You put your right foot in. You take your right foot out...

Can we talk thyroid and general health and well-being?

When I was pregnant with India, they told me that I was at the high end of normal in one of their thyroid blood tests and as such, at an increased risk of miscarriage. (Yikes!) And so might I be open to thyroid meds?

Why yes, yes I would rightnowplease, and could you just hand me some with a glass of water? 

I started seeing a doctor I loved who only treats pregnant women with thyroid issues. It's narrow, what he does, and much as he might like you, no, he doesn't want to keep seeing you once you graduate from being all pregnant and recently postpartum. So.

Postpartum he said I was borderline normal (ha! That'll be my album cover if I ever record one. Which clearly I will not because as you know I would rather be naked onstage than sing in public.). Anyway, with my borderline normalcy I had the option to continue on medication or to stop.

I tried both and felt better with. And then he sent me on my merry way.

On a side bar, I have this GP who is thorough in terms of tests and medication and physicals, but who really doesn't seem to remember me ever. He doesn't even pretend to. He's been Nick's doctor for years and he seems to know Nick. Me? Never.

Also, I'd prefer someone who's a little more cavalier about medication instead of always referring me to a specialist. But personally, I'd love it if doctors just left a bowl at the door with a spoon and you could help yourself, like those butter mints at restaurants.

Anyway.

A year or so ago, my GP upped my medication. I go in every six months, and went in last week. Yesterday he called to stay we needed to bump it up again. He gave me the numbers and the reasoning; I'm on the high end of normal, but very close to the edge. Why not tweak it a little and see?

The truth is, I get very close to the edge in so many ways so many times, but I never know why.So, yes, why not?


I've said before that there are so many little pieces that need to fit together and move just right for me to be sunshiney. And when something's off, I usually know it is...but I don't know what it is.

Sometimes it's just ME.

But I've been exhausted for days.

Even when I've gotten nine hours of actual sleep (which I did the other night!), I'm still tired. When this happens I ask myself if maybe I don't want to get out of bed because of darkness in my head. When it's not that, I look at my alcohol and sugar intake (lately basically zero). When it's not that, I blame lack of sun, because the grey will suck the life out of me.

After the doctor called, I asked a couple friends who I know are low thyroid as well. Because it's relatively new for me.

Is this normal to keep increasing? Yes, yes, apparently it is. And it's a moving target. So you have to be vigilant. Because sleep, weight gain or loss, stress, what you're eating...all of these and more seem to affect it.

In other words, just like always, everything affects everything.