Well, this malady definitely has its ups and downs. It’s lovely that there is such a quick fix for it in the form of a little pill, unlike many other maladies that could befall me, but man do I wish my body would pick a lane.
I’m still feeling significantly better than before, but my symptoms are slowly escalating again. My thoughts are creeping back into the sticky and sluggish.
Unfortunately, living with hypothyroidism means trying to hit an ever-moving target — produce/take too little T4, you’ll suddenly find yourself too tired to move. Take too much, and suddenly you’re facing heart-palpitations and other unpleasant side-effects. Fortunately, I have yet to experience the latter, but the former fatigue has been steadily creeping back up on me.
It’s been a slow march back toward my old symptoms, so small at first I was pretty sure I was imagining it. Dry skin on my face and feet, my hair has stopped growing as quickly (though oh WOW is it long now, and thick!), my nails are back to breaking easily, my weight loss has slowed considerably, and the ever-present Exhaustion, my frequent companion, has returned to gum up my brain.
I’ve been here before. SIGH.
So, off we go with a new, higher dose again!
My dose has recently been adjusted by my new endocrinologist, based on my symptoms. I’m *so* glad he was willing to listen and try a higher dose, unlike my last doctor (lord knows I’m nowhere near hyperthyroid). I’ve been boosted to 88 MCG from 75, and already I can feel a spike of energy. Placebo? Maybe, but I’ll take the clearer thinking any day of the week, mind over matter or not. They’ll retest me in six weeks to see what it does to my TSH, T3 and T4.
I also asked my new doctor about diet, and he told me that, in his opinion, the diet side of my specific condition is unrelated–it shouldn’t impact anything, provided I’m eating healthfully and in a balanced way. Considering I don’t have the gastro-intestinal issues that many hypothyroid folks experience, I’ll continue to eat my broccoli and whole grains in all their various and healthy forms.
I’m going to utilize this spike of energy to start working out consistently again. My husband and I were doing great (weight training 3-4 times a week) until his gall bladder gave up the ghost, we moved across states onto an island (in the summer in the 95 degree humidity heat, lol), said some really hard but expected goodbyes, and then spent the last month or so settling in and replacing appliances that were literally making us sick (garbage disposals are gross–that’s all I’m going to say about that).
It’s been a whirlwind, but life is slowly settling back down to normal, which means it’s time to prioritize a healthy lifestyle.
I’ll check back with you in a few weeks (probably six from now when I get my levels tested again) with an update on the combination of working out consistently 3-5x a week and the new dosage. 🙂
Sarah Snow 