50 million Americans, and I, have an Auto-immune Disease

That surprised me - 50 million Americans! Granted, we can have different auto-immune diseases, but I've learned that once you have one, you're susceptible to others. Great.... The good news is that most of them are quite manageable, even if their onsets are not.

I have Hashimoto's disease - My friends and/or family members have Graves, Diabetes, Chronic Fatigue (CFIDS), Vitiligo, Celiac, Crohn's, Fibromyalgia, IBS, Sarcoidosis, or Multiple Sclerosis.  Those are just the ones I know of, and I have a feeling many of you know someone with one of these afflictions as well. And, yet, we're basically healthy people.

Thyroid disease is prevalent in 20 million of us - with 13 million of those undiagnosed. Does that surprise you? Perhaps there really is a reason you/we don't feel well all the time... My friend, Terri, was at the doctor's office, when he dared to say to her, "You look a little down, a little depressed". She looked straight him, and said, "Well, yeah. That's because I'm sick and at the doctor's". Can we collectively add a "DUH"? My point is that if you don't feel well, don't let anyone tell you "You're fine" or that they can't find anything wrong. Dig deep, my friends.

Doctors have, as I've said before, an almost impossible job - dare I say they live their lives in a guessing game? It would be fun except for the fact that people's quality of life is at stake. Physicians carry a burden I cannot imagine, and I don't envy them. I do, however, love the ones who want to keep learning and who want their patients to have "optimal" health.

On a side note, I'm trying to gain weight back (go ahead, comment below. I can take it and still love y'all). Try explaining weight gain goals at the gym and have trainers and staff just look at you blankly.

The older I get, the more I realize that most people want to be sensitive and helpful. Join me in being one of those kinds of people to those around us. Someone needs a smile, a phone call, or an email. Encourage one another.

Canadian things that still challenge me:

Milk in  bag - I can't pour it. I've tried; believe me, but that little plastic bag bends at its own will and pours amounts it predetermines. What is the purpose of this? It can't be environmentally better, as some suggest, because we're throwing millions of plastic bags into the landfill. Plastic jugs are turned into nice park benches that make me smile and help me rest.

The Metric System - (I admit this isn't Canada's fault. Blame my public school education.) The kilometers per hour I can convert for driving, but temperature is a whole different thing. Here's a sampling of what I should be doing in my head: 

   1 F = -17.2222 C (ummm - nope)

   C = (F-32) x 5/9 ...or... C = (F-32)/1.8  (what?! This is Michael's favorite.)

   F = (C x 9/5) + 32 ...or... F = (C x 1.8) + 32 (...my mind just went blank)

I've memorized that 28 Celsius equals 82 Fahrenheit. After that, I just guess. If it's hot, it's hot; if it's cold, I'm leaving. (hahaha - just kidding)

The War of 1812 - I may have to break out the history books. This weekend, in our town of Amherstburg, there is a 3-day festival to commemorate how they battled back the U.S. I can't help but think a) it was the British, b) we were fighting battles on other fronts, and c) we are scrappy fighters who achieved our independence from Britain early on. Okay - our little secret... I won't speak of it again. Unless one more person asks...

And a few extras:

   Washroom (not bathroom)

   bachelor (it's an apartment)

   Hydro (electricity)

   Expiry (that date on your credit card)

   Concession Roads

   Loony (a one-dollar coin)

   Toonie (you can guess, right?)

   Rockets (Smarties) and Smarties (M&Ms)

And lastly - poutine.

I am thankful that I live in a (foreign) country that speaks English and tolerates that I know nothing about hockey...

PS - the Canadian side of Niagara Falls beats the U.S. side, hands down.

Feeling Stronger Every Day

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