Mood:  bright

It sure has been an interesting week.

Tuesday morning as I was walking around my house getting ready for work, I just felt icky, and didn't want to go in. I wasn't sure exactly why, but I didn't feel right. More tired than I usually am, and my stomach was odd, and my left leg hurt in general. SO, I didn't go to work. I actually took the day off to try and feel better.

I sat down at the computer and felt an ‘oddness' - for lack of a better word - like a puffy popping feeling in my shin. I looked down and there was a huge red area on my shin in a circle, right where the corner of my car door hit me in 2003. The skin looked like it had a rash on it and it was hot to the touch and very sore. Matt strapped a bag of frozen vegetables to me and we elevated my leg. I took some Tylenol for the pain and rested. It felt a little better, and the swelling was somewhat reduced on Wednesday morning, so I went to work.

Wednesday morning at work, Kimmie from down the hall stopped by to see if I was feeling better and I showed her my leg. She got very serious and told me I needed to go to the doctor immediately. She knew exactly what it was because she got it on her arm a few years ago. Normally, I don't go to the doctor, I just deal with it and I heal, but Kimmie told me this wasn't just going to heal that it was serious.

I immediately got a doctor's appointment for Wednesday at 1:50pm and went in with Matt in tow. Here is what we found out:

• I had Athelete's foot on the pinky toe, and fourth toe of my left foot which cracked and became infected, which
• Created the Cellulitus that was occurring in my shin - which can be very serious if it spreads in your blood or something - totally not sure, but serious enough to warrant antibiotics for 10 days three times a day!
• To make sure everything was okay, they did a blood test

So, Thursday morning I get a call from my doctor's office and they tell me I have hypothyroidism, which means my thyroid gland doesn't produce enough hormone. My mother and my grandmother both have this.

I Googled it ( https://www.google.com/health/ref/Hypothyroidism ) and this is what it said:

Overview

Hypothyroidism is a condition in which the thyroid gland does not make enough thyroid hormone.

See also:

• Chronic thryoiditis (Hashimoto's disease)
• Subacute thyroiditis
• Silent thyroiditis
• Neonatal hypothyroidism

Symptoms

Early symptoms:

• Being more sensitive to cold
• Constipation
• Depression  - I have to fight this, but I constantly have a down feeling
• Fatigue or feeling slowed down - Increasingly so for the last five or six years
• Heavier menstrual periods - very bad since 2002
• Joint or muscle pain - increasingly so for the last three or four years
• Paleness or dry skin - Increasingly so for the last five or six years
• Thin, brittle hair or fingernails - increasingly so for the last three or four years
• Weakness - increasingly so the last two years
• Weight gain (unintentional) - very bad since 2002

Late symptoms, if left untreated:

• Decreased taste and smell - YEP~!
• Hoarseness
• Puffy face, hands, and feet - YEP!
• Slow speech
• Thickening of the skin
• Thinning of eyebrows

Treatment

The purpose of treatment is to replace the thyroid hormone that is lacking. Levothyroxine is the most commonly used medication. Doctors will prescribe the lowest dose that effectively relieves symptoms and brings the TSH level to a normal range. If you have heart disease or you are older, your doctor may start with a very small dose.

Lifelong therapy is required unless you have a condition called transient viral thyroiditis.

You must continue taking your medication even when your symptoms go away. When starting your medication, your doctor may check your hormone levels every 2 - 3 months. After that, your thyroid hormone levels should be monitored at least every year.

Important things to remember when you are taking thyroid hormone are:

• Do NOT stop taking the medication when you feel better. Continue taking the medication exactly as directed by your doctor.
• If you change brands of thyroid medicine, let your doctor know. Your levels may need to be checked.
• Some dietary changes can change the way your body absorbs the thryoid medicine. Talk with your doctor if you are eating a lot of soy products or a high-fiber diet.
• Thryoid medicine works best on an empty stomach and when taken 1 hour before any other medications. Do NOT take thyroid hormone with calcium, iron, multivitamins, alumin hydroxide antacids, colestipol, or other medicines that bind bile acids, or fiber supplements.

After you start taking replacement therapy, tell your doctor if you have any symptoms of increased thyroid activity (hyperthyroidism) such as:

• Rapid weight loss
• Restlessness or shakiness
• Sweating

Myxedema coma is a medical emergency that occurs when the body's level of thyroid hormones becomes extremely low. It is treated with intravenous thyroid hormone replacement and steroid medications. Some patients may need supportive therapy (oxygen, breathing assistance, fluid replacement) and intensive-care nursing.

Causes

The thyroid gland is located in the front of the neck just below the voice box (larynx). It releases hormones that control metabolism.

The most common cause of hypothyroidism is inflammation of the thyroid gland, which damages the gland's cells. Autoimmune or Hashimoto's thyroiditis, in which the immune system attacks the thyroid gland, is the most common example of this. Some women develop hypothyroidism after pregancy (often referred to as "postpartum throiditis").

Other common causes of hypothyroidism include:

• Congenital (birth) defects
• Radiation treatments to the neck to treat different cancers, which may also damage the thyroid gland
• Radioactive iodine used to treat an overactive thyroid (hyperthyroidism)
• Surgical removal of part or all of the thyroid gland, done to treat other thyroid problems
• Viral thyroiditis, which may case hyperthyroidism and is often followed by temporary or permanent hypothyroidism

Certain drugs can cause hyperthyroidism, including:

• Amiodarone
• Drugs used for hyperthyroidism (overactive thyroid), such as propylthiouracil (PTU) and methimazole
• Lithium
• Radiation to the brain
• Sheehan syndrome, a condition that may occur in a woman who bleeds severely during pregnancy or childbirth and causes destruction of the pituitary gland

Risk factors include:

• Age over 50 years
• Being female

Tests & diagnosis

A physical examination may reveal a smaller-than-normal thyroid gland, although sometimes the gland is normal size or even enlarged (goiter). The examination may also reveal:

• Brittle nails
• Coarse facial features
• Pale or dry skin, which may be cool to the touch
• Swelling of the arms and legs
• Thin and brittle hair

A chest x-ray may show an enlarged heart.

Laboratory tests to determine thyroid function include:

• Serum TSH
• T4 test

Lab tests may also reveal:

• Anemia on a complete blood count (CBC)
• Increased cholesterol levels
• Increased liver enzymes
• Increased prolactin
• Low sodium

Prognosis

In most cases, thyroid levels return to with proper treatment. However, thyroid hormone replacement must be taken for the rest of your life.

Myxedema coma can result in death.

Prevention

There is no prevention for hypothyroidism.

Screening tests in newborns can detect hypothyroidism that is present from birth (congenital hypothyroidism).

Complications

Myxedema coma, the most severe form of hypothyroidism, is rare. It may be caused by an infection, illness, exposure to cold, or certain medications in people with untreated hypothyroidism.

Symptoms and signs of myxedema coma include:

• Below normal temperature
• Decreased breathing
• Low blood pressure
• Low blood sugar
• Unresponsiveness

Other complications are:

• Heart disease
• Increased risk of infection
• Infertility
• Miscarriage

People with untreated hypothyroidism are at increased risk for:

• Giving birth to a baby with birth defects
• Heart disease because of higher levels of LDL ("bad") cholesterol
• Heart failure

People treated with too much thyroid hormone are at risk for angina or heart attack, as well as osteoporosis (thinning of the bones).

When to contact a doctor

Call your health care provider if you have symptoms of hypothyroidism (or myxedema).

If you are being treated for hypothyroidism, call your doctor if:

• You develop chest pain or rapid heartbeat
• You have an infection
• Your symptoms get worse or do not improve with treatment
• You develop new symptoms

Well, I am trying to take control of my blood chemistry even though I know that is a difficult thing to do.

I have an uphill battle before me but I shall not be daunted by this. It is a new life for me or it is no life. I am looking into several different dietary plans that change the way you think about food such as the South Beach Diet and Eat Right 4 Your Type. Something in those two together will work for me.

I have always felt better on a vegetarian diet and I am glad to be going back to one. I am going to be eating a lot of:

Tofu!

Corn, nuts, millet, rice, sunflower seeds and buckwheat

Root vegetables daikon radish, parsnips, turnips, rutabagas, carrots and onions

Fresh fruits (especially blue berries, strawberries, pineapple, cranberries, apricots and raspberries),

Non-root Vegetables - particularly avacados, spinach, broccoli, pumpkin, kale, artichokes, dandelion greens, sprouts, romaine, and garlic

Whole grains - I am going to avoid wheat as much as possible since it makes me puffy - lots of Amaranth and Buckwheat coming my way

Beans - lots of kinds of beans

Fish - to get those Omega-3 fatty acids