better living thru chemistry.

[rmd]

so, a few years ago (back before my most recent go-round with cancer), my thyroid started slacking off. apparently, it didn't hear what happened to organs that slack off around here (answer: THEY GET REMOVED!), although i confess maybe the thyroid knew exactly what it was doing since i haven't actually had it removed yet in spite of its laziness.

anyways, around the time it was first diagnosed, i'd been noticing some mental slowness -- i could tell i wasn't as sharp as i had been. at the time i'd wondered if it was just a function of getting older or something. turns out that, no, it was just a side effect of my thyroid slacking off. i started on thyroid enhancement drugs (initially on levoxyl, with it's trademarked thyroid shape. no, really. look at their web site. later a more boringly shaped generic of it). things improved, i got smart again and had more motivation, and life was good.

fast forward to a few months back, when i started noticing bouts of that same sort of "i'm not sharp like i should be. i can tell." it took a while for it to sink in and then a bit longer for me to recognize the familiarity of it. so when i went for the pre-appt blood-draw, i made sure they were going to test my thyroid levels. and made a note in my "list of stuff to talk to my dr about" palm pilot memo to mention that i was having that lazy stupid feeling again. (it's kind of like being depressed except for the part where i wasn't depressed.)

sure enough, while my levels were in the "normal" range, they were way at the very bottom of "normal". so we upped my dosage (from 75ug to 100ug, so not a huge change). that was a week ago, and i've just started noticing the physical effects (the first thing that seems to change is digestion). i figure another week and things should be feeling like they're back in focus, mentally.

it's about fuckin time.

not sure why i needed the adjustment in the meds. i suppose i'll blame menopause, since it's a great excuse for all sorts of things.

note to self: in the event of major apocalypse or major zombie-induced breakdown of civilization, break into the nearest pharmacies and collect a stockpile lots of this stuff.

Comments

[kathrynt.livejournal.com]

No no no, you're OK in the event of the apocalypse at least, because then we'll be killing our own meat, and then you can eat THEIR thyroid glands. The meat's, that is.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

"i'm not a zombie! i'm a living human. i'm not feeding on their bodies. just their thyroids. for medicinal purposes only. honest. no, really."

[bikergeek.livejournal.com]

I'm picturing Zombie Regis moaning and going "thyroid....thyroid...."

I can smell your spicy thyroid.

[madbodger.livejournal.com]

You slay me.

[skreeky]

Dosages need adjusting. It happens. My mum's on similar thyroid regimine since before I can remember - and from time to time she'd either get really excitable or suddenly be napping all the time. If you're really curious about why, you can poke Jon about it. And if he doesn't know, you can poke fun at him about it instead.

[bookly.livejournal.com]

If you've got what I've got, your thyroid is being attacked by your antibodies. I think over time, the attacks damage more and more of the thyroid, and so it produces less and less hormone, and so you need more supplemental hormone. But I could be just pulling all of this out of my ass.

I remember that before I was first diagnosed, I'd been feeling like I couldn't think or concentrate. It was kind of the same feeling as when I've got low blood sugar, so I kept eating sugary stuff to try to boost my mental functioning. Then a doctor who was subbing for my usual GP called and told me about my test results and tried to convince me to start on meds, and I was, like, "Are you SURE about this? Maybe the test is wrong." So he started in with, "Have you been constipated?" "No, not really." "Have you noticed that your skin and hair are dry?" "No, not really." "Have you had brain fog?" "Can I come pick the meds up now?????" :)

PS: Your poor thyroid may not be slacking off, just struggling to function while being attacked from all sides.

PPS: You can buy Eltroxin over the counter in Thailand, as much as you like, but they only sell one dosage.

[rmd.livejournal.com]

interesting. i didn't realize that.

[lara68.livejournal.com]

my doctor likes me to get my thyroid checked every couple of years, but it always turns out that my thyroid is fine and i'm just depressed :p

i'm glad you're feeling better - that lazy stupid feeling sucks, no matter what the reason is!

[liralen.livejournal.com]

Yay for adjustments working!!

[keren-s.livejournal.com]

"i started on thyroid enhancement drugs (initially on levoxyl, with it's trademarked thyroid shape. no, really. look at their web site."

Thats one trippy site: with the cartoonish big headed people and the black psycho scrawl "Stay on Leroxyl!"

Good luck with the readjust! Just a note, at the raffle at the outing today I heard them pull your name as the first person to dunk Brian McGowan, then noted you were not there and didn't call it out. Not sure if that would have been a plus for you or not. ;-)

[rmd.livejournal.com]

heh.

[marith.livejournal.com]

The lazy stupid feeling can be caused by thyroid problems? HMM. Another thing to check for when I get medical insurance.

Working drugs are awesome, aren't they?

[rmd.livejournal.com]

yes! some of the symptoms of low thyroid are lethargy, confusion, dry skin, and constipation (since your metabolism slows down).

i love the description of symptoms on about.com (http://thyroid.about.com/cs/basics_starthere/a/symptoms.htm) because it lists a "brain cloud" which makes me think of "joe vs the volcano"

[hammercock.livejournal.com]

Brain cloud!!! I love that movie.

Sounds like the meds adjustment will really help. You'll be back at the gym with me in no time. ;-)

[gayathri.livejournal.com]

yay that the meds are working

and I second the thought that if the apocalypse comes, I'm hitting the pharmacy FIRST and then the local costco. :)

change doctors

[kjc.livejournal.com]

Low red blood cell count that won't come up despite concerted effort is another symptom of a malfunctioning thyroid.

In fact, I had that symptom.

One thing that's useful is to get copies of your blood tests and go over them with a medical nerd. Your RBC (red blood cell) count is separated out from various other things and you can track them over time along with your thyroid levels.

The sucky part of my hypothyroidism is that I know a couple of people (beside me) who had their thyroids go wonky after taking brain-chemistry-altering prescription drugs. I suspect conspiracy.

I was lucky in that I caught it within a few months because I get my thyroid tested twice a year. I have vitiligo (my melanin just goes away in spots - more data here: http://www.niams.nih.gov/hi/topics/vitiligo/vitiligo.htm ) and thyroid wonkiness is a common side-effect.

But permanent chemical dependency is just too big to really grasp.