could vote again, I'd also choose:  ALL OF THE ABOVE as well as THE STARE

C~

[Jennifer1987]

Its a mix for me, but at this stage I think people think Im just a complainer! Especially the family...get over it is what I hear a lot!  And my reply is, if only I could!! Do they really think I want to feel like this??? Hmmm madness!

[amela321]

I am a 23 years thyroid cancer survivor with a recurrence in 2008, waiting for further testing in a couple of weeks and in hypo-hell for the second time in 6 months and my parents STILL don't know what a thyroid is or what it does (or used to do in my case) and trying to explain it to them is similar to hitting myself in the head with a shovel, so I've quit trying.  

[Smilerdeb]

People look for scars, or no hair or green monsters growing out of your ears when they hear you have a Thyroid condition.
When there are no green monsters from the RAI (hehehe lol) they look at you as if you have a psychiatric problem and need help.
Well seriously....thyroid problems are enough to drive you insane ..BUT.....
I gave up trying to explain myself or 'make excuses' as some put it.
I simply tell them where to go in some very nice language lol (heheheh)
Ooops....

[redheadaussie]

I keep getting told to 'get over it' That it's been 18months since the first surgery and 12 since the last surgery so ,"You should be fine by now, I think you over react to everything' Coming from people who in my family are on thyroid medication and have no Hashi's and still have their thyroids intact.
   Some people like to share their stories with me, just yesterday had a customer pick up something and she asked about my scar, she told me about her mother who nearly 20 years ago was misdiagnosed and ended up losing her thyroid too.
   Like utahmomma, when I tell people I had a type of cancer in the thyroid they say..but "You still have all your hair, is it too late for  chemo?" Time to educate the world!!!

[laura1967]

People that aren't my family seem to be clueless to what the thyroid does, and can't understand why I am sick alot and hide out in my cave......
My family likes to minimize my health issues due to my thyroid....except for my wonderful 14 yr old daughter and my boyfriend. They are my rocks and are always willing to "stay home with mom" and take it easy. Luckily all my family live 2500 miles away! lol  
People just don't understand how debilitating thyroid diseases are....they do look at us like we are crazy!  What is even sadder is that our own doctors that we have had (and hopefully fired)  have often looked at us with disbelief and thought we were anxious and crazy....it can't be your thyroid!! The thyroid doesnt cause all these symptoms!  Yeeeeahhh right!!
Okay....taking a breath.......calming down.....LOL

[utahmomma]

My favorite (for those of us who have thyroid cancer) is when someone says "oh, is that a *real* cancer?"

Mostly people just stare at my neck though.

[stella5349]

I picked

sharing their thyroid stories with you .

But the "Minimizing  your thryoid compaints/issues to the point of almost mocking you" fits for many I know too.

Many don't realize what we go through -

[AR-10]

I voted "share their own", because nearly everyone I talk to has a relative with a thyroid problem.

The only thing that bugs me is when I tell them I had to close my business and they look at me like I'm a freak because it's "just" a thyroid issue.

It only happens once in a while, though.

It's amazing how many people are hypothyroid, and gosh darn it, most of them are not having serious problems.

[Barb135]

None of them fit really well, but I picked the second to last because most people don't know how important the thyroid is and don't really care.  

Reactions have ranged from not caring or understanding, accusations of being a hypochondriac to downright thoughtlessness/rudeness about the weight gain.  

One friend that I hadn't seen in a long time, put every single symptom down to getting older.  I suspect that even she might be hypo T, but she was totally oblivious and blew off most of what I said.  Even when I told her the symptoms were from my thyroid condition, not age, she didn't get it.  "Oh, my isn't it awful to be getting older"?