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Silence Has Never Been More Golden
Written by Mike Wilson (Undiagnosable Thyroid Patient)
Dear Thyroid,
I haven’t written to you in a long time. And this is a good thing!, We should both be happy about this fact. I know I am, and I hope you are.
Something must be going right. Don’t stop whatever it is you’re doing (or not doing).
Have you been feeling swollen lately? No.
Have I been feeling sluggish lately? No. (Well, not beyond my usual lazy self…)
Have I experienced brain fog? No.
or Irritable Male Syndrome? No.
or extremely rapid skin, nail, and hair growth? No. (OK, well, the finger- and toenails a little…)
It’s winter… you usually demand a dosage change to support your levothyroxine habit. But you haven’t (O the joy!)
And I’ve been sleeping well most every night, and it feels good to rest so much on the weekends… actual healthful rest, not “exhaustion recovery”.
No, it’s been smooth, sailing for several months now. I cannot remember the last time this happened.
I’ve felt good enough to finish my graduate research, kick Masters Degree ass at my thesis defense, do the job of two people at work, start shopping for a house, and I even got almost all of my holiday shopping done today. I must not be giving you any grief, because you haven’t given me any grief. This is how symbiosis is supposed to be, right?
I even turned an actual, real pumpkin into two pies for Thanksgiving in just about 3 hours. That used to take me 2 days in the past. Yup, we did good, quick, quality work on that orange squash, didn’t we? It’s these little things in life that make the difference. Thanks Thyroid for that!
I think you must be pleased that I significantly reduced the caffeine in our diet. I know now that you had difficulty with it, and would inadvertently make Heart flustered. I didn’t like that feeling either. And, I’m wondering if the niacin is helping you out. Skin hates it, because the flushing feels like mustard gas pumping through his pores, but he’s tough, he’ll get over it. Not like you, since we’ve established how delicate and fragile and special you are and how much coddling you need. That’s just how you are.
Anyway, three cheers for at last four months of stable metabolic bliss at an enjoyable level. Huzzah!, Huzzah!, Huzzah!
In your honor, I shall compose thyku:
I have accepted
My thyroid and all its faults
That’s just how we are
When my thyroid feels
Miserable, unhappy
I know so will I
It’s not thyroid’s fault
Something else made it that way
Common enemy
Happiness and health
Are friends walking hand in hand
Each helps the other
I cannot know all
The things my thyroid needs, but
I do what I can
Here’s a magic word:
Triiodothyronine
Artificial life
Dear Mr. Santa
For Christmas please bring to me
Free liposuction
Mike is a 36-year old male suffering from hypothyroidism of mysterious cause for almost 10 years now. He believes that knowledge is power, and that true healing cannot happen without fully understanding the entire situation. Examining the opposing point-of-view is essential to obtain knowledge and understanding. The greatest discoveries come from thinking differently.
Check out, Mike’s website.
Tags: men with thyroid diseases, thyroid blog, thyroid disorders support, thyroid literary support, undiagnosable thyroid disorders
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11 Responses to “Silence Has Never Been More Golden”
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Mike-glad you are back
And that your thyroid’s been good
I missed your thykus!
Robyn, right? Isn’t it great to see the ol’ boy around? With good news, so nice.
I miss Mike’s Thyku’s, too. http://bit.ly/6QSHVT (we want more, Mikey)
Hi Mike! It’s good to hear from you. I am SO happy that you are feeling mah-velous!! Niacin, eh? Haven’t tried adding that…mainly due to the flushing effect on the red-headed skin that I have! (lol) I’ll tell ya what has seemed to help me—Vitamin D!! It’s been a couple of weeks since I started taking it. I have to admit…..I have more energy than I have had in years.
I also bought a “Happy Light”….yep, no shit, that’s what it is called! It’s for those of us who also suffer with SAD.
May you always feel as well as you do now!!!!!!
Cyndi
Cyndi;
You’re such a honey! How Vitamin D deficient are you? I am too, which is why I’m asking. If I could get my numbers up I wnder if I’d feel better, too.
I’ve heard of those Happy Lights, supposedly they really do work and you are living proof that they do. YAY. Gotta check it out. Where did you get it, if you don’t mind me asking?
So glad you’re feeling beter, too.
xo
It’s hard to think about Dear Thyroid when you feel good. You want to think about all the rest of life instead. I do think I have a couple more letters coming down the pike recently, though.
Thyku is fun. I enjoy writing it, but it just has to come when it inspires itself, yaknow?
I’m on the niacin because of hypertriglyceridemia. This is often a side-effect of thyroid disease, my my numbers are so high my doctor’s convinced it’s a genetic problem instead, that’s only aggravated by the hypothyroidism. It’s quite resistant even to the top-end anti-lipid drugs. However, I’ve felt a lot better since I’ve been on it (I’m at 1,500 mg/day now). I worked my way up in 125 mg increments over several months so minimize the flushing. But, niacin has been known to boost metabolism, so maybe that’s why I feel better. I may keep taking it even if it doesn’t put a significant dent in my triglycerides.
Something they didn’t teach you in school: Plants are not the only organisms that engage in photosynthesis. The process in humans of creating Vitamin D in the skin using sunlight is also photosynthesis. Vitamin D deficiency is a problem these days with our indoor living and photophobia (ZOMG!!! must use SPF1,000,000 even at night!!!)
Makes you wonder how humans even evolved at all… sometimes I think we haven’t.
Michael — You’re right, when you’re feeling good, you don’t want to think about ‘thyroids’. Beautiful point!
Thank you for chiming in and sharing your two-cents re: what you’ve tried and what’s working.
We’re SO HAPPY FOR YOU! We want you to feel great and we want more great stories from you and other patients. They are all very inspiring!
xo
Mike,
We look forward to your next Thyku when creativity strikes! I am so excited that you are feeling better. It’s always nice to hear success stories! We need every glimmer of hope that we can get! Good luck!
Katie,
I take 5,000 units of Vit D daily. Most I take at night cuz it makes me sleepy. I tend to sleep better then. I am also defecient in B’s and Calcium (who isn’t- right?) I am sometimes not the greatest Thyroid patient and don’t take my vitamins for a few days. This I am trying to change in 2010! Hopefully I can do it!
Mike, I love hearing your thyroid is behaving. Congrats to you! 🙂
I did not know niacin speeds up metabolism. I think I’ll give it a try. Luckily, my cholesterol profile came back to normal with thyroid treatment and omega-3 pushed the HDL up nicely.
Have you tried taking an 81 mg aspirin 1/2-hour before the niacin. The cardiologist I work for suggests it to anyone that has flushing with niacin. It often works but not always. There is a new brand of niacin OTC that is supposed to help prevent the flushing but I don’t remember the name of it. You can probably Google it and find it that way or ask a pharmacist. There is also prescription Niaspan; ppl tend to have less problems with flushing but I hear it’s expensive. Not sure if insurance covers it.
I hope your thyroid continues behaving. Good Luck!
Katie, your D is so low you need prescription strength, 50,000 or 100,000 if you haven’t already. For a D value under 20, I thought the norm was to treat with prescription strength until it’s normalized, assuming nothing else is causing it.
Correction is required – I take 15,000 units of Vit D. 🙂
they are 5,000 each. Silly me!
Correction is required – I take 15,000 units of Vit D. 🙂
they are 5,000 each. Silly me!
Mike I enjoyed your letter and your Thyku. I must admit I did not know what they were till now. I also understand writing when it is hard to think about having bad days. When you feel good you seem to forget things. Enjoying the small things is such a gift in our lives. Keep up the good work.