so... it's been awhile again... actually this time it's not really been my fault. well, of course it's been my fault, but not really my fault. See... after Smush was born I had some issues with my thyroid and ended up being hypothyroid, which basically means that my body wasn't making enough thyroid hormone and the result is a totally non-functioning, sluggish, unable to concentrate person. Luckily I have an AWESOME endocrinologist who not only got me back on my feet, but also managed my thyroid throughout my pregnancy with Squiggly which is quite important. Now that Squiggly is 2, well, actually since we weren't getting pregnant right away we (my Dr. and I) decided to try to wean me off of the synthroid to see if we could "jump-start" my body into manufacturing enough to enable me to go off the medication.
We started by slowly cutting my dosage until I was on the lowest that she would initially prescribe an individual who presented w/ my symptoms and bloodwork at her office. Because I am not pregnant I don't need constant monitoring so we have been seeing each other every 6 months and having bloodwork drawn every 3 months. After the last blood draw (between visits) we decided to try dropping the synthroid altogether. If I had been a bit smarter I might have actually had intermediate bloodwork drawn as the effects of dropping off the meds can be felt/seen more quickly than the rebound of good health going back on them... About 8 weeks after I stopped taking my synthroid I knew I was feeling tired, was having trouble concentrating and thought that I wasn't in such a good place. But, I figured, oh, I have an appointment in 4 weeks. I can manage. Well, I should have thought that through a little better and realized that not only would I feel worse in 4 more weeks, but that it would take that much longer for the drug to work when/if I went back on. I waited, though, because, well, I had the appointment. She is a busy Dr. I felt I could manage.
Of course, hindsight is 20/20. When I arrived for my appointment I was a little nervous, after all I didn't have my blood test results. There was no concrete way for me to know that my weight gain, sluggishness, exhaustion, etc. was truly being caused by a lack of thyroid hormone... but such a sense of relief when the Dr. walked in and said, basically, well, that was a failed experiment. Not that I relish being on a drug that I will most likely be on for the rest of my life, but knowing that all these symptoms weren't going to be permanent was such a relief. Sadly it has taken probably 4 weeks now to feel close to normal, but, here I am, and I will not sit idly by waiting for my appointment ever again.
Keep your eyes posted for more posts. Now that I can stay up after the kids are in bed, well, you never know what you might find here!
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