2021 Health Talk Thread

[Lamb]

How are you faring in 2021?

My thyroid medicine was changed slightly after blood work showed that my TSH was low and my T4 was high...not very but enough that the Endo wanted to alter my meds. So now I take a full pill daily for 6 days and on the 7th I take a half pill. I'm feeling fatigued and hoping my body adjusts soon. I didn't have any other hyper symptoms though except a little fatigue.

 

[eddif]

I have a thyroid story.
20 years ago(?) I read a book (Solved the Riddle of Illness).
I had ever symptom especially basal temperature. The book assured reader you could stop treatment at any time. LOL

At that time you could get desiccated bovine thyroid at a health store. I think I got enough for 60 days. I ferlt wonderful. Things were great.
Then
I ran out of pills on maybe Saturday. By Monday at my high stress Job every nerve in my body picked up a hammer and hit th nerve next to it. I called about the thyroid meds. It was no longer available over the counter. I called my wife and she found some 90 miles away.
At quitting time I headed out for the 90 mile trip. On that trip I decided I would take enough to put the nerve battle into remission, and then slowly start a withdrawal plan to stop the med I could not get them anymore anyway. I just prayed and was happy knowing I might not have to face another episode. Later they found out once starting the med you should never stop without the risk of serious side effects (probably why over the counter stopped).

Self treating sometimes works. In my case I finally have found out that 1/20th of the recommended dosage can work for me. 1/8 in other cases.

I have made no recommendations for you. I just told my story.
eddif

 

[Lamb]

I have a thyroid story.
20 years ago(?) I read a book (Solved the Riddle of Illness).
I had ever symptom especially basal temperature. The book assured reader you could stop treatment at any time. LOL

At that time you could get desiccated bovine thyroid at a health store. I think I got enough for 60 days. I ferlt wonderful. Things were great.
Then
I ran out of pills on maybe Saturday. By Monday at my high stress Job every nerve in my body picked up a hammer and hit th nerve next to it. I called about the thyroid meds. It was no longer available over the counter. I called my wife and she found some 90 miles away.
At quitting time I headed out for the 90 mile trip. On that trip I decided I would take enough to put the nerve battle into remission, and then slowly start a withdrawal plan to stop the med I could not get them anymore anyway. I just prayed and was happy knowing I might not have to face another episode. Later they found out once starting the med you should never stop without the risk of serious side effects (probably why over the counter stopped).

Self treating sometimes works. In my case I finally have found out that 1/20th of the recommended dosage can work for me. 1/8 in other cases.

I have made no recommendations for you. I just told my story.
eddif

I don't have a thyroid so I need to take a manufactured medicine that can function as if I still had a thyroid and that is Levothyroxine. Without it, I would die. I can't even change manufacturers without risk of my numbers changing because each manufacturer is just slightly different in their composition of the ingredients. My "sweet spot" for the level I need for thyroid hormone is a tiny range I discovered and I keep a spreadsheet with my dosage changes, how I feel and any symptoms. Even when I'm "in range" I'm still not where I should be at times so I would need more hormone. Because I had thyroid cancer, my doctor wants to suppress the levels so that it doesn't return so I have to be extremely careful.

 

[Stravinsk]

My health is good.

It's better than it was a little more than a week ago. Anyone who knows me by my posts (here or on CF) knows despite my being particular about food for health and moral reasons...I have a long standing alcohol addiction. That began shortly after becoming a widower well over a decade ago...and it hasn't stopped since. One or two days consecutively completely sober at most for many many years. Otherwise I might miss a day or two here and there.

I went through detox (by myself) recently. It was hell. My whole body ached and I was in lots of pain, both the inward and outward type pain. 4 days of it. 5th and 6th feeling a little better..now it's around 9 days and I'm feeling better.

 

[eddif]

I don't have a thyroid so I need to take a manufactured medicine that can function as if I still had a thyroid and that is Levothyroxine. Without it, I would die. I can't even change manufacturers without risk of my numbers changing because each manufacturer is just slightly different in their composition of the ingredients. My "sweet spot" for the level I need for thyroid hormone is a tiny range I discovered and I keep a spreadsheet with my dosage changes, how I feel and any symptoms. Even when I'm "in range" I'm still not where I should be at times so I would need more hormone. Because I had thyroid cancer, my doctor wants to suppress the levels so that it doesn't return so I have to be extremely careful.

I actually possibly developed a deeper relationship with God because of this. I started telling folks I take plenty of IP224. That actually stands for I Peter 2:24. Sounds like a medicine.

I have negative reactions to foods, medicines, slivers of metals from grinding machines, fumes from welding rods, insect bites etc. I finally decided it is about spiritual foods etc.
Macular degeneration seems to have partially changed my personality. I was a left brain thinker And reading comprehension with the right brain mellowed me some. The devil meant it for bad, but God worked it for good.
eddif

 

[eddif]

My health is good.

It's better than it was a little more than a week ago. Anyone who knows me by my posts (here or on CF) knows despite my being particular about food for health and moral reasons...I have a long standing alcohol addiction. That began shortly after becoming a widower well over a decade ago...and it hasn't stopped since. One or two days consecutively completely sober at most for many many years. Otherwise I might miss a day or two here and there.

I went through detox (by myself) recently. It was hell. My whole body ached and I was in lots of pain, both the inward and outward type pain. 4 days of it. 5th and 6th feeling a little better..now it's around 9 days and I'm feeling better.

My addiction was / is caffeine. Before I retired I had to drink no caffeine to stay calm at work. If I fell off the wagon I had to plan withdrawal.
Thur night stop caffeine.
Friday make it through day
Saturday think I would die
Sunday know death was near
Monday morning things looking better
Tuesday start congratulating myself
Wendasday psychological cravings go returns
Then battle against pride
I just about had to stay caffeine free.

I am sure your experience has an exponent compared to caffeine. I am for your success.

eddif

 

[eddif]

My addiction was / is caffeine. Before I retired I had to drink no caffeine to stay calm at work. If I fell off the wagon I had to plan withdrawal.
Thur night stop caffeine.
Friday make it through day
Saturday think I would die
Sunday know death was near
Monday morning things looking better
Tuesday start congratulating myself
Wendasday psychological cravings go returns
Then battle against pride
I just about had to stay caffeine free.

I am sure your experience has an exponent compared to caffeine. I am for your success.

eddif

Let me explain exponent in case some others miss it.
Caffeine may be a 4 withdrawal experience

Alcohol Withdrawl is more like
7 to the 3rd power
7x7x7

7x7=49
49x7=343

a very very very bad experience has every very as another exponent.

The suffering of Jesus was way beyond what we can imagine.
eddif

 

[JRT]

I am convinced that quitting smoking is mostly a head game and that once you've got your head in the right place you've already got it mostly beat. In 1985 I was 42 and had smoked for 25 years. I had attempted to stop smoking a number of times. I was able to handle it for up to a couple of months before caving in. Then one weekend we were visiting my wife's parents. They informed us that my father-in-law had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a lifelong nonsmoker but had worked for 40 years in a room that was known as the "blue room" because of the constant haze of tobacco smoke. He was a victim of 'Other Peoples' smoke. I was devastated --- I had smoked in his house and in front of him. I felt that in some way I was at least partly guilty for his condition. My wife and daughters stayed on for some extra days while I drove home to go back to work. When I got home my head was in the right place. I took all my pipes, pipe-stand and humidor into the back yard and smashed them on a rock with a hammer. The rest was actually remarkably easy.

 

[Lamb]

My health is good.

It's better than it was a little more than a week ago. Anyone who knows me by my posts (here or on CF) knows despite my being particular about food for health and moral reasons...I have a long standing alcohol addiction. That began shortly after becoming a widower well over a decade ago...and it hasn't stopped since. One or two days consecutively completely sober at most for many many years. Otherwise I might miss a day or two here and there.

I went through detox (by myself) recently. It was hell. My whole body ached and I was in lots of pain, both the inward and outward type pain. 4 days of it. 5th and 6th feeling a little better..now it's around 9 days and I'm feeling better.

You know I'm proud of you! We've had conversations briefly about that and I'm so glad you took that step to get your body back to better health! Congratulations and many more sober days ahead!

 

[Lamb]

My addiction was / is caffeine. Before I retired I had to drink no caffeine to stay calm at work. If I fell off the wagon I had to plan withdrawal.
Thur night stop caffeine.
Friday make it through day
Saturday think I would die
Sunday know death was near
Monday morning things looking better
Tuesday start congratulating myself
Wendasday psychological cravings go returns
Then battle against pride
I just about had to stay caffeine free.

I am sure your experience has an exponent compared to caffeine. I am for your success.

eddif

Keep going with the caffeine free! I can't handle caffeine so it's been easy for me to stay away from it. Decaf coffee really isn't so horrible

 

[Lamb]

I am convinced that quitting smoking is mostly a head game and that once you've got your head in the right place you've already got it mostly beat. In 1985 I was 42 and had smoked for 25 years. I had attempted to stop smoking a number of times. I was able to handle it for up to a couple of months before caving in. Then one weekend we were visiting my wife's parents. They informed us that my father-in-law had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a lifelong nonsmoker but had worked for 40 years in a room that was known as the "blue room" because of the constant haze of tobacco smoke. He was a victim of 'Other Peoples' smoke. I was devastated --- I had smoked in his house and in front of him. I felt that in some way I was at least partly guilty for his condition. My wife and daughters stayed on for some extra days while I drove home to go back to work. When I got home my head was in the right place. I took all my pipes, pipe-stand and humidor into the back yard and smashed them on a rock with a hammer. The rest was actually remarkably easy.

Good for you to take that initiative! I remember when my mom quit smoking when her first grandchild was born (she went cold turkey) and it was so much easier for her to breathe after a few months!

 

[JRT]

Good for you to take that initiative! I remember when my mom quit smoking when her first grandchild was born (she went cold turkey) and it was so much easier for her to breathe after a few months!

When I quit my health improved as well. I recall getting a congratulatory letter from my employer that I had not taken sick day in 12 years whereas before I was taking 10 or more per year.

 

[eddif]

I am convinced that quitting smoking is mostly a head game and that once you've got your head in the right place you've already got it mostly beat. In 1985 I was 42 and had smoked for 25 years. I had attempted to stop smoking a number of times. I was able to handle it for up to a couple of months before caving in. Then one weekend we were visiting my wife's parents. They informed us that my father-in-law had just been diagnosed with lung cancer. He was a lifelong nonsmoker but had worked for 40 years in a room that was known as the "blue room" because of the constant haze of tobacco smoke. He was a victim of 'Other Peoples' smoke. I was devastated --- I had smoked in his house and in front of him. I felt that in some way I was at least partly guilty for his condition. My wife and daughters stayed on for some extra days while I drove home to go back to work. When I got home my head was in the right place. I took all my pipes, pipe-stand and humidor into the back yard and smashed them on a rock with a hammer. The rest was actually remarkably easy.

What you have described is the 2nd side of addiction. There are two sides.
1. The physical body reaction to any addiction. According to the substance this can be severe or rather mild.

2. the psychological side. The battle of the mind. Seeing your particular hidden desire that triggers returning to the addiction at hand.( physical, visual , etc.). Lust of eyes and pride of life are a biblical battle.

A person can be addicted to the bodies soothing reaction to pain. The endorphin release. Physical. Or even the pride of stopping an addiction.

Ultimately only God can lead us into his answers.

eddif