Yawn. Damn synthroid *&^%$#.

I'm really having a hard time functioning lately.  Not good with the start of a new school year and a new job.

I went to see Dr. N last week and told her my laundry list of symptoms, with the highlights being total exhaustion to the point of pain and hair falling out. And total brain fog.  I can't trust that those are an accurate indication of being over or under, since in the past I've had the same symptoms for both.  I just know that I haven't felt as good on synthroid as I always did on levoxyl.  Plus, after 15 years on the same drug, any change is bound to mess you up, right?  Damn you synthroid for messing with my stability.

It's funny, because I told Dr. N that while I have accepted that I will probably never feel really 100% good again, I can live with that and deal with some tiredness etc.  However, this was ridiculous.  She eyeballed me and said, "Well, we could try the Armour Natural stuff?  It comes from pigs and I'm not happy to use animal products, but we could try it.  Let's see what your blood levels show..."

I was actually hopeful because I've read some pretty good reviews of the natural hormone replacement. The next day I got my results online (very cool, no fear of missing the phone call!)  with a note that said, "No wonder you feel awful--your TSH is 2!  You need to be at 0.1.  I'm calling in the prescription now."

So I've switched, and I'm very happy that what I was feeling was legit.  Not happy I feel so crappy, but glad it was validated.  However, I'm in this weird limbo place of feeling icky but waiting for the change to feeling good.....everyone who has ever tinkered with thryoid levels knows what I mean.  It could take a few weeks.  Until then, I can sleep 12 hours on the weekends or hit a wall at 3pm and be completely non-functional.  This new job is helping a little--now that I've crossed over to the dark side of ed administration (department head of the language department), I don't have to be 'on' all day and can work more slowly in my little cave of an office.  I'm still teaching one class, but I can turn it on for one period!  Dunkin' Donuts at 7am and Starbucks around 2:30 are keeping me going--I should buy stock in both.

Dr. N also said that all of the patients she switched to Armour have said that they will never go back to a synthetic hormone replacement...I'm waiting for it to really kick in.

I'm tired of feeling tired.  And at this rate, I'll be bald by Christmas.   I just want to be a little closer to fine than I am right now.

I'm still here....

This blog hasn't even been on my radar these past few months....that's probabably a good thing, right?  I started it in 2010 right after my thyca diagnosis and had a ton of posts that year.  Good therapy.  Since then, I'm lucky if I'm posting once or twice a month.

On the thyca front, I had my annual breast squashing the other day to check for breast issues.  I'm praying that I don't have a repeat of last year where I get called back because it looks suspicious.  I know it could happen very easily and I guess I'll be better prepared for it than I was last year--that resulted in mini-paralysis freak out for a couple of days and a near total breakdown after the second ultrasound that gave me the all clear.  Lots of women get called back and it's nothing...

I have had some interesting experiences this summer with food and the whole gluten issue, and I'm completely confused now as to what the hell my body is reacing to every time I ingest something.  Of  course I haven't been formally diagnosed with anything, just a comment from the endo along the lines of, "Well, if you feel better not eating gluten, then don't eat it."

July was awesome.  Just plain amazing.  I kind of satisfied my travel bug by hitting up two continents!  China and Europe.

Three words for China:  hot, sensory overload.

Typical lunch or dinner. I  have no idea what I ate, but I didn't starve!! 

The Forbidden City, Beijing

At the Great Wall!  I climbed what I could even though it was hazy and easily 100 degrees.  

Oh my.  At a rotary in Nanjing.  

So.  damn.  hot.  At the Forbidden City, Beijing. 

At the train station in Beijing, when you realize just what a billion people feels like.

Lotus flowers blooming in Hangzhou

Three words for Ireland:  home, peaceful, heaven.

Beautiful West Cork on the road from Tragumna Beach to Toe Head, near Skibbereen

I loved them both, although Ireland always will be a little bit more than any other place on the face of the earth, even my beloved Salamanca.
But I digress....

China was incredibly hot the whole time we were there.  We spent 5 days in Beijing, 3 days in Nanjing and 4 days in Hangzhou.  We spent our time visiting about 8 schools, playing tourists and attending a national conference at the end.  I ate so many interesting things, and can now eat rice with chopsticks--I can even pick up a peanut!  Lots of the food stared back at me, but I think I gave just about everything a taste.  I can now say that I've climbed the Great Wall, seen the Forbidden City, eaten Peking duck (yum!), been to a green tea plantation, eaten chicken feet, consumed lots of TsingTao beer, eaten  fruit pizza (don't even ask), hung out with Chinese teachers and students, ridden the bullet train from Beijing to Nanjing, peed in squat toilets, shopped in a Chinese WalMart, bought jade, cruised on West Lake, seen lots of high schools and elementary schools, eaten a red bean popsicle (not bad), seen the Bird's Nest stadium and the Water Cube, ridden in a bus going the wrong way down a two lane street, survived crossing the street in all three cities multiple times....
It was just an incredible trip, and I'm so glad I did it.

Ireland was like a second home.  We rented a cottage in Skibbereen,  West Cork and basically didn't do anything for two weeks except sleep, read books, take walks , go to pubs for food and sesiuns, visit with some of the cousins, listen to great music and drink a fair amount of Guinness.  I don't know--I have a visceral reaction to West Cork and love it there.  It just feels good to be there.  We had absolutely gorgeous weather with only a couple of rainy spots.  It was the perfect way to recover from the frenzy of China and the end of the school year--I don't think I've been that relaxed in ages.