I admit it, I have not been working on loosing weight; but hey, I have some great excuses.Let's start over 6 years ago with the discovery that my thyroid stopped working. Not only did it stop working...I actually had thyroid cancer. Unless you know the symptoms and you push your doctor to do more, this can be missed as mine was for over a year maybe even two. I was always cold. I started to put on weight. My thyroid was slightly swollen and my doctor said to take kelp since the thyroid hormone test we low but still in the normal range. Over time the weight gain got worse, I was wearing sweats in the summer time, I was really cranky, irritable and had no energy, I even started to get some huge hives that would appear and disappear in a few minutes if not hours. I stopped running, walking, and lifting weights. I did not knit or quilt. I gained over 20 pounds, then 30 and then 40 pounds.
I was also getting a lot of sinus infections at that time, so I went to a Ears, Nose, Throat specialist and he found that I had a deviated septum (probably from the hard whack on the nose I had a year or two earlier, while doing karate, and it had not been broken). But during the general exam, the ENT doctor felt my thyroid. Not only was it swollen but he felt a lump. I was scheduled for a CAT scan within the week and there we found not one but THREE lumps in my thyroid. I was then referred to an Endocrinologist and scheduled nose surgery to correct the deviated septum.
After going to the Endo doctor, he did a complete thyroid workup. First, we found that my thyroid levels were not low - the were almost non-existent (first bell is going off). Then he did a biopsy of the nodules which came back with the result of cancer - but the most common and easiest to cure. Surgery to remove my thyroid was scheduled. By now I was calling the situation "NICK THE NODULE" and I was gaining weight by just looking at food.
After the thyroid surgery and 3 weeks of recovery, I had to have a Radioactive Iodine treatment - which made me slightly radioactive for 3 days. FYI, the iodine has a half life of 3 days, so after that you can be around people but during this time, you can't go near pregnant women, small children, any government installation, like an airport, that has detectors - you will set them off!
BUT before you can have the treatment, you have to cleanse your body of iodine. No fish, salt, or any other thing that could have iodine in it. You also have to stop taking Synthroid which is the hormone replacement medicine you are now taking for the rest of your life. In three weeks I went from feeling good to feeling worse than before. I puffed up, I got cold again, I got so fuzzy brained I could not drive. I really would not wish this on my worst enemy!
Then I was given the treatment. And my husband who is a tech nut like me decided to pull out a Geiger counter and see how radioactive I was. Then he wanted me to pee in a cup for him, so he could keep testing the decay. Now I can joke about it but because I was feeling so crappy, at the time I WAS NOT AMUSED.
One year later I had a full body scan and had a second iodine treatment, which was not as bad as the first but I was also very depressed so I went to a therapist, took some happy drugs and it was two years before I felt good again.
And then it was one thing after another...
My husband had to have emergency aortic valve (replacement) surgery and almost did not make it. Between my job and his recovery my health took the back seat again.
I then tore my right rotator cuff - it was months before I even got the surgery approved by my insurance, the surgery was performed and it then I had 6 months of physical therapy. That was 2 years ago.
So here we are - six plus years later and I am 40 pounds over weight. I decided to do this today, not because it was the start of the New Year, but because it was time - I am going to loose the weight and get fit.
I was also getting a lot of sinus infections at that time, so I went to a Ears, Nose, Throat specialist and he found that I had a deviated septum (probably from the hard whack on the nose I had a year or two earlier, while doing karate, and it had not been broken). But during the general exam, the ENT doctor felt my thyroid. Not only was it swollen but he felt a lump. I was scheduled for a CAT scan within the week and there we found not one but THREE lumps in my thyroid. I was then referred to an Endocrinologist and scheduled nose surgery to correct the deviated septum.
After going to the Endo doctor, he did a complete thyroid workup. First, we found that my thyroid levels were not low - the were almost non-existent (first bell is going off). Then he did a biopsy of the nodules which came back with the result of cancer - but the most common and easiest to cure. Surgery to remove my thyroid was scheduled. By now I was calling the situation "NICK THE NODULE" and I was gaining weight by just looking at food.
After the thyroid surgery and 3 weeks of recovery, I had to have a Radioactive Iodine treatment - which made me slightly radioactive for 3 days. FYI, the iodine has a half life of 3 days, so after that you can be around people but during this time, you can't go near pregnant women, small children, any government installation, like an airport, that has detectors - you will set them off!
BUT before you can have the treatment, you have to cleanse your body of iodine. No fish, salt, or any other thing that could have iodine in it. You also have to stop taking Synthroid which is the hormone replacement medicine you are now taking for the rest of your life. In three weeks I went from feeling good to feeling worse than before. I puffed up, I got cold again, I got so fuzzy brained I could not drive. I really would not wish this on my worst enemy!
Then I was given the treatment. And my husband who is a tech nut like me decided to pull out a Geiger counter and see how radioactive I was. Then he wanted me to pee in a cup for him, so he could keep testing the decay. Now I can joke about it but because I was feeling so crappy, at the time I WAS NOT AMUSED.
One year later I had a full body scan and had a second iodine treatment, which was not as bad as the first but I was also very depressed so I went to a therapist, took some happy drugs and it was two years before I felt good again.
And then it was one thing after another...
My husband had to have emergency aortic valve (replacement) surgery and almost did not make it. Between my job and his recovery my health took the back seat again.
I then tore my right rotator cuff - it was months before I even got the surgery approved by my insurance, the surgery was performed and it then I had 6 months of physical therapy. That was 2 years ago.
So here we are - six plus years later and I am 40 pounds over weight. I decided to do this today, not because it was the start of the New Year, but because it was time - I am going to loose the weight and get fit.
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