Dear Thyroid^TM

Local Chicago Dear Thyroid Meet up hosted by Jennifer Jennings

Last Saturday, three Chicago area thyrellas met at a local coffeeshop to share our thyroid woes and have some laughs. We snagged a table in the back of the shop, which provided for some perfect people watching.

I was delighted to first meet Gaye and then Lisa. We shared information about our conditions and bonded over some of the most annoying thyroid symptoms: feeling freezing and sweating or being hot when it’s 20 degrees out, etc. We also talked about how good doctors are difficult to find. Lisa is very lucky to be seeing her childhood doc who notices historical trends.

Our conversation wandered to our lives and what we did professionally. The coffee was great, as was the company, and we plan to have another Dear Thyroid meetup within the month. If our busy schedules allow for some coffee and conversation. We hope that more will join us.

it was good to meet people going through similar experiences in person. Although I wished that there had been someone there with Grave’s, because the experience is a little different than hypothyroidism/Hashimoto’s.

But, I found it to be an enjoyable, fun, connecting experience.

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Who lives in Chicago and would like to join these lovely thyrellas for the next Dear Thyroid meet up in Chicago? Leave your response in comments, add your location to the forums or email Katie.

Billie and Lolly, like Natasha and Lori, had a meet up. It wasn’t in person. They met via phone. Billie is in the Southern US and Lolly is in the UK. The beauty of their meet up is that it was as poignant and significant as an in person meet up. Their voices sang to each other across oceans and their history of writing to each other via email, forums and Dear Thyroid, were a celebration of feeling less alone with respect to their thyroid diseases. Even though they have different thyroid diseases and issues, their connection, like Lori and Natasha’s was just as life affirming and vital to their healing process. In shorthand, they discussed disease. In longhand, they talked about life, just like the others do. In the end, what they shared was spectacular.

I hope their story will inspire more phone meet ups and in person meet ups because offline support, in whatever form, in person or over the phone, brings us closer to each other and hopefully makes us feel less alone—as we fight our way out of the Thyloset.

In their own words, I hope you enjoy Lolly and Billie’s account of their meeting as much as I did.

First Telethyone, Operation Chatterbrain.

LOLLY:

Well what can I say I get up early not really clock watching well maybe a little, Remember then Billie said she would email me first, well time is drawing closer I think maybe she’s forgot so I email, ask if it’s still on for a chat, no reply 12pm arrives by now I am thinking shall I just call anyway so I do.. So around 12.15pm I call…

I hear “Hello”, so I say “Hello” we say Hello again, “Hello Billie” Well Hello Lolly (now I know that’s gonna make Katie laugh cus she knows what I am thinking). Poor Billie hadn’t had a good night and wasn’t even up yet, but she still wanted to chat.

We just start chatting, we must have covered everything from thyroid to Doctors to first DX family, pets, Geography History, thank fook we didn’t go into science not one of my best subjects. I certainly didn’t want to hear the anatomy of hemorrhoids.

So like I say the conversation is just flowing, near the hour mark I tell Billie I am going to go off now and call back because I can only do an hour at a time on the plan I have, but I can put the phone down and recall. So I take a 10 minute break just to change my Tenna Ladies (remind me not to visit that urologist one of our thyrodians did; I hear they’re worse than Gyno’s) anyway where was I?

Oh yes back to chatting with Billie, she has a lovely voice, great sense of humour and is very intelligent, I could have talked to her all day, we had so much in common, and knew how to laugh and joke about anything, from dogs, funny events in our lives etc. I feel I know Billie even more, but most of all I think I know her hubby now. Did I tell you he came and spoke to me in his attempt at a posh English accent that was a cross between Aussie, London and something else in the mix I haven’t found the Geological location yet but when I do, I will be sure to add it.. Now something strange happened just at the end as we both were’ just about to say our goodbyes, hubby said he had bondage. Well I nearly pissed my pants (note to self go get your fooking ears checked girl). What he was saying was, he had vondage, which was a telephone package and that we must do this again.

It was such a hoot, but so nice to talk to Billie and would love to do it again sometime. Billie what a Gal, she is lovely. I feel I know her and yes feel we could be Sista’s. Hubby was lovely too.

Yes Billie we may have an Ocean between us, but friendship knows no distance and it is here to stay.

Lolly

–

BEE

For those of you not on FB, I’ll post something here about DTs 1st telethyone phone call, Operation Chatterbrain—and that’s exactly what Lolly and I did; chattered our brains.

We talked for almost 2 hrs. But it seemed like only 10 min went by. She’s one smart cookie when it comes to thyroid labs, so I picked her brain a bit.

But we mostly got to have that real conversation that enforced the friendship we’d developed through thyroid forums. It was great putting a voice behind the words. We sorted out our families, something you tend not to do in depth when you’re writing about in depth thyroid issues. We spoke of our geographic locations, which helped form a location in our brains that could be found on a map.

We had a chance to talk about ordinary things like our pets and the joy they bring us. We talked about our lives pre thyroid disease and both came to the conclusion that no way in hell would we be able to work as hard as we used to with the burden of this illness on our shoulders. But -as I knew we would- we LAUGHED. My long lost sister and I laughed…and laughed. We even got my husband, Archie Bunker on the phone and he laughed. He was supposed to speak southern For Lolly, but ended up speaking his made up Aussie Brit accent thrown in with a few “C’mon BAABEES” so we laughed some more. We may have an ocean between us; but this friendship is here to stay—Fookin’A

Who is next? Email katie@dearthyroid.com.

As you know, we recently launched Dear Thyroid Meet-ups and Tweet-ups Locally. We believe so hard in the power of offline support.  So far, what we (by we, I mean all of us) have created as an online community, in my opinion, is magnificent. We share everything, the effects of our respective diseases and our lives. We don’t judge each other. We feel everything and laugh our asses off along the way. This, in its entirety has and continues to take my wig off (and I don’t wear a wig). Every day, I feel tremendous gratitude for this community and so proud of each one of you. You fucking bring it, yo! You show up and you share yourselves with unbridled candor. YOU’RE MY HEROES.

After our post “Care to Host a Dear Thyroid Meet up”, we received many wonderful emails from Thyrellas and Thyfellas eager to host and participate. Hence, “Let The Dear Thyroid Meet Ups – Tweet Ups Games Begin!” We continue to add cities. We must keep this going—offline support locally.

Our first official Dear Thyroid Meet Up was hosted by Lori Caprio Callahan in Pembroke, MA. She met with Natasha. The below is their experience of meeting in person in their words. I was in tears afterwards (happy tears), so you might want to grab some Kleenex.

Lori Caprio Callahan I am home and it was *FANTASTIK*. Natasha is awesome, a real sweetheart. One hashi and one graves’, what a duo We hit it off marvelously, of course; we are thysistah’s after all. Diseases so opposite but so alike.

We have about 50 photos of the tabletop trying to figure out how to use the time delay setting on the camera but neither of us was too enthused about our picture being taken. We are both not liking how our disease has affected us physically. (as most of us are) However, I am short and fat and Natasha is *beautiful*. I don’t know what she was talking about.

Actually this month’s flickr photo theme is “symptom”. I think the one picture we did take is perfect for that. Me struggling to get weight off and Natasha strugglign to put it on.

We are going to get together again after the holidays.

This was a small start but it was a start and that’s how all good things are born. We Will Bring Awareness About!!!! Everyone will know what the thyroid gland is and they will know how to check it (like a breast self-exam). Every exam room across the country and beyond will have a poster on their wall of the thyroid and how to check it. We need to find a celebrity spokes person!

I will torture myself and post the picture in a few minutes.

Natasha Kahn I’m home now. IT WAS SO GREAT!!!! Lori is so lovely (and sells herself very short in the write-up above!)! And Lori – thanks so much for arranging the meet-up – I have to say it was really really really cool to talk thyroids and disease and symptoms with someone who really gets it, ya know? Like we’re not so alone with everything, there’s someone real who’s out there too. The DT community is out there in the internetoshpere but there’s something amazing about meeting in the flesh. I hope this is the start of Boston-area meet-ups to come!!!!

Lori Caprio Callahan Natasha is sooooo right. Talking so “freely” knowing who you’re talking to GETS IT. It’s empowering. That was a first for me and it was wonderful. I’m so choked up my thyroid feels like it’s pulsing in my throat.

*I’m feeling the love tonight Dear Thyroid*

Natasha Kahn Aw Lori – now that I met you I am so completely going to worry about you!! Your thyroid choking you is a good thing, this time, right!?

Lori Caprio Callahan Natasha, I’d say it was a “good thing” No need to worry about me but I know what you mean; there is a bond there and I’m already worrying about you. But we’re all survivors, that’s why we found this site; we want to live good in spite of this disease and not lay down and let its misery take over.

Are you in tears? Speechless? I am and was.

Let’s do this! Let’s make this happen across the U.S. and abroad. Let’s come together to empower ourselves, and create awareness. I believe in you and in us, as a family. We can turn these meet ups into monthly gatherings that enrich our lives in ways we never dreamed possible, evidenced by Lori and Natasha’s experience.

Email Katie with your city and your email address. I will make sure everyone gets connected and help plan and orchestrate meet ups in any way I can.

Very proud of you, Lori and Natasha—great work.

Love,

Me

PS: Thyrants are live for the week — good ranting, dames! Thyventarific.

UPDATES ARE IN BURGANDY: We’ve added two more cities for MEET UPS. AND, AND, AND, our FIRST MEET UP has been calendared (click the event and you’ll see a pop up with the details) for November 19th in PEMBROKE, MA, hosted by LORI. Care to join?

As a follow up post to this morning’s, Care to Host a Dear Thyroid Tweet-Up? I am proud to say that our community has rallied beautifully and I hope to see more meet up requests for coffee, a nosh, a cocktail or whatever you wish!

The goal is for us to feel supported online, and offline locally.

Once we have all the details, we’ll get it calendared on the official Dear Thyroid Calendar. Additionally, we’ll help you organize and schedule your meet ups.

We are so excited about this. Collectively, we’ve created a wonderful online community to cheer each other on, make each other laugh and catch each other when we fall. Let’s move this story offline, too. I know we can do it. I feel it in my bones, Thyrellas and Thyfellas. Are you feeling me?!

So far, here is the dish I have for you:

• Boston — Two dames
• Central Mass — One dame
• Raleigh — Two dames
• Orcas Islands– One dame
• Chicago- Five dames
• Minneapolis– One dame
• South Florida — One dame
• Washington DC — One dame
• Darien, Il. — One dame
• New Jersey — One dame
• San Jose, CA — One dame
• Asheville, NC — One dame
• Rhode Island — One dame
  
• Alberta Canada  (Three Hills)– One dame
• Marin County, CA — One dame
  
• Gilbert, Arizona (tri-city area Chandler, Gilbert, Tempe. Outside of Phoenix) — One dame
• Los Angeles –  two dames (Co-hosted by Katie Schwartz & Betsy Salkind)
• Indianapolis — One dame
• Milwaukee, Wisconsin
• Tacoma Park, MD
  

Whoever is interested in meeting up, please email me (katie@dearthyroid.com), and provide me with your email address and location. I’ll make sure you get connected with people in your area.

Here’s what we’re asking for because we want everyone to feel included, please take pictures and share your experience with us. We’ll post everything right here on Dear Thyroid. If you happen to be in your Dear Thyroid gear (t-shirt, sweatshirt, or tank top), that would be dandy, too.

Let’s make this happen and keep it going!

Love,

Us