My Thyroid Story:
Valerie Dennis - Trustee with The Thyroid Trust
It all began in 1982, when I was 20 years old. I’d just moved away from home to study one of the first ever Media Studies degrees, and I felt pretty good! Amidst all the freedom and exciting new experiences, my new GP referred me to St Bartholomew’s Hospital for two separate investigations: one for hip dysplasia, and another due to concerns about my thyroid.
The hip issue was something I’d lived with for years — I could “pop” it out of place, I walked awkwardly and laughed about it, but the pain was slowly worsening. I was starting to realise how serious it could become.
The thyroid concern, at the time, only really inspired me to add neck scarves to my post‑punk wardrobe! At that age, I barely knew anything about the thyroid, only that it was linked to iodine, and my biggest fear was that a swelling might mean cancer.
Regarding my hip, I had major reconstructive surgery in 1984, and years relying on crutches and a stick on and off and living with constant discomfort. It wasn’t until I was 57 that a full hip replacement finally evened my leg length, aligned my feet, and freed me from pain.
But this is my thyroid story, the hospital reassured me immediately: “It’s not a lump, your thyroid is just working extra hard, everything is fine.” Relieved and distracted by my hip and student life, I carried on with my scarves and didn’t give it much more thought.
Move on 21 years:
By 2003, I was in my 40’s now, working as a Deputy Headteacher, and life was full and busy. I had three wonderful children and had been living with a diagnosis of epilepsy since shortly after my first child was born in 1985. Medication kept my seizures under control but brought its own challenges over time.
I had always battled steady weight gain, but it was an overwhelming exhaustion that finally took me back to my GP. He listened carefully, asked all the right questions, and ordered blood tests; revealing hypothyroidism alongside very high cholesterol. I started on Levothyroxine and statins straight away.
Juggling Health & Life over the next 20 years
My Levothyroxine dose slowly increased all the way to 200mcg daily.
Developing various points of osteoarthritis, increasing hip issues and recovering from a serious ankle break added to the general body pain of hypothyroidism.
I seemed to be successfully managing and living with the side effects from epilepsy medication.
I continued battling stubborn weight that kept me stuck in the obese range no matter what I seemed to do.
However, I had a high‑pressure but rewarding role as a Headteacher from 2006 to 2018 and my health yet again took second place. Or third or fourth if I am honest!
I put my daily exhaustion down to my work and the freezing hands and feet down to my thyroid, but I just wrapped up warm, drank strong coffee, and just kept going. I learned about supporting my nutrient levels with supplements, but still felt something wasn’t quite right.
When the menopause arrived, things got even harder: the joint pain particularly, left me feeling old before my time, and even with gym sessions and swimming, I felt stiff and moved slowly. After losing a stone through hard work, I still felt unwell, and began to question if my high Levothyroxine dose was still right for me, especially as medication needs can shift with weight changes.
In 2018, I stepped down from full‑time employment, to have the much needed hip replacement, and I started low‑dose HRT. Since then, I’ve worked part‑time in inclusive education and become a proud Trustee of The Thyroid Trust. With far less stress and a better lifestyle balance, I felt some improvement, but as with many thyroid conditions, I still had so many unanswered questions.
Then in 2025, everything changed again: my appetite faded fast, I felt constantly nauseous, and eventually struggled to eat at all, even with family and friends around me. I lost 2 stone in just two months, which felt far too fast, and was deeply worrying for us all.
I’m so grateful to my GP, who took every concern seriously and arranged every test possible: endoscopies, scans, blood work — everything however except a full thyroid panel, which wasn’t available through primary care due to current guidelines. The results brought huge relief: no cancer at all! The results did identify a duodenal ulcer, oesophagitis and a lowered level of Vitamin D.
With PPI treatment for the ulcer and easy‑to‑absorb liquid vitamins, my appetite is slowly returning and my weight stabilising. I am now on the waiting list to see an endocrinologist and still seeking answers.
My Takes on All this
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have lived with symptoms for years every step you take to understand your own health matters so much. There is so much more information available than when I was first diagnosed, both about medication and nutrition, but it is unfiltered and complex.
My approach is to:
Valerie Dennis - Trustee with The Thyroid Trust
It all began in 1982, when I was 20 years old. I’d just moved away from home to study one of the first ever Media Studies degrees, and I felt pretty good! Amidst all the freedom and exciting new experiences, my new GP referred me to St Bartholomew’s Hospital for two separate investigations: one for hip dysplasia, and another due to concerns about my thyroid.
The hip issue was something I’d lived with for years — I could “pop” it out of place, I walked awkwardly and laughed about it, but the pain was slowly worsening. I was starting to realise how serious it could become.
The thyroid concern, at the time, only really inspired me to add neck scarves to my post‑punk wardrobe! At that age, I barely knew anything about the thyroid, only that it was linked to iodine, and my biggest fear was that a swelling might mean cancer.
Regarding my hip, I had major reconstructive surgery in 1984, and years relying on crutches and a stick on and off and living with constant discomfort. It wasn’t until I was 57 that a full hip replacement finally evened my leg length, aligned my feet, and freed me from pain.
But this is my thyroid story, the hospital reassured me immediately: “It’s not a lump, your thyroid is just working extra hard, everything is fine.” Relieved and distracted by my hip and student life, I carried on with my scarves and didn’t give it much more thought.
Move on 21 years:
By 2003, I was in my 40’s now, working as a Deputy Headteacher, and life was full and busy. I had three wonderful children and had been living with a diagnosis of epilepsy since shortly after my first child was born in 1985. Medication kept my seizures under control but brought its own challenges over time.
I had always battled steady weight gain, but it was an overwhelming exhaustion that finally took me back to my GP. He listened carefully, asked all the right questions, and ordered blood tests; revealing hypothyroidism alongside very high cholesterol. I started on Levothyroxine and statins straight away.
Juggling Health & Life over the next 20 years
My Levothyroxine dose slowly increased all the way to 200mcg daily.
Developing various points of osteoarthritis, increasing hip issues and recovering from a serious ankle break added to the general body pain of hypothyroidism.
I seemed to be successfully managing and living with the side effects from epilepsy medication.
I continued battling stubborn weight that kept me stuck in the obese range no matter what I seemed to do.
However, I had a high‑pressure but rewarding role as a Headteacher from 2006 to 2018 and my health yet again took second place. Or third or fourth if I am honest!
I put my daily exhaustion down to my work and the freezing hands and feet down to my thyroid, but I just wrapped up warm, drank strong coffee, and just kept going. I learned about supporting my nutrient levels with supplements, but still felt something wasn’t quite right.
When the menopause arrived, things got even harder: the joint pain particularly, left me feeling old before my time, and even with gym sessions and swimming, I felt stiff and moved slowly. After losing a stone through hard work, I still felt unwell, and began to question if my high Levothyroxine dose was still right for me, especially as medication needs can shift with weight changes.
In 2018, I stepped down from full‑time employment, to have the much needed hip replacement, and I started low‑dose HRT. Since then, I’ve worked part‑time in inclusive education and become a proud Trustee of The Thyroid Trust. With far less stress and a better lifestyle balance, I felt some improvement, but as with many thyroid conditions, I still had so many unanswered questions.
Then in 2025, everything changed again: my appetite faded fast, I felt constantly nauseous, and eventually struggled to eat at all, even with family and friends around me. I lost 2 stone in just two months, which felt far too fast, and was deeply worrying for us all.
I’m so grateful to my GP, who took every concern seriously and arranged every test possible: endoscopies, scans, blood work — everything however except a full thyroid panel, which wasn’t available through primary care due to current guidelines. The results brought huge relief: no cancer at all! The results did identify a duodenal ulcer, oesophagitis and a lowered level of Vitamin D.
With PPI treatment for the ulcer and easy‑to‑absorb liquid vitamins, my appetite is slowly returning and my weight stabilising. I am now on the waiting list to see an endocrinologist and still seeking answers.
My Takes on All this
- Why can’t my GP access a full thyroid blood panel to see the whole picture alongside my other results? I truly believe GPs should have full, unrestricted access to every blood test and scan available, they know us best, see our whole health story and all our conditions, and are perfectly placed to refer us to the right specialists only when truly necessary.
- Am I taking too much Levothyroxine now, although I still have mainly hypothyroid symptoms?
- Do I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis?
- Is my body converting T4 into the active hormone T3 properly? This is a major source of contention within the treatment of thyroid conditions, and I don’t know whether I am converting adequately or overcompensating with T4.
- Could my epilepsy medication be interacting with my thyroid treatment?
Whether you’re newly diagnosed or have lived with symptoms for years every step you take to understand your own health matters so much. There is so much more information available than when I was first diagnosed, both about medication and nutrition, but it is unfiltered and complex.
My approach is to:
- Keep a track of symptoms, how they make me feel, when they happen, and what I can do to lessen them or lean into them. I am not seeking perfection, but I want to live well.
- Explore trusted resources like those that we share at The Thyroid Trust or those of the British Thyroid Foundation and I do gather information online. However, I share any information I find that seems relevant with my GP, and I do not make any changes without that discussion.
- Share my experience with others but do not seek or give opinions on any test results and treatments. I strongly believe that we are each a unique blend of our health and lifestyle and will continue to challenge the chipping away of the one of the key strengths of our UK NHS; where a GP can oversee a holistic approach to treatment and add a medical filter to all the available online information. I always ask about interactions and check how any new prescription works with what I already take.
- Have my questions for the endocrinologist clearly prepared, so that nothing gets forgotten in the moment.
- Share the positive outcomes of my choice to use liquid supplements, as they are much easier to absorb, especially if you ever have gut issues.
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The Thyroid Trust is also known as TTT and Thyroid Friends Network,
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