May 4, 2004

•  

  
  

  

  
  

  Nothing much happening here today.

  
  

  Just having a nice hot cup of tea… “Mrs. Twining’s Spice”, decaffeinated tea from Twinings is my blend of choice these days. Has a subtle hint of cinnamon and spice. Especially nice tonight, because in the afermath of the rainy days we just had, it is really cold and damp today. Just when I was getting used to that summertime-type weather we had last week, reality blows the cool damp spring weather back in.

  
  

  yes, reality blows…

  
  

  

  
  

  I didn’t feel like working in the yard today, it was pretty soggy in addition to being chilly. The lawnmower is still in the shop and the lawn is so high — knee deep in some areas — from all this rain. Kind of hard to do anything when the grass is that high and you can’t see through it. Too many holes in the ground for me to turn my ankles in! So I stayed inside, and gave both dogs a much-needed bath and de-shed.

  
  

  My spray attachment in the kitchen sink (perfect size bath tub for Pomeranians) broke when I started, and was leaking badly, so after I bathed Pearl, Bernie came home from work and went to the hardware store and got a new sprayer thingie for it. Then I bathed Dolly. She has a longer and much denser coat than Pearl, so her bath is a dreaded chore…but they are both done now, all silky and clean.

  
  

  I put a lot of cream rinse on them so I could brush out the shedding undercoat, and that really isn’t good for keeping the proper texture for a Pomeranian coat (which should be a bit harsh so it can stand out all fluffy) but when it comes down to choosing between keeping their coats in perfect condition for their breed and making it easier to get the tangles and shed hair out, I don’t mind having their coats turn silky, soft, and flat. After all, they are not show dogs and they going to get the majority of their coats cut off soon anyway, to help keep them cooler and cleaner for the summer. I love the feel of their clean soft fur right after a bath.

  
  

  

  
  

  They probably won’t stay clean too long with all the exposed dirt and stuff in the yard where I am working. They like to lie in the fresh soft cool dirt — and who am I to criticize them for that? If you don’t know what I am talking about — check out the picture on the page header of me at age 6, sleeping in a freshly tilled field. It is in my rotating picture show on the page header — and one of my favorite childhood pictures. (if you keep refreshing the page, the pictures up there keep changing) How can I blame my dogs for doing the same thing I did as a kid?? But at least my mom was able to throw my clothes in the washer.

  
  

  

  
  

  but on to other stuff…

  
  

  Guess that’s about all I really have to say, except for talking about my current health challenge — one of the biggest thing going on in my life right now. I am feeling a bit odd, my energy levels are going up and down erratically, as well as my appetite. This has got to be because of the thyroid meds. I have been taking them nearly 2 weeks now, and on thursday the dose will step up to double what I have been taking. I have to stay on that dosage for another 14 days, and then it doubles again. Then for the next two months I will be on that dosage, and then I get my blood tested again to see what is going on with the thyroid hormone levels.

  
  

  In case anyone is curious about how these things work, there are 3 different hormones involved in the metabolic processes that are regulated by the thyroid gland. Two of these are produced in the thyroid gland (T3 and T4)These are what is in the process of being replaced artificially — because my thyroid gland will soon be useless. The other hormone (TSH) is produced by the pituitary gland, which acts as sort of a control center for the entire endocrine system. TSH stimulates the thyroid gland to produce the T3 and T4, and is released in quantities relative to the amont of T3 and T4 the pituitary senses in the blood. They can tell if the dosage I am taking of artificial thyroid hormone is sufficient based on how much TSH they find in my blood.

  
  

  This, incidentally, is how they diagnose a probability of Hashimoto’s thyroidits or other thyroid disorders. Very often in testing the metabolic functions in a routine blood test, only the T3 and T4 are sampled. Even a malfunctioning thyroid gland can produce a sufficient level of these if stimulated by larger doses of TSH. In order to get a clear picture of what is going on, they need to do the TSH test as well as the T3 and T4. So if you suspect you may have some malfunction of your thyroid gland, be sure that when you have blood tests done they do the complete set of tests. My doctor said that this was probably what happened with my mom, that she was just treated for hypothyroidism (underactive thyroid) without testing to find the underlying cause, which was most likely Hashimoto’s, because it runs in families and is the leading cause of hypothyroidism.

  
  

  There are many symptoms of hypothyroidism, and the one that everyone thinks of the most, weight gain or inability to lose weight, is not always immediately present or obvious. Coarse, dry, flaky patches on the skin, dry brittle hair, sensitivity to cold, fatigue and tiredness, muscle weakness, changes in menstrual cycle, infertility, depression — these are all symptoms of hypothyroidism, and there are many more.

  
  

  To make matters even more confusing, Hashimoto’s disease can flare up and slow down over a period of years, as the immune system for some unknown reason intermittently attacks the thyroid gland, resulting in erratic shifts between hypo- and hyper-thyroidism, as the poor besieged thyroid gland swings between under- and over-production of its particular metabolic hormones. The result of this can include nearly bipolar behavior and this is no doubt what I have been experiencing for many years now. At least I have found out I wasn’t losing my mind — something I have been suspicious of on occasion.

  
  

  Well, it is an interesting journey I am facing. Not much I can do about it except just keep following doctor’s orders and pray for a smooth transition and no complications. Not much sense in feeling bad about having this, or feeling bad about having no cure, cause negativity won’t help. I just hope I can get more weight off and keep it off, because even with the meds, my mom never was able to do that.

  
  

  I have been keeping an eye on the scale, but taking a break from my strict nutrition plan for a few weeks as things get settled in my system. I try to eat sensibly, and am still eating some of the recipes I learned on the NBC diet, but am allowing myself some extras. So far I have maintained my 43 pound weight loss. I plan on going back to strictly following my nutrition plan once I get to the full dosage of thyroid meds and I feel less, well, erratic.

  
  

  But emotionally, I still feel a bit weird about the whole thing. Just the concept that there is something going on in my body that is making it literally attack itself is really a creepy feeling. I guess I will get over it. Eventually.

  
  

  

  
  

  Well, my big teacup is empty and it is time for me to sign off. Have to go get some rest. Tomorrow I hope to get some work done in the yard. I have reserved a small tiller for rental from the corner hardware store, and I am going to use it to beat up the soil in the backyard so I can rake it nice and smooth where I am re-grading, and get ready for planting my raspberry plants, which are coming in the mail any day now. I also have some old rosebushes to transplant, because we will be getting concrete poured where they are when we get our patio done. I plan on moving my composter, too, to a less prominent location in the yard. A little work at a time, and eventually the back yard will be a really nice place for the whole family. Ipromise to get some pictures on here soon, too.

  
  

  oh, and I just realized what tomorrow is —

  
  

  actually 2 things –

  
  

  my big brother turns 50!

  
  

  which means that I wish we lived closer so we could celebrate it together

  
  

  and

  
  

  Cinco de Mayo

  
  

  which means not a whole lot to me anymore, but before I quit drinking it would have meant mucho tequila and me becoming quite an idiot in public somewhere.

  
  

  Oh well,

  
  

  Happy Cinco de Mayo anyway! 

  
  

    

  
  

   

  • 9:33 pm
  • 11 Comments