Take Two Pills and Call Me in the Morning...

There are a lot of people (and even some doctors!) who believe that once you take the required meds prescribed for your ailment you should feel absolutely perfect again. You are "cured!" This is sadly not the case for those suffering from an autoimmune disease or any chronic illness. There is often no cure and symptoms are only managed sometimes.

I take a .112 mg Synthroid pill religiously every single morning upon waking. It makes up for the hormones that my dying thyroid no longer makes. My own body is destroying it. I sometimes wonder why my body chose to attack the thyroid gland as opposed to another organ or body part. The hormones help keep everything functioning pretty normally and I definitely see the difference back from when I was first diagnosed. My hair no longer falls out in clumps leaving a bald spot right in front, I don't feel as deathly fatigued as I once did, my skin is no longer extremely dry, my heart, kidneys, liver are functioning normally and I managed to lose a bit of weight which I put on just thinking about food when my thyroid functioning was way down. I also am no longer extremely depressed. I do have my moments though and sometimes still feel like I can't concentrate well. I feel downright stupid sometimes and I'm certainly not. I graduated at the top of my class with honors in College despite everything. I sometimes feel achy. My muscles hurt. I lift my arm to reach something or to wash my hair and ouch. I feel extreme fatigue some days and there's no logical reason for it. I feel dizzy out of nowhere and get migraines for days.

I suspect the days I have these terrible symptoms my immune system is at peak performance wreaking havoc on my body. Sneaky. Very sneaky. I'll have lapses of time, usually a couple of weeks, where I can't believe how good I feel and deny that I'm even sick. And then the good times will be snatched away from me once again. It's not fair and I pine for them to return. Then again I've learned to view it as my downtime where I rest up and ponder all the things that I'll do when I feel up to it again. It's the cycle of life I suppose.