Hashimotos blows chunks 2

Went to see the thyroid surgeon, at the request of my new Endo.
I do not have to have surgery!
Whoo hoo, well, I don't have to have it right now. whoo. hoo.
I found out the left side of my thyroid is fine. But the right side. LOOK OUT. Full of nodules. Oh wonderful.
So right now the guy from Rush says he just wants to wait and see before removing anything. But once the largest nodule gets bigger, ZIONK! out it will come!
He does think that if my Endo keeps me on a high(er) dose of synthroid, there is a chance the nodules will shrink and I may get to keep the right side of my thryoid for longer than I expect. So we are waiting to see what happens in 6 months.

I am kinda relieved that I don't have to go under the knife. But I am still pissed that I am not feeling any better yet. But I hear it can take a long while to feel the effects of the medication. Arrgh.

My CB comment

Even if he may need anger management help or whatever:
Still the top 5.
Still smokin'.
Still HOT.
H-O-T

(sorry Scott, but not really)
(you have Jennifers, Angelina and Zooey...I just have one.)

Hashimotos blows big chunks

What is Hashimotos? It is Hypo (ssslllooowwww) thyroidism. Where your body thinks your thyroid is a foreign body/virus, and so your whole immune system goes into fight mode and kills off your thyroid over time. So you are in autoimmune overdrive, always.

So there have been times in my life, in the past, that I have been monumentally “struck stupid”. Other times I feel like I just can’t think as fast as a normal person, or what I perceive to be a normal person (read Scott [or anyone else for that matter]). I can not think on my feet well. Sometimes I have felt like there is something seriously wrong with my mind. Why can’t I remember stuff? Then when my grandma got dementia, I was like… OOOOHHH. Another inherited trait. Already starting. First the boobs, then the back, now the brain!

I cope with this by taking A LOT of notes (usually more than one human should), and writing EVERYTHING down. You should see my calendar.

Well, it has become really bad lately. So even after my recent trip to the Endo (it’s one of the things that really prompted me to go). I took a moment and went on a thyroid website, and I read this thread that totally read like I had wrote it. It was about this woman who had thyroid issues who pretty much was walking around struck dumb and having no idea why…until she got a thyroid test and got the right dose of synthroid. Please let this be my answer too.

A lot of times people who don’t have these issues have a hard time understanding what the F is going on. I have just about EVERY symptom though associated with this autoimmune disease. Basically: Fatigue, depression, sensitivity to cold (I can’t even hold a gallon of cold milk for more than 2 seconds—it HURTS), weight gain, forgetfulness, muscle weakness, puffy face, dry skin and hair, etc. Some patients have major swelling of the thyroid gland in the front of the neck, and they call it goiter. Which I have, along with nodules. Yippy Skippy.
But one of the things that bug me the most is the Difficulty Concentrating or Remembering Things… THIS SUCKS. In our family we call this CRS. Can’t Remember Shit.
CRS is a long standing joke in our family, but god how true it is!

I have had thyroid issues since senior year of high school. How many years is that? TOO MANY. I got diagnosed with Hashimotos though about 7-8 years ago.

I think a lot of people go undiagnosed for thyroid complications. Especially when many doctors, endos, especially older male endos, kind of write you off if you are female, and have a TSH anywhere below 5. They’re like, that’s good enough, it’s all in your head, go home.
Basically they took a sample of the population and decided that what is good on average is what is good for everyone.

NOT SO. Very stupid policy.

Agreed if you are above 5 you are fucked and need synthroid stat. But if you are a 4 or even a 3, you may not be at the right score for YOU, personally. So therefore you may feel absolutely no relief even if you are lucky enough to be put ON some small dose of synthroid. It will not be good enough until you find the right score for you. For me I felt my best when I was at 1. I have not been anywhere near 1 for about 2 years.

Thanks to our friend Kate, I actually came to know a doc who actually SAID the above to me. Even when I had researched it and begged my previous docs to realize they were wrong using the old rules…with the new endo I didn’t have to even open my mouth.

So right now I have been on 75 for about a week, and I don’t feel anything yet. But it should take about 4 weeks. Please cross your fingers that my CRS can be cut off and I can go back to thinking correctly. I hope the cloud lifts. And soon.

So if you have any of those symptoms, GO ask your doc to test your TSH, and if it is between 0-2 you are in normal range. If you are above 2 go fight your fight!!

Our concert-going 2-year-old

We went to the Pitchfork Festival this weekend, more on the bands and glory on Hubby's blog of course, but Bella came out with us all day long and was really really great. She danced and walked the fest, ate the food, listened to all the bands, asked to go up by the stage repeatedly, and basically made her concert going father the proudest dad there.

She was not the youngest, some people brought their what looked like six month olds, but she definitely would have been trampled by the food tents if one of us parent types weren't with her. But she did get us some line cuttage, as when punk people saw me waiting in line with her, they made me go first...which was pretty nice of these people...with all the skulls on their shirts...

The music was nice and we got a nice spot under a set of trees, and luckily the temps were not unbearable. So Bella's training for La la polooza is complete, she is ready. Now if only we could control the weather!! uggg...

I think the thing Bella liked most of the fest beside the massive slab of beef she inhaled for dinner, were the jumbotron-like tvs they used to enhance the stages... that and putting on my shoes....silly girl.

The Dark Knight

We went Friday. We waited in line, for non-IMAX. We saw. We loved. We will go again ...

at least 2 more times, especially to see it in IMAX. As my mom says, so you can see our boyfriend in an almost laying down position, all around you.

Christian Bale is still number 1 through 5 on my top 5. But The Dark Knight is really the Joker's movie. Not Batman or Bales'. And that's ok. I can live...but I did just rewatch Batman Begins today just to get my proper Christian Bale fix.

The Dark Knight was EXCELLENT...all of it. So go and contribute to it's supreme box office run. They ALL deserve your money.

Swoon Swoon.

Special Delivery for CAROLINA

Bella just watched Carolina swimming underwater on Wifeunit's blog. She was very very impressed with it and has asked to watch it (Carolina's) about 10 times in the first sitting. So we had the idea to send a message from Bella right to Carolina, so here it is!

Poopie in watercolor

YOU must watch this video, NOW.


Yeah. Yeah, that is MY daughter right there. I am so proud. What parent wouldn't be?
Funnier yet is that she has seen this video and she laughs at herself!!

cute computer genius

Here is just a cute po toot picture I took yesterday. Bella is now addicted to Sesame Workshop. Especially of Elmo's Potty time. You have to take a listen, and see how Elmo eerily scares the crap out of youngsters by telling them if they don't stop what they are doing and go to the potty, they are going to have an full blown ACCIDENT!!! Oh god no! After Elmo says the phrase (about every 45 seconds) then they soften the BLOW by doing a giggle...
Somehow, bella is obsessed with this potty section of the workshop. But her second fav right now is Big Bird gets a letter, followed by Peek-a-boo Elmo...Be careful bella, if you don't tell me you have to go to the bathroom, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN ACCIDENT!!! Armageddon is here...heehee!!!

Here is the bouge playing Elmo peekaboo, I need to edit this but I am having fun being able to use the new computer, so I haven't figured that all out yet....

Ravinia reeelaxing

So we went to Ravinia last night to see Feist, see full report over on Mookiedaddy, but it was nice. Bella was good. The weather was perfect. It was also
Pinky's first show (Isabella's Lovey). Bella has been wiped out today though from staying out till 11 pm. Don't worry, she was pretty asleep by 10:15. But she is DRAGGING today. Not to mention part CRANK. see sippy pic to the right.

The only thing that was crazy about Ravinia last night was that this family of about 10 people decided to be latecomers and sit by us in an area the size of a nickel. ok, maybe a 3 foot by 4 foot rectangle carpet. NOT enough room for 10 bodies. Plus they were more irritating becuase they were all SUPER skinny, and they brought enough food to feed the entire 10K lawn seating area. I didn't see them bring the food, WHICH kept on coming and coming (which I was jealous of becuase it was all good asian food too); all I saw them bring was umpteen million chairs. But they packed all the food away, these skinny ass people. It was unbelievable--while taking up an area that was just way too small. I hate moochie latecomers with good food.

We sat in OUR place, right outside the covered stage on the lawn. So it was still enjoyable with good volume, good shade, good emmenities by us like a coveted drinking foutain, food vendors--with freaking $5 superpretzels (of which bella begged for 1), and of course decent bathrooms....we brought a few things to eat, bella ate like a cow too, polishing off fresh strawberries, pullapart bread, cheese, juice...

Howdy from Vista-land

Well, I am attempting to live with MS Vista, and let's just say it has been a hard past few days. This new laptop of mine is just nuts...but I think I am starting
to figure this puppy out. Vista is some crayzee shiznet. To download something, you have to download AND activate it. Strange.

So funny story about this pic here. We took bella to the Arlington heights Frontier days and got her a $2 pony ride. Well first the large white pony kinda scared her so we traded with the non english speaking child for the smaller pony. Then about 3/4 of the way thru the ride, the darn thing SHIVERS and scares the CRAP out of bella. But the lady who ran the ride quickly came over and tried to talk bella into believing the pony was giving her a handshake, and so she calmed down a little, but was nervous. Then after I took her off I talked to her about it and convinced her the pony was trying to be funny, and then I asked her to do what the pony did, and she did a little shakey dance...so she got over it and we avoided a meltdown. YAY. again YAY.

Well, how many more days till Batman?? I just LOVE CHRISTIAN BALE (sorry Scott)....but that is a WHHOOOLLLEEE other post...now seriously, 8 days? I am sure I'll see it a couple times, and I can hardly wait for my IMAX screening too. Not to even mention Heath Ledger...uggghh I wanna go now. Right now. And did I mention CB is 1-5 on my top 5?? yeah.

Holy Endocrinologists Batman!

I just have to say, for the first time in the history of me, I have told a doctor I LOVE them.
Did you faint?
LOVE--Yes, in a non-girl on girl way, get your mind out of the gutter, but still. If you know me, then you know I have seen over thirty docs in my life--well in the past 10 years alone really, then you know how BIG this is.

I FINALLY found an Endrocrinologist/Doc who is on MY SAME PAGE. Do you know how long I have been waiting? My whole life (pretty much)!

If you are in the Chicagoland area, and are in need of a freaking great Endo, let me know. They are extremely hard to come by. Totally RARE.

AND for the FIRST TIME, the needle didn't HURT EITHER! AT ALL!
Sigh Sigh Sign. SWOON SWOON.

Full moon assmunchers

So I am tracking to see if there IS a full moon, paranormal, kinetic energy, land zone/hot zone, bell curve pattern to why people go F-ing CRAZY cyclically. Here at work we have noticed that the up and down periods go in some kind of cycle. So I am going to be the first to really test and measure here. I think I already have a theory. It’s the end of fiscal quarters. Well, actually it starts exactly 8 days from the last day of the quarter so far it has not let up as we are in day 3 of the next quarter.

I say the fuckcycle didn’t end yet, as this morning I was DRAG racing with some assmunch in a SEMI. Yes an 18 wheeler. I was passing him, in the SLOW Lane, and he purposely spend up and forced me to off road in a puddle filled shoulder while I was trying to beat him in a merge, THEN after I let him pass, he SLAMMED on his breaks—which actually SMOKED—and then he made a turn right away. Like he freaking could NOT wait. Seriously!! And it was not even 6:30 AM!!!

Looking back in my calendar, I even wrote TODAY SUCKED on the 24th of June. Actually it looked like this on my wide open desk: “SUCKED!!!”—with a double underline, in bright orange.
I leave my written calendar open on my desk; I wonder what my desk visitors and boss will say. Although I questioned her already, and she had a craptastic week as well.

So Anyone have any thoughts on this?? Does it not seem to go in cycles for you? Has anyone already performed extensive batteries of tests on this? Fill me in.

Ergo, the only good thing to come out of last week, was that I finally MADE myself open Bella’s college fund last Friday. It is done. Mission Completion.
And that is about it.

Thank god for this three day weekend which starts in about t-minus 2 hours for me. Adieu!

Happy birthday meggie

Slideorama below is from Bella's cousin Meggie's 4th birthday. Bella LOVES her cousins and they wear her out fully and completely. We are looking forward to more visits!

Slide-o-rama