Googlechondriac

Need to make a doctor appointment for this week, but I don't know why I haven't yet. Discovered a lump along my right lower jaw. Of course, I have become a googlechondriac. Goggled all the things it could be, and I'm SURE it's one of those things. LOL I wonder when this lump started and how long I've had it. I was sick again for the second time in a month. I got sick right before Christmas and was still feeling a little under the weather when my son and mom visited. I also wasn't hungry for days, though I can't decide why I would eat anyways. Is it habit? I honestly could have gone without food for about four days. I never once got hungry or anything. I probably should have not eaten on those days, too, because it just made me feel worse. I've also been extra tired...way more tired than usual. I haven't been going to bed before 3 AM since my son and mom left. I guess that could be part of the problem. But, even when I was going to bed early, I still have been extremely tired. To make things worse, I also felt what seems like will be a UTI. Hopefully, it will not develop fully. I don't need that on top of everything else. When I see the doctor this week, I will ask for a TSH test. Gotta see where my levels are. I have a feeling they're not where they need to be.

Is My Heart Rate Being Affected by My Thyroid?

Mini-Me was laying up against my chest one day when she said, "Mommy, you're heartbeat is slow."  Then she proceeds to make sounds and use hand gestures to mimic the way her heart and then the way my heart sounds.  After that, she tells Miss La-Di-Da-Di listen to it as well.  She's surprised, too.  I guess the only person that isn't surprised is me.  I often feel like my heart rate is a little sluggish.  These are the times where I also find it difficult to breathe once I get to the top of the stairs in my home.  Sometimes I feel a little lightheaded after exercising, too.  I know it's the strain of the weight that my body carries around, but I also know it's the thyroid.  My thyroid is what got me here; to this unhealthy weight.  I know it's causing a lot of the things that go on with me.  Is it any wonder why those with thyroid disease have more chance of having a heart problem as well?  I think I'm going to research the correlation a bit and see what can be done to make things better.

November Update

I've been off of the generic Cytomel for awhile now and back on brand only. It has made a big difference. This week I'm still feeling a little more tired than usual, but I think it's because it is 'technically' my cycle despite not having one. I've noticed differences in how I feel since switching back, along with the make up of the two pills, and some other issues. I hope to do a post here in the next day or so in regards to these discoveries.

I try to post my experiences, so that others can learn something from it. Perhaps it might help in getting to the cause of some of their symptoms. I hope that what I post helps in some way. I want to get back to blogging about my life with Hashi and other thyroid subjects on a daily basis. Between school, family life, and the exhausted feeling I've had of late, it's been kind of hard to keep up. I will prevail though. :0)

Ten Days In....

I have been on the generic form of Cytomel for almost two weeks now. I still feel rather lethargic, and I've been requiring naps. I'm trying to see if this medication is what is causing this. My husband has also noticed that I have been, what he calls, "A lot bitchier." I do see that about myself. I feel a lot more irritable than usual. It's not good for me, because it causes stress on my mind and body. It's definitely not good for my family as they've been taking the brunt of it. I'm trying to wait this week out to see if my body is going to ever function the way it did with brand. I just have a feeling in a few days, I will be emailing my doctor to put me back on brand to function at least somewhat normal!

Generic Cytomel

When I first heard that the FDA approved the generic version of Cytomel, I was a little apprehensive about it. I researched as much as I could online to make some kind of informed decision on whether I wanted to switch or not all to save $10. Now I know $10 dollars might not seem like a big difference, but with the economy being what it is, I do have to try and watch what I spend. I'm sure that people will say, "But that doesn't mean you should play with your health!"

Anyways, armed with what I learned, I decided to make the switch and have been on the generics for two days. What I have noticed that in the last two days, I have been feeling a little more tired than usual. However, I can't decide if that's from the two days on generics or the fact I had to make my Cytomel last for 2 or 3 days while my prescriptions were being filled (also to the doctor closing out my scrips!). I think that for me to really know if the generics are the problem, I'll have to keep using them for awhile.

I've read that one of the generic drug manufacturers, Mylan, is now under an FDA investigation, for poor quality testing. Apparently, workers have been overriding the machines that were warning against some potential potentcy issues. Of course after reading that, I got a little worried. Then I saw someone comment that they were using generics from Paddock LA and didn't seem to have an issue. Yes, I ran and checked my bottle right away! LOL I, too, have generics from Paddock LA. So, now I'm a little less worried about it. But, I do know that if it doesn't work the same for me, I will not hesitate to ask to be put back on brand Cytomel. I just hope with what Kaiser does now with their drugs, give generics in place of brand to cut down their costs, that one, I can still get the brand, and two, that it won't cost me anymore than before.

Alli-Can it Affect Your Thyroid?

Awhile back, when Alli was getting ready to be released, I had mentioned that I had asked my ob/gyn if it would be safe to take with my thyroid condition. She had told me that it was also known as Orlistat, and was a fat blocker, that I needed to be able to deal with the possibility of oily stools that could come out on it's own. She also said that it would be safe. I never did try it, simply because I wasn't sure about the whole 'oily stool' thing.

Maybe it's a good thing, because the FDA just approved a warning label that is to be put on Alli and Xenical stating that it can decrease levothyroxine absorption and cause increased hypothyroidism. This is not to say that you can't safely take Alli if you are hypothyroid to help lose weight, but to say that those on thyroid medication should be careful. It is advised that Alli be taken four hours apart from thyroid medication, and that thyroid levels should be monitored to make sure that the medications don't need adjusting.

My Personal Thryoid & Weight Loss Discovery

I have slowly been losing weight. Now if you know anything about thyroid disease, that's a feat in itself. But when I mean slowly, I mean roughly about 15 pounds in a year and half. I will be honest, I tried a lot of things, and when I was working, I was constantly on the move for 7 hours (hr for break time). I'm discovering things along the way.

Here's what I'm discovering:

1. Had it not been for my asking to be put on T3 meds, I would probably still be taking 3-4 hour naps just to get through the day.
2. Now that I'm on the T3 meds, I am functioning a lot better and my labs have been good for almost 2 yrs now.
3. I've been finally able to lose some kind of weight. I never could in the first ten years. I either kept from gaining, or when my meds weren't right, I would just gain & gain.
4. There are certain things that I know will trigger swelling if I eat or drink them.
5. I need to find more will power to stay away from those triggers.
6. Soda is probably my biggest downfall despite the fact that I have been slowly tapering off.
7. Extreme heat/sun makes me swell and feel bad.
8. Soda makes me swell BIG time.
9. I have to exercise at least 5x a week for 30 minutes without fail. The minute I cut down to two or three times a week, I start gaining again. It's unfair really.
10. If I forget to take my Cytomel just once during the day, I'm feeling it the next day.

Knowing all these things, I still do them. It's time for me to break out of this habit and start kicking butt.