It all started when I was 16 years old. The date was Dec. 13, 2013. That's when I got so ill I ended up in the hospital. I won't get into details, but it led to the nurses having to take my blood every four hours. I was in the hospital from 10 p.m. to 5 a.m. When they got my blood results back, the nurses discovered that my thyroid hormone levels were extremely low.

Long story short, after 22 months, I found out my depression was caused by my low level of thyroid hormones. Thankfully, by then I had gotten over my depression, but that's when I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism.

Once I had learned that I was diagnosed with the condition, I did my research on what the symptoms are and how it is treated. There is no cure for hypothyroidism and most patients have it for life. I decided to write an article about living with hypothyroidism because I want to inform others on the condition. I'm not looking for pity, I am simply raising awareness of the disease. Maybe you're curious about the disease, or just want to know what someone with the disease may go through on a daily basis. If you experience most or all of these symptoms, please contact your doctor to get your blood drawn and your levels checked.

One symptom that hit me at first was the depression. I was always melancholy without any explanation of why I was feeling this way. We all know the symptoms of depression, but I personally never wanted to go out and do anything. I lost interest in all my favorite activities, and my grades in school severely declined. I also was constantly tired, so all I wanted to do was sleep, which leads me to my next symptom.

Fatigue. Fatigue is a constant feeling you get if your thyroid levels are low. I am always tried, no matter how much sleep I get. A lot of the times I feel physically drained by the end of the day. All I ever want to do is sleep, and sometimes it's easy for me to sleep for longer hours than most people could sleep for.

I am always cold. It could be 85 degrees and sunny outside, and I still get the chills. Even in the summertime, sometimes I will sleep with my heated blanket. Whenever I am home alone, I will turn the heat in the house up to between 75 and 78 degrees to feel comfortable. Every time I eat, I get even chillier, and you'll see I will have goosebumps. If you ever notice after I eat I rub my arms a lot, it's because I am really cold. It doesn't matter if the food is hot or cold, I will feel frigid after I eat. Sometimes I will shower two to three times a day because I like the feeling of hot water on my skin.

With my thyroid levels being so low, my metabolism is really low as well. Whenever I forget to take my meds, my eating habits change. I will either eat way more than usual because I will constantly be hungry, or I won't eat at all because I will constantly feel full.

Another symptom I face on days when I forget to take my medicine -- I will forget easily. Someone will ask me to do something, and it will completely slip my mind within two minutes of being asked to do the task. I always have to write things down, or mark events in my calendar because otherwise I won't even remember being invited to do something.

Those are just the symptoms I face. How I am being treated for it is every morning I take a small white pill while on an empty stomach. The medication I take is Synthroid. Synthroid regulates my metabolism and my thyroid levels. If I lose a lot of weight, the dosage could possibly be too much and I will become dizzy, and possibly pass out. It is important that if I ever feel light headed often that I contact my doctor, and ask for a lighter dosage.

Since I've only been diagnosed for less than a year, I have been learning a lot more about hypothyroidism, and I've been learning a lot more about myself and my body. It's really interesting to discover more things about the disease, and the science behind it.

Again, I am not looking for your sympathy, but rather I am raising awareness of this disease. A few months back, I found out my grandfather, and my father, also have hypothyroidism, which is interesting because the disease runs in families. If anyone in your family has a history of hypothyroidism or hyperthyroidism, and if you are experiencing any of these symptoms, it is important to contact your doctor. To find out more information, you can of course always Google it, or ask someone you know who has the disease.