Hey, I'm Back!!!

Well, that was a bigger hiatus than I expected!  Right after my last post, I got suddenly really sick.  I was so exhausted, I though I was having a bout of Epstein Barr, which I've had twice before- it lasts for months.  But no, there's more!  I couldn't think straight for more than 15 seconds at a time.  I began to get super paranoid about stupid things.  My depression hit hard during this time. All my regular physical symptoms were magnified and I gained all the weight back.  It was awful.  Finally, we figure out that it's my thyroid malfunctioning. If you ever get it tested, make sure they check your T3 and T4.  They usually only check one.

My theory on hypothyroidism is two-fold.  One, I think people have it a lot longer than the tests show, so we have to wait until the numbers are right before doctors can do anything.  If they give medication without the matching numbers, it can cause a heart attack, so I really can't blame them, but it still stinks.  I was on Synthroid for quite a while, but I didn't feel better enough on it, so I asked if I could switch to Armour Thyroid, which is awesome!  I'm a little disappointed that I didn't automatically feel like a normal person, but I'll take what I can get.  Two, I've read some theories that fibromyalgia may be related to the malfunctioning thyroid, and I wouldn't be the least bit surprised if that turned out to be true.  The symptoms are so similar, it's scary when they're coming from all fronts and becoming completely unmanageable.

It's been a year or so now that I started to feel like I was getting back to my normal level of chronically sick- life is all relative, isn't is?- but my energy has been very inconsistent.  I could walk to work quite often, but I'd been too dead to go to an exercise class the whole semester!  I was so irritated.  Fingers crossed I can have a little more smooth sailing this semester- if I haven't mentioned it before, I'm a professor, so I only think in semesters.

So, I'm back and very motivated by so many new followers suddenly.  I hope I can help when you don't have the energy to think.  After all, that is my purpose for this blog.  I sure wish I had had something like this when I was beginning my foggy journey.

Here's a smoothie recipe that I am drinking right now. Mmmm-mmm-mmm.

Strawberry- Coconut Smoothie
1/2-3/4 cup of cream
1 cup of water
8 strawberries
1 T of chia seeds
1 cup coconut flakes- fresh ones from the health-food store. Grocery stores only have sugared.
I packet of raw stevia- be careful about the kind in the regular grocery stores; they are something tinged with other sweetners (which I am off of, finally, but that's a story for another day).

Blend.  Drink.  Happiness.