Oprah (do I really have to add “Winfrey”?) is now talking about the reason behind her weight gain. It’s her thyroid. I didn’t watch her show this past Tuesday so I don’t know if she actually gave the name of the specific hypothyroid problem she has but now that she is talking about it, maybe more of the medical profession will take note and anyone with similar symptoms will seek early treatment.

I suspected she had a thyroid condition for more than two years. The major clue for me was her throat; it was swollen, the way mine was for several years and which is a good visual clue that the thyroid may be malfunctioning. I have photos from 13 and 14 years ago in which my thyroid looks like a swollen Adam’s apple.

I tried to get help when I went to my ob-gyn for my yearly exam. I told him of my extreme exhaustion and uncontrollable weight gain. I didn’t think to point to my swollen Adam’s apple; how could a medical professional not see it? I was desperate for him to make me feel better and his words floored me: “You’re getting older; learn to live with it!”

No offer to do any tests (and hypothyroidism is easily diagnosed with a simple blood test), no follow-up visits, no referral to someone who cared, nothing. I was too old for him be bothered to use his training to make my life better. It was the last time I went to see him.

Two years later, up 25 more pounds, still exhausted, and after a lot of Web research, I went to my new family doctor and told him I suspected that I had a thyroid problem. I asked him to do a blood test to check my TSH level.

It was that easy to discover that I have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, a hypothyroid condition that causes weight gain, fatigue, depression, and a whole host of other nasty (and some potentially life-threatening) problems when it’s untreated. The cure: a simple little pill once a day for the rest of my life.

I can pretty much look at a person’s neck and tell if they are an untreated hypothyroid. I think Whoopi Goldberg has had a thyroid problem for several years. Next time you see her on The View, check her neck. Oprah’s neck was the same; so was mine.

Hypothyroidism sneaks up on a person. One day they’re feeling great and fitting into their clothes and a few months later they’re buying plus sizes and falling asleep in the middle of conversations.

Doctors don’t regularly test to see if the thyroid is functioning properly although with more than 10% of the population (primarily at middle age) developing the problem, they should.

Oprah wrote about her hypothyroidism in the July issue of O Magazine and she says “I decided to give myself July. Yes, the whole month–dedicated to myself, for myself. To regroup. Rejuvenate. Restore my soul.”

She doesn’t mention going to the doctor or taking meds or doing the things that most of us must do in order to get diagnosed and get hypothyroidism under control. Very few women have the financial resources to just “drop out” and focus entirely on themselves for a month or more.

I’m not convinced that learning to relax, eating healthy foods, and spending time watching beautiful island sunsets is going to take the place of Synthroid or other meds that regulate the thyroid. Don’t get me wrong, I try to relax,  I watch the foods I eat, and I love sunsets. But sometimes it takes medical intervention to get the body back on track.

As far as the doctor I first told about my problem? I think he might have cared if I’d been 21 and cute. But, since I was 50, tired, overweight, and cranky, he just didn’t want to spend any more effort with me. It was time for me to “learn to live with it” and get out of his space. I’m sure there’s a special reward for men like him; I just don’t expect to be going to the same place to see how he spends his eternity.