Tales of an Under-Active Thyroid

Two days ago I went to the doctor for a weird heart palpitation. After doing an EKG, and finding nothing weird, he decided to run a series of blood tests to rule out other causes. I got the results back yesterday, and apparently I have hypothyroidism.

Being me, I jumped on the internet and started doing my research, I found a list of symptoms that made me want to cry with relief. Everything I've been feeling for the past 2-3 years (really more like 5, but I can't totally prove that) all makes sense suddenly: the extreme fatigue, irritability, depression, lack of concentration, weight gain (or in my case, weight gain then difficulty getting it off), feeling constantly cold....it's all there, described by this one little thing. Amazing!

But, as with most good things, there's a catch. The catch for me: I'll be on meds for the rest of my life. It's kind of weird to think that at the age of 27 (which I don't feel is very old at all), that I'm already joining the ranks of those who have to have those pill cases that they carry around with them everywhere. This catch is where, despite feeling relief that there really IS something wrong with me, I start to freak out a little. It's a lifelong commitment now. Now I have to go to the doctor regularly to get blood work done, where before I'd only go in for anything out of the ordinary, like a toe nail infection or an ear ache.

Yes, it's annoying, but I'm still happy to have answers. I'll be sure to keep updated how it all works out. I'm hoping in a couple of months I'll start feeling a little better!

We're Getting Close Folks!

I just checked my calendar and it says 12 days until NaNoWriMo '09 begins! Yipee! I've been working hard on my outline notecards. It stalled for a bit because I had my wisdom teeth yanked out (that's how it felt anyway), and a rather painful recovery--stupid crappy teeth!

I'm all awash in this amazing excited feeling this year. It's almost November, which is time to start writing like a maniac, and we found out when our new house will be finished (before the winter holidays--which was what I had been hoping for). I'm all tingly to get this month started because the sooner NaNoWriMo is over, the sooner I can move into my new house! I'm still nervous that my anticipation of the house will overrule my drive for WriMo....but maybe all the pent up energy I'll have can be put to good use....we'll see :)

My plot this year is pretty intriguing....I'm excited to see where it leads...my MC wakes up in a mental institution with no idea how she got there, and the story is from her POV and her psychiatrist's as they both deal with what life has dealt them. There is a lot that can happen and a lot of twists I can take the plot so I'm really, really hoping for my first win this year.

As with last year, the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure is this coming weekend. A fitting way for me to remember my sister, before I try to forget and just write. I love the race, and we have a huge team this year....almost 20! It's great! I always get all choked up when the starting shot is fired, and I look around at all the people, there for the same reason. All of whom have their own story, or know someone else's. It's moving, really moving.

My NaNo Eve is going to be spent in my kitty costume passing out candy to the neighborhood kids. I'm so pumped that this year we're actually in a real house (our interim place until ours is finished) so we will get trick-or-treaters. I love passing out candy. Then (and this was someone's tradition from on the forums) I will take a shower as it gets closer to midnight...in hopes of waking myself up some. I will watch SNL with the gang, start chugging my Diet Mountain Dew, and pray to stay awake to start my novel at 12:00am Nov. 1. Plus I'd like to take advantage of the return to normal time from Daylight Savings Time...I'm totally not a night owl, but the crew is there for support (even if they did all bail on me last year in favor of sleep!).

Happy planning to all of the NaNo-ers out there!

Allergies Abound

So everyone has had a long week right? The kind of week that just crawls by, making you feel down and desolate. Guh, I hate those kind of weeks. Add on top of that the fact that a strong (and I do mean strong) wind blew through the area last weekend and kicked up all sorts of allergies in my system.

I've been spending my days dealing with a nasty sore throat, runny nose and general fatigue. By night I take a Claritin, and sleep like I haven't slept in months. I wake up feeling like crap and begin the cycle again. Joy.

My goal for this weekend is to do away with these allergies that have taken away my feeling of goodness. I will dip them in cement and then toss them to the bottom of...well, of something. There aren't many places with water around here. Perhaps I'll just flush them down the toilet. But alas, I fear they will come back, the wind is a-blowin' out there as we speak and the little buggers are waiting to invade again. Curse you San Joaquin Valley with your bad air and dustiness!