LadyGypsy.net – the blog of Kimberly Dowd of New Jersey

Whoa! I time traveled a bit, it seems, to catch up on the Reverb 10 project. Happy birthday, John! Hope you enjoy your spaghetti, 4 cheese ravioli, peppercorn steak and roasted chicken at dinner tonight!

One Word. Encapsulate the year 2010 in one word. Explain why you’re choosing that word. Now, imagine it’s one year from today, what would you like the word to be that captures 2011 for you? (Author: Gwen Bell)

Disappointment.

>> And I know it sounds maudlin, but really, 2010 was disapppointing for many reasons, such as:
>> Despite a forest’s worth of resumes and cover letters sent out, WM has yet to find a full time job. He’s subbing, which sucks.
>> I thought the paper was doing better, but was disappointed to find that not only were we not doing better, but there was another round of furloughs.
>> The unresolved thyroid crap. I’ve taken myself off of the medicine entirely and feel fine. No more sleepy, no more freezing, etc. But I’m disappointed that I felt like crap for the entire spring and summer. I’m going to make an endocrinologist appointment in January.

>> I was disppointed by some people this year, too. Just, stuff.

(WHOOOSH!)

Whoa! It’s 2011! Neat! This is a cute hairstyle!

2011 was triumphant! How could it not be?

>> WM has a great classroom of kids this year.
>> My job is troublesome still, but I’m supplementing my income with a fledgling jewelry business.
>> We’re paying off all of our debts and are finding extra money everywhere!
>> Did I mention that we could also afford a vacation again. What a blast!
>> And I finally did that thing that I was afraid to do. You know that thing? From earlier in the year? Done. And it was great.

Too bad the world’s ending in 2012.

The thyroid gland is butterfly-shaped. Photo by Vicki's Nature on Flickr.

My latest thyroid followup exam was last night. The blood test showed that my TSH was at 2.7 (which falls into normal by his standards where over 4.5 is high, but falls into the very high end of normal by the 2003 AACE standards where over 3.0 is considered high. (More TSH wankery here) and my T4 was 13.1, which is high. So he’s dialing me back down to 25 mcg a day from 50 mcg a day.

He asked how I was feeling, and I replied that I was still tired and still cold and a bit blue because I spent the whole summer (my favorite season) wearing a gray sweater. Much to my surprise, he replied that my symptoms are not thyroid related and, hey, here’s a pamphlet on Lexapro and have I considered general anxiety disorder?

(record scratch)

I didn’t start this process because I had symptoms of anything. I wanted a routine physical exam because I hadn’t had one in years. Doc found the thyroid problem in the routine blood test and told me I had hypothyroidism. I checked out the symptoms and realized…wow…I *have* been cold lately and I *have* been really tired and look my skin *is* dry. So I believed him and took the pills and read up on the problem.

I don’t want to become *that* patient, but I’d rather the doc say…

=> “Hm…still feeling poorly? Maybe we should take a closer look at your iron levels/circulation/diet/glucose levels…”
=> “Well, sometimes what’s normal on paper isn’t normal for everyone. Maybe we should run the full thyroid panel…”
=> “Let me refer you to a colleague of mine who’s an endocrinologist.”

I’m resentful that 7.5 minutes into a 15 minute appointment I was written off as having GAD because my symptoms didn’t magically go away when the thyroid levels hit a certain number.

So now what? I put on a second pair of socks and go look for an endocrinologist.

I’ve been doing okay on my current regimen of thyroid medicine (levothyroxine).

On Sunday, the 4th of July, the temperature was in the mid-90s. And I was cold. Really cold. My feet were like ice cubes, even with 2 pair of socks. I kid you not, I was wearing a tee-shirt, a sweater over top, long pajama pants and 2 pair of socks. And I was still cold.

Even after turning off the air conditioning.

So I spent the afternoon and early evening on the sofa, under a quilt, with a microwavable rice bag on top of my feet to keep them warm and a cup of hot tea. Once they finally warmed up, I fell into a wonderful deep sleep. And that was my July Fourth. (That and convincing my dogs that we weren’t going to die, since my town insists on shooting their fireworks over our apartments.)

Yesterday, I was fine.

I don’t get it. I didn’t have a fever. Did my thyroid just stop working altogether that day? I had a bunch of physical activity on Saturday (helping K&J move into their new oh-so-precious house) — could that have whacked out my hormones? If so…what the heck? My 2 rounds of bloodwork showed no other abnormalities. I’ve been Googling for an answer, but can’t find anything other than Reynaud’s and I don’t have those visible symptoms.

I always wondered how people could run around in jeans and a long-sleeved shirt on hot summer days. Now I know. And I am not pleased.

Regular happy-happy-joy-joy blogging continues tomorrow.