Saturday, July 16, 2016

Thyroid a year later......and more

Hello!

I know I have a problem with not updating my blog very often, I attribute that to being busy and forgetful! I have good intentions but when it comes down to it I falter.......I'm sorry for that, I really am!

So, it's been a year since I had my thyroid removed and I can tell you that I notice nothing different. My levels are still wacky, I'm losing hair by the handfuls, I still lack energy and god forbid I want to lose a little weight - it takes an enormous amount of effort and it always comes right back. So, having my thyroid removed didn't help me with any of my major issues. At least I don't have growths anymore but my levels still have not leveled out. I started on 150 mg of Synthroid last year and am now on 100 mg - I continue to be adjusted to lower levels without it helping.

So since it's been a bit since I've updated let's see what's been happening:

January-March 2016 - I started back to college at an online University - Ashford University. It's been 7 months and I'm doing great! I have straight "A" grades and just last week was invited to become a member of Alpha Sigma Lamda Honor Society. This is an honor society for exceptional adult learners. It was such a great surprise and honor. So being that I have such great grades should also tell you I spend a lot of time with my schooling. I haven't had time to be sick or tired or sore or anything other than focusing on school. My intention of going back is to complete the degree I started right out of high school - which was a long time ago.........I'm studying "Social and Criminal Justice" and will graduate with my BA in 7/2018.

Regarding my FMS and CFS I'm still holding steady. I haven't had any major flare up of either condition. I have learned to just listen to myself and if I'm tired, I go to bed. I still have issues with my hips being achy and locking up after sitting down for a bit but overall I can't complain. I have a lot of contact with people who have FMS really bad and I feel terrible for them but at the same time am grateful I have been able to reverse a good majority of my issues with FM and keep it under control.

April - July 2016 - I ended up in the ER on my birthday, April 5th - with what I thought was chest pain - it was bad, had me convinced I had a blockage - after a night stay and many tests that came back negative I was sent home and referred to a cardiologist. A few more tests and nothing. I still get these weird chest pains but haven't gone back to the cardiologist because he already determined it's not my heart but of course, as with most things they don't know why I'm having these pains. I thought maybe heartburn but I really don't think so since I never get it. So chalk it up to another strange thing related to FMS I guess.....

I was just talking with my mom about when I first got sick back in 2010 and took up juicing to get better. It definitely worked after a period of time - between juicing AND taking many supplements I brought my nutrition levels back to where they needed to be and was able to reverse a lot of my symptoms that had me bedridden for several months. Everyone also is different so what worked for me may or may not work for another - but it's all worth a try! In fact, coming back to my juicing information I've decided to juice a metabolism boosting juice and see if it helps me shed a few lbs like it says it does.

In other news, I've been off work since the first week in June and it's been great! Since I work in a school, I have the same schedule as the kids do and it's fantastic. We go back in just 3 wks from now......summer vacay goes way too fast! But it will be good to get back on a schedule. When I have no schedule not much gets done because I don't have to....it's bad.

My daughter is going into her senior year of high school - I can't believe in just a short year she will be going to college. My "baby" girl is grown into such a beautiful young woman. Makes me sad that she will be leaving but I know it's coming quickly. My son is starting his sophomore year - he is another one that I can't believe has grown so much both physically and mentally. The past several months have been big in the growth area for him. My daughter will be playing volleyball with the school over the next few weeks leading up to try outs - in fact next week we go to a big college camp with some girls who were invited from the school - should be fun!

I hope this update has found you all well! I would like to say that I will update in a month but, I've said that before and 7 months later I show up ...... I know I suck at this but I'm trying! I will be back soon, how is that???





Thursday, January 21, 2016

Happy New Year!

Oh my gosh how time gets away from me!  I'm sorry to have just up and left you here without an update or anything!  So much has been going on so let's get started with this update!

Since my last update I've had a couple more Dr appointments and continue to have a lower dose of Synthroid.  I'm now on 112 mg/day.  Honestly, I can't tell any difference from 150 mg to now but apparently my TSH is still not in the right range.

In other news, I decided around the holidays to go back to school this year.  I started on Jan 5th and am almost done with my first class.  I'm doing an online program to get my Bachelors degree in Social and Criminal Justice.  I've always been interested in this field so I figured why not!  It seemed like a good time to get started with most all of my health issues "under control" at this point, or should I say for now.

My FMS has been relatively "laying low" if you will.  Now I say this only because I can compare what I previously had to deal with to now.  Don't get me wrong, I still have my good days and bad days, but they are nothing compared to what I use to deal with.  I still have a pretty high level of fatigue which I don't think I'll ever not have to deal with.  Aches and pains, they come and go but are at a level that is manageable on a day to day basis.  My hips tend to give me the most trouble with consistent pain and my guts are often "upset".  I'm sure a lot of this sounds all too familiar to many who deal with the curse of chronic illness(es).

The most recent flare I've had to deal with is the tendon in my right arm flared up.  Literally I was fine the night before and woke up with this pain that was pretty intense going from my hand to my elbow and especially worse with certain movements. This was terrible as I'm right handed and couldn't do anything that required lifting or twisting.  Even lifting just a bottle of Gatorade was impossible for weeks.  I had my chiropractor treat me using a technique called "Graston" - if you have never heard of it, click HERE to read about it.  It's a strange kind of therapy but it works every time!  I've had it done several times for different issues and each time it's solved the problem.  With my arm, I had 2 sessions and the pain was noticeably less.  Today, I have no pain in that area.

Speaking about chiropractors, I need to mention that at the end of the year I realized I had not been into my primary physician's office in an entire year!  That was something to celebrate as it's just unheard of with all the health issues I've had to deal with.  Other than my Endocrinologist dealing with my thyroid, I didn't need to see an MD for any kind of illness for an entire year .... and still going!  I did however, see my chiropractor anywhere from 2x a week to 1x a month just depending on my needs and what was going on.  I firmly believe in and highly recommend alternative treatments for people like us with chronic conditions.  From the research I've done, alternative therapy is the way to go for managing these chronic illnesses that aren't necessarily seen as true illness.  Those of us who deal with them day in and day out know otherwise.

When asked what I've done to "make yourself better" I can't really pinpoint just one thing.  It's been a long road of recovery to get to the point I'm at today.  Feeling good with occasional flares. listening to my body, taking time to do nothing when I need to, the right mixture of nutrients, protein, and therapy all play a role in healing the body and getting you to a good functioning state of being.  I spent a lot of time researching and trying different methods until I started seeing good results.  It's a hard long road but at the end of it the results are better health and an overall better quality of life.  I know that at any moment I could crumple to the floor in pain and deal with that for an undetermined amount of time, but for the time being I will enjoy where I am with my health.

Like many people who deal with chronic illness, I belong to several online support groups.  It gets hard to read everyone's postings about how terrible they are doing.  In more cases than not, it's usually money that stops people from getting the help and treatment they need to feel better and be a contributing member of their community.  So the cycle just continues, day in and day out so many people are suffering.  My hope is still what it was when I first started this blog, that if I can help even just one person find a path to getting themselves to a better state of health, then I've succeeded in my mission.

I hope the New Year has found you well and that you are finding ways to manage in your day to day life.  Whether you suffer from chronic illness or a loved one does, I encourage you to look back through my postings and try new things in an effort to feel better.

My vow to you today is that I will try to do better with my updates - I just get so busy in life that I forget to come post updates.  I will make a conscious effort to update at least 1x a month if not more!

Until next time....to your health!