The Best is Yet to Come

Woohoo, it’s only been in the shop for a freaking week and a half. How overly frustrating this has been. Finally picking it back up tonight after a rather costly and bizarre repair. One stupid bolt is going to end up costing almost $1,200. Go figure.

On the flip side, I’ve gotten an additional mile of walking in from going a half mile to and from my place to the train station, so there’s an upside. The only bad part is that it’s cold out! I frequently walk back and forth when it’s nice out, but hadn’t planned on doing it in the middle of winter.

In other news, most of my lab results have come back normal, but I meet with the endocrinologist again tomorrow afternoon to see what her thoughts are. My TSH levels are in line, TSH antibodies are high, testosterone is normal and most stuff checks out aside from being Vitamin D deficient. Isn’t everyone in winter?

It’ll be nice to be able to get in a real weight workout again, too. Dumbbells at home only get one so far, so it’ll be good to get back in the gym tomorrow night.

So I was replying to a question in the forum, but the thread disappeared before I could hit submit.

[QUOTE=Sl@yer;275360671]my cousin has the thyroid problem or whatever and shes super fat (she is pretty active but wow large)

im not trying to be a douche im actually wondering[/QUOTE]

When I started getting fat I was not taking my medication because some moron doc said I didn’t need it anymore. I’d shot up from 135-140 to about 180 in a year even though I was eating normally and working out constantly - when I finally went to a different doc with my symptoms and they said I should never have been taken off of it and represcribed a higher dosage. I was about 21 then.

Then, after I WAS dosed correctly I was in a relationship that was less than healthy and I DID eat way too much and really didn’t notice the weight piling on because I was pretty depressed and come from a long line of emotional eaters.

I’d lost three people close to me in 2005 and it caused me to take stock of where I was heading. Subsequently, in January of 2006 I finally realized what a fatass I’d become and started eating right and working out regularly…..it was a pretty good feeling. And yes, I did lose quite a bit of weight.

Is it possible to be thin and in good shape with an underactive thyroid? Absolutely, as long as it’s being monitored properly. My doc had dropped my dosage down in August of 07 and since the symptoms and effects of the thyroid are gradual and cumulative, I didn’t really notice it until I’d hit rock bottom and was miserable in early 2008.

So, I finally got a new doctor down here in Chicago and my dosage was brought back up in March of 08, but it takes a while for it to really come back to normal - and with everything else going on last year, my progress pretty much sucked, although I didn’t backslide much either.

Fast forward to right now - my TSH levels are apparently spot on, but I’m still feeling some symptoms - sluggishness, fatigue, mental haze, being cold - so I’m now seeing an endocrinologist to properly analyze and make sure I’m getting the best treatment possible.

Apparently I’m Vitamin D deficient, as well as having very high thyroid antibodies - which basically means I likely have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. Nothing overly new there, all that means is that I have an underactive thyroid, LOL. The ultrasound of my neck came back normal, no nodules or other irregularities.

My big problem lately is not eating enough, as ironic as that sounds. I’ve had three eggs, wheat toast and some low-fat yogurt today. And that’s it. It’s hard to change habits that took years to form - and I find I’m often in the opposite mode of when I was overeating - I frequently find that I don’t want to eat anything even though I know I should.

When I lost most of the weight I was only eating about 1,200 calories but I’ve since realized that wasn’t the healthiest way to do it. I’m still eating a high protein and low carb diet most days, but am working with my doctors to find the right mix. Thyroid patients are advised to eat three larger meals a day, whereas I’ve been conditioned to do the six smaller meals……with all the confusion and contradiction I often find it’s easier to just not bother at all.

Soooo…….my morning endocrinologist visit included a lovely trip to the lab where they took EIGHT vials of blood.

Follow that up with a little bit of work in between that and my afternoon trip to Radiology for an ultrasound on my neck for my thyroid and I’ve had a lovely 24 hours.

What makes me happy is that I’ve finally got a medical professional who is willing to look at me as a person, and not just numbers on a lab result sheet. What scares me is that some of the symptoms I’m experiencing cause her to want to look at other possible illnesses/conditions besides just my hypothyroidism, and that causes me some concern just out of fear of the unknown.

I am doing nothing tonight but sorting my laundry, straightening up my house, heating up my leftover pizza and getting all snuggy in my robe and blankie.

…find me sittin’ by myself
no excuses that I know.

So it’s Thyroid Awareness Month - heck, I didn’t even know there was such a thing. I see so many people with misconceptions about what it means to have an out of whack thyroid and it doesn’t really surprise me when most people WITH thyroid problems, as well as many physicians, don’t fully understand the scope of what living with this encompasses. It gets frustrating to hear people say that it’s just an excuse to be fat and lazy, when it’s truly not.

I’ve been groggy, irritable and been getting cold much easier lately (I’m wearing two sweaters and shivering) - not to mention my damn hair is thinning and my skin is drier than it should be. There are so many symptoms connected with having an underactive thyroid that I never really realized until I started doing more digging into the subject - with many things it’s like having a light bulb go on over my head because it makes so much sense when I look back at how I was when my dosage was too low. Anyway, I’m noticing that even though my levels are supposed to be "normal", that I still have a few of the symptoms and am looking to see if any alternative medications may alleviate that.

Got in a LATE ab workout last night……….but I still got it in, along with 30 minutes of cardio. Woohoo!!!

Diet could have been much better yesterday.

Breakfast:
2 eggs
2 pieces whole wheat toast
1 cup of coffee….yes, I put some cream and sugar in it. I’m working on that one.

Lunch:
6" flour tortilla
Grilled chicken
Salsa
sprinkling of white cheddar
tsp of sour cream

Late afternoon:
6" flour tortilla
Grilled steak
Salsa
sprinkling of white cheddar
tsp of sour cream

Dinner:
6" flour tortilla
Grilled chicken
Salsa
sprinkling of white cheddar
tsp of sour cream
8 oz milk

Yes, I know my diet really sucked yesterday. But it sure beats Monday where I had toast and eggs for breakfast, turkey and melon for lunch and two pieces of toast for dinner that I had to force myself to eat because I had NO appetite.

I frequently don’t eat enough…..yeah, shut up. But it’s often true. Other days I overdo it. Pizza is my biggest weakness, but I haven’t had any in at least two weeks….nor do I want any. That’s not normal.

Today will be better, eggs for breakfast. Planning on grilled chicken and some veggies for lunch. Have a doctor’s appointment that I’m not looking forward to in the afternoon and might not be up to a rigorous workout later, but I’ll see how it goes. Also have an appointment first thing in the morning with the endocrinologist to have her take a full look at my thyroid and see if she can figure out why I’m so sluggish, cold and tired - not to mention moody, lately.

I’d taken sudafed Monday at work and was completely wiped out between that and my sinus headache. I’ll admit it. I did jack shit Monday night.

What sucks is that I beat myself up and that doesn’t help things. I’d come home on Saturday with every intention of spending Sunday getting unpacked from being gone two separate times since the 22nd for Christmas and New Years (I was home 2.5 days in between), and cleaning up my place so that I could have a nice fresh start on Monday to kick off the new year right.

Sadly, Sunday was pretty much a nonevent, aside from having breakfast at lunchtime along with 4 cups of coffee at the Cheesecake Factory with two friends.

Still had the headache but made a major score on some throw pillows at Crate and Barrel - only saw them because I had to use the ladies room but they were PERFECT! I asked the price on them and was surprised that they were only $20 each, when I was expecting closer to $50. Turns out they were originally $70 apiece.

Anyway, got some new perfume at Sephora and then stopped at my favorite store, Zgallerie and found these beautiful placemats for my table, also on sale. SCORE!

Got home around 5ish and pretty much just zonked out. Nibbled on some chicken from the day before but barely touched it. Sent my leftover crabby eggs home with one of my lunch companions - I should mention that they both had cheesecake while I sipped my coffee and only had a bite from each piece. I was a good girl.

Regardless, the point is that I have a hard time working out when my house isn’t clean. I’m weird like that, I guess. So I straightened up tonight before getting in my workout - but it’s not completely clean. I suck.

So, right now my biggest focus is on adjusting my diet while I make sure I get my workouts in and making sure that I’m taking the right steps to ensure that I’m healthy.

……they don’t work
No regrets now, they only hurt
Sing me a love song
Drop me a line
Suppose it’s just a point of view
But they tell me I’m doing fine

So, that’s it, I’ve made peace with what was and what was not in the past year and have no regrets about any of it.

Diet has been good today, and will stay that way. I plan on fully kicking my own butt tonight with my workout. Tonight is chest/triceps and some cardio. And add to that, I still have to finish unpacking from being gone over Christmas, not to mention the New Year’s unpacking. Oh, can’t forget about laundry too!

It’s with a spring in my step and a whole heart that I move forward into the new year and concentrate on the most important person in my life - Me.

I picked up a few gadgets for myself over the holidays to better track my workouts and progress. Got a Polar F11 watch and a new Tanita BC533 scale (much more advanced than my old Tanita).

…..to live, to love today
‘Cause it’s a brand new year

Seeing the world through rose-colored eyes
Yeah, this is my one big chance and I’m gonna take it twice
With the past down below, I know love lifted me up here
So I’ll take a breath, kiss the sky, toll the bell
‘Cause it’s a brand new year

Resiliently reclaiming me
Refining my recovery
Untwist my fate, unlock the gate
Let’s make a little noise
‘Cause it’s a brand new year
Oh, welcome to my revolution

Welcome to my revolution, baby, yeah
Lucky you, lucky me
The way we were meant to be
This is my one resolution and I make it with no fear
It’s never been so clear
Second chance is what got me here
To live, to love today
‘Cause it’s a brand new year

SheDaisy

The new year is always a time for reflection and taking stock of what is, what isn’t and what should be. This year is no different.

I’ve had an interesting year, but it was lacking in some areas which I’d really like to address this year, so my resolutions are twofold. I plan to very much focus on my health, nutrition and fitness for the first half of the year and finally hit my target goals. Last year was full of distractions and deterrents and I plan to fully eliminate those as much as possible this year.

The second half will include focusing on some other areas of my life, including reevaluating some personal relationships and either improving or eliminating them. Time to cut the slack and get rid of any excess baggage.

Of course I have some other resolutions that are much simpler: quit swearing so much, wear less black, and most importantly, buy more shoes!