The Refined Woman

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Hashimoto's / Thyroid Resources...and my story

Katherine Harris

Hey Friend,

Some of you know my health journey. Some of you may not. It’s been a wild ride for a long, long time. I’ve never been a ‘sickly’ person. I’m a full of energy, let’s go on an adventure, I can make a friend anywhere sort of person.

A lot of that changed when I moved to New York City. My first year in New York I got the flu three or four times (I can’t quite remember). Over time, I developed a rash that I jokingly referred to as my NYC rash. Whenever I’d leave New York; it’d disappear, and I’d come back and it’d be back with vengeance. I now know my body was “keeping the score”, and speaking to me—but in the moment it was just something funny my friends and I would joke about.

Doctors couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me. I was given medication for ring-worm, staph infection, and mainly I was met with the not so vague sense that my doctors thought I was making it all up

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I grew tired ALL THE TIME. No matter how much sleep I got at night, I’d wake up and feel like a train hit me, and like I could sleep all day. Then after being tired all day, I’d get a jolt of adrenaline right before bed and then I couldn’t fall asleep. It was a vicious cycle. (I now know these were tell tale signs of adrenal fatigue, immune system issues, etc.)

After several years of this, the debilitating anxiety attacks began, and the hyper sensitivity to sounds. I was crawling my way through life in New York, and I can’t tell you how many thousands of dollars I spent while I lived in New York to try and get to a place where I was operating at status quo.

I finally found an incredible holistic doctor in NYC, and she instantly recognized my rash as a gluten allergy, and did lab work on me and found my adrenals in complete over drive. She normalized my experience. For the first time in years I felt hope and like I wasn’t crazy!

One thing I’ve experience is you don’t get a lot of sympathy from folks when you are tired all the time. Mostly vague questions, and sideways glances speaking non-verbally that maybe I’m just a baby, or maybe I’m just lazy.

But I wasn’t, and I’m not, and meeting my first holistic doctor changed everything. I went gluten-free, dairy-free, and sugar free for almost two years. I also gave up alcohol and caffeine for a time as well, and can’t tell you how much that improved my life. This all may sound dramatic, but I was SO desperate to feel better, I was willing to do anything! And I got better! Within six months of protocols, I felt like myself for the first time in years.

Fast forward a few years, and I lessened up on my diet restrictions. Instead of gluten-free I became what I refer to as gluten-light. And I reintroduced dairy—I honestly don’t know how I went without cheese for two whole years! And I felt pretty good.

But then ,y health took another dip in 2019 after my dad had a drug relapse. I had no idea that heartbreak, grief, and trauma could trigger such physical responses in your body. (It now makes so much sense—our bodies and our trauma and emotions—they’re all connected). Once again I grew tired, overwhelmed, anxiety ridden, hypersensitive to noises —all this made living in New York City almost impossible.

Enter March of 2020, and COVID. I went home to Dallas for what I thought would be a week in early March to ride out the wave of whatever this COVID thing was. One week turned into three months at my parent’s house. It was the break from NYC I never thought I’d take, but desperately needed. I slept, went on walks, took baths, enjoyed the sunshine. It felt like I was at rehab. (I have a hard time sharing this because I know COVID was devestating for so many people, and I acknowledge the privilege of my experience). With that said, it was the first time in almost a decade I actually felt rested.

In the space and time of rest, my body healed once again on its own. As soon as I went back to NYC that June though, my body revolted.

It was then I discovered my apartment of six years had bad black mold, and I made the tough call to leave the city. My heart felt at home in New York, but my body was SCREAMING at me asking: when will you start listening to me? Well, I heard her loud and clear and left New York.

I had the naive notion that simply leaving New York would heal my body.

While it did help with my baseline, I was wrong. I still felt so tired so much of the time. And I always found a good reason for it: I’m launching a book. I’m traveling. I’m going through a faith crisis. There’s family drama. And yes all of that was and is true, and all of that does impact your health. But it just started to feel like IS THIS MY NEW NORMAL? Am I just a tired person who doesn’t have a lot of energy and gets sick a lot?

Enter in 2022, and I went through my egg freezing journey. This in itself was as expensive as it was devestating. During my egg freezing process last spring, I was told I’d probably hit menopause at 39 (aka next year), and I might not be able to have children, and I may or may not have Hashimoto’s (whatever that was).

I was heartbroken, and felt abandoned by God. I sunk into a deep hole, and got sick again and again last summer (Covid, UTIs, strep throat twice…the list goes on).

I was referred to an endocrinologist and went through hoops for MONTHS to finally be told the doctor really couldn’t figure out if I had anything wrong, and maybe I was just depressed, and do I want a prescription for Zoloft?!

By last fall, once again, I felt crazy. Had I been making these symptoms up? Was I just depressed? Was there something really wrong with me? I felt completely defeated. Hopeless. And not sure where to go next.

Then on a September night last fall, I went to an Austin happy hour for New York City Transplants…(ya I know it sounds pretentious). At this happy hour that I did NOT want to go to, I met a girl who shared her health journey, and it sounded so similar to mine. She told me about a great doctor in Austin, and how 6 months of working with him she felt like a new person. I got Dr. Moos’ information that night, and had an appointment a few days later.

I cried in my first consult with Dr. Moos. Sharing my story, my lab work, the diagnoses of a perhaps childless future, and the dead ends with my thyroid journey.

Dr. Moos and his team saw me, listened, and validated. One of the first things he noted from my lab work was that I had anemia. He said it so matter of factly—oh so you have anemia—it’s right here in your lab work. No other doctor has ever told me that before, and he said that was because most doctors look at what the numbers should be for men, and so women get misdiagnosed often. For the first time in years I left the office feeling hope.

This is a really long-winded story of finally getting to the point where we got some lab results back a few weeks ago showing a lot of different things. Basically anything and everything that could give me low energy and a compromised immune system…my body has is manifesting. One of those things being autoimmune thyroid issues or aka Hashimoto’s. Basically my immune system is attacking my thyroid.

To actually know what is going on in my body is so validating. And to have actual numbers on a page showcasing where my body is at from bloodwork is so helpful because now we can actually create a game plan—which is what we are doing.

For now, I’m working with my doctor on a protocol that works best for me. And I think that’s key—so many times I’ve read someone else’s story and instantly want to self-diagnose, and know what exactly they’re doing so I can replicate that. And I do think other stories are helpful, which is why I’m sharing mine. It’s also equally important to get your own labs done, find a health professional you can trust, and begin your own healing journey!

I’m also reading a ton, and asked you on Instagram last week to share any thyroid / Hashimoto’s resources. And BOY did you deliver. Below is a list of all that was sent into me. Please note that I haven’t read, listened, or watched all of what’s below. I just wanted to put in one place all that was offered to me, and offer it to you!

Here’s to the journey.

Here’s to healing.

Here’s to hope.

And here’s to believing that a full, whole, abundant, engery-filled life is available to us all!

XO,

Kat

*Also, just a reminder—I am no expert. I am not a medical professional. Please see your doctor or health-care professional to run labs + tests. Also I have not read/watched all of these resources. These are just what folks have referred to me in the last week or so!

XO,

Kat