I am still working on it , so be patient with me. Any input you have will be appreciated
I tried to put the link on here but just did not work. You will have to go to the Graves'Disease Coffee Break page on Face Book.
I am still working on it , so be patient with me. Any input you have will be appreciated
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It is freezing here in Colorado. High today will only be in the 20's. It is 16 right now. Nothing like a cold day to depress a person. Sometimes no matter what you do to do to keep a positive look at life , you will still get hit with the depression. It is a fight for a lot of us. I don't take any anti depression pills. I know some of you do and some of you have to. As I always tell you ...you have a choice. It may not always be the best choice but it is yours any way.I have my own way of dealing with the depression. Funny movies, looking at old and new pictures of my kids and grandkids. Reading a funny story or watching cartoons. A good laugh is a winner every time....well almost. To be truthful some times nothing works. So, the next best thing is go back to bed. Well, sometimes that is not a possibility. You just have to suck it up and take one day at a time. Hope for a better day tomorrow.
Today I am depressed and just plain frustrated. There is so much I want to do and can't. So much I need to learn and can't. So much I want to remember and can't. I want to get out and walk the 5 miles I use to... and can't. But, I can keep trying. I want to lose all this extra weight.. and can't. I eat healthy, I walk and exercise as much as I can . Well till the pain does me in and the tiredness gets me. Then I have to sleep for a day. I tell myself to stop focusing so much on all this but, as you know some days it is all you think about. My Coffee Breaks have been my God sent relief. With out my Coffee Break I might be lost. Sorry this is one of my Pity Parties. I allow myself to have one once in awhile. I try not to have them to often. "Trouble knocked at the door but, hearing lau Busy week , but I did not forget I have people coming every day to see what I am up to. I am not up to no good. In fact you might like it. I am in the process of making up a directory of sorts. Every day I am asked if I know of a support group or individuals in their area to have a Coffee Break with. Some times I do most times I don't . Even though many of you email me, I may have your name and some times what area you are from. But, if you don't ask me to find a group or individual I don't. There are so many great organizations out there that have some sort of meetings or get together, conference or wellness retreats. This past month I have ben invited to attend many of them. It got me to thinking. We pass on the information all the time. Wouldn't it be great to have a centrial location or a directory with the names of the organizations, groups and meeting days. Wouldn't it be great to have a directory. I personally could really use one. Maybe there is one already . I don't know. I will keep looking for one. In the mean time....I will compile my own . Hopefully by August I can have a decent one available. In order to do this I need names and areas you are looking for. I need the names and listing of contact person for groups and organizations. I also want to have a calender made up for 2013 with special events an organization is planning and a place where you all can keep track of upcoming events as they come available. I have some great ideas to join us all in a Thyroid network of information. From Graves' Disease to Thyroid Cancer. I do not want to take away from any organization. I want to share these organizations with as many people as I can. Some talk about Graves' Disease, some Thyroid Disease, some Thyroid Eye Disease and some Thyroid Cancer. Many of you already belong or are connected in some way with more then one .
The one organization I see that has the most information on other organizations is Stevie Jo Ellie's Cancer Care Fund. For me that is the place to go to when I need certain information. Di I mention I am joining them? Please email me with any information you think you would like me to use. Also if you are individual looking for a person or group or organization. A group or organization that wants to be listed. I will need contact person and name of organization and meeting days if any. I can not do this with out you all. And yes we are doing this Internationally. "Together we stand...Divided we Fall!" Lately I get emails about weird stuff that happens to Thyroid people. Mostly from those new to the Thyroid Disease. Those of us that have had it for awhile tend to take it in stride after awhile.Top of the list is hair falling out and/or dry brittle hair that just brakes off. Some call it glass hair. Mine tends to come and go. Some times after a shower the drain is full of my hair. Some times i just comb it and it just breaks off in short pieces. I use to love to brush my hair. Now most of the time I use a wide tooth comb and brush. AS most of you know my great grandmother and both sisters had a form of Thyroid Disease. What I talk about today are things they did and I did not know why, other members of the family also did these things. I have up dated a few for my own conveince. Once a week I gently apply warm olive oil or baby oil to my hair and let it set for an hour or two with a plastic bag over it. Gently wash it and apply volume conditioner. It seems to help a little. I never use a blow dryer or hot iron. I comb out my hair and air dry. My hair will not stay curled any more. Then I remembered my grandmother used rag curlers. Very old school trick. You use strip's of cloth about 6-8 in. long, wrap your hair around the middle, bring the ends up and tie once. Wrapping dry hair is ok. Leave on an hour or two. Comfortable to sleep in. You will have a perm with no chemical's that should last all day. Don't laugh till you try it. Or you can actually buy soft twistable rods that do the same thing. That is what I have. But, I have used the rag curlers before them. I will put a pic of them on my Graves'Disease Coffee Break FB page. I also have rinsed my hair with warm tea, coffee (lol), beet juice, lemon juice and vinegar. Gently rubbing honey or mayonnaise , leave on for an hour or so and wash out. You may be surprised with the results.
Next the eye's. Also old school. During the day I keep a wash cloth handy that I rinse in very warm water, wring out and cover my face and breath through. It not only helps my eyes feel better but helps me breath better. I have also rinsed my eyes with a few drops of baby shampoo in warm water. During the day while at home and before bed I keep the area around my eyes coated with Vaseline. I take naps with a warm damp cloth over my eyes or a night mask. I use to have the top of my bed raised about 6 inch's. It was not comfortable for my husband so now a just use more pillow to raise my head. I live in a dry climate so I use a humidifier. my grandmother kept vases of flowers and many plants around her to keep the air humid. To keep my skin smooth I rub on baby oil, olive oil or Vaseline on my face. The honey and mayo are good to , but I wash that off after about half an hour. Now believe it or not this is by far the best one. My Grandmothers,both sides, aunts and cousins all use this. My mother used it in her restaurant. It is even used in nursing homes after showers. That surprised me when I worked as a CNA, as the women in my family always used it this way. We use lard or Crisco. After washing our hands or bathing all over our body. A little goes a long way and a small container will last forever. Very pure stuff, just natural. The women in my family have very nice skin. Some of us still use home made soaps with nothing added but natural ingredients. IF may hands or feet get too dry I coat them with Vaseline and wear white cotton gloves to bed or around the house. In the winter I sometimes wear them while typing. You won't think it is funny when you try it. I drink a healthy drink of Warm lemon water with a little honey and a little cayenne pepper "An onion makes people cry, but there never was a vegetable invented that makes people laugh" Will Rogers Because it is World Cancer Day. I wanted to mention a few things that happen to me. Just so you will be aware and ask questions. Never be afraid to ask questions. Now I know better. In 2002 I had RAI, radiation pill to kill my thyroid as I had a very large goiter. My teen grand daughter actually noticed it before I did or my doctor. It grew fast. Before I knew it I had this big ball on my neck, a hard time swallowing, a tightness in my throat and a harshness in my speech. This all happen with in I say 6-9 months. With my Graves' Disease there was so much going on. I could not think straight. My Doctors at the time were not the kind to give you much information. They were from the school of 'The less you know the better". I have to admit I was intimidated by the doctors. Well, they were the doctors. They must know more then I did. I was given an ultra sound scan. I was put in a big scanned. The doctor said there was a black spot as big as a dime and other spots on my thyroid. and he wanted to do a biopsy. I went in early in the morning and should be done and gone before noon. I was given an IV and taken in for the biopsy. I have to tell you I was scared. All I was told was I would be awake and a needled would be inserted in my neck. While three people talked like I was not there my neck was swabbed and a large needle was before my eyes. I started shaking very bad, anxiety attack. They offered to place a towel over my eyes. I said yes please. I was shaking so bad i thought I would fall off the table. When the nurse came for me, she could see how bad off I was. She asked if I had been given anything for the anxiety. I could not even talk by then , and told her I did not know. She followed up and "No" I was not given anything. I was going into shock. They put me in a private room and give me something. I was in the hospital all night.
After the results came in I was offered the option of taking a number of pills, surgery or one pill. I am not good at remembering pills. And if I can get out of a surgery I will. Of course one pill sounded like the best offer. The doctor recommended I get rid of the goiter one way or the other. So that week I took the RAI pill. I was told to stay away from people as much as possible for a few day, especially children. Yet I was in the waiting room with a lot of people and walked trough the hospital. Yes, I should have asked more questions, yes I could have demanded more information. But, I didn't. Can I blame it on not being myself and having Graves' Disease. Yes and no. My husband was with me for the Biopsy and the RAi. Could he have asked more questions. Yes and No again. He knew no more then I did about any of this. He did demand a private room for me after the biopsy and got it free. The point is you have to ask questions. You have to demand to know what they found and what it is. I am not sure I had a cancer spot or not. Now, I know I may have. I now have to go back to where the procedure was done and pay for a copy of those records. I was so depressed in the first few years of my Thyroid disease. I think the depression came more from the not knowing then the knowing. It seems the more I learn the less depressed I am. Don't get me wrong, I still get the bouts of depression as you all do. Some of you don't think much of having a down day. Just part of life. But, for some it can be a living H___. Depression is not only hard on you but also your loved ones. They notice it more then you do. Maybe you don't feel like going to the mall like you use to. Or maybe you don't feel like getting out of bed. Or maybe you don't even feel like going out for a nice dinner. You know that is not the real you. Who does not jump to go shopping or going out to dinner? Well, that would be us.
But there is hope. There is life after the Grave... as I use to say. Research talk to others who been there. They can help you feel so much better. Maybe not 100% but better. I personally refuse to take an anti-depression pill or talk to a shrink. But, that is my choice. As it is yours. Some of you have been put down because of the choice you made in your treatment. On one forum I was put down for having RAI. Well I left that forum. We have to stand together. WE have to support each other. We have to agree to disagree. WE all have a choice. I won't do what you do just because it worked for you. But, I will add it to what I know to make a good choice for me. I know a few of you have been put down because you state your opinion. Well that is your opinion and you have a right to it. As long as you don't try to force it on somebody or think it is your way or the high way. I state my opinon here almost everyday. I tell you from my heart what I have been through and what others tell me they have. We all have a story. Some are really hard. Some maybe not so bad and still others....well maybe it is worse then they want to admit , even to themselves. Just don't give up on yourself. We can help each other. You all don't know how much you help me everyday. I get some of the most uplifting emails. How can I be depressed when you share an uplifting story with me. I can't share them all here. But, I do put up small bits of things I get in Coffee Break people. Read them and smile a little today. "If you lose the power to laugh..You lose the power to think!" |
ElaineI am the person that started the first coffee break. I Have had Graves' Disease for at least 10 years. I also have Thyroid Eye Disease. I give Thyroid Disease Support . My goal in life is to inform the public about Thyroid Disease. Archives
March 2018
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