<<Disclaimer: Verify this information before applying it to your situation.>>
 
It was mid-day and mid-afternoon slumps that sent me to the doctor several
weeks ago for a round of blood tests.  Everything came back normal, but
she raised the possibility of thyroid, hence my query re. Hashimoto's
a few weeks back.  To summarize the responses on that score, Hashimoto's,
a progressive decrease in function of the thymus gland (due, I believe to
progressive granulation, but the docs on the list would know better),
occurs at a rate of about 1 in 8 in women, lower in men.  The current
treatment is replacement of the relevant hormone; however, one respondent
said that it has been suggested that this therapy accelerates deterioration
of thyroid function.  It also tends to show up in one's thirties (whether
it starts earlier and only shows symptoms at that point, or starts at
that point, is something I don't know).  No one had indications of a con-
nection between celiac and Hashimoto's, though there may be some correla-
tion with lupus, and there may be some genetic markers that would indicate
a correlation.
 
This may be a possibility worth discussing with your doctor, but this is
by no means expert advice!  My fatigue hits hard, and if there's a hori-
zontal surface available and a drop in willpower, I'll often end up taking
a nap, waking up in an hour spontaneously.  Doesn't make much difference
in how I feel physically, but I'm better able to concentrate on work and
get things done.  Doesn't seem to affect nighttime sleep patterns either,
or vice versa.  And coffee (and we're talking super high-test java here)
doesn't help at all -- lately it seems to be an absolute sedative!
 
Maybe it's just hibernation coming on.
 
Elizabeth
 
 
Elizabeth Frierson
Visiting Scholar
Cornell University
Department of History
450 McGraw Hall
Ithaca, NY  14853