Well, I've been increasing my dosage every 10-12 days. I've noticed my neck, in my thyroid area, seems to be less swollen.
Other than that I'm exhausted...I suspect that has to do with the crazy busy schedule I'm keeping. I'm having a hard time getting to bed on time and then a hard time getting up. I've been eating very poorly and not drinking my water since Monday, so I'm sure that has something to do with it too.
I work till 2pm today. Then I have a job interview today, trunk or treat at church and I need to bake 2 dozen cupcakes for Carissa's class party tomorrow. After 3pm tomorrow things slow down a little bit. Thank goodness. So my plan is to get back to eating more healthy and drinking my water and lifting weights on Saturday. I think with the dosage I'm on, I should start seeing a difference soon.
Okay...of to make some study cards for my interview. :)
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Nothing New
Well, I'm not sure I can tell much of a difference on 88 mcg. I take it until Friday and then I can go up to 100 mcg.
I'm still taking my vitamins...but have been adding carbs and junk back into my diet. I'm staying within a healthy calorie range though. I should lose 1.5 pounds per week eating the number of calories I am. And until the thyroid gets under control, that may mean I lose nothing. But at least I'll be ready when it is all within normal ranges.
My morning temperatures are still in the 97s. Once a week...usually on the day I sleep in I end up hitting in the 98 degree range. I can't wait until that's everyday!
I still wake up tired...and by the afternoon, early evening I'm exhausted. I'll be so thrilled when I can go a whole day and feel good...or wake up feeling rested and refreshed rather than exhausted and run down.
I'm still taking my vitamins...but have been adding carbs and junk back into my diet. I'm staying within a healthy calorie range though. I should lose 1.5 pounds per week eating the number of calories I am. And until the thyroid gets under control, that may mean I lose nothing. But at least I'll be ready when it is all within normal ranges.
My morning temperatures are still in the 97s. Once a week...usually on the day I sleep in I end up hitting in the 98 degree range. I can't wait until that's everyday!
I still wake up tired...and by the afternoon, early evening I'm exhausted. I'll be so thrilled when I can go a whole day and feel good...or wake up feeling rested and refreshed rather than exhausted and run down.
Thursday, October 9, 2008
A good day....
Today was a good day all in all. I'm still tweaking what I want to do as an eating program, but I did really well today and can't complain much.
I'm anxious for the day when 4-5 o'clock comes and I'm not utterly exhausted. As with most things life...the things worth anything are worth waiting for and working for!
I'm anxious for the day when 4-5 o'clock comes and I'm not utterly exhausted. As with most things life...the things worth anything are worth waiting for and working for!
Wednesday, October 8, 2008
Fat Flush Plan
Well, that didn't last long! The FF Plan was just a might to constrictive for me. Surprise, surprise....I did well for a week though...so I think I got benefits from it regardless. I'm going to stick with some of it's guidelines...like the lemon juice in the morning, the vitamins and higher protein and less processed foods. I think making those changes will be helpful.
I've been walking two days in a row and the plantar fascitis is acting up badly.
I'm not going to let it get me down though.
No big surprise either that the 3 days I've been on a higher dose of thyroid meds hasn't made any difference in how I feel...I may not see a big difference there for weeks! Patience is a virtue I'm still trying to acquire!
I've been walking two days in a row and the plantar fascitis is acting up badly.
I'm not going to let it get me down though.
No big surprise either that the 3 days I've been on a higher dose of thyroid meds hasn't made any difference in how I feel...I may not see a big difference there for weeks! Patience is a virtue I'm still trying to acquire!
Monday, October 6, 2008
Appointment Results
Antibodies were twice what they should be, but not off the charts or anything. So the Hashimoto's is very mild right now, but present. So, my throid lab result levels are probably close to accurate.
TSH is suppposed to be between .2 and 2.0 per European standards (American standards are out of date): It was a WHOPPING! 28.7
Of course, all thyroid levels in my blood were low.
He did another physical exam of my thyroid gland and checked my symptoms again.
His goals are to:
1. Get my TSH to a 1.0 or below.
2. Get my symptoms under control.
3. Shrink my thyroid gland that is a visible goiter and has been for some time, since it's twice the size it should be.
He gave me 8 weeks worth of thyroid medicine.
I've been taking .075. Starting today I will take .088 for two weeks. Then .100 ... then .112 .... then .125 ....then If I'm feeling good at that level and physical symptoms have gone away he'll call in a script. Otherwise we keep on increasing the dose until I get there. Once I'm there...I'll hold at that dose for 6 weeks and then retest all my thyroid function again. So between the beginning and end of December I'll see him again.
I listed last week good indicators of decent thyroid function...but the biggie is body temperature in the morning. This morning mine was 97.0 Anything below 98 is considered hypo and anything below 97.6 is considered severely hypothyroid.
I'm excited to be on the road to recovery but feel like I'm going to have to work very hard to be patient...it takes time to get out of this situation.
I cried for half a second when I told him thank you for listening. I've been saying for almost 4 years that something was wrong and none of the 3 other doctors I saw would listen. He expressed disdain for the fact that most doctors have stopped listening to their patients...lab results are good, but knowing your patient and their history and trusting them has to come in at some point.
Now...my favorite moment...he said "We're going to give that thyroid a kick in the pants." Spoken in his cute Amsterdam accent. :)
TSH is suppposed to be between .2 and 2.0 per European standards (American standards are out of date): It was a WHOPPING! 28.7
Of course, all thyroid levels in my blood were low.
He did another physical exam of my thyroid gland and checked my symptoms again.
His goals are to:
1. Get my TSH to a 1.0 or below.
2. Get my symptoms under control.
3. Shrink my thyroid gland that is a visible goiter and has been for some time, since it's twice the size it should be.
He gave me 8 weeks worth of thyroid medicine.
I've been taking .075. Starting today I will take .088 for two weeks. Then .100 ... then .112 .... then .125 ....then If I'm feeling good at that level and physical symptoms have gone away he'll call in a script. Otherwise we keep on increasing the dose until I get there. Once I'm there...I'll hold at that dose for 6 weeks and then retest all my thyroid function again. So between the beginning and end of December I'll see him again.
I listed last week good indicators of decent thyroid function...but the biggie is body temperature in the morning. This morning mine was 97.0 Anything below 98 is considered hypo and anything below 97.6 is considered severely hypothyroid.
I'm excited to be on the road to recovery but feel like I'm going to have to work very hard to be patient...it takes time to get out of this situation.
I cried for half a second when I told him thank you for listening. I've been saying for almost 4 years that something was wrong and none of the 3 other doctors I saw would listen. He expressed disdain for the fact that most doctors have stopped listening to their patients...lab results are good, but knowing your patient and their history and trusting them has to come in at some point.
Now...my favorite moment...he said "We're going to give that thyroid a kick in the pants." Spoken in his cute Amsterdam accent. :)
Saturday, October 4, 2008
WOWSERS!!!
I'm down a whopping 7 pounds since Monday. WHOA!!!!
I'm so very proud of myself and the will power I've shown the last handful of days! Tuesday I had a cookie. Wednesday and Thursday didn't stray from the detox program. Friday gave in and had some very cherished apple cobbler ala mode. Went to pack meeting on Friday evening and they served chocolate cake and kit kats...and I obstained! Then today I went to a birthday party and obstained from MORE chocolate cake. YAY ME!!!
I baked my heart out today...3 loaves of pumpkin bread and 4+ dozen cookies...and all I had was a cookie! YAY ME!
Anyhow, I'm exhausted with all I've done today...but I had energy to get it all done without stopping, so that's a step in the right direction!!
Okay...I'm off to goof off. :)
I'm so very proud of myself and the will power I've shown the last handful of days! Tuesday I had a cookie. Wednesday and Thursday didn't stray from the detox program. Friday gave in and had some very cherished apple cobbler ala mode. Went to pack meeting on Friday evening and they served chocolate cake and kit kats...and I obstained! Then today I went to a birthday party and obstained from MORE chocolate cake. YAY ME!!!
I baked my heart out today...3 loaves of pumpkin bread and 4+ dozen cookies...and all I had was a cookie! YAY ME!
Anyhow, I'm exhausted with all I've done today...but I had energy to get it all done without stopping, so that's a step in the right direction!!
Okay...I'm off to goof off. :)
Friday, October 3, 2008
Feeling Good This Morning
I got out of bed dragging a bit, but once the day got going I was on a roll! I hope it lasts all day. I haven't had this much energy in a long time.
I stayed on plan all day yesterday...could that have something to do with it? Time will tell, I guess.
I spent a lot of time getting my lunch made, breakfast made and organizing vitamins this morning. I think I might have to do a weekly sit down and put all my daily vitamins for the week in separate ziploc baggies. Then I can just grab it and go. I made a salad for lunch...the dressing to go with it...and cooked the beef strips to put on top too. Boiled 4 eggs for myself (Carissa scarfed one!) Did my lemon water, made a smoothie, made my cran water. Started on the vitamins...like 5 or 6. I'm going to try breaking them up through the day...it's a lot of pills to swallow at one time and some of them are big. My gag reflex was kicking in a little yesterday. It's a might sensitive, so I'm not that surprised.
I'm right on track for today...and am hoping I have as easy a time with it over this weekend. I've got baking to do etc...so I might not be exactly perfect. But, having one little thing hopefully won't send me into a tailspin.
Okay...back to work.
I stayed on plan all day yesterday...could that have something to do with it? Time will tell, I guess.
I spent a lot of time getting my lunch made, breakfast made and organizing vitamins this morning. I think I might have to do a weekly sit down and put all my daily vitamins for the week in separate ziploc baggies. Then I can just grab it and go. I made a salad for lunch...the dressing to go with it...and cooked the beef strips to put on top too. Boiled 4 eggs for myself (Carissa scarfed one!) Did my lemon water, made a smoothie, made my cran water. Started on the vitamins...like 5 or 6. I'm going to try breaking them up through the day...it's a lot of pills to swallow at one time and some of them are big. My gag reflex was kicking in a little yesterday. It's a might sensitive, so I'm not that surprised.
I'm right on track for today...and am hoping I have as easy a time with it over this weekend. I've got baking to do etc...so I might not be exactly perfect. But, having one little thing hopefully won't send me into a tailspin.
Okay...back to work.
Thursday, October 2, 2008
Symptoms of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis and where I fall
No symptoms -no...got lots.
Goiter-yup, my thyroid is twice the normal size.
Lump at front of neck-yup.
Protruding eyes-no
Low thyroid hormone level-yes
Hypothyroidism-yes
Mental slowness-yes, I can't find words that I know...I can't remember what I just read.
Physical slowness-yup
Slow pulse-no
Cold sensitivity-yes
Weight gain-yes
Coarse skin-yes, my skin has gotten scalier and scalier...I'm having to exfoliate a lot!
Dry skin-yes
Fatigue-yes
Depression-yes
Muscle weakness-yes
Brittle hair-yes
Constipation-not too much, but I eat a lot of fiber
Muscle cramps-yes, in my foot is the most frequent place
Increased menstrual flow-yes
Neck discomfort-some
Periodic paralysis-no
Myxedema-yes
Musculoskeletal symptoms-yes
Rheumatoid arthritis-symptoms yes, but diagnosis unconfirmed
Hoarse voice-yes
Dry skin-yes
Pale skin-yes
Facial swelling-yes
Weight gain-yes
Muscle tenderness-yes
Muscle stiffness-yes
Joint pain-yes
Joint stiffness-yes
Can't wait till Monday!
Goiter-yup, my thyroid is twice the normal size.
Lump at front of neck-yup.
Protruding eyes-no
Low thyroid hormone level-yes
Hypothyroidism-yes
Mental slowness-yes, I can't find words that I know...I can't remember what I just read.
Physical slowness-yup
Slow pulse-no
Cold sensitivity-yes
Weight gain-yes
Coarse skin-yes, my skin has gotten scalier and scalier...I'm having to exfoliate a lot!
Dry skin-yes
Fatigue-yes
Depression-yes
Muscle weakness-yes
Brittle hair-yes
Constipation-not too much, but I eat a lot of fiber
Muscle cramps-yes, in my foot is the most frequent place
Increased menstrual flow-yes
Neck discomfort-some
Periodic paralysis-no
Myxedema-yes
Musculoskeletal symptoms-yes
Rheumatoid arthritis-symptoms yes, but diagnosis unconfirmed
Hoarse voice-yes
Dry skin-yes
Pale skin-yes
Facial swelling-yes
Weight gain-yes
Muscle tenderness-yes
Muscle stiffness-yes
Joint pain-yes
Joint stiffness-yes
Can't wait till Monday!
Well, well, well......
Well beginning on Tuesday I started cutting crud out of my diet. Don't get me wrong I had a sugar cookie and some light pringles on Tuesday. Other than that, I've been eating so much better. And today? I'm back down by 4 pounds. Go figure.
Today, however, I am starting a 1 to 2 week detox. It's called Fat Flush Plan. It's going to be HARD...REALLY, REALLY HARD. Maybe the hardest thing I've ever done when it comes to how I eat. But in the end, it is what my immune system needs, so here I go.
I am up to over 20 supplement pills everyday. This morning I had two eggs with a cup of chopped spinach seasoned with cayenne. I drank one cup of hot water with lemon. And then another cup of water just to get the rest of the vitamins down. I felt a little queasy and full after. I think what I'll do from here on out is put all of them in a ziploc baggie and carry them with me. Then I can distribute them with my meals and snacks through out the day. Then I'm never taking more than 5 or 6 at a time. That should help a bit. The problem I have is that the calcium supplement has to be taken away from the T4 and the magnesium has to be taken away from the calcium and the T4. So my plan is to take the calcium in the morning. The magnesium around early afternoon...like at 2pm when I get off work. And the T4 at bed time since I won't eat after 8pm. That'll be two hours between eating and taking it. Hopefully that will help. :)
Okay...I'm off to get myself organized.
Today, however, I am starting a 1 to 2 week detox. It's called Fat Flush Plan. It's going to be HARD...REALLY, REALLY HARD. Maybe the hardest thing I've ever done when it comes to how I eat. But in the end, it is what my immune system needs, so here I go.
I am up to over 20 supplement pills everyday. This morning I had two eggs with a cup of chopped spinach seasoned with cayenne. I drank one cup of hot water with lemon. And then another cup of water just to get the rest of the vitamins down. I felt a little queasy and full after. I think what I'll do from here on out is put all of them in a ziploc baggie and carry them with me. Then I can distribute them with my meals and snacks through out the day. Then I'm never taking more than 5 or 6 at a time. That should help a bit. The problem I have is that the calcium supplement has to be taken away from the T4 and the magnesium has to be taken away from the calcium and the T4. So my plan is to take the calcium in the morning. The magnesium around early afternoon...like at 2pm when I get off work. And the T4 at bed time since I won't eat after 8pm. That'll be two hours between eating and taking it. Hopefully that will help. :)
Okay...I'm off to get myself organized.
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
Happy Halloween! Vitamin Therapy...
Well, today is the day...I have done a lot of research since Monday about how to boost my immune system to help with the Hashimoto's and then also how to help support my ailing thyroid as well. Vitamin Therapy here I come!
What I should be taking is a whole lot more than I've been getting!
Now, I don't have all of this down yet...but I'm making headway. I checked my multivitamin and it looks like if I take 2 daily I'll get a good start, but on some things what's in the vitamin is a drop in the bucket compared to what's recommended by thyroid and autoimmune experts.
To add to two multivitamins a day, I bought this morning:
300 mg St. John's Wort
Acidophilus Pearls
Vitamin E and Selenium together. (E 400 IU Selenium 200 mcg)
Selenium 200 mcg
Omega 3 Fish Oil (300 mg of Omega 3 and 1000 mg of fish oil concentrate)
Citracal Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D (D 500IU and Calcium 400 mg) Has to be taken at least 4 hours separate from thyroid replacement since calcium interferes with absorption.
I'm still lacking on a few things...so I'm going to do a side by side comparison in a spreadsheet and see what else I need to add. I'm hoping I start seeing a difference very very soon!!!
What I should be taking is a whole lot more than I've been getting!
Now, I don't have all of this down yet...but I'm making headway. I checked my multivitamin and it looks like if I take 2 daily I'll get a good start, but on some things what's in the vitamin is a drop in the bucket compared to what's recommended by thyroid and autoimmune experts.
To add to two multivitamins a day, I bought this morning:
300 mg St. John's Wort
Acidophilus Pearls
Vitamin E and Selenium together. (E 400 IU Selenium 200 mcg)
Selenium 200 mcg
Omega 3 Fish Oil (300 mg of Omega 3 and 1000 mg of fish oil concentrate)
Citracal Calcium Citrate with Vitamin D (D 500IU and Calcium 400 mg) Has to be taken at least 4 hours separate from thyroid replacement since calcium interferes with absorption.
I'm still lacking on a few things...so I'm going to do a side by side comparison in a spreadsheet and see what else I need to add. I'm hoping I start seeing a difference very very soon!!!
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