Hashimoto's supposedly doesn't cause rashes, although apparently a lot of us have skin issues. Supposedly I just have rashes from the eczema 🥲

Hashimoto's attacks your thyroid, which is super important for keeping you alive. It kills your thyroid over time and significantly increases your risk of developing thyroid cancer. The current "treatment" is hormone replacement as the thyroid dies :) And some doctors recommend going gluten-free (something about the protein of the thyroid gland resembling gluten + increased risk of developing Celiac iirc?)

Some people with Hashimoto's have no symptoms once they're on hormone replacement. Others may still have symptoms like GI issues, mood swings, weight gain, increased blood glucose, fatigue, joint pain, feeling cold a lot, menstrual issues, headaches, just to name a few off the top of my head (but there any many)

No one ever told me this part (I was diagnosed over a decade ago), but we also actually have higher nutritional needs. The body is CONSTANTLY using resources attacking itself, the same resources it would normally use for something like an infection. So we're more prone to nutritional deficiencies, like iron, B-vitamins, and vitamin D.

There have been "rare" instances where the antibodies have started attacking the brain (I use quotes because Ha Ha It's Hard To Get Doctors To Investigate Anything, could be affecting more people than we know!)

Depending on how much hormone your thyroid can still produce, you might be able to go some time without your thyroid meds. First few years of my diagnosis I technically didn't "need" meds, but I took them occasionally because research showed that starting them before needed can slow the progression of the disease. Now I can maybe miss a day and not really notice... more than that and I start noticing it. I'm still on a low dose, so I imagine my body is still making enough hormone that I could probably live a few months without it while feeling very shitty and doing damage to my organs.

If your thyroid isn't producing enough hormones and you aren't on treatment, you will eventually decline and go into a coma. You can still be treated at this point... but without treatment, bye 😭