MORE THYROETRY- HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

It is almost the New Year

Thanks so much for having me here

On your computer each week with my blog

About the thyroid…a snippet, a prologue

To the book I am writing for 2012

Coming soon to your E-book shelf

I hope you will like what you read

From the Wild and Crazy Thyroid Lady

Here is a sneak peek at my book intro - Part 1...Look for Part 2 next week

Intro

It is estimated that 50 million Americans suffer from an autoimmune disease, rheumatoid arthritis, fibromyalgia, Crohn’s, lupus, etc., (aarda.org, 2011). Fifty million is roughly equivalent to the combined populations of California and Texas! Nearly 12 million Americans have a thyroid disease, Hashimoto, Graves, hypercalcemia, cancer, etc., (Harvard, 2011). I have both a thyroid and autoimmune disease. This is my journey from sanity to psychosis and now at comfortably crazy.

We moved into an upper-middle class neighborhood, filled with stay-at-home moms, green lawns, mischievous children and white-collar dads in their loosened ties. I was never really the kind of person to put on airs, but in this neighborhood, I tried to be a little more reserved. Upgrading from an apartment, to a tiny starter home, to our new place became essential. We had to keep moving into bigger dwellings because my son’s toys were taking over, his stuffed animals alone could populate the jungles of Africa. As we continued to expand, our living space wasn’t the only thing getting bigger: my physical and mental problems were as well.

As with most who suffer from thyroid autoimmune diseases, it can take an average of ten years with various ailments before finally achieving the correct diagnosis. This is because these kinds of diseases bring about many mental and physical conditions, finding it difficult to diagnose. It was during this time of figuring out what was wrong with me that I evolved into a Looney Tunes character, but kept everything behind closed doors of course. My neighbors had no idea. It was like “sucking in my gut” so to speak to the outside world, then letting it all hang out to my husband and son, Lucky them!

So there I was in my big-girl house with my big-girl mortgage trying to appear like I just another suburbanite. I spent time flowering, manicuring, hedging, trimming and watering; yard work is truly a full-time job, especially if perfection is the goal. Other pretentious residential activities included, tossing the ball with the neighborhood kiddos (including the brats) at the appropriate time of day: one half-hour before dinner or an hour after dinner. Waving, smiling those pearly whites to folks I most certainly could not pick out of a criminal line-up if my life depended on it.

“Oh, that’s one of my neighbors…really, are you sure officer?”


***

It was a gorgeous day in the neighborhood, opulent sunshine with the perfect amount of wind. I had all the windows open so I could feel the warm breeze coming into my house, an absolute idyllic Spring Cleaning day. I had achieved perfection on the outside of my home, it was time to clean the inside. The front door lay open to let the warm rays in, though the screen door remained closed to keep the bugs out. While diligently dusting the furniture, I heard his little voice say:


....TO BE CONTINUED NEXT WEEK

DON'T FORGET JANUARY IS THYROID DISEASE AWARENESS MONTH, PLEASE FILL OUT THE SURVEY, CLICK ON ONE OF THE THE LINKS IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER OF THIS PAGE!

HAPPY NEW YEAR LOVE YA

FROM THE CRAZY THYROID LADY!

DISEASES OFFER A SPEC-TACULAR VIEW!

This week’s blog is dedicated to my Father who passed away just five short months ago of cancer. I love and miss you Daddy!

My Father, a former military man, had a wife and two daughters. He did not want any of his girls to be sick, hurt or in pain-EVER! Scrapped knees, infections and menstrual maladies all had to be suffered in silence. Not because Dad was mean, he believed announcing an illness was a sign of weakness...well, at least that is what he told us.

In my late thirties, when I was diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease, my Father would scoff at me for complaining about things like fatigue, or joint pain. This was after he would call me to ask, “Hey, how are you doing?”…..but not wanting to hear (or deal with) the truth, he would then say: “You feel GREAT, stop saying you are tired.”

It wasn’t like I was a complainer; he just NEVER wanted to hear me say I was anything other than fantastic.

Last year, when my Dad was sickened with cancer, around Christmas time he said to me, “I realize now what it means to have a chronic illness, baby girl, and I apologize for ever down-playing what you have been going through over the past few years.”

This meant the world to me because it was never attention I was seeking, it was just understanding.

He went onto say, “But you know, we are blessed to have the opportunity to view the world with a different “set of glasses” than the pair we had on before.”
Some would say, “Blessed” doesn’t seem like the word most fitting, but oh… I knew exactly what he meant.

The best way I can describe it…it is like being fitted with a special pair of glasses, not the 3-D variety, where everything is distorted, not bifocals where everything is bigger, not UV where things are blocked out, and definitely not rose-colored. They are just real, authentic glasses, which help you see what is important.

With the new pair, we identify with what “Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff “truly means-it’s not just a catchy book title to us. We feel this mantra deeply within our soul, because, truth is, we can’t sweat it. We don’t have the strength, the energy, or disposition, and on occasion the memory – (Now…what were we fighting about again?)

This truly is a blessing!

My dad’s new pair of glasses meant he could accept both of our diseases because it was reality… Good, bad or ugly.... It is life. Acceptance, understanding, and loving what life has to offer is much easier than distorting, blocking and making things bigger than what they are.

Battling an illness is not easy, however experiencing life with real glasses is… Eyeglasses that help us see what’s most important, during this holiday season and throughout the year and that is-Faith, Friends and Family…the rest is...well, small stuff.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

From The Crazy Thyroid Lady!

DON’T FORGET TO BE COUNTED FILL OUT THE SURVEY…CLICK ON SURVEY MONKEY OR FACEBOOK IN THE UPPER RIGHT CORNER!

THYROID SURVEY given by The Crazy Thyroid Lady ™

Hi guys,

Well, I am sure you will be shocked and amazed to hear my government did not respond to the recent letter I sent (see my blog November 27, 2011 My Letter to the Government). Don’t they understand thyroid sufferers are impatient and have no time for bureaucracy?

Hmmmpt! Well, I’ve decided to conduct my own THYROID SURVEY!

Take that government, medical and scientific community, welcome to the 21st-century in the age of social networking! Bureaucracy shureacracy!

If you want to find us, we are here!

The Crazy Thyroid Lady appreciates any and all comments received with regard to my blog, I love you all! But I think some missed my point. There very well may be a link between thyroid disease and gout. There may also be a connection between thyroid disease and anxiety, thyroid disease and fatigue, thyroid disease and brain fog, also thyroid disease and Kevin Bacon.

Having said this, I still do not believe a trustworthy survey should lump “thyroid disease and gout” in the same question on a questionnaire survey, especially If the attempt is to find out how many of us sufferers are in the world.

It is OK however, to offer this question:

"Do you have thyroid disease or have ever met or seen Kevin Bacon?"

Tee hee...Kidding aside…Would you please click on either links in the upper right corner. If you have a facebook account, you can go on the facebook link or click on the survey monkey link....Remember this is an anonymous survey!!


THE SURVEY WILL BE CLOSED SOON SO HURRY AND BE COUNTED!

Please pass this survey along to other thyroid sufferers as well.

Thanks

Crazy Thyroid Lady

Don't forget to get your copy of my thyroid book Wow Your Mom Really is Crazy

LIFESTYLES OF THE RICH, SICK AND FAMOUS

Many of my thyroid suffering brothers and sisters have shared with the Crazy Thyroid Lady through e-mail, twitter and facebook how much they appreciate this blog because it helps them see that they are not alone.

YOU ARE CERTAINLY NOT ALONE!!

In fact, even the rich and famous are not immune to this wretched illness.

Some of those celebrity sufferers include:

Rod Stewart - Thyroid cancer
Sofia Vergara – Thyroid cancer
Nia Vardalos - Hashimoto’s thyroiditis
Kelly Osbourne - Hyperthyroidism
Catherine Bell – Thyroid Cancer
Kim Catrell - Hashimoto’s disease
Missy Elliott – Graves disease
Kim Alexis - Hashimoto's disease
Joe Piscapo – Thyroid Cancer
Gail Devers – Graves Disease
Jillian Michaels - Hypothyroidism
Mary Louise Parker – Hypothyroidism

And let us not forget, her highness, Oprah…yes that’s right Oprah! It seems money can’t protect someone from contracting thyroid disease…That tiny gland can even betray billionaires! Truth be told, some of Oprah’s rants about her thyroid disorder may have contributed to mainstream misconceptions about the disease. Oprah has made this disease all about “weight”.

Oh God, how I wish weight issues were the only thing associated with thyroid disease. Just dealing with THAT issue alone would be easy.

As I was Googling the aforementioned celebrities for this blog, I noticed many of them, also said they were primarily concerned about their weight.

Hmmm…so this got me to thinking…Perhaps the thyroid-ailing rich and famous (we all know their lifestyles do not equal the common man) have ONLY weight issues when battling thyroid disease??…Maybe they have doctors, nutritionists, herbalists, personal chefs, acupuncturists and leprechauns all working around the clock to control those other pesky symptoms.

And don’t get me started with the rich and famous who have political power. After George Herbert Walker Bush, the 41st president of the United States, and his wife Barbara Bush became ill with an autoimmune thyroid disease while living in the White House a team of Secret Service agents tested their water at the various homes of which the then President resides, immediately following their diagnosis.

Immediately following my diagnosis a team of my family members tested my nerves by constantly asking me, “Hey mom, what’s for dinner?”

Then…BAM…Guess what Oprah? I received one of your AH, HA moments! The common everyday thyroid-diseased person MUST become rich and famous to receive adequate care! I guess one is not immune if they are rich…just thinner, with fewer symptoms…Yea!!

OK, so let’s get started guys...Ummm is there a book called “Become Rich and Famous for Dummies”?

Don't forget to get your copy of my thyroid book Wow Your Mom Really is Crazy

THYROID DISEASE FEELS LIKE...

When asked, “Hey Crazy Thyroid Lady, what does it feel like to have a thyroid disease?” I usually just give a short answer, ya know, a taste of what it’s like, without going into too much detail…

I am appreciative when they ask, although it annoys me when they respond with: “Oh, I do that too” OR “That sounds like me!”

I know, I know it takes everything within your power not to slap the crap out of these folks. However, DON’T DO IT!! It seems like they are belittling your pain, but just blow them off! It is their feeble attempt to show compassion by making light of the situation…besides, it would be awkward if they were to say the alternative: “God that’s awful, your life pretty much sucks!”

Now, if they REALLY do think they “feel your pain” Tell them this -

Thyroid disease feels like…After you get up, take a shower, get dressed, do your hair, fix breakfast…you would then give all the money you have in the world for the chance to go back to bed, because those five tasks took every bit of energy you had.

Others will say – That’s how I feel too…the difference is, we feel this way most, if not all of the time AND chances are, if we did go back to bed we would be back to sleep in a matter of minutes.





Thyroid disease feels like … You walk into the grocery store and can’t remember why you came.

Others will say – That is how I feel too…the difference is, we may not remember the events leading up to how we even made it to the grocery store.



Thyroid disease feels like …You can sit through a company meeting and not comprehend one thing that is going on.

Others will say – That’s how I feel too…the difference is…We tried to pay attention.



Thyroid disease feels like …You drop something on the ground in public and would rather leave it because your body has been aching all day and you REALLY don’t want to bend down and pick it up.

Others will say – That’s how I feel too…the difference is…You are moving too slow to get down and pick up the item off the floor so an 80-year-lady runs over to get it for you instead.



Crazy Thyroid Lady

Don't forget to get your copy of my thyroid book Wow Your Mom Really is Crazy