Things I’ve diagnosed myself with, using Robbins & Cotran: Pathologic Basis of Disease, 7th ed.
From the week of April 27, 2008.
Iron deficiency anemia
What: Lack of iron, causing lowered levels of hemoglobin.
Why I totally had it: Had a spoon-like dip in my thumb’s fingernail (koilonychia) — a sign of iron deficiency.
But actually it was: A little dip in my thumb’s fingernail that I’ve had since forever.
Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
What: Underactive thyroid, caused by autoimmune destruction of thyroid.
Why I totally had it: Weight gain, fatigue, memory loss, intolerance to cold temperatures.
But actually it was: Poor eating habits (potato chips and Diet Coke are not real dinner), sleep deprivation, and New York’s shitty “springtime” weather.
