The past two weeks have been bumpy. I’m dealing with inflammation – my body is “under assault” as my doctor put it. The thyroid has gone bananas and I have swelling, and sometimes unbearable pain in various parts of my body at different times. Sometimes it’s my shoulder and my knee. Other times it’s my ankle, my wrist and lower back. It seems to switch every other day. And what can I do? Take the medication and wait for it to go away; take the time my body needs to heal itself.
I get no explanations or justifications, which is usually what I look for. My body is just doing whatever it wants.
What makes me feel better is to list out what I have done for myself in the last 10 days.
- Found and saw a new Endocrinologist
- New labs (T3s down slightly but still high)
- Saw a Holistic Health Coach
- Saw an Integrative MD
- Made an appointment to see an RD who specializes in Autoimmune Disease
- Made an appointment with another Integrative MD (private practice), just because
- Talked to one of my best friend’s father who is an MD and specializes in nutrition/nutraceuticals, and dealt with autoimmune for years
- Made an appointment with a thyroid-focused opthamologist
- Confided in close friends, Gchatted with my mom, read a badly written thriller
I’m so obvious to myself. This is my way of exerting some control over a totally uncontrollable situation (for the moment). I call people, I talk to people, I read, and now, I write. The reality is, what I’m actually doing is waiting for the meds to do their job and alongside it, using food as medicine, and removing any unnecessary stress from my life. With no kids, you’d think that would be fairly simple. But, NYC living is usually stressful – from the commute to running errands, this place takes effort.
Hyperthyroidism is very dangerous. When the thyroid is overactive, it can cause total chaos in the body and can damage your heart, bones, and muscles. It can have lifelong consequences that go far beyond the shitty symptoms. My #1 priority at the moment is regulating it, and quickly. The quickest way to do it is with medication. For someone who doesn’t take much more than Ibuprofen or cold medication, taking two prescription drugs is an NYC avenue block outside my comfort zone (CA folks, it’s a long way). Just monitoring the times I take the pills takes some work (okay, 7 hours…carry the 1, plus 30 minutes…yea, I think it’s time). I carry the pills around in my “wellness pouch” complete with:
- 5 Essential Oils (lavendar, lemon, Joy blend, peppermint, Valor blend (Young Living for you EO fans))
- Hand lotion (dry skin, NYC is cold)
- Digestive enzymes (gut healing in progress)
- Turmeric supplements (natural anti-inflammatory)
- Aleve (because sometimes sh*t hurts)
- Concealer (because these eyes, yo…the puffiness/circles are out of order)
- My glasses (old)
- Liquid stevia (safe sweetener)
I’m like an old lady with this wellness pouch (I just branded that, don’t take it, copyright pending). But, it’s gunmetal canvas with a glitter skull, so, style, right?
Today’s Saturday. It’s supposed to snow like crazy so I don’t feel so guilty that I am not going out and about. But I still bought a ticket to see a movie in Brooklyn this afternoon, to which I’ll take a Lyft, because sitting around isn’t working for me. It never has (did’ya see my list?). I heard Lady Bird was filmed in Sacramento and since that’s where I grew up, I have to go to do an accuracy check.
–ZG
Seeing What Sticks 
I found your blog via Instagram and would like to ask you few things:
a) have you been tested positive for TSI and /or TPO antibodies ( elevated TSI is a standard to differentiate GD from other hyper cases)
b) did sonogram indicate increased blood flow in entire gland? Any nodules? what was the volume of your thyroid (most common normal is about 7 ml, with upper limit of 18 ml for adult female)
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a) yes. and yes. b) yes and no. I’d prefer not to send out my labs on a blog, but I appreciate your interest and reading it. Thank you!
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