Two months, to the day, after I became ill, I had my last test/procedure. Done and done. We now have lots of information, lots of what we know it wasn't, and the same treatment plan. I suppose ruling things out is not a bad idea, but it is time-consuming and costly. I'm thanking God for Dr. Woliner, in Boca Raton, for having the brains, the desire, and the inclination, to figure me out and give me a plan for regaining my health.
Without boring the daylights out of you all, I'll just say that I have, and have had, Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. In some cases, that can turn into Thyrotoxicosis, and that's what happened to me in May and June. My thyroid flipped from being under active to overactive but with both sets of symptoms. That little, walnut-sized thyroid gland controls temperature, heart rate, how the body uses energy and makes proteins, and how sensitive the body is to other hormones. So, knock that out of whack, exhaust your adrenals, forget to eat well, and jump right in. Of course, the lack of energy might keep you from jumping at all...
Nausea is such a vague symptom but was my most dominant. Doctors are "practicing" medicine, and every patient walking through their doors is different. I don't envy them. Dr. Woliner took the time to test beyond what all the doctors did, and he found things beyond my thyroid that need to be addressed.
I'm happy to say that I'm not sick all the time anymore. It'll take awhile to balance everything, but I have every faith we'll get there.
Don't take "I don't know" for an answer from your doctors. You know when you don't feel well; don't be shy about saying so. And, don't let anyone tell you "it's all in your head" and prescribe anxiety meds. If you're anxious, it's because you're sick and you don't know why. Find a doctor who will make time to listen, and work out a plan with you. We drove from Canada, via Virginia, to Florida to get to Dr. Woliner, and he was worth it. (By the way, he had a patient come from Guam, so I don't win the prize... although, she didn't do it by car when nauseous - ha!)
So, I'm back to sitting up and blogging. I promise to be more of my positive self from here on out. However, I've always tried to be real with you, and blogging about the not-so-fun stuff is part of that.
If you're reading this, chances are we are friends at some level. Know that I cherish what we've built through association. Contrary to Simon & Garfunkle, I am not a rock nor an island. I journey with you.
Hugs,
Pam
Tuesday, July 10, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
I took my health for granted...
If you're reading this, some Facebook post probably led you here. A blogger I read talked about how who we "show" ourselves to be on social media isn't really who we are, because we only post what we want others to see. How true... In this case, I just didn't want to post at all.
The day after my last blog post, and, truthfully, I'd forgotten I'd written that Tuesday, I became very, very ill. After 2 ER visits, 3 doctor visits at Henry Ford Medical, 2 specialist visits and a long ultrasound in Virginia, we had a few ideas of what it wasn't but no idea what it was. I lost 7 lbs. in 9 days, and although we all joke about easy ways to drop a few pounds, this was not one of them. I learned that when you lose weight that quickly, you lose muscle and not fat... and that is never anyone's goal, right?
I've never been sicker in my life, and I've learned a lot. I learned that
1) I need to remember to check in on people.
2) People with a chronic illness will be sick, to some degree, for the rest of their lives. It doesn't go away, and neither should my compassion for them.
3) "How quickly we forget" has taken on new meaning.
4) It's all about relationships.
5) I had been wasting a lot of time.
6) I took my health for granted. Did I really think that not exercising when I had the time and not eating well would not take a toll on my body? Apparently, I did, and I was wrong.
7) Laughter has very real medicinal benefits.
8) Being over-sensitive to light and sound reminded me that the best things are not electronic. I missed reading, studying, listening and looking.
I've never been sick for 4 weeks, but we now have a diagnosis. Actually, I have 3, and they're somewhat interwoven. Suffice it to say that they're fixable, but it will take a little while. I'm thankful for a doctor who was willing to dig deep, look hard, and care enough to spend the time needed to actually find answers.
I'm hoping the lessons aren't fixable; I want them to be chronic in my life.
The day after my last blog post, and, truthfully, I'd forgotten I'd written that Tuesday, I became very, very ill. After 2 ER visits, 3 doctor visits at Henry Ford Medical, 2 specialist visits and a long ultrasound in Virginia, we had a few ideas of what it wasn't but no idea what it was. I lost 7 lbs. in 9 days, and although we all joke about easy ways to drop a few pounds, this was not one of them. I learned that when you lose weight that quickly, you lose muscle and not fat... and that is never anyone's goal, right?
I've never been sicker in my life, and I've learned a lot. I learned that
1) I need to remember to check in on people.
2) People with a chronic illness will be sick, to some degree, for the rest of their lives. It doesn't go away, and neither should my compassion for them.
3) "How quickly we forget" has taken on new meaning.
4) It's all about relationships.
5) I had been wasting a lot of time.
6) I took my health for granted. Did I really think that not exercising when I had the time and not eating well would not take a toll on my body? Apparently, I did, and I was wrong.
7) Laughter has very real medicinal benefits.
8) Being over-sensitive to light and sound reminded me that the best things are not electronic. I missed reading, studying, listening and looking.
I've never been sick for 4 weeks, but we now have a diagnosis. Actually, I have 3, and they're somewhat interwoven. Suffice it to say that they're fixable, but it will take a little while. I'm thankful for a doctor who was willing to dig deep, look hard, and care enough to spend the time needed to actually find answers.
I'm hoping the lessons aren't fixable; I want them to be chronic in my life.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
How Quickly We Forget
Where is everything?! We arrived back into Canada last night, and this morning I couldn't remember where the flatware is. I needed a spoon for my cereal and just stood in the kitchen, looking at the drawers but not daring to open one. Shouldn't I know rather than be guessing? I'm happy to say my foggy brain came through and reminded me. It's only been a few months away, and although I've been back & forth a bit, organizing the home in Florida caused me to somehow erase or refile the things in the Canada rental.
Our brains have the ability to hold an unimaginable amount of information, but we don't really trust that. How true is that of all things in our lives? If we are honest with ourselves, we know who and what we can trust. Why, then, do we question that? If you're like me, it's a control thing. Letting go - trusting - is there to teach me/us that we don't have to take care of everything. God puts people in our lives to come alongside us and love on us, have fun with us, and to lift the unnecessary burdens we place on ourselves.
Not knowing where to find a spoon reminded me that a) I don't need to know everything, and b) all things are as they should be. I just need to trust in that.
Our brains have the ability to hold an unimaginable amount of information, but we don't really trust that. How true is that of all things in our lives? If we are honest with ourselves, we know who and what we can trust. Why, then, do we question that? If you're like me, it's a control thing. Letting go - trusting - is there to teach me/us that we don't have to take care of everything. God puts people in our lives to come alongside us and love on us, have fun with us, and to lift the unnecessary burdens we place on ourselves.
Not knowing where to find a spoon reminded me that a) I don't need to know everything, and b) all things are as they should be. I just need to trust in that.
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