A little over one year ago, I went to the doctor because I. WAS. SICK!!! I had a nice case of strep going on. As an added bonus, he informs me that I have a goiter on my thyroid. Well, fabulous!! Thyroid "issues" run on my mom's side of the family and wouldn't you know it...that is the one thing I inherited from her. I called her on the way home to thank her for that! :)
While I was sitting on the table and the good doctor was squeezing around on my neck, he asked me several questions about how I had been feeling prior to getting strep. He wanted to know if I had been feeling very fatigued and low energy. Well, now that you mention it... I hadn't been able to pull my cleaning all-nighters while the rest of the family slept, watch a movie or TV show without falling asleep and really didn't have the energy to do even simple things around the house. He also wanted to know if I had been having trouble losing weight. To this I just laughed around my very sore throat and informed him that I hadn't really been trying, but it sure seemed to be packing on. He told me that with medication I should see my energy level go up as well as some pounds fade away. Energy...not so much, weight loss...yeppers! 30ish pounds seemed to fall off pretty quick.
I went back after a few months to have the lovely needle stuck in my arm to test my blood and let him know that I didn't feel much of a change in terms of fatigue and energy. Blood work came back and it still wasn't where it should be so he lowered the dosage of my original prescription ($4 a month) and added another one at a whopping $50 a month. That only lasted a couple of months before I told him that I couldn't do a $50 a month prescription, especially when I still didn't feel "right". He raised my original scrip higher than it was to begin with and added Vitamin D. That went on for another several months with still not much of a change. I hated it!! Most nights I couldn't get wait for the girls to go to bed so I could go to bed. One night, Jeff was going to be home late so I told the girls at 8:00 that it was time for bed. I was exhausted and I just wanted to crawl into bed myself. Kendal, however says, "But it's only 8, we don't have to go to bed until 8:30". I replied with, "I hate that you can tell time, why do have to be 9???" I was laughing as I said it, though, because she got me! No pulling one over on that girl!!
Let me tell you, it was a horrible existence! And yes, I am aware that I could have been dealing with something much worse than a whacked out thyroid. However, I would wake up in the morning and before I was even out of bed, I couldn't wait until it was time to go back to bed. I felt like everything I did was done in slow motion. Not only was I annoyed with my ailment, so was Jeff.
Well, I finally seem to be back to normal...whatever that is! I went last week and had blood drawn again, told him yet again that I am still just blah and that I was sick of it. Blood work came back with my thyroid still low, my iron very, very low according to Nurse Lisa which could also be contributing with my horrible fatigue. Thyroid meds upped some more, continue taking Vitamin D, added iron supplements twice a day and the best part...he prescribed a diet pill. SWEET!!! Apparently that will help with my energy level and the added bonus of maybe losing more weight is icing on the cake for me!
I started on this new regimen of pills yesterday morning and OH. MY. GOODNESS!! what a difference!! It was instantaneous! I have gotten more done around here in the last two days than I have in months. I've been like the Tazmanian Devil, but in a non-destructive way. I got the girls closets and drawers cleaned out, ceiling fans cleaned, dusted, vacuumed, mopped, cleaned bathrooms, mounds of laundry done AND put away. There is still plenty more that I want to accomplish in the next couple of days, like cleaning the nasty baseboards, purging some items that have been sitting around and selling on Craig's List or donating. My brain is working overtime on all that I want to do.
After over a year (probably closer to two) of the total blah's, it is so great to be feeling back to normal, or my definition of it anyway! Jeff is happy too! :)
Until next time...
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
I had a ditz moment!
Saturday, my friend and I and our 5 girls spent the afternoon together. Before we could start the fun, I had to air up my tire. It is something I have done a few times, but usually Jeff does it. When I have done it, I have gone to the Shell station right by our house. I drop my quarters in the machine, it comes on, I air up my tire(s) and I'm on my way. Jeff told me to go to Quik Trip because the air is free and we would be passing it on the way to the mall. No problem!
I go to QT, pull out the little tire pressure reader thingy and check the air. Jeff says it needs to be around 30-35 psi. No problem! I put it on the tire and it spits out the stick and says it's around 25 psi. Kendal is helping me so we get the hose pulled out and I start airing up the tire. I hear a pssssssssssss sound, wait a little while and recheck the pressure. It looks to be about the same, so I put those air hose back on. Psssssssssss some more. Recheck the pressure several time because it doesn't look like it's gone up any and in fact looks like it's a little, teeny tiny bit less. I grouch about how we should have a digital reader because it would be so much easier to read than this thing that spits out a stick. I have Kendal pull the hose back out start airing up some more. Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss some more. This time I left it on quite a bit longer because I had a ways to go and I was tired of checking and re-checking. My tire however does not look like it's getting any bigger. Finally check and the psi reads 20. I'm sure you have figured out what was happening...
I called Jeff and said, "I'm here at QT trying to air up the tire. Don't you put the hose on the tire and it airs up? It doesn't seem to be working." He asks (with a tone that says, surely my wife isn't that dumb), "Did you turn on the machine?" I look at the machine and that is when I see the black button that you are supposed to push for the air to work. I instantly started CRACKING UP because instead of airing up my tires, I had in fact been letting the air out of them. He is at work in the office and tells everyone what I had just done. I hear all the laughter in the back ground. Luckily, I can laugh at myself and am entirely OK with someone else laughing at my stupidity. I will also laugh at yours! :)
I pushed the black button and the machine started roaring. That really should have been my tip-off that something wasn't right...the machine didn't sound like it was trying to take off before. My tire aired up very quickly and we were on our way!
I hope you got a good laugh at my expense. I can take it!!! :)
Until next time...
I go to QT, pull out the little tire pressure reader thingy and check the air. Jeff says it needs to be around 30-35 psi. No problem! I put it on the tire and it spits out the stick and says it's around 25 psi. Kendal is helping me so we get the hose pulled out and I start airing up the tire. I hear a pssssssssssss sound, wait a little while and recheck the pressure. It looks to be about the same, so I put those air hose back on. Psssssssssss some more. Recheck the pressure several time because it doesn't look like it's gone up any and in fact looks like it's a little, teeny tiny bit less. I grouch about how we should have a digital reader because it would be so much easier to read than this thing that spits out a stick. I have Kendal pull the hose back out start airing up some more. Pssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss some more. This time I left it on quite a bit longer because I had a ways to go and I was tired of checking and re-checking. My tire however does not look like it's getting any bigger. Finally check and the psi reads 20. I'm sure you have figured out what was happening...
I called Jeff and said, "I'm here at QT trying to air up the tire. Don't you put the hose on the tire and it airs up? It doesn't seem to be working." He asks (with a tone that says, surely my wife isn't that dumb), "Did you turn on the machine?" I look at the machine and that is when I see the black button that you are supposed to push for the air to work. I instantly started CRACKING UP because instead of airing up my tires, I had in fact been letting the air out of them. He is at work in the office and tells everyone what I had just done. I hear all the laughter in the back ground. Luckily, I can laugh at myself and am entirely OK with someone else laughing at my stupidity. I will also laugh at yours! :)
I pushed the black button and the machine started roaring. That really should have been my tip-off that something wasn't right...the machine didn't sound like it was trying to take off before. My tire aired up very quickly and we were on our way!
I hope you got a good laugh at my expense. I can take it!!! :)
Until next time...
Saturday, March 5, 2011
How much is too much?!
It seems hard to believe that at one time, not all that long ago, cell phones, smart phones, iPhones, iPads, Kindles, DVD player, Blu Ray player, laptops, e-mail, social networking sites, a home computer in every home (in some cases more than one...or two), satellite dishes, FIOS, etc. didn't exist. Nowadays, it's all about which company can come out with the newest and next best thing. You barely have the newest thing figured out when the next newest thing hits store shelves. 3G, 4G, 5G....just how high are these G's gonna go and quickly are we going to get there?!?!
When I was growing up, we didn't have a TV in our house. **GASP!!** I was probably around 12 when we got our first TV and it was a used one from a guy my dad worked with. We were so excited to have a TV. Just because we got a TV didn't mean that we got cable! Nope, no cable!! We watched whatever came in with rabbit ears and watched lots of movies with the......wait for it......VCR!!! Those are almost non-existent! When I was almost 15, we moved from CA to MI and I think it was there that we finally had cable. A very basic cable. Could you even imagine proposing that to a kid these days. Or not having their cell phone. They would act like you were asking them to cut off an arm!
Cell phones are great a thing! I feel better driving, even if it's just around town, knowing that if I broke down or something happened that I can call for help. At some point in time, our girls will have a phone of their own for safety reasons. Several years from now. Although, if you ask Kendal, she is getting one in June for her 10th birthday. The child is crazy! :) It doesn't matter how many times I explain to her that she has no need for one, she still asks for one. Even when we lived in walking distance of their school, we wouldn't let them walk by themselves and now their school is too far to walk. They are always with me or some other adult. No need for a phone.
Jeff and I have been married a little over 16 years. We didn't have cell phones or a computer at first. He carried a beeper for work. Do those still exist?? Eventually we did get a cell phone. One of those that looked and felt like you were carrying a brick AND we shared it. Can you imagine?!?! How far we have come!!
I am in no way knocking technology! I think it is wonderful! I have been able to re-connect with so many people through facebook, although I am not as hardcore about being on there as some, I do like getting on there to see what's going on in other people's lives. Sending a text is sometimes much better and quicker than making a phone call. ***BUT TO ALL YOU MORONS THAT TEXT WHILE YOU DRIVE....STOP IT!!!*** How many more people need to die from texting while driving before you grasp that it's not safe??!! Does it need to be one of your loved ones???? Hope not!!!!
So what has prompted my rant on technology you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you! Last night we went to dinner at our favorite family owned Italian restaurant. It doesn't sit in amongst restaurant row so for a Friday night when we walked in there weren't all that many people in there. Only one other family in the area we were in, but eventually a party of five came in (1 man, 2 women, 2 teenage-ish boys) and a mom and dad with their little girl. While we were waiting for our food I was "people watching". The two boys sat in a booth by themselves and the 3 adults sat in one together. As I was people watching I noticed that the two boys and the man were messing around on their phones and then before you knew it so were the two women. During the time we were there, at least two or three of them were messing around on their phone. Not at any point did all of them have their phones laying on the table. Same thing with the mom and dad with their little girl who couldn't have been more than 3 or 4.
I am not trying to step on anybody's toes, but really????!!! Are you or anything that important that you can't even sit through a family meal without your phone?? What does that say to that little girl. Those parents were missing out on precious time with that little one and will wonder one day why she doesn't want to talk to them.
It is hard enough for us to have family dinner time together because of Jeff's work schedule, but it's not going to become even less important because what's going on elsewhere is more important. Turn off your phones or at the very least put them on vibrate when you're sitting down to dinner with your family. They are what is important! They are what matter most! Make your kids put theirs away! TALK during dinner! Anything else can wait till later! How long does a meal last anyway??!
Until next time...
When I was growing up, we didn't have a TV in our house. **GASP!!** I was probably around 12 when we got our first TV and it was a used one from a guy my dad worked with. We were so excited to have a TV. Just because we got a TV didn't mean that we got cable! Nope, no cable!! We watched whatever came in with rabbit ears and watched lots of movies with the......wait for it......VCR!!! Those are almost non-existent! When I was almost 15, we moved from CA to MI and I think it was there that we finally had cable. A very basic cable. Could you even imagine proposing that to a kid these days. Or not having their cell phone. They would act like you were asking them to cut off an arm!
Cell phones are great a thing! I feel better driving, even if it's just around town, knowing that if I broke down or something happened that I can call for help. At some point in time, our girls will have a phone of their own for safety reasons. Several years from now. Although, if you ask Kendal, she is getting one in June for her 10th birthday. The child is crazy! :) It doesn't matter how many times I explain to her that she has no need for one, she still asks for one. Even when we lived in walking distance of their school, we wouldn't let them walk by themselves and now their school is too far to walk. They are always with me or some other adult. No need for a phone.
Jeff and I have been married a little over 16 years. We didn't have cell phones or a computer at first. He carried a beeper for work. Do those still exist?? Eventually we did get a cell phone. One of those that looked and felt like you were carrying a brick AND we shared it. Can you imagine?!?! How far we have come!!
I am in no way knocking technology! I think it is wonderful! I have been able to re-connect with so many people through facebook, although I am not as hardcore about being on there as some, I do like getting on there to see what's going on in other people's lives. Sending a text is sometimes much better and quicker than making a phone call. ***BUT TO ALL YOU MORONS THAT TEXT WHILE YOU DRIVE....STOP IT!!!*** How many more people need to die from texting while driving before you grasp that it's not safe??!! Does it need to be one of your loved ones???? Hope not!!!!
So what has prompted my rant on technology you might be wondering. Well, I will tell you! Last night we went to dinner at our favorite family owned Italian restaurant. It doesn't sit in amongst restaurant row so for a Friday night when we walked in there weren't all that many people in there. Only one other family in the area we were in, but eventually a party of five came in (1 man, 2 women, 2 teenage-ish boys) and a mom and dad with their little girl. While we were waiting for our food I was "people watching". The two boys sat in a booth by themselves and the 3 adults sat in one together. As I was people watching I noticed that the two boys and the man were messing around on their phones and then before you knew it so were the two women. During the time we were there, at least two or three of them were messing around on their phone. Not at any point did all of them have their phones laying on the table. Same thing with the mom and dad with their little girl who couldn't have been more than 3 or 4.
I am not trying to step on anybody's toes, but really????!!! Are you or anything that important that you can't even sit through a family meal without your phone?? What does that say to that little girl. Those parents were missing out on precious time with that little one and will wonder one day why she doesn't want to talk to them.
It is hard enough for us to have family dinner time together because of Jeff's work schedule, but it's not going to become even less important because what's going on elsewhere is more important. Turn off your phones or at the very least put them on vibrate when you're sitting down to dinner with your family. They are what is important! They are what matter most! Make your kids put theirs away! TALK during dinner! Anything else can wait till later! How long does a meal last anyway??!
Until next time...
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