So today I'm utilizing a little retrospect to remind myself how far I've come. While I use my symptom list on a regular basis, I thought this warrants a little more than a check-list.
Right now things still aren't ideal. I'm a-waitin' for that T3 to arrive in the mail. I've got all kinds of hopes pinned on it. I keep reminding myself that it's going to take a lot of work and, surely, a few bumps in the road.
But despite the fact that I'm not getting ideal amounts of thyroid hormones, I'm feeling much better.
- Sometimes I wake up tired, but I'm not exhausted.
- When I sit in my chair, it's only to take my blood pressure, pulse and temperature.
- I drink coffee in the mornings, but I'm not dependent on it. I can go without it easily.
- My eyes aren't as dry as they used to be.
- I'm ovulating.
- I'm singing again!
- I'm cooking meals again, especially breakfast.
- I can go to the grocery store without being completely out of commission for 24 hours.
- (In other words, my stamina and low energy are getting better!)
- I'm eating a nearly gluten-free diet and working toward more nutritional changes.
- Making decisions doesn't throw me into a tail-spin.
- I'm no longer having those awful flu-like aches.
- I'm no longer having constant aches and pains, especially constant low back ache and hip pain.
- That chronic depression I dealt with for 12 years? GONE.
- My carpal tunnel for which I even had surgery? Much better.
- My dry, crooked, wonky eye lashes are growing in soft and curled again.
Here's a big one: a few weeks ago, my mom and I took my little girls strawberry picking. We had so much fun! My older daughter wandered up and down the rows of plants, singing and picking. My little one out-picked her older sister. The image of her with strawberry juice dripping down her chin will stay with me for a very long time.
The following day, the girls and I made strawberry jam with no refined sugar - just white grape juice and no-sugar pectin. It has just the perfect amount of sweetness.
I could NOT have done all that in January, February or March. The general stress of the whole day - the short walk to the field; bending over, squatting to pick the berries; the poop explosion of my youngest, who is potty training; going to lunch afterwards (Two little ones in a restaurant? Talk about stress!); and, the following day, making the jam - would have been too much.
All in all, I can't believe how differently I feel now than I did a few months ago. And I can't wait to feel even better!
