Me & My Hypothyroid Self ~

Sometimes I miss the “former” version of me. The version of me prior to having my thyroid removed. I’m still in fact the same person that I was before I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism, but sometimes I miss the following:

1. AMAZING Zzzzzz’s. I used to sleep like “normal” people. I’d put my head on the pillow, fall asleep within minutes, wake up when the alarm went off (with a snooze from time to time) and begin my day rested. Now, I can sleep almost anywhere, but it’s not really sleeping that I do. I nap. I nap anywhere, whenever. And when my head hits the pillow now, it’s not for a peaceful nights rest, it’s for an additional nap, similar to the one I’ll have this afternoon at home after work, but a little longer, since it’s going to be dark outside. And when I wake, I’ll feel like I need about an additional one or two hours to feel like a star. I miss amazing sleep! However, my relationship with coffee has grown stronger.

2. Metabolism -  I miss my old metabolism. It was  the bomb. It existed. Now I feel like it’s technically non-existent. But, it will suffice.

3. Short-term Memory Loss – I cannot remember what I ate at lunch, and it was mere moments ago, I think. I forget what I’m looking for when I step into my office, open the refrigerator door, who I’m going to text when I pick up my iPhone, and which side of the building I’ve parked my car on when I leave work every day. Once I was totally convinced it had been towed away, before I realized I’d parked on the opposite side that day. My short-term memory is lame, but I still have my long-term memory to be proud of. WOOT WOOT!

4. A Clear Mind…Gone, Thanks to Brain Fog – Brain fog is a terrible thing. I know there are people who experience it who aren’t living with a thyroid condition, but I tell you what, for those of us who developed one later in life, we can tell the difference. Brain fog can be episodic. Sometimes, I’m not as sharp as I could be, I can’t focus, I feel distracted and feel like I’m talking in slow motion. With hypothyroidism, in my body has slowed way down. Brain fog is terribly annoying when it hits.

The list could go on, but these are a few of the things that I’ve experienced issues with, and I’m sure those of you living with this condition have stories of your own. Maybe you fell asleep during a meeting like I did…or spent a year sleeping. The year I spent sleeping is a chapter in my book that I’m working on. I’m so glad I woke up! Now I continue my journey with thyroid balance, as it is commonly referred to, much like work-life balance. I’ll be blogging more about symptoms, and how I’ve overcome some and struggle with others, in addition to a host of other things like the color pink, what’s in my purse and umm, umm, a few other things I’ve forgotten about at this time. Stay tuned!

Xo,
S;)

10 Things You NOW Know About Me – I’d share more, but I gotta save some things for the book!

1. Green is my favorite color and Oprah’s too, in addition to my second grade teacher. I remember thinking, in the second grade, that green was too many places (duh, grass is green and everywhere, except the desert), and I preferred the color purple like my first grade teacher. But, I fell in love with green late in life and so began my love affair (plus it looks good with pink and brown).

2. My sisters are my best friends. They are amazing! Without them I’d be lost. I’m thankful to my parents for giving me two loving ladies in my life who will eternally put up with all my crazy shenanigans and crazy ways because they are my sisters.

3. I’m an Eternal Optimist.

4. I love to travel.

5. I don’t leave the house without my: iPhone, inhaler, lip gloss and key fob.

6. My first job was in a newsroom, and I went on to study journalism and work as a journalist.

7. I didn’t speak a word for the first two years of my life. When I did start talking, I never shut up.

8. I played tennis my senior year of high school.

9. I started college as an undergrad at a state school and graduated from a private school.

10. I get my news online every morning via NPR, the Today Show and Twitter before I get out of bed.

I love books!

I have quite the library at home. I add books to it monthly and take recommendations on the regular. I tend to read two to three books at a time. I just finished reading Priceless, a novel by Nicole Richie. It was an awesome read, entertaining. Read it! She does a nice job of developing her characters and describing various scenes. I easily visualized the series of events that happened in the lead character's life.

I am not giving you a synopsis. Read it and enjoy!

Happy Thyroid Awareness Month

January is Thyroid Awareness Month. I encourage you to go the iamthefaceofthyroiddisease.org website and view some of the videos being shared by those who have thyroid disease. The stories are interesting, inspiring and encouraging.

It was the summer of 2004 when I was diagnosed with a non-toxic multi-nodular goiter. Translation – my thyroid had benign tumors or growths on it. It wasn’t much longer before I had my thyroid gland removed. How I found out about this thyroid issue that I’d developed is a story I will tell in the days to come, but it started out with me having a series of choking spells, sleepless nights and bouts with irritability. I was not me, or shall I say I was not the me I’d come to love and know.

Happy Thyroid Awareness Month, and smiles from me to you. LIve your life; I'm living mine!

This is a picture of me on a Carnival Cruise this past September. I spent the time relaxing, writing and reading Eat, Pray, Love, and hanging with one of my sisters and two of my cousins. It was perfect.

I used to be: A. Musician B. Journalist C. Professor…

Today I feel like sharing a fun fact since I can, it’s my blog and I’m new to blogging and probably new to most of you. I used to be a journalist. I was a news reporter and an obituary reporter.  I have always enjoyed writing which lead to my studies in journalism and my career as a journalist. Journalists are unique people. I have an attachment to them. They give us our news, daily. Most do so tactfully, and then there are those who don’t, of course.

Anywho, the first newspaper I wrote for is the Quad-City Times. I never worked with food as a kid growing up. My first job was at the newspaper. The first time I set foot in the newspaper, I spent the day job shadowing some reporters, wrote my first news brief, an editorial and fell in love with the newsroom. I was in high school and loving life.

I got a job working in production. I did what was called “paste-up”, literally putting the newspaper together, by articles, advertisements, border tape, and wax on grids. I sent my developments to a camera guy who took pictures of them, and so the news pages went. When I came home from my freshman year of college, I wrote for the newspaper, in addition to having been a reporter for my college newspaper. However, I started working with a copy-desk editor and learned how to paginate news pages using QuarkXPress. You see, the production efforts I had been putting forth had been long replaced by desktop publishing. I’m not old, so I wonder if my newspaper was behind in the times or if I just got to experience some really cool changes in history in the realm of desktop publishing.

Let's Share Sources ~

Several years ago I had my thyroid removed due to the findings of benign tumors which lead to my diagnosis of hypothyroidism. Over the years I’ve read books, blogs, tweets and now letters about how others are surviving their thyroid issues and sharing their concerns. I’m working on a collection of essays, which are my personal narratives of what I’ve learned and experienced and what I’m still learning and experiencing living with hypothyroidism.

This past fall I connected with @dearthyroid on Twitter. You have to checkout the organization’s website. I’m still exploring it and enjoying it. The group is amazing; they offer a lot of support and information to those who are living with thyroid conditions. They epitomize sharing. And at Shared Dialogue Communications and Let’s Share Dialogue, we welcome those who want to share. I will continue to share my favorite blogs, authors of thyroid books and so on within my blog. Enjoy and please share with us who your favorite sources are!