Thursday, January 21, 2016

Happy New Year!

Oh my gosh how time gets away from me!  I'm sorry to have just up and left you here without an update or anything!  So much has been going on so let's get started with this update!

Since my last update I've had a couple more Dr appointments and continue to have a lower dose of Synthroid.  I'm now on 112 mg/day.  Honestly, I can't tell any difference from 150 mg to now but apparently my TSH is still not in the right range.

In other news, I decided around the holidays to go back to school this year.  I started on Jan 5th and am almost done with my first class.  I'm doing an online program to get my Bachelors degree in Social and Criminal Justice.  I've always been interested in this field so I figured why not!  It seemed like a good time to get started with most all of my health issues "under control" at this point, or should I say for now.

My FMS has been relatively "laying low" if you will.  Now I say this only because I can compare what I previously had to deal with to now.  Don't get me wrong, I still have my good days and bad days, but they are nothing compared to what I use to deal with.  I still have a pretty high level of fatigue which I don't think I'll ever not have to deal with.  Aches and pains, they come and go but are at a level that is manageable on a day to day basis.  My hips tend to give me the most trouble with consistent pain and my guts are often "upset".  I'm sure a lot of this sounds all too familiar to many who deal with the curse of chronic illness(es).

The most recent flare I've had to deal with is the tendon in my right arm flared up.  Literally I was fine the night before and woke up with this pain that was pretty intense going from my hand to my elbow and especially worse with certain movements. This was terrible as I'm right handed and couldn't do anything that required lifting or twisting.  Even lifting just a bottle of Gatorade was impossible for weeks.  I had my chiropractor treat me using a technique called "Graston" - if you have never heard of it, click HERE to read about it.  It's a strange kind of therapy but it works every time!  I've had it done several times for different issues and each time it's solved the problem.  With my arm, I had 2 sessions and the pain was noticeably less.  Today, I have no pain in that area.

Speaking about chiropractors, I need to mention that at the end of the year I realized I had not been into my primary physician's office in an entire year!  That was something to celebrate as it's just unheard of with all the health issues I've had to deal with.  Other than my Endocrinologist dealing with my thyroid, I didn't need to see an MD for any kind of illness for an entire year .... and still going!  I did however, see my chiropractor anywhere from 2x a week to 1x a month just depending on my needs and what was going on.  I firmly believe in and highly recommend alternative treatments for people like us with chronic conditions.  From the research I've done, alternative therapy is the way to go for managing these chronic illnesses that aren't necessarily seen as true illness.  Those of us who deal with them day in and day out know otherwise.

When asked what I've done to "make yourself better" I can't really pinpoint just one thing.  It's been a long road of recovery to get to the point I'm at today.  Feeling good with occasional flares. listening to my body, taking time to do nothing when I need to, the right mixture of nutrients, protein, and therapy all play a role in healing the body and getting you to a good functioning state of being.  I spent a lot of time researching and trying different methods until I started seeing good results.  It's a hard long road but at the end of it the results are better health and an overall better quality of life.  I know that at any moment I could crumple to the floor in pain and deal with that for an undetermined amount of time, but for the time being I will enjoy where I am with my health.

Like many people who deal with chronic illness, I belong to several online support groups.  It gets hard to read everyone's postings about how terrible they are doing.  In more cases than not, it's usually money that stops people from getting the help and treatment they need to feel better and be a contributing member of their community.  So the cycle just continues, day in and day out so many people are suffering.  My hope is still what it was when I first started this blog, that if I can help even just one person find a path to getting themselves to a better state of health, then I've succeeded in my mission.

I hope the New Year has found you well and that you are finding ways to manage in your day to day life.  Whether you suffer from chronic illness or a loved one does, I encourage you to look back through my postings and try new things in an effort to feel better.

My vow to you today is that I will try to do better with my updates - I just get so busy in life that I forget to come post updates.  I will make a conscious effort to update at least 1x a month if not more!

Until next time....to your health!