Friday, May 18, 2007

Who knew?

The Climber was overheard having a quick over-the-fence chat with Next-door-boy this morning.

Climber: "Who's that man on your roof?"
NDB: "The plumber"
Climber: "So does he just eat plums all day?"
NDB : "Yeah. Yeah, I think so."

Did you hear that, Bronnie? Now you know what your partner really does for a living.

**********

You know that thing where you live with someone and your personal thermostats are very different? So for example in bed one of you requires the doona, pyjamas and possibly probably the electric blanket while the other one thinks a sheet is plenty. Or one of you likes the heater on in winter and the other one comes in the room and makes this weird blowing noise designed to show displeasure at the oven-like state of the loungeroom.

Or is that just Fixit and me?

Anyway, during the past few years, Fixit has started to refer to me as a snake. (NOT because of my scales. He likes them. Because of my inability to self-warm.) And neither of us questioned the anomaly of someone as fit as I am having such a hopeless metabolism.

But I found out yesterday I am not in fact a reptile. I have hypothyroidism which as soon as I started telling everyone in sight, including all my poor tap students last night, I discovered is actually pretty common, especially in women - including my mum. And maybe this explains why my hair looks so crappy (I thought that was neglect), why I always feel tired (I thought that was just how all parents felt) and this bloody unfair 5 kilos that won't go away. Not that I'm complaining about my weight I hasten to add! But I do 3 x 2 hours and 2 x 1 hour blocks of exercise minimum every week, and eat a balanced diet, so it just seemed a bit unfair to have this extra 5 kilos clinging on for dear life. Like, what more did I have to do, starve myself?

My Thyroid
Basically I see it like this. My thyroid ought to be like this busy little chimpanzee, absorbing iodine into my system and pumping out hormones to regulate my metabolism. But instead of a quick, clever, nimble monkey, I got a fat, sludgy, lazy hippopotamus and it's just wallowing at the base of my neck telling my poor pituitary gland, which was desperately pinging "get on with your job" messages at it, to Sod Off and Leave it Alone.

So as well as the daily aspirin for my weird blood disorder thing, I will also need to have a daily thyroid drug for the rest of my life, and I tells ya, taking 2 pills every night before I've even reached 40 is a bit depressing. Imagine the motherload I'm going to have to swallow when I'm nearly 80.

The good news is that unlike Fixit my cholesterol is okay. Which given the fact that he has no family history of high cholesterol whereas I do, might at first seem a little unfair. But if you'd ever seen the way Fixit eats cheese and chocolate you would know it was not.

Not my Thyroid

20 comments:

  1. Those thyroids are crazy animals. I hope having some answers will lead you quickly down the path toward comfort.

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  2. The weight will come off once the drugs kick in.

    Hypo is really easy to treat, and you are going to feel MUCH BETTER very soon.

    I, of course, am hyPER.

    Bastard.

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  3. I also have to sleep with flannies doona and would dream of an electric blanket whilst Mr. D is as warm as toast with the sheet. Im always cold and cannot budge my last bits of hippo ( chocolate addiction has something to do with it) How did you find out?? Plum jam at the neighbours then????

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  4. that sucks, but on the upside you can get one of those cute pill holder thingies from the chemist

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  5. Isn't it nice when there's a relatively simple medical explanation! I had them test my thyroid a while back, convinced it was sluggish. Alas, my thyroid is normal -- so exhausted is just a personality trait for me. Hope the pills kick in soon and you'll be feeling great.

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  6. I married a hypo my own bad self.

    -J.

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  7. I've been taking that little pill for years. Can never remember if it's hypo or hyper, but the little yellow pill seems to do the trick. When I came home from the doctor with the news, and told him in a hushed whisper "I have Hashimoto's disease," my husband bowed from the waist and intoned "Ah so-oo!"

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  8. I'm sure I've had a test for this, on a number of occasions in fact but it keeps coming back OK which really sucks 'cause when I look at those symptoms I have about 80% of them!

    I hope that now they have located this issue for you that the medicine helps you feel better :-)

    I'm still trying to locate the reason why my 5 kilos (or probably 10 now!) won't budge. I think it may have a teeny weeny bit to do with my Friday night takeaways and cherry ripe fun size I'm addicted to ;-)

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  9. So sorry to read of your problems.
    Laughed at the telling of it though.
    Now third time lucky to post my comment.
    Hope the drugs help.

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  10. Well, it must be nice to have a actual medical reason for those symptoms. Good luck with those last five kilos and feeling rested :)

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  11. Well I hope you are feeling better and warmer soon.

    Reading your post I was about to convince myself I have the same - it was the 5 kilos that wont budge.....but then I read your excercise plan....which is a lot different to mine....currently zilch. I think that is the issue.

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  12. lol @ the plumber thing!

    boo to your sluggish thyroid. I hope now that you now about it and can treat it, those 5 kilos and any other symptoms disappear in a flash :)

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  13. Have been on the magic eltroxin for the last 2 months ... no more cold feet, hair does not resemble wire brush anymore, and no longer have the urge to mimic a corpse every afternoon .... happy days!

    Simple solution to what could be a rather nasty problem if left untreated.

    As for the 5 kg, thyroid problems affect metabolism so that also should be sorted ...

    Slim, warm snake coming up ....

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  14. I am amphibian, not reptile - they get cold, but are far more attractive.

    I hope that your hippo gets moving in the mornings now that it is medicated.

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  15. Ah, the ol' thyroid routine. My dr. recently said, "Let's take a test to see if your thyroid is off-balance." I said, "But, if you do that, you'll discover that it's just fine. Then, I won't have it as an excuse for this extra 40 pounds!"
    Thanks for the fun post!

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  16. Lazy bloody thyroid is sleeping on the job!

    I'd be mighty cranky if I worked out as hard as you and wasn't whippet thin. Imagine if you didn't work out that much?

    I'd say I need to check my thyroid activity, but really, I'd be lying. I'm just like your thyroid. Lazy.

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  17. PS. I'm sure the pills will kick in and your hair will be fabulous and you'll be full of energy and your five kilos will drop off.

    Because I'd be tapdancing on the doctor's head if it doesn't work!

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  18. Ah ... plummy plumbers :)

    I kind of wish I could blame my extra 5 kilos on a lazy thyroid. No chance of that... I eat too much and don't exercise enough :)

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Don't let the cat get your tongue.