Back at It

That title applies to a few things. I am making a concerted effort to blog again (not just here), to write more often so maybe I can actually finish a novel before I die and to get in shape.

I gave up on the trying to get in shape thing a while ago. Nothing worked. Oh, I was still watching what I ate and exercising, but I wasn’t as careful anymore because what was the point? I gained weight whether I ate 1,000 calories and worked out or 3,000 calories with no exercise.

Last February, I rejoined the gym and hired a personal trainer for a few months to get me started. I have gained 10 more pounds in that time (as of June).

I had been to the doctor and assured my thyroid was fine. I had the Mirena out two years ago. It didn’t make any sense and I was fed up.

Well, guess what? My thyroid WASN’T FINE. In 2011, when I had a physical and was in the office for specifically this reason, after a month of calling and begging and finally leaving angry messages, a nurse called back with my blood work results and told me “everything is normal.” At my physical this past August, my TSH level was 9.28. It shouldn’t be higher than 4.5 and endocrinologists actually consider anything above 2 as high.

Long story short, when I went to see the endocrinologist earlier this month, I found out my TSH was above 7 at that 2011 physical. Yes, ladies and gentlemen, a nurse blatantly lied to me about blood work results and a nurse practitioner failed to do any follow-up. So for three years (and really this should have been dealt with FIVE YEARS AGO), I struggled and struggled for no reason at all.

I have had many symptoms that my doctor should have picked up on. My official diagnosis is Hashimoto’s disease, which is a common underlying cause of hypothyroid. Basically, my immune system has decided it needs to kill my thyroid. After some strange blood tests (that aren’t actually as strange as my doctor believes), I had to demand to see an endocrinologist.

I had heavier than normal, longer than normal periods for two years (despite being on the pill). I have sky-high cholesterol. My blood pressure was up my last two visits. Weight gain. And quite a few other things that are classic Hashimoto’s symptoms. But my doctor told me several times my thyroid was fine.

My left elbow, for the longest time, has been dry and kind of scaly. Just a small spot on the tip that no amount of moisturizing would get rid of. I thought it strange and actually forgot to mention it to my doctor. Since starting Synthroid, it has cleared up entirely.

I avoided the hair loss and the exhaustion didn’t really kick in hardcore until this past summer. But when it hits, I can’t move. Walking from my couch to the bathroom or climbing a flight of stairs feels like running a marathon. I have had muscle fatigue in my legs, which is hard to describe, but they just decide they don’t want to work every once in a while.

But it’s all getting better now. I won’t know for a few more weeks whether my dose is high enough, but it’s better than nothing. The muscle fatigue is better. I’ve still been tired, but that’s easing up as well.

So what does all of this mean? It means I should be able to start losing weight. I have gained 36 pounds since this all began and I am not happy. I’m very angry, really. The jeans I bought when I was at my highest weight, which were too big for me a year ago, are almost too tight now.

But the good news is that I have kept good habits through all of this and I’m ready to ramp it up. I have the energy and the drive and I am getting back to it. I don’t know that I’ll continue what I started with this blog as far as logging my eating and everything, but I may just blog about how things are going every once in a while.