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| Happy 2014 to my back yard, I even have twigs in my hair |
It is hard to believe that it is already February 15, but it is.
It is hard to believe that the last time I posted was in October, but it is.
2013 seemed to just fly by with a lot of ups and downs, and I was so looking forward to 2014, As I look back on last year I realized that it was a year of pushing myself to do anything. Everything that seemed so easy to do in 2012 became extremely hard to do in 2013. While I thoroughly enjoy the things I am involved in, it was a struggle to make myself do them. I kept trying to blame it all on my migraines, I did have some doozies. I started to experience some really strange leg pain, not associated with my sciatica. It would come on at odd times, and end at add times. I kept gaining weight, only my eating habits never changed. I blamed this on my broken foot. I could go on and on with symptoms, that made me feel as if I was literally falling apart.
I saw my neurologist in December and he started me on Gabapentin for my migraines since out insurance changed when Marty went back to LifeLine full time, and the Lyrica I was on was close to $500.00 a month. The new med did seem to help; I only had 7 migraines in December. I was happy to have found something so cheap that worked. So I was ready for the New year with joy and peace.
I saw my PCP on January 3 and everything looked good.Our cruise was fabulous! Sarah went with and it was all our Christmas gift and my Birthday gift wrapped into one. We just thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.
That first week back I felt like I had come down with the flu, body aches, low grade fever, intestinal symptoms as well. But I forced myself to do the things on my to do list, and got through the week okay, Friday morning I received a call from my neurologist's assistant telling me that they had gotten a copy of my labs that were drawn after the cruise, and she told me that Dr. MacKenzie wanted me to call my PCP right away because my thyroid was 'off'. SO I called Dr. Shirley's office right away, then called Marty and we both started looking up what 'your thyroid is off' meant.
To our amazement, I had every single symptom of hypothyroidism. The thyroid controls just about every bodily function you can imagine, hence my weight gain, my panic attacks for no reason, my mood swings, my lethargy, the weird pain in my leg and even....migraines. Chantel, my PCP's assistant called me at 6 p.m. becasue she didn't want me worrying over the week-end. My TSH level was 6.4, normal range is .36-3.74. So, yes, hypothyroidism is the diagnosis. Another pill to add to my shoebox, Levothyroxine. I was supposed to take it easy until the dosage gets right, which can take from 6 to 8 weeks or more. Have I?
I feel like I have been cooped up in this house since our return from the cruise. Just shopping wears me out, and on the medicine everything wears me out. This morning, while Marty slept (he has a cold, and I have a chest cold), I got up and took the dogs out, and as I was picking up their lovely poop piles, I noticed leaves that needed to be picked up from the dog park. So, I got the rake out and started raking the rocks to get the leaves. I kept seeing more and more that needed raked, so I moved into my garden area and began to rake and then I was sitting down pulling out the vinca from around my iris that are just coming up. I got the trimmer out and was cutting back all the vinca that had grown over the little rock wall, when I looked up and Marty was sitting on the stairs watching me. He asked me what in the world was I doing?
I told him that I was getting my 15 minutes of vitamin D from the sun, although I had been out there for over an hour. He joined in and we got the whole back yard cleaned up, ready for Spring. It felt so good to be doing something in the sunshine!
I could hear both of my Moms (I have two here now) telling me that I need to slow down, and I answered back that I have. Yet, the list that keeps going through my head tells me that I have not slowed down.
- Beginning in December I worked on two scrapbooks for our Fall Fun Fest Co-Chairs. I had them all ready for the Outreach meeting on the 13th of January, the Monday after our return from the cruise.
- We hosted a party for Gwin in December so she could have as much time with her closest friends to celebrate her 16th year of sobriety.
- I went to all three church services at Trinity Lutheran on the 12th of January because they are opening their doors for an Interfaith meal on the last Saturday of the month, and us girls from Emmanuel wanted to show our support for them.
- We made the decision to continue to attend church at Emmanuel despite our disagreements with the Pastor and Council. Marty has resigned from being Co-chair of the Building Ministry, and I have pulled back, I will only do my book study and the SOS group.
- I prepared 2 more scrapbooks for our Interfaith Meal co-chairs. They were from 2012 and 2013 Christmas meals that were served.
My scrapbook station. I need a craft room!!!! - I am through with 2 of Ebony's scrapbooks. They were really hard to make myself do, I still miss her even though we have Bella and Esme. I have one book left to finish.
- I made a scrapbook from 2013 Sisters of the Spirit events.
Two scrapbooks for Ebony, One for SOS, and 2013 papers to file - My book study is meeting on Wednesdays now, so I plan for that each week. We are reading a really awesome book:
- I got everything together for our February SOS (Sisters of the Spirit) event, and made it extra special for 'My Girls'. I made it through although my Mom Carol told me to go home and rest because I looked worn out, you just can't get anything by her.
- I made the cake for February's Interfaith meal on the 14th.Marty delivered it early Friday morning because I was still running a low grade fever.
- I am going every other Friday morning to my Cursillo grouping.
- Gwin is taking more and more of our time as she continues to decline.
- Cleaned up the back yard today.
The grapevine gazebo area
Wrote this blog, and I am done, until tomorrow when it starts all over...
the sycamore tree
Guess I really do need to slow down. My good friend who struggles so much with her thyroid keeps telling me I have to slow down for my own best interest.
the Wisteria in February It is what it is and I will be given whatever I need from Creator to make it through.
I will slow down.
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