A mom of two has revealed how posting a video on TikTok led to an unexpected health discovery.
When Lauren Bockholt, 31, posted a video about the comical new doormat her husband ordered online, there was no way of knowing how much it would change her life. She originally recorded the clip back in August 2024 for Instagram but didn’t post it on TikTok (@stufflaurendoes_) until May 2025.
The original video went viral on Instagram last year, but the response was nothing out of the ordinary. However, the TikTok reaction couldn’t have been more different.
Bockholt, of San Antonio, Texas, told Newsweek that she “almost immediately started getting comments” from strangers when it went viral on TikTok with over 1.8 million views. Her inbox was suddenly inundated with messages from people concerned about her thyroid.
“I began getting comments and messages from random people who did not follow me,” Bockholt said. “It was mostly women who have thyroid conditions or cancers, or husbands and sons of women who had thyroid cancers and conditions.”
The video shows Bockholt talking to the camera while cradling her baby. Many social-media users couldn’t look past how swollen her neck looked, and they urged her to seek medical advice. The messages varied from people encouraging Bockholt to get her thyroid checked, telling her it looked swollen, and some even shared their personal stories.
Bockholt said: “During my most-recent pregnancy, I had my blood work done, and during my first trimester, I had one thyroid number come back lower than normal. At the time, we discussed this with my midwife and agreed that I did not have any of the general symptoms related to that number, so we would just monitor moving forward.
“I was skeptical, but I trusted my midwife. Now that I’ve learned more about thyroid health and symptoms of thyroid dysfunction, I believe I had issues long before pregnancy, but I was so used to my way of life,” Bockholt continued.
The thyroid is a butterfly-shaped gland located in the front of the neck. It produces hormones that are pivotal for regulating blood pressure, body temperature, heart rate, and metabolism. Several conditions can occur with the thyroid, including hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, tumors, cancer, or postpartum thyroiditis.
Thyroid disease can present in a number of different ways, as Salila Kurra, associate professor of medicine at Columbia University Irving Medical Center, told Newsweek. Hyperthyroidism can speed up bodily functions, while hypothyroidism slows the body down. As the symptoms can be similar to those of so many other conditions, Kurra said that it can be common to “overlook thyroid conditions.”
“You can also get symptoms if your thyroid is enlarged,” Kurra added. “A very large thyroid can make it hard to breathe or swallow. This is rare as the thyroid usually has to enlarge significantly to cause these types of symptoms.”
Kurra said: “You can get inflammation of the thyroid gland after pregnancy, known as thyroiditis. This is not usually associated with swelling, but rather the inflammation can damage the thyroid. The thyroid then releases thyroid hormone into the blood, causing the symptoms of an overactive thyroid gland or decreased thyroid hormone production as a result.”
Thyroid blood levels are usually taken during annual primary-care visits, but if anyone is concerned or has symptoms, Kurra said she recommends seeing a doctor and having a thyroid-stimulating hormone blood test taken.
When the messages of concern started to pour through, Bockholt didn’t know what to make of them. She certainly didn’t think there was anything wrong because it didn’t seem like she had any symptoms—or so she thought.
The more she thought about it, she experienced countless symptoms that she had blamed on pregnant, postpartum, or breastfeeding. From hair loss, brittle nails, migraines, short menstrual cycles, brain fog, joint pain, and heart palpitations, she had them all. Bockholt said that some symptoms started after having children, but others have occurred for most of her life.
Looking back, she said she believes pregnancy and postpartum “definitely contributed” and intensified her symptoms, but they weren’t necessarily the cause.
Over time, Bockholt added that she became “a little paranoid” and was constantly feeling her neck. After a few months, her husband encouraged her to book a doctor’s appointment in the hopes that it would ease her stress.
Bockholt said: “I told my doctor that it might be a little weird, but I’m here because strangers on the internet told me I need to get my thyroid checked and I felt pretty crazy. He became concerned and immediately palpated my neck and said he does in fact agree with the people of TikTok.”
A full thyroid panel was taken, a thyroid antibody panel, and Bockholt also had an ultrasound scan. At the time of writing, she does not yet have a diagnosis as she awaits the results.
While she awaits more information, Bockholt has continued to document her experience on social media. She said she hopes to educate others and encourage them to speak up about concerning symptoms.
Bockholt saidthat, in her view, women are “dismissed easily” and told they are fine simply because their symptoms are commonplace. But that isn’t to say there is nothing that truly needs addressing.
If it wasn’t for all those TikTok messages, Bockholt likely would have continued without considering her own symptoms.
She said: “I have learned so much in this short amount of time. I had no idea how common thyroid conditions are, or how dangerous they can be if left untreated. Do not hesitate to speak up if you suspect a friend, family member, or even complete stranger has a thyroid condition—you could save their life.”
Indeed, many people Bockholt has spoken to have told her that they didn’t even notice any changes themselves. It was only when friends, family, or a doctor pointed it out to them that it became clear.
As a result, Bockholt said people should not skip routine medical checkups and should always be their own advocate.
“I didn’t think I had any symptoms of thyroid dysfunction at first, but the more I learn about it, I have nearly every symptom in the book, despite a healthy diet and lifestyle,” Bockholt added.
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