Hypothyroidism - a Blessing!

I slept 12 hours last night and I actually feel rested. Monday night I slept 11 hours and still felt tired. My last blog post, I explained some of how the thyroid works and how every cell in the body needs the thyroid hormones to function properly. I don’t know if I was trying to teach people about the thyroid as much as I was trying to convince myself why I am so tired right now. It’s hard when we realize we can no longer physically do what we use to be able to do.  I’m really not that old, so in my mind I can still get by on 6 hours of sleep and have energy to do anything I want during the rest of my 24 hours. It can be a humbling process when you realize that is no longer true.

Today as I lay here in bed before getting up, I came to a striking realization. A friend wrote on her blog about obeying God, passing the test of faith, and giving God total control in every area of our lives. I realized today that I have not given Him control in the area of my life where my hypothyroidism is concerned. I have been trying to take care of it myself, yes, I take my medicine, and I watch what water I drink but I have been fighting the sleep issue. I try to get by on as little sleep as possible. I know that sounds funny after telling you I just slept so much the past 2 nights but it is true. Many times I will not go to bed even though I’m tired just because it isn’t even dark outside – Monday night I was asleep by 7pm. Last evening I took a nap from 7 – 8 pm.

God has allowed the hypothyroidism into my life; I don’t know why but I truly believe He is going to use it to 1. teach me something or many things (this is already happening) and 2. use it to bless me and/or someone else.  I have a friend whose daughter has been ill for most of her life with a devastating disease, yet she is a beautiful girl, inside and out.  She doesn’t look at her illness as a roadblock but as a stepping stone to better things.  She is a true inspiration to many.

So I am no longer going to look at my hypothyroidism as a burden but rather as a blessing that God is going to use for His glory!

Til next time!

Linda

Exhaustion and Prayer Request

I am exhausted after working 4 days this past week. I know some of you are saying “I do that all the time” or “I work 5 days a week.” Please don’t judge me too harshly. I haven’t worked a job since the middle of January 2009 when I went on medical leave.  Since that time, I became sicker before I started getting better.

Hypothyroidism doesn’t just make you tired or cause you to gain weight.  These are the symptoms that most people know but the thyroid produces hormones that are necessary, YES NECESSARY, for proper functioning of every cell in the body.  In hypothyroidism, the thyroid isn’t producing these hormones; therefore, the cells in the body are not receiving the hormones they need to function properly.  That’s why there are so many different symptoms and why many people are misdiagnosed.  In my case, I believe this is what happened.  My symptoms included: emotional changes misdiagnosed as depression for 19 years; joint pain, especially the knees; fatigue (at my worst, I was sleeping 18-60 hours each day); I went from having hot flashes and being warm all the time, to getting cold. It started with being cold when I was tired, to being cold much of the time.  I was having a lot of difficulty remembering things.

It wasn’t until I told the doctor about sleeping for 14 hours in bed and then falling asleep in the chair for more hours, that I was finally properly diagnosed.  Wow!  Once he said hypothyroid I started putting 2+2+2+2 together (some nurse huh?!).  I immediately started reading about hypothyroidism on the web.  A cousin of my husband told me about Mary Shomon and the work she is doing as a patient advocate, so I bought her book, Living Well with Hypothyroidism.  It is an excellent book full of wonderful information.  I learned about the disease process – how the thyroid works and what it does to the body when it doesn’t work properly.  I learned how important it is to take my medication at the same time and when the optimal time for me to take mine.  I learned I’m not going to get better in a short period of time. It took years for me to get as sick as I was and that just because I now have a diagnosis and medication, I’m not all better. Sometimes I push myself too hard, and then it takes days for me to recuperate. It’s now a part of my life and something I have to plan for, even though I hate it! I’m thankful, that the longer I’m on my medicine, the less time it will take to recover – I look forward to that!

Now back to the beginning where I mention being exhausted. I work 4 days this week: 7am to 3 pm on Monday and Tuesday, then 3 pm to 11 pm on Thursday and Friday for more orientation.  On Sunday the 17^th, I start my 3 pm to 7 pm shifts and will do the same on that Monday.  So I’m working 6 days out of the next 8.  I’m sure to be extremely fatigued during that time.  I’m asking for your prayers to help me through.  I know I can do it with God’s help, as He says in Philippians 4:13“ I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me.”  What a blessing that we can call on Him for help and KNOW that He will help. It’s not a case of if he remembers but it is a guarantee!  Haw many guarantees do we get these days!

Til next time!

Linda

Hypothyroidism and Fluoride

When I was first diagnosed with hypothyroidism, I started reading and searching the internet for information and this thing that had such control over my body.  One of the things I found was that fluoride can negatively affect someone with hypothyroidism.  I thought I was one of these people but the past 3 weeks have now convinced me.

We usually fill water jugs with water from a local spring dam but when we couldn’t drive our van, we had to give up on this for a while.  This meant drinking tap water because I was not willing to spend money on spring water when we are already counting our pennies.  So for approximately 3 weeks I’ve been drinking tap water; I drink anywhere from 60 to 80 ounces of water each day.  For the past 5 days, I have been more tired and sleeping more than usual.  It is frustrating since my sleep was starting to get a little regular and now I am sleeping too much again.  Yesterday we did not get to church because I was sleeping - slept 18 hours.  I would get awake, look at the clock, think I should get up and then be back asleep before I knew it.

Hubby is going to fill the water jugs before going to work so I won’t be drinking more of the tap water but I do not know how long it will take to get this fluoride out of my system. Hopefully not too long!

Til next time!
Linda <3

Changes in Sleep Pattern

OK, so I’m not sleeping 12 hours a day now but this isn’t much better.  For over a week, I’ve been sleeping 15 or more hours one day and then staying up for 24 hours, then repeat.  I would love to change this because it is as frustrating as the 12 hours per day.  Saturday was one of those days that I was up for 24 hours and actually got some things done.  I went for groceries in the morning and in the evening my hubby and I went to a concert and then an outdoor movie showing.  It was a good day but then Sunday I slept and slept and slept; missed church and time that I could have spent with my hubby.

Now here I am again up all night and not tired; looking at being up till sometime tonight and then sleeping way to long on Tuesday.  I can’t figure out how to change this; since I’m not working, I don’t have to be up for a job so I guess part of me figures if I’m tired I might as well sleep.

I don’t like feeling this way; I long for the days when 6-8 hours of sleep was all I needed and I had energy to work a full day, even cleaning the house.  I feel useless, lazy, and worthless.  From my research on hypothyroidism, these are not uncommon emotions to experience.  I don’t feel this way all the time but certainly more often then I should.

Fortunately, I have a savior who wants me to pray to Him for help and I do that.  I also have friends and family who pray for me.  I truly do not know how people without the Lord handle things like this.  I am so thankful for a loving God!

Til next time!
Linda

Family Reunion and Sleep

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

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

So Far, So Good!

Hi Everyone!  Sorry for the lack of posts recently; I have had to spend extra time on my schoolwork because of an inability to concentrate; more about that later.

In my last post, I told you that I was starting the every other day dosing of Effexor XR and I have.  It hasn’t been as bad as previously when I went off of it all together which I am grateful for.  It has been two weeks now and these are the symptoms I am having: 1. Inability to concentrate but not as severe, I just have to work a little harder at my schoolwork and take short frequent breaks. 2.  The knee/joint pains that I experienced before are present but once again, not as severe.  I am actually able to walk without my cane for short distances and not have pain in my knees, just a little discomfort.  I have also started doing some very simple exercise to strengthen my knees and as long as I only do them 3 times a week, the discomfort is tolerable.  3.  The emotional mood swings and crying are minimal compared to before.  I do find I am teary eyed at times; the irritability has not been present this time.

Overall I am pleased with how things are going, and am eager to get off the medication.  I don’t plan another decrease until I’ve been taking this dose for at least a month, that’s the plan right now anyway.  Thanks for the prayers that have gone up on my behalf; I appreciate each and every one of them.

Til next time!
Linda <3

Withdrawal Update

I have posted previously about my withdrawal from the anti-depressant Effexor XR and the symptoms I was having.  I saw my family doctor on April 27^th and discussed the withdrawal with him.  We decided I would go back on the lowest dose and take even longer to wean off of it.  At the time, we decided I would take 6 months, two months on that dose daily, then two months at every other day and finally two months at every third day.  I hated the idea of going back on it but I was having difficulty concentrating on my school projects so much so that I was late with a couple of projects.  I can’t have that and so here I am taking the Effexor XR again.

Once again I was amazed at how I felt so much better after only two doses.  This stuff is powerful and I really want to get rid of it so hopefully this time weaning off more slowly will work.

As of today I have decided to start the every other day dosing of the Effexor and see how it goes.  I’m hopeful that I won’t be able to tell a difference with this change.  Time will tell – tomorrow will be the first skipped day.  Prayer helps so I will accept all prayers that are offered up on my behalf.

Til next time!
Linda <3

How was your Mother's Day?

Mine was great! Hubby took me out to dinner, something we do not do very often these days.  It was a good time with good food that I didn’t have to prepare.

My son called from Florida and we had a nice conversation and I got to “talk” to my grandson briefly, he’s only 13 ½ months old so isn’t really into the talking thing much yet.  I found out how they celebrated the day to make his wife feel special.

The best part of the day was being in church.  We have not been attending faithfully for quite some time.  When I was working, I spent much of the weekend sleeping and well, that has continued since being off. I know I’ve missed many blessings by not being there and I cannot change that but I can go o from here.  It was such a blessing to hear Pastor preach about Hannah and her son Samuel.

Hannah was a godly mother and raised Samuel to fear and love the Lord God.  Pastor pointed out how Samuel came to be a godly man even though he lived most of his life in a home where much ungodliness was happening.  You see Hannah promised God that if He gave her a child she would give that child back to Him. She only raised Samuel to the age of 4 or 5 then he lived in the temple with the priest whose sons were wicked.  How did Samuel become so godly in this ungodly environment?  It was because of his upbringing and the things in him by his mother in those few short years; read I Samuel chapters 1 & 2.

What can we take away from this?  Those first years of a child’s life are so important and impact their entire future.  As Moms we need to be sure we are teaching them the ways of God during that time.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.”  Pastor did point out that if we did not do this then we need to start now.

I am thankful that even though we have not been faithfully attending church now, when Jacob was little we did go and he was trained in the things of the Lord.

Til next time,

Linda <3

No Energy Again!

I am very frustrated with my hypothyroidism.  I felt so good two weeks ago and was sleeping much less and actually had energy but now this past week I’ve been very tired again, hence the frustration.

I’ve been trying to figure out what was different between then and now.  Here’s what I came up with: I was eating more salads, at least one every day and the other thing is that I was drinking more root beer and less water.  Now none of that made much sense to me until I read a recent post on this blog.  She mentions fluoride and the link between it and hypothyroidism and how those of us with hypothyroidism should stay away from foods, etc. that have fluoride in them.

Well, that means tap water because as most of us know, they have been adding fluoride to the local water supplies for many years.  Now, I’m seeing a link to explain how I have been feeling and the difference between how I felt two weeks ago and now.  I’ve been trying to drink 80 ounces of water each day and that water is tap water.

I think I may try an experiment and drink spring water instead of tap water and see how I feel after a week or so.  It can’t hurt to give it a try and the results may mean more energy!  That would be wonderful!

I’ll keep you posted!

Til next time!
Linda <3

A New Diagnosis

For the first three months I was off, I still had heart palpitations and difficulty remembering things but they did seem to be occurring less frequently.  The big thing was my sleeping.  I would sleep 12-14 hours each day then get up and usually fall asleep in the chair.  At first I thought I was trying to get “caught up” on my sleep but it never seemed as though I was gaining any ground.  No matter how much I slept it never seemed like enough.

Being the patient that good nurses make – NOT!  I did not go to my family doctor until September 2009! I know, I know, if it was someone else I would have told them to go to the doctor much sooner but I’m sure you’ve heard that doctors and nurses make the worst patients!

Anyway…. I told the doctor about the sleeping and he checked to see if they had done a TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) level.  They had and it was high indicating hypothyroidism so I was started on Synthroid which is an artificial hormone replacement drug.  I really did not notice any difference for a few months and an increase in dosage but now I am only sleeping 12 hours in bed and then I’m not falling asleep in the chair.  To some this may not be a big deal but it is a big deal to me.  I still have a lot to learn about hypothyroidism but at least I feel as though I’m on the right track!

More later!
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