Image 1 of 2 of a Discord Announcement Ellie made on May 4, 2025 at 2:28pm PDT. It reads as follows:
"Hey y'all! I hope your weekend has been going well! :heart emote:
So, as some of you know, I've been dealing with some health issues for quite a while now. Between doctors not believing me/not running the tests I wanted, or me not having the spoons to push back/pursue things, it’s taken longer than I’d hoped to get some answers.
I’m not done figuring everything out, but I do finally have one solid answer for why I’ve been feeling so awful. And funny enough, it’s something I’ve talked about on stream before.
As it turns out, I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. This is a chronic auto-immune disease that essentially makes your immune system see your thyroid as the enemy and attack it. It causes some super fun symptoms like fatigue/lethargy, cold sensitivity, joint pain, depression, anxiety, and brain fog. You can also experience throat pain from your thyroid becoming enlarged (called a goiter), which is something I'm experiencing. :dead bear emote:
And because my white blood cells are apparently overachievers, I now officially have Hypothyroidism too! :this is fine bear emote: That’s when your thyroid gland isn’t producing enough hormones, leading to a lot of the same symptoms as Hashimoto’s, with a few bonus ones like weight gain.
So... what does this mean for me? Well...
The good news is there’s medication to replace the hormones my thyroid isn’t making, and I started it last week. My doctor said it could be 3 weeks of taking the medication before I start to notice a difference."
Image 2 of 2 of a Discord Announcement Ellie made on May 4, 2025 at 2:28pm PDT. It reads as follows:
"The bad news is that this is a chronic condition, which means I'll have to deal with it for the rest of my life. I'll be having more frequent blood work to monitor my thyroid levels so my medication can be adjusted as necessary. And since I have an autoimmune disease, this means I can have flare ups.
With all of that in mind, I’ve decided to take a short break from streaming to let my body rest and give the medication a chance to start working. I've got more bloodwork scheduled for the end of this month and a follow-up with my doctor in early June, so my current plan will be to return to streams on June 9, 2025.
I know that was a lot to read, but thank you for sticking with me through all of it. I hope y'all will bear with me while I adjust to my new normal, both physically and mentally. I'm hoping I'll come out the other side feeling like myself again :crossed fingers emote:
I'll still be around in the discord, posting memes and what not. And I may even hop into voice once my throat starts feeling better! And if I have the energy :sleeping bear emote:
While I’m reminding myself to rest and take care of my health, let this be your little nudge too. Please don’t forget to check in on yourself, get some extra rest if you need it, seek fluid intake, and maybe even go make that doctor’s appointment you’ve been putting off. We all deserve to feel healthy and happy again :hugging bear emote:
I love y'all so much, and I can’t wait to get back to streaming once I’m feeling up to it again :bear heart emote:"
Hey y'all, it's been a while 💜 I've been dealing with some health stuffs, and finally have one answer as to what's been going on with me.
While I adjust to my diagnosis and new meds, I'll be taking a break from streams until June 9, 2025. Here's hoping I'll be feeling like myself again soon 🤞
