The Long Awaited Update

Yes, it has been a while and a lot has happened since my last post. I'm warning you now - this is going to be long.

November: Ever since I got back from Tech I was really 'down in the dumps'. I don't know what it was, but nothing excited me nor interested me. I was just blah. Then I began to notice that my work clothes were getting tight. That seemed really strange to me since I've been the same size for about 7 years. So what would be my natural response??? GO TO THE GYM. And that's what I did. Spent Thanksgiving with my family this year (Jason and I alternate families to be fair). All was alright...or so I thought.


December: All the working out I was doing - about 5 weeks worth at this point and no change. Not even ONE POUND. Plus I started skipping periods *again* and I started to worry. I called my gynnie and scheduled an appointment for an exam and to voice my concerns about the irregular cycles, weight gain and the blah-ness I've been feeling. When I told my gynnie everything he sent me to have my blood drawn for a 'hormone check'. Then he prescribed Provera and Clomid (50mg) and told me to see him in 5 weeks. I was kind of in shock and didn't even think about what the meds were for or what they treated, etc. Christmas was really nice although I did want some snow. It was brown and gross and, well, blah.

January:At the beginning of the year I checked in with my gynnie and the first thing I noticed was his attitude. When he walked into the exam room, I tried to be jovial by asking, "What's up doc?" and his response was, "Well, not your hormone level" and he hands me a piece of paper (my blood work results). Doesn't explain the numbers to me at all. That pissed me off so I said to him, "I'm an engineer not a doctor so please explain these numbers to me". He proceeds to tell me that I have hypothyroidism and my hormone levels are at a premenopausal woman - i.e. zero ovulation. GREAT. He started his shpeel about how the thyroid controls hormone levels which control metabolism, mood, energy, etc. My underactive thyroid is to blame (for the most part) for my bitchiness, weight gain and wacked out periods. Prescribes more Provera and Clomid (150mg) then adds Synthroid 100mcg and Glucophage. By this time he makes some really rude and unnecessary comments to me, which I don't feel like repeating. The Glucophage freaked me out because my diabetic grandmother took that for insulin control. I asked him if I was diabetic and he said no, but he wanted to make sure I didn't become it. Through all of this, I had a really nice birthday.

January 30, 2007:I've educated myself on Provera, Clomid, Synthroid and Glucophage. Because of my condition, I've accepted the fact that I'll take Synthroid until the day I die. Glucophage was a 90-day script and done. I will not be taking Provera again. Now for the Clomid. Depending upon the source, I get similar and differing information. The risks are mild but, if the pill is taken for a prolonged period of time, it can lead to an increased risk of ovarian cancer. The more I read, then more things become clear. I just get this awful feeling that my gynnie is taking the wrong treatment path. He sees money in pregnacies, deliveries and babies. He is prescribing Clomid so that I will become pregnant. Don't get me wrong, I want to have babies. However, I want to take things one at a time. I feel strongly about properly treating the hypothyroidism and once that is in check, ovulation and pregnancy will soon follow. I don't want to put the buggy before the horse. In a lot of the literature I've read about hypothyroidism, if left untreated or not treated properly, it can lead to miscarriages, very difficult pregnacies and mental retardation in babies. That's scary. Because of how serious hypothyroidism affects babies, every newborn is tested. What's even scarier is that hypothyroidism is genetic and favors women. I found out that my grandma (not the diabetic one because she's passed away) has hypothyroidism. I would put money on it that if my mom had lived long enough, she would have started seeing symptoms of the disease, too. Now that I'm informed, and if I ever have a daughter, I will be able to pass that information on.

So, that is my last 90 days in a nutshell. I have to be honest, since I've been taking Synthroid I've lost weight, felt a million times happier and more energetic. I feel like being social again. It has been a God-send. I'm just really thankful that I now know why I was in a funk and how to treat it. HOORAY