Everyone has a thyroid, but most of us probably have no idea what it does. The thyroid is a little gland near your windpipe that makes a big difference in how our bodies operate.

"I was starting to cry, it was awful, because I couldn't take the pain anymore," said Cheryl Andersen.

Cheryl Anderson knows all too well about a little gland that weighs about an ounce with a big job.

"Every joint ached really bad. I had no idea that it was my thyroid because I've never had that symptom before," said Andersen.

Cheryl's thyroid started dealing her problems more than 30 years ago. So what exactly is your thyroid and why do you need it?

"That tiny little organ basically controls every metabolic function in your body," said Dr. Eburuche. "That's anything from how fast your heart is beating, how fast your skin turns over, your menstrual cycle. Anything related to metabolism, you can bet that the thyroid has a function in it."

So when it's not working right, not working hard enough, you could feel tired all the time, gain weight without changing your diet, see mood swings and forget things. If the thyroid is working overtime you could see weight loss, feel irritable all the time, see weakness in your muscles -- common symptoms that could be mistaken for something else.

"How many of us are exhausted everyday and just think it's because oh I'm a mother, I'm a wife, I'm just overworked, I'm anemic. A thousand excuses but none of them are actually causing your symptoms until we check the thyroid and then voila, you have a thyroid disorder," said Dr. Eburuche.

Thyroid disorders can be genetic, are more common in women over 40, and can creep up on women right after childbirth. But as Cheryl found out, a simple blood test can uncover the problem; medicine can treat it.