Well, that would be me, wouldn't it! Recently, I've embraced several kinds of naughtiness including overindulging in alcohol, and eating so much chocolate one night that I gave myself a chocolate hangover the next day. On top of feeling the need to feed my body with energy giving, but otherwise empty, nutrients I have been too tired to do much in the way of cooking, walking or any other kind of healthful lifestyle activity. And, whilst in the throws of trying to settle into a new country, new job and new flat, I had completely overlooked the fact that I was experiencing an intensification of thyroid symptoms. That was until the scary little monster decided to assert itself one morning by throwing a spasm fit. I have experienced this before but only when I was at my unmedicated worst. My fuzzy brain still somehow recognised the signal, threw a switch and went - FUUUUUCK! THYROID!!! I had forgotten all about the wee beastie.
By forgotten, I don't mean I had been neglecting to take my meds; I do, everyday, at the same time, religiously - praying at the alter of Levo is my only religion. What I had forgotten was to be self-aware, and to be aware of my environment. Getting a bit fuzzy and bit grumpy is always a sign I'm out of balance, not to mention constipation. Me? Constipated? The Queen of diarrhoea couldn't go? That's a bit of a big sign. As for my environment, it turned out, I have been drinking gallons of thyroid killing, fluoridated water. Whatever little natural function my poor old gland had still been managing to sqeeze out got a massive knock on the head.
Since the moment my thyroid made me scream fuck inside my head, I have been taking what steps I can to be more supportive of it. Until I can find a proper water filter, I'm back on bottled drinking water. I was rather disgusted at Target (department store) when I went to get a filter there. They have a whole stand of filters and filters jugs to choose from, but they are all made by the same company; a company that believes in the 'wonderful, health giving properties of fluoride,' and proudly point out that their product does not filter out this toxic shit. Seriously, WHAT THE FUCK IS THAT ABOUT? Actually, I must be getting over the fuzzy-wuzzies as it just occurred to me to complain to Target about that.
I have also gotten back on the weight watching horse, and in a rather literal sense. I joined Weight Watchers. They have just come out with a completely rewritten plan for weight loss, and one of the really good things for me is that I can fit my crazy little thyroid diet into it. There is no one telling you that you have eat this or that, or can't have any of what you like. I've met other people there who have chronic illnesses, such as Coeliac's & Ulcerative Colitis, which require special diets to be followed, and they also find it's quite easy to meet their specific dietary needs within the plan. The other thing that is good for me is that I can get some support. Still being fresh off the boat, I don't know many people yet and it would be a bit rude to task the ones that I have met with being my weight loss crutch. It does get me up and out the door early on Saturday morning to attend, and it's about a 1/2 hour walk - currently my only intentional exercise. It's amazing/it really sucks how dramatically a thyroid set back also sets back physical function. At this morning's meeting, I weighed in at 79.8kgs so I'm back to about where I was when I left Cambodia - and below the mythical 80kg mark.
I have been rather preoccupied by the various disasters that have occurred; floods & hurricanes in the east of Australia, a heat wave & fires here where I am, the earthquake in Christchurch (family there all OK), and Japan has just been hit with a quadruple whammy - earthquake, tsunami, massive industrial fires and now, a nuclear meltdown imminent. I just wanna know - who the fuck broke the planet?
Next post will be about life on the edge of the known world.
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