Well, we're five weeks in now since the surgery. I can say safely now that I've bottomed out with the hypothyroidism. If there was any remaining hormone left in me after the surgery, it's gone now. Each day I feel more and more tired, even though some days it's difficult to nap. I told Joe I think I'm so exhausted, that I'm too tired to even rest. I've gained weight, am puffy and have edema, and found out yeserday that I have mild orthostatic hypotension. Basically, my blood pressure is dropping too quickly when I stand up, so it feels like my ears are filling up with water, I get dizzy and sometimes have to fight not to fall down. It's frustrating, so I'll warn you all reading this now that I'm using this blog as not just a way to keep you all in the loop, but also for myself to vent a little about how I'm feeling. Today is one of those days.
I had my TSH tested last week and it was at 30.1, so almost to 40 but not quite. We'll try again next week. As soon as it hits 40, we'll schedule the full body scan to see if we can detect any remaining thyroid cells. If none are found, then I'm good to go on Synthroid and off on my merry way. If they do find some, then as I understand it, I'll have to do a two week iodine-free diet, then take the dose of radioactive iodine to kill those cells. That's when I'll probably have to be sequestered for about a week while I'm leeching green radiation emissions with possible violent mood swings and unprecedented strength -- no, just kidding! But I will be radioactive and have to stay at least 6 feet from anyone.
Contrary to the above statement about being radioactive, I find myself not nearly as easily amused (even though Joe keeps trying), and the annoyance trigger is much more sensitive. Getting up at 5:30a in order to catch the bus at 6:40a is really annoying! It pretty much renders me useless for the rest of the day. I know I need to work -- my surgeon released me to only 4-6 hours per day -- but with a one hour commute on either end of that 5 hours that I average, that's pretty much an entire day of being up and out and about. My office has been supportive of the only half days, I mean, really, they don't have a choice at this point, but when I'm here, it's business as usual and they expect the same level of work out of me as before. Apparently I "look great", so when they (incessantly) ask me how I feel, and I say "tired", they kind of look at me like they don't believe me because I don't show outwardly that I'm "sick". I do try, but I struggle with concentration, I'm sleepy, and my muscles feel weak and achy. And on days that I stay home, it's pretty much expected that I do some work from there as well. Luckily I have a job that I can do from home, and would much rather do that so that I don't have the exhausting commute, but work is work, it's still tiring.
This morning I got caught in an intense rain storm while walking the 3 blocks from where my bus drops me off. By the time I got to the building, my pants and shoes were completely soaked, my jacket mostly soaked, my leather bag stained with water, and I am still freezing cold. Bad thing about not having metabolism, is I'm cold a lot now. Guess that is a major contributor to my mood this morning. :)
I've posted a new link to the right under "My Research Links" about thyroid health that my boss sent me. It's from a site called "women to women", but the information is valid for anyone. Since you're all lucky enough to still have your thyroids, keep care of them. This site has a lot of good information on what foods will keep your thyroid healthy. Cheers!
No comments:
Post a Comment