Category Archives: health & fitness

A narrative of my journeys with diet, exercise, and various healthcare professionals

thyroid Leave a comment

Life With Half a Thyroid: One Year

It’s been just over a year since my hemithyroidectomy, and about three months since I started taking levothyroxine to boost my thyroid hormone levels.

I’ve noticed an upswing in my energy levels since starting thyroid meds, but I’ve also noticed that I seem to be retaining more fluids than before. I feel puffy in my face, and even comfy socks always leave an indent on my ankles.

I asked my specialist if water retention is a side effect of levothyroxine; in response, he asked if I wanted to have my thyroid levels checked. That wasn’t really my question, but sure? I mean, more data points are rarely a bad thing.

The results of the blood test showed normal levels of TSH, Free T3, and Free T4. That’s good news overall, but still doesn’t answer the question of water retention.

Perhaps some clean eating is in my future.

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Life With Half A Thyroid: Month Ten

Self-portrait showing my head and shoulders. I'm wearing a boat-neck sweater that shows off my light-pink thyroid scar.

My follow-up visits with the Nurse Practitioner at endocrinology following my thyroid surgery were unremarkable, which is a good thing. She’d look at my lab work, palpate my neck, ask me about symptoms, and declare me good to go until the next follow-up.

My most recent visit was with the actual endocrinologist. My most recent lab work showed a significant spike in my Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH), while my T4 levels remained on the low end of normal. Since I’d already gotten an education in how hormones work when I went through menopause, I suspected that the higher levels of TSH were a sure sign that I’d be put on thyroid medication — if not now, then eventually.

As suspected, he prescribed a low dose of levothyroxine. Now that I’m already on Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) for estrogen, adding another hormone to the regime doesn’t seem as daunting as it once did. In fact, I’m looking forward to seeing if it lessens any of the symptoms that could be attributable to my thyroid.

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spondylolisthesis, weight loss Leave a comment

Chiropractic FTW

Years ago, my chiropractor diagnosed me with spondylolisthesis, plus a bulging disc. I’ve been visiting her once a month for some 13 years now, to keep things healthy and make sure nothing gets too far out of whack.

Last month, I had four visits to the chiropractor’s office in just over a week, thanks to my disc pressing on a nerve and giving me the worst back pain I’ve experienced in a very long time. Since the chiropractor I normally see is semi-retired now and is only available on certain days of the week, I got to see two of the other docs at the practice. They were both just as helpful as my usual doc would have been, and got me back to normal pretty quickly.

Side note: It’s interesting how different people have different styles of chiropractic manipulation. I especially like my chiropractor’s niece, who is now in charge of the day-to-day management of the practice.

At my regularly scheduled visit earlier this week, my usual doc explained that the constant tension that’s cropped up in a new spot on my lower back is due to my right glute being in spasms. I’ve been instructed to massage the ever-loving hell out of it, preferably with a tennis ball. She also advised me that the stronger my glutes are, the healthier my back will be overall.

I suspect that my increased number of back issues lately is due to my weight and my loss of general muscle tone. If I needed a “why” with a sense of urgency in order to focus on my physical health, I think this is a good one. I miss the days when my back didn’t hurt all the time.

gardening, health & fitness Leave a comment

An Inauspicious Start

Last week, I realized that Early Spring had quite suddenly become Mid-Spring, and that I have a good amount of garden cleanup to tackle. I spontaneously decided to cut down some weed trees along the back fence one morning before work.

The itching started a couple days later.

Wait — there’s not any poison ivy back there… right? The poison ivy lives in the front garden by the dying dogwood tree, and over by the office window, but not along the back fence!

Well, I double-checked. Looks like it does now.

I wasn’t expecting it, so I wasn’t watching for it. I had seen the tiny sprigs and thought it was a volunteer raspberry bush, and cut it back along with the weed trees. Since the branches were small ones, I’d picked them up with the piles of twigs and carried them across the yard to toss in the garbage.

The first itchy spot cropped up on the inside of my left forearm, where I’d pushed up the sleeve of my sweatshirt.

Right then, I should have showered and scrubbed all over with Tecnu. But I didn’t.

And it spread.

I am so sensitive to urushiol.

It’s a week later, and I’m still finding new blisters and itchy spots. Anywhere my soiled fingernails touched: neck, waist, and places that don’t ever see sunshine.

At this point, Benadryl antihistamine pills and Clobetasone prescription steroid cream are pretty much all I need. That and patience.