Healthy, Wealthy and Wise (1 out of 3 ain't bad)

Okay, I'm probably not wise either. I'll tell you why.

I've always been extremely allergic to dust and mold. In the fall, I was outside while John raked leaves for maybe 45 mintues. I'm allergic to leaf mold, so I wore a mask. 2 days later I was in the doctor's office with a sinus infection. Pretty crazy.

So you'd think when I started making purses out of old books something would've clicked. Old. Books. Allergic to mold and dust. Sinusitis that won't clear up. Those facts finally clicks a couple of weeks ago. Hmmmm, maybe it wasn't such a good idea to rip apart books that were older than I was . . . some older than my dad. One almost as old as my grandmother. They could have, I don't know, DUST in them? Mold spores, maybe? Uh, yeah. I'm an idiot.

To make a long story short, here's the rundown on what's going on.

1. Antibiotics helped a little. I still have a permanent sinus headache that comes in part from grinding my teeth which has made my jaw swollen (ENT says I have "TMJ" - whatever that means). I grind my teeth at night because my sinuses are flared up. I have sinus pressure because I've been sick for so long and not everything drains the right way because I have a deviated septum. It's a vicious cycle, my friends.

My ENT says nothing is really to the point of surgery (sinus OR oral, although he said there's a better chance of them working on my jaw than my sinuses) yet. We're now going to focus on my allergies. I'm having an allergy test (my third one!) in a week and a half. I will probably have to do allergy shots (again) and perscriptions, etc. As annoying as that is, I'm grateful. I think it's great we're doing this now as spring (and pollen!) is approaching. Maybe I'll actually get to enjoy spring this year instead of being inside and miserable. I hope it helps. In the meantime, I got a new, smaller mouthguard for my teeth. I'll admit, I've been using athletic guards at night for years (they're so cheap!) because I thought it was all the same. They aren't. They make my bite way bigger and I think that could cause the "TMJ" (is that even a real thing? LOL.)

2. THE BIG ONE. My ENT tested my blood for my thyroid levels because I had been feeling so fatigued. I kind of rolled my eyes thinking it was pointless. I felt like I had the flu and thought it had nothing to do with my thyroid. Weeks went by and I totally forgot about that test. Last week I got a voicemail from the ENT saying my TSH was low. Wha? (I have to mention the nurse's tone of voice . . . she had this tone of fake concern that I KNEW something was wrong. They should really have classes on how to leave voicemails in nursing school . . . if they don't already.) She said they'd already called in some synthroid for me to take. WHA?! It felt like a total slap in the face. It came from NOWHERE. I wasn't expecting that at all. I was very upset about it that day because I know so many people who struggle with thyroid issues and it is NOT fun (not to mention I'd heard that medication can make you gain tons of weight--NO WAY! Not after all the weight I've lost . . . twice!). I'm just so sick of all these random little health problems getting in the way of my life. I hate missing out on things (like my bro-in-law's wedding yesterday--I'm still bummed about that one) and not being reliable because of these dumb problems.

So far, I've been on the synthroid for only a week. I've heard it can take months to work. I'm trying to be positive. It is nice to finally know there is a reason why I've been exhausted, achy and having chills. I read some other symptoms of an underactive thyroid and it totally fits the bill. It's kind of ironic how I've been praying for answers and when I finally get one, I don't want it! I'm just trying to be patient and hopefully the thyroid medication will kick in soon. It's so hard to feel so tired and not get any relief. It's really hard to stay positive when I just want to crash all the time. But I've talked to lots of my hypothyroid peeps and they all had positive things to say about the medication, etc. Right now it doesn't look too serious so I'll just keep doing the best I can . . . even though right now my best sort of sucks.

By the way, 1 out of 12 woman have an underactive thyroid. If you're feeling "flu-ey" and it doesn't go away, go get your blood tested.

Thus endeth the whining.