Last week I posted about how much I was sleeping but the past few days have seen a change in this. Thursday night I slept 8 hours and felt fairly good upon rising for the day and was able to stay awake till about 10:45 pm then I dozed for 20 minutes and thankfully that was all because I had to go pick up hubby from work, he gets off at 11:30 pm. I stayed up till about 1:00 am then fell asleep around 2.
Saturday we had a family reunion to attend; it was with my Dad’s family. Most of them I only see once a year but last year our nephew got married on the same day as the reunion so it’s been two years. These are my cousins whom I played with growing up and some are the ones I babysat for years. Yes that means you Jeff and Sandy!
I got up at 9:00 am because I had to finish my food preparation. It was good to see aunts, uncles, cousins, and their kids and grandkids. There are so many little ones that I don’t know their names nor who they belong to but it was fun to watch them. I even got to hold one of the three babies there and I thoroughly enjoyed that! I’m glad we were able to go and have marked the date for next year already.
Back to my sleep situation; as soon as I got home, sat down in my comfy chair and relaxed I fell asleep, it was around 8:00 pm! I kept trying to wake up because I had homework to do but I could not keep my eyes open. Finally some time after midnight I got awake enough that I could get on the computer and complete my homework. It had to be posted before 5:00 am EST in order to be considered on time and not have points deducted for being late. I have been able to maintain an A average in all my classes so far and didn’t want to risk losing that.
I finally got to bed and to sleep around 4:00 am, the bad part was that meant I couldn’t wake up enough for getting to church this morning. That frustrates me. This hypothyroidism is the pits sometimes. Or I just haven’t figured out how to make it work for me. I guess I will have to keep working on that!
Til next time!
Linda <3
Showing posts with label Patient. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Patient. Show all posts
Sunday, September 19, 2010
I like my Sleep but this is Ridiculous!
I cannot remember the last time I felt rested after 8 hours of sleep. I currently sleep about 12 hours a “night” and do not feel rested when I get up. It’s not every night anymore but still more than I would like. One of my goals of hypothyroidism treatment is to get awake in the morning after 8 hours of sleep and have energy to get work done.
I have a difficult time dealing with the sleeping thing; before my hysterectomy, I slept 6 hours a night and felt good when I got up. I actually long for those days! Now I spend more time sleeping than doing anything else and it seems like such a waste.
My doctor wants to do a sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea but I don’t want to do that yet. I want to get off the Effexor XR and get the thyroid levels to where I have some energy and then if I am still sleeping so much I’ll do the sleep study. I think he’s a little perturbed with me but I really don’t care at this time.
I’ve been reading Mary Shomon’s book the thyroid diet and am starting to think I need to change my diet not so much to lose weight but to see if there are certain foods that enhance the effect of the hypothyroidism. A little back, I started drinking spring water to see if the fluoride in the tap water may be affecting me negatively, I continue to do that and have noticed a little increase in energy so will continue to do that.
I get frustrated with how I feel physically and need to do two things frequently; 1. Remember that hypothyroidism isn’t a condition that is going to go away; I will have to live with it the rest of my life and 2. Pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with it.
Til next time!
Linda <3
I have a difficult time dealing with the sleeping thing; before my hysterectomy, I slept 6 hours a night and felt good when I got up. I actually long for those days! Now I spend more time sleeping than doing anything else and it seems like such a waste.
My doctor wants to do a sleep study to see if I have sleep apnea but I don’t want to do that yet. I want to get off the Effexor XR and get the thyroid levels to where I have some energy and then if I am still sleeping so much I’ll do the sleep study. I think he’s a little perturbed with me but I really don’t care at this time.
I’ve been reading Mary Shomon’s book the thyroid diet and am starting to think I need to change my diet not so much to lose weight but to see if there are certain foods that enhance the effect of the hypothyroidism. A little back, I started drinking spring water to see if the fluoride in the tap water may be affecting me negatively, I continue to do that and have noticed a little increase in energy so will continue to do that.
I get frustrated with how I feel physically and need to do two things frequently; 1. Remember that hypothyroidism isn’t a condition that is going to go away; I will have to live with it the rest of my life and 2. Pray for God’s help and guidance in dealing with it.
Til next time!
Linda <3
Withdrawal
During the years of my treatment for depression, I have been on 4 different antidepressants. In May/June of 2009, I decided to wean off of my Welbutrin and did so without difficulty as I was still taking Effexor XR. I did not notice any changes in how I felt and was pleased.
In November 2009, I decided to also wean off the Effexor XR and weaned the dose down to 75mg and then took that every other day for a couple of weeks then stopped. It was only a couple of days until I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those included…irritability, moodiness, crying for any reason at all, inability to concentrate, muscle aches, joint pains, hot flashes, and just felt miserable all over. I did some investigation on the internet and was somewhat surprised to learn that all these things were reported withdrawal symptoms for the Effexor XR. I stayed off of it for 2 weeks, thinking these things would get better but they kept getting worse and so I gave in and went back on the Effexor at a dose of 150 mg daily. I was amazed that the withdrawal symptoms went away after only two doses of the Effexor XR.
This got me to thinking how people on narcotics and illegal drugs must feel when they need a fix; it must be similar to what I was feeling. I do not like being physically dependent on any medication that affects me emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is scary that one medication can do this to a person.
With the advice of some wonderful family members, I talked to my doctor about getting off the Effexor XR and so started weaning the dosage down much slower than before. I stayed on the 150mg daily for 2 months, and then decreased to 75mg daily for a month and lastly 37.5mg daily for another month. I completed the month at 37.5 mg on Thursday, April 8th but by Tuesday, April 13th I was having all the withdrawal symptoms again. It is so frustrating and a part of me wants to go back on it just to stop the withdrawal pain but so far I have refrained from doing that. I hope to see my doctor soon and get his ideas on how I can get through this.
All prayers are appreciated!
Till next time!
Linda <3
In November 2009, I decided to also wean off the Effexor XR and weaned the dose down to 75mg and then took that every other day for a couple of weeks then stopped. It was only a couple of days until I started experiencing withdrawal symptoms. Those included…irritability, moodiness, crying for any reason at all, inability to concentrate, muscle aches, joint pains, hot flashes, and just felt miserable all over. I did some investigation on the internet and was somewhat surprised to learn that all these things were reported withdrawal symptoms for the Effexor XR. I stayed off of it for 2 weeks, thinking these things would get better but they kept getting worse and so I gave in and went back on the Effexor at a dose of 150 mg daily. I was amazed that the withdrawal symptoms went away after only two doses of the Effexor XR.
This got me to thinking how people on narcotics and illegal drugs must feel when they need a fix; it must be similar to what I was feeling. I do not like being physically dependent on any medication that affects me emotionally, mentally, and physically. It is scary that one medication can do this to a person.
With the advice of some wonderful family members, I talked to my doctor about getting off the Effexor XR and so started weaning the dosage down much slower than before. I stayed on the 150mg daily for 2 months, and then decreased to 75mg daily for a month and lastly 37.5mg daily for another month. I completed the month at 37.5 mg on Thursday, April 8th but by Tuesday, April 13th I was having all the withdrawal symptoms again. It is so frustrating and a part of me wants to go back on it just to stop the withdrawal pain but so far I have refrained from doing that. I hope to see my doctor soon and get his ideas on how I can get through this.
All prayers are appreciated!
Till next time!
Linda <3
Depression VS Hypothyroidism
In 1991, I had a total abdominal hysterectomy, due to uterine cancer, which meant I went through menopause at the age of 33. In the months following the surgery, I noticed some changes in me one of which was that I did not want to go to family activities. Now you must understand that one of the things I love about my husband is his family. Those of you, who know them, know they are very special and I fell in love with that so when I did not want to attend activities, I knew something was wrong with me. I could go to work and be fine but if I saw someone I knew at the mall, I would do everything I could to not have to see them face to face.
When I told my doctor about these things, he felt I was suffering from depression related to the hormonal changes from the hysterectomy. (I was not able to take estrogen for five years because of the cancer.) I wasn’t sure what was going on and what he was saying made sense so I have been taking antidepressants since 1992.
Since my diagnosis of hypothyroidism, I have been doing some reading on the subject, especially the book “Living Well with Hypothyroidism” by Mary J. Shomon and have learned so much about how the thyroid hormones affect our bodies. One of the things I have learned is that there is a belief that depression may be related to the hypothyroidism which means that I would not get better by taking antidepressants but rather need to get the thyroid hormone levels in the proper range for me. This is good news because I hate taking so many medications.
Next time, my experience with weaning myself off the antidepressant Effexor XR…you won’t believe it!
Till next time,
Linda <3
When I told my doctor about these things, he felt I was suffering from depression related to the hormonal changes from the hysterectomy. (I was not able to take estrogen for five years because of the cancer.) I wasn’t sure what was going on and what he was saying made sense so I have been taking antidepressants since 1992.
Since my diagnosis of hypothyroidism, I have been doing some reading on the subject, especially the book “Living Well with Hypothyroidism” by Mary J. Shomon and have learned so much about how the thyroid hormones affect our bodies. One of the things I have learned is that there is a belief that depression may be related to the hypothyroidism which means that I would not get better by taking antidepressants but rather need to get the thyroid hormone levels in the proper range for me. This is good news because I hate taking so many medications.
Next time, my experience with weaning myself off the antidepressant Effexor XR…you won’t believe it!
Till next time,
Linda <3
Personal Health
In January 2009, I took a medical leave of absence from my job for health problems that I believed were related to stress. Boy was I wrong!
At that time, I was experiencing heart palpitations and was extremely fatigued even though I was sleeping soundly aat night. I would have to drag myself out of bed in the morning just to go to work. Then I would find myself falling asleep at the computer in the afternoon. I would be so tired that I literally would have to talk myself into leaving for the day because the idea of walking to the car was exhausting. I was having some difficulty concentrating at times, along with trouble remembering things. I blamed all these symptoms on work related stress.
I had been seeing a psychiatrist for a few months and now had a diagnosis of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. She felt the time off would help me adjust to medication and allow me to learn how to work with the ADD instead of it running me. I was hopeful some time away from work would be beneficial, what I didn’t realize was just how long I wouldn’t be working. The Lord had plans for me.
Thanks for stopping by!
Linda
At that time, I was experiencing heart palpitations and was extremely fatigued even though I was sleeping soundly aat night. I would have to drag myself out of bed in the morning just to go to work. Then I would find myself falling asleep at the computer in the afternoon. I would be so tired that I literally would have to talk myself into leaving for the day because the idea of walking to the car was exhausting. I was having some difficulty concentrating at times, along with trouble remembering things. I blamed all these symptoms on work related stress.
I had been seeing a psychiatrist for a few months and now had a diagnosis of Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. She felt the time off would help me adjust to medication and allow me to learn how to work with the ADD instead of it running me. I was hopeful some time away from work would be beneficial, what I didn’t realize was just how long I wouldn’t be working. The Lord had plans for me.
Thanks for stopping by!
Linda
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