Wednesday
Apr282010
HypoT Community Cheer, Week 1
Wednesday, April 28, 2010 at 9:21PM Lizzy With Hypothyroidism and Adrenal Fatigue we really need support, especially because the brain fog and constant exhaustion makes it hard to get motivated and stay motivated. I bet you know what I am talking about. So every week I am going to do this cheer post to encourage you.
Take one small step this week to help yourself! Every step counts, even tiny ones, but take that step! Share what you did and add a comment below. We all need support and ideas.
xxoo
Lizzy
Reader Comments (9)
It is certainly an exhausting process to figure out what the heck is going on with all of this! I have actually been doing more research on adrenal fatigue after visiting your blog. I have a doctor's appointment next week so I'm eager to chat with him about this! On another note, I've made sure to get in some yoga and weight lifting classes this week...one day at a time =) Thanks again for all your posts. They are great!
Hi Carly, fantastic thanks for sharing! You made so many great steps!
When talking to my doctor I like to think of everything as an experiment and even say "Let's just try it and see!" It takes the pressure off everyone.
Let us know how it goes!
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
I've been using your blog to keep myself going, because it does get discouraging at times! I gave up on another doctor who wanted to treat my hypothyroid BEFORE addressing my adrenal failure. The Armour was just making me sicker and sicker, so now I'm on HC and things have leveled out a bit, though the exhaustion and brain fog is a constant issue. Do you still struggle with both regularly or do you feel like you've been able to put most of that behind you? Your "before and after" story is one that I refer to again and again. I'm just waiting for the day when I wake up and feel like going for a jog!
Thanks so much for creating this blog-
Jen
Hi Jen,
You are too sweet, thanks for the mutual support. Too bad your doctor wouldn't treat Adrenals before Hypothyroid! Was he willing to treat them together? If yes, email me because I have an idea!
To your question about exhaustion and brain fog (I am going to do a post just about this)... But yes! I can say emphatically that these are behind me. Instead of having one good day of energy a month, I have 29 good days and one low energy, brain foggy day. And I can usually pull myself through it.
When I say just doing the dishes seemed too exhausting, that was my life. And now it happens effortlessly... well, most of the time :-)
So I hear you! Have hope and keep going, girl, you are so close to figuring this out!
xxoo
Lizzy
Oh man, can I relate! I have a sink full of dishes right now that seems too overwhelming to tackle! I can't even have friends over to the house because I can never quite finish the housework. And the freelance? It's like Mount Everest sometimes (well, most of the time). I take Adderall just to have the energy to do it, but the Adderall also makes me jumpy and seems to "fracture" my thoughts; so every line is a struggle. Illustration is tough no matter what. Illustration with brain fog and zero energy...well, you can certainly imagine! I so much want to finish all the projects that I've planned or started over the past 20 years but still can't find the energy and focus for. You know how it is; the mundane takes an exceptional amount of energy, and trying to do more than that is a tall order. It's such a relief to hear that you've turned it all around!
Jen
First, Lizzy, this blog is wonderful! It is such a big help in dealing with this mess ball.
(Hi Jen!)
I think the biggest step I have taken in this whole journey was to stop beating myself up for not getting things done, not being able to lose weight and having that foggy head.
I'm working with a great psychologist who is helping me along with these issues. So I can take every day one at a time and not take a bad day as a character flaw but a physical condition I'm working on.
I walked on a treadmill yesterday for 30 minutes and felt great doing it but I paid the price today. Miss Sloth-o-rama. So I started checking my temperature and it was 96.5F this morning and 97.3F this evening. I think I am a long way from being stable.
Need to schedule my next doctor visit. Currently I'm on 50mcg of levothyroxine a day. After reading here, I split it up and take it sublingually twice a day. I downloaded the worksheet and I'll see what happens.
Hi Madeline, welcome, I am so glad to meet you! Thanks for posting and sharing. I totally understand what you mean about forgiving yourself! It's really hard to do, especially when you think the exhaustion or foggy brain are a matter of choice. But the choice you have now is getting on a path that works for you, and you are on your way! Yay!
When I explain to people what is like to be HypT/Adrenal, I say "Its that feeling you get when you wake up from a long nap. Except its all the time!". That usually helps people understand.
Wow, your temps are definitely way low! Have you read about the T4 only meds? That may be a big factor in your recovery. Have you thought about trying a natural dessicated thryoid med like Naturethroid?
You may be able to just call your doctor's office and ask for a new prescription. It can be super easy to switch.
xxoo
Lizzy
Hi Lizzy,
I have been having such a hard time making decisions about a treatment plan. Mostly I have just been afraid to make a "wrong" decision and hurt my body even more. Last week I went to an endocrinologist in Amherst and it was a horrendous experience. He invalidated all my symptoms and told me that my TSH is normal therefore I am not hypothyroid. He recommended that I go to a sleep disorder clinic for my insomnia. When I asked about my hair falling out he said it was stress due to lack of sleep, when I asked about being cold, he told me, "Well, this is New England"! I told him I have been exhuasted and fatigued for years, unable to function in my normal life, and again he said there was nothing wrong with my labs even though my T3 and T4 are very low.
Last night I decided to try the Armour, so today is day #1. I am starting very low (15 mg 2x day). I would prefer Naturethroid but I cant find it locally. The CVS pharmacist in Amherst told me it is not available. Where do you get yours?
I have not started the HC for the adrenals, might need to add that.
Thank you so much for this blog and all your positive, supportive energy!
Hope you are well,
Jen C.
Hi Jen,
Sorry for the delayed reply. I totally understand your hesitation about making the "wrong choice." I remember feeling that way too. So much of this is experimental, which can feel scary. Especially when we have idiots saying things like "Your cold because its New England". That's makes us all want to scream. I wrote a post about Doctors and Politics specifically because of this. Doctors have a point of view just like everyone else, and they aren't always right.
In my case, I have two doctors giving me different advice so I follow the one that makes sense to me. And I tune out everyone else. You know what they say about opinions...you will get them if you ask, and they usually stink :-)
As for the experiment part, with my doctor I say: "Let's try it and see!" I watch for changes in symptoms, share with him and we revise. I look at it like an ongoing experiment, which takes a lot of pressure off everyone.
With my thyroid medicine I felt like I needed to know what "too much" felt like in order to know what the right dose was. My doctor said the only way to find out was to keep increasing, but he said I would know when I got there. So I went higher until I had hyper symptoms (racing heart, increased pulse, jittery), and then scaled back on my dose until the hyper symptoms disappeared but the hypo symptoms didn't come back. It means listening really closely to your body and no one else (except the doctor you like).
The depression, hair loss, sleeplessness and exhaustion are only going to stay bad if I am on no medicine, or too low a dose, not from being on too high a dose. I would be more afraid of doing nothing then going too high. Its like Katie says in yoga, sometimes holding back causes more injury. But you have to know where your limits are too.
Let me know how it's going!