i still wonder…

I’m not sure if I mentioned it here, but my endocrinologist officially diagnosed me with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. I wish I knew when it all started; that kind of makes me crazy. It had to happen since Jake was born. When I was pregnant with him, I had blood drawn for a life insurance policy we were purchasing, and my labs came back fine. They tested for so many things, I’d imagine thyroid levels were on there too. It’s just so weird. Well, there’s nothing I can do now, really. Or then. It’s not like I brought this on myself. I now take my pill every morning and that’s pretty much that. In October I’ll go for bloodwork again and see how things are shaping up. I’ll be curious to see.

great news

Wednesday I got great news regarding my thyroid FNA — the nodule is benign! What a relief. I probably have Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis, which is an auto-immune disease. I don’t really understand why they treat the thyroid for it rather than trying to treat the immune system, but I do get why I need to take thyroid hormone, at least for now. I’ll be on medication. Probably forever, which kind of freaks me out, but it certainly beats cancer. I’ve never really taken meds. I was on the Pill for a short while, but my body did not react well to it. I never tried anything else — no Nuvaring, no Depo-prevera. I’ve never been on anti-depressants. I take vitamins, and that’s about it. At least for a few more weeks until my endocrinologist appointment. Then, I imagine, it will all change.

another walmart story

I know I complain a lot about Walmart, but really — it represents everything that’s wrong with our society and our country. You’ve got the die-hard conservatives who want to shoot their semi-automatic guns in the air (thanks GWB for never reinstating that ban), while singing the “Star Spangled Banner” and wearing hideous shirts with wolves and flags, who meanwhile are buying the cheapest, crappiest junk made in China. Yeah. Way to support the American economy.

I can barely stand going in there anymore. Today we were driving by and just the sight of people made me sad, depressed, and disgusted. It is boggling how many people are overweight. And I mean grossly overweight. Like the fattest twins in the Guiness Book of World Records riding motorcycles overweight. Does Walmart have an aisle for diet pills for men? Because they should. I mean… at what point are some of these people going to get it and realize that they have to do something about their health? I’m watching them walk waddle over to the entrance and you can tell they are in pain. They are putting so much stress on their joints that it looks like their ankles are going to buckle. It is so sad to me! And no, I’m not picking on people. It’s not like there were one or two people like this — there are dozens, dozens every time I go shopping there!

Our country needs a serious wake-up call when it comes to personal health.

nervous

Tomorrow is the day I have my FNA biopsy and I’m a little nervous. I really shouldn’t be. I mean, even if the results show bad news, it doesn’t mean that I need to consider funeral planning options. I’ll just need to schedule surgery. But let’s hope that it doesn’t come to that.

The nurse called on Friday and went over the whole procedure. It’s very simple. But the fact that I’m having a needle stuck in my throat is a little nerve-wracking! This particular imaging center does a lot of these procedures, so that makes me feel better. I know the radiologists know what they’re doing and that means they’ll more than likely get a good cell sampling. My biggest fear is that the test comes back inconclusive and I have to go back and have it redone!

So please send good thoughts my way tomorrow — I need them!

oh, thyroid

So this week I learned some rather distressing news. Not only is my thyroid not functioning properly, but I have a single nodule that needs to be biopsied in order to rule out cancer. Yeah, that was just what I needed to hear while I’m covered head to toe in poison ivy. Plus I started the week with a terrible infection due to the poison ivy. My doctor thinks it is more likely thyroiditis, which is managed by taking a pill every day. If only it were something optional, like phentermine. Alas, I think this is something I’ll just need to deal with for the rest of my life. And honestly, I would much rather deal with just one pill than everything the other, more dire option entails (which still involves medication for the rest of my life). So as you can imagine, I’m a little stressed these days. I’m seeing a specialist next week and hopefully that all the tests will be done quickly and I’ll have good news soon. Please think of me, okay?

smile

Today was Noah’s first visit to the dentist. He did great — he giggled his way through the cleaning. The hygienist gave him a glittery toothbrush and he just about danced around because of it, LOL. Since his mouth is too small for the bite wings necessary for X-rays, the dentist just poked around his mouth and it all looked good. Luckily we get our dental insurance through my husband’s work, so I don’t need to spend time calling around for insurance quotes. It’ important to care for your mouth, and just having the insurance there makes it a lot easier to do.

weird diets

My husband’s stepmother was visiting us this weekend (along with his dad, of course). She reads a lot of different diet books and is always telling me about them. Some have discussed how “superfoods” are great fat burners. Others, like this one about eating for your blood type, seem medically-based. Although I’m not sure how much I personally buy into it, she says she feels much better since she started following the advice in the book. It’s interesting, and I’m curious how long she’ll stick with it and if it really will make a lasting difference.

happy hubby

Drew was so happy on Monday when he started Phase 2 of South Beach. Not that Phase 1 was terribly hard for him, but he was excited to have one of his favorite snacks — apples with peanut butter — again. We all know there are quick weight loss diets only give you a temporary loss of pounds. You really need to eat well and keep active. Last week we got a basketball hoop for the driveway and Drew has been having fun with that, too. Jake also likes to play and maybe if he starts now, by middle school he’ll have the basic skills to play reasonablly well on the basketball team. And if not, that’s cool too. I just want him to have fun.

Keep Up The Good Work

A few of my friends have made new year’s resolutions to lose some weight and they’ve been doing great at keeping up with their diet and exercise program. One of them had looked at phentermine reviews, just to see but opted to try WW first and see if that would work for her. Once the warmer weather arrives (it can’t be long now), I know everyone — myself included — will feel much more motivated!

delicious…

I wonder what the best weight gain supplement is? I’d venture to guess it’s this delicious ice cream sundae. Cookie dough ice cream, Magic Shell topping, and whipped cream. Yeah, and I wonder why I’m not cracking 140 yet, right? LOL… Well, it’s been a long day and I really wanted a treat. Everything in moderation, as they say. Tomorrow I’ll be eating salads to make up for it