Dear Thyroid^TM

Today’s post was a song (in thyroid version)  called “Crazy“, written by Robyn. If you haven’t read it, please check it out. Robyn shared her experiences of medication, and issues surrounding T4, in verse. Her song was clever, honest and very true.

It seems that in order to achieve wellness, in so many ways, we use ourselves as guinea pigs, to some degree or another, under a doctor’s supervision, of course, in the hopes that we reclaim some small piece of ourselves.

Today’s Comment of the Day encapsulated, so poignantly, the crux of Robyn’s post with a funny twist.

Thank you, Anonthp for your wonderful comment and thank you to everyone for bringing our community that much closer by sharing more of yourselves with each other.

Anonthp says:

March 12, 2010 at 12:16 pm (Edit)

Robyn,

LOVE the song. I sound just like Patsi when I sing it! hehe! Unfortunately I think we all start out thinking (because our doctor makes it sound so eeassyy) that all we have to do is take that little pill and we will be “cured” and when that doesn’t work, we start to look for something that will…

Thanks for a great way of putting that into thylyrics and also ending our week in some fun.

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.

Twitter:

@Yodat Forgot my purse twice today! Thanks thyroid!

@Yodat I am having a war with my thyroid – so far I think it’s winning = motivation gone!

@EyeceKnits Increasing my dose of vitamin D3 feels exactly the same as upping my dose of levothyroxine. Ice cream headache and all.

@christinah84 Yuck. I guess that sums it up.

Facebook:

Pamela Lau OMG, I feel SO fucking nauseous right now! I think it’s from being hungry too long. My appetite gets weird every now & then & nothing tastes or sounds appetizing. I also feel like I’m on frickin’ Effexor withdrawal. As if the daily symptoms of thyroid disease weren’t bad enough, I feel like I want to die right now!!! I… don’t know if I want to throw up or shit! UGH!!!! WTF!!!

Duana Jorden How is it possible to run for an hour or more every other day and still pack on pounds?????? I am vegetarian and eat only veggies, Mr.

Robyn Davis Hahn I have a thyaise. Thank you thank you thank you Levoxyl for restoring my libido.

Lori Caprio Callahan WTF – I want answers. Sick of being a patient patient. I’m begging more than ranting.

Pretty, pretty please let me sleep a full 8 hours but most of all, let me keep my eyes open, focus and not feel like I’m lost in space, stop making mistakes so I can work. I’m fucking desperate, do you hear me. It has now been 3 weeks, I think, since I have driven out of town. The shit’s hitting the fan and the bottom is falling out from beneath. If my son wasn’t laid off from work, the bottom would already be gone. I’m loading up on protein and veggies. If I didn’t do that, I think I’d sleep 16 hours a day. WTF? What am I doing wrong? What else can I do? I think my brain is turning to dust and blowing out my ears.

Lori Caprio Callahan Oh oh baby, I’m all set now. My husband forced me to eat a piece of pizza tonight (I much rather blame others), now there’s a brick in my gut, a tight band around my head (but it’s a real pretty one), and I feel like I’ve been puffin funny stuff. I’ll have no trouble sleeping tonight. Glad I got one thing solved. I feel so much better!!!

Lori Caprio Callahan Eh too bad ;( so much has improved but why is my mind still so bad? And the sleepiness… It’s not just brain fog, it’s memory too. I can’t joke my way through it any more. Too many mistakes. Are these the issues more T3 is suppose to help? Am I fighting for the right thing with my doctor who knows less than I do?

Always have to try and end with a positive note. Mary Shomon wrote a WODERFUL letter: “When Your Family Member or Friend has Thyroid Disease”. She did an awesome job. I posted it here it’s just a little further down on the page. This letter may have saved my marriage!

I printed it out and had my husband read the part that pertained to me. I think he finally “GETS IT”. It’s a good thing cause I was seriously thinking of hanging up that chapter.

I went one step further and put it in a note and published it on my wall for everyone to see. Wonder if anyone will read it?????? Pretty bad when I have to muster up courage just to do that, ha….:)))

Joanna Isbill Went to a Christmas party last night for my dad’s work. Lasted about an hour before I was ready to hit the dusty trails and climb into bed. And I was the youngest one there. Sweet.

Annie Rz I now bask in” less stress holidays”- after childhood (and beyond) years of family turmoil, it is nice not to feel the need to “do this, do that, cook this, buy that-go here-go there, mediate a fight!” Boy I am tired from just thinking about that!

Susan Valvo Smart ass! Get your butt home! This isn’t funny! We need you here!

Speaking for myself, embracing change is difficult. Oh, who the fuck am I kidding, it’s impossible, especially if change is forced upon me; than I can be a no-joke snatch-stick on wheels. Like when I was diagnosed with Graves’ disease. That’s another story for another day, isn’t it? Being a chronic duality, of course, outside of having GD, I do embrace some (working on it), not all, change. I love new beginnings, deeming them as having the power to invoke unexpected further change.

Let’s take the migration of Dear Thyroid’s old site to the new site as an example. You’ve all shown me how beautifully change can be embraced—YOU’RE DOING IT. I am so proud of you! We have a new site, and yes, it’s different, but it’s exciting and new. And we will find our way,

We’ve just launched Dear Thyroid Meet-ups locally. And so many of you have jumped on board; I thank you from the bottom of my heart for your receptivity to this idea. I believe so hard in the power of online/offline support and community, our community. WE NEED EACH OTHER, evidenced by what we’ve created here. The ability to support each other offline too, well, that’s a dream come true. So much so, it brings tears to my eyes. We have one meet-up scheduled in Pembroke and two more soon to be scheduled in Chicago, Raleigh, Minneapolis and Marin County. I want us to keep this going and continue our Meet-up/Tweet-up Dear Thyroid endeavors. Believe me; I will be hocking youse aplenty!

Keeping with the theme of our community, the sacred space that we’ve created, we are committed to bringing greater change to improve OUR collective quality of support. And, and, and, to give face to this disease and continue giving it a voice — to create awareness and so much more. Keep writing letters and sending them in. Keep sharing your stories—good, bad, happy, sad, whatever it is, whatever you feel, write, write, write your hearts and guts out.

Sigh… now that I’ve hocked everyone to death, shall we move onto this week’s searches? Oh, wait; did you all see November’s Dear Thyroid Flickr Pool? The theme is SYMPTOMS. Please submit your photos and blurbs! We also added more T-shirts and things to the Dear Thyroid Store.

THIS WEEK’S SEARCHES

• Dear Thyroid Alcohol – Not a bad idea. Who’s up for creating DT Hooch? I say we call it, Thyshine.
• 1 Month Detox Torture – That’s the point, sugar. Eventually, you’ll be glad you did it because you’ll feel so great. Try the Liver Detox Challenge. Good pain right there, yo.
• All Food Ruins Your Thyroid – Seriously, Dramarella?! Not all food, just 99.9 ¾% of food.
• Apathy Means Thyroid Issues – Here’s a thought… FUCK YOU. Apathy does not beget a thyroid issue (Katie, what’s with you jumping on the snatch express so quickly? I’m protective of my tribe, yo).
• Can a Bad Thyroid Kill You – Why yes it can, or at the very least, leave you feeling like you have one foot on the peel. It’s fun; wanna join the Jacked Thyroid Club? Membership in the Gland Canyon has its benefits, really it does.
• DearThyroid.orgh – Wait, were you trying to say, Dear Thyroid Orgy? Try Thyrgy.

It’s been an interesting week, wouldn’t you say?

Love,

Me