FRESH EYES

I'm a little out of my blogging norm because I have been away in the big smoke doing lots of stuff - catching up with the kids, catching up with friends, the usual doctors appointments, Father's Day, my nephew's 21st birthday. Its been really busy.

One of my doctors appointments was with a brand new doctor. This process usually fills me with dread as I have mentioned many times before, but this time I need not have worried. Enter Dr Mike, a doctor who thrives on learning more and is not threatened by his patients knowing " stuff".

I'll get back to Dr Mike in a minute. Let's backtrack a bit.

I had my thyroid removed in 2007. It was a horrendous operation because years prior I had a part removal and the scar tissue from that op had wound itself around the remaining thyroid. This caused great stress for my surgeon when in 2007, the whole organ had to be removed. I remember the look of relief on his face when I spoke to him after the procedure. He said he was terrified that he had nicked my vocal cords and that I wouldn't be able to speak at all. God forbid!

What he did remove along with my thyroid were two of my parathyroids. So, here's a small Human Biology lesson for those who have never heard of the parathyroids:
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The parathyroid glands are four tiny glands, located in the neck, that control the body's calcium levels. Each gland is about the size of a grain of rice (weighs approximately 30 milligrams and is 3-4 millimeters in diameter). The parathyroids produce a hormone called parathyroid hormone (PTH). PTH raises the blood calcium level by:

1. breaking down the bone (where most of the body's calcium is stored) and causing calcium release
2. increasing the body's ability to absorb calcium from food
3. increasing the kidney's ability to hold on to calcium that would otherwise be lost in the urine.

Normal parathyroid glands work like the thermostat in your home to keep blood calcium levels in a very tightly controlled range. When the blood calcium level is too low, PTH is released to bring the calcium level back up to normal. When the calcium level is normal or gets a little too high, normal parathyroids will stop releasing PTH. Proper calcium balance is crucial to the normal functioning of the heart, nervous system, kidneys, and bones.(http://endocrinediseases.org/parathyroid/parathyroid_background.shtml)
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 Now, I'm going out on a limb here and saying that I have never been the same since my thyroidectomy. I took my thyroxine to replace the thyroid hormone and took my calcium to help out my diminished parathyroids. But despite doing all that was instructed, I have never felt myself again. For ages I have felt exhausted, tired, either sleepy or an insomniac, twitchy muscles etc. It has been a nightmare and because I have had so many other health issues its always been put on the back burner.

Go to the gym they say...you've got to be joking I say.

Go for a walk they say...I can't walk without feeling dizzy I say.

Why are you napping they say...cos I never sleep I say

Enter Dr Mike with FRESH EYES. I say fresh eyes because my GP has tried and tried to help me but nothing was working. In fact there is usually so much to talk about, I rarely mention how I feel any more. I just put up with feeling dizzy in shopping centres, an out of control hand tremor, lack of sleep, leg cramps.

All it took was a pair of FRESH EYES.

In one hour this doctor took me apart and put me back in a different way. He canned some of my medications and ordered some new ones. He added in some multivitamins and re-organised the way I took my calcium tablets. Apparently for eight years I have been taking them wrong. Go figure! I was taking them as I had been told at my surgery oh so long ago.

Two mornings later I woke up at 6am. This in itself is unusual as I rarely sleep at night and NEVER have eight hours sleep. I was stoked! The next thing I realised was I felt happy. It's not that I never feel happy. It was more the feeling of being ready to face the day.

Could it be??? I googled calcium and found a definite link to mood and depression. This is unbelievable.

Since having my medication regime looked at with FRESH EYES, I have continued to feel better. Dr Mike has also added another specialist to my army so this never happens again. From now on my calcium levels and parathyroid hormone levels will be monitored. YAY...it only took eight years.

So, why am I telling you all this. Simple - learn from me and do NOT ever settle for feeling subnormal on a daily basis. If need be ask for another opinion and a set of FRESH EYES. Its not that your normal GP isn't doing a good job ( mine does a great job). It's just that those fresh eyes can change your life!

Till next time...xxx