in which she waxes medical

Thank you, friends, for coming alongside me in this place. "Thank you" sounds utterly pathetic in proportion to the love, prayers, words, and shoulders you've offered me, not just today, but over the course of the past year and a half. I'd rather not be morose and something I dislike only slightly more is putting said morose-ness in this space.

I have so many thoughts zooming about in my brain about how beautiful the Body of Christ is, about how He whispers to me so quietly in these spaces sometimes, and about how much I am looking forward to the resurrection (Creation restored!! A working body, YIPPEE!!). I've got symptoms and root causes on the brain and already have a few ideas of how I could write about that. I'm thinking about God's presence, about the enemy's assault on our souls, and about the myriad of lessons being embedded and burned into me right now. Those will be forthcoming, I am sure.

I have an update, so I wanted to share. I'd just like to say that I have the best naturopath in the world. I called today and spoke with Tracy the wonder-office manager who, incidentally, has known me since birth and also (because she is so terrifically engaging) knows my woes as well as my naturopath does. I explained what was going on: ever since changing my thyroid regimen, there's been a domino effect. Everything else was falling out of line (not surprising since, where many important aspects of health are concerned, the thyroid is running the show). So the message was relayed and I discussed options with the good doctor.

Without getting into the gory details, several things have been terribly off since my thyroid started getting back in shape. Or should I say: the last time my thyroid started getting back in shape. Where thyroids are concerned, I'm pretty sure I've got the wackiest one in town. It's dangerously down. It's up way too high. It's down again, but not too bad. It's up, way way too high. And it's starting to take a dive again. The most recent blood work (taken a week ago) confirms the thyroid hormones are trying to see just how low they might go. The antibodies are still present (boo!!), but the good news is that those numbers are dropping.

Bleh.

This is where the awesome naturopath comes into play. Since the supplement I took the first time that worked so well eventually sent things sky high and scary was obviously not an option, we are opting to take advantage of modern medicine. I have a new prescription that is designed to regulate this very moody thyroid of mine and will follow up with Dr. W in 2-3 weeks. If it works like we're hoping it does: the scary weight gain will cease and desist, I'll feel a rebound in my energy, and these other things that are out of line as a result will follow suit.

There are two things that impressed me about my naturopath today:

1. He didn't question the wisdom I have about my own body. He asked me my thoughts on what was happening. How many doctors do this? We've been working together on my thyroid for about two years now and when I told him that all these things fell out of order with the most recent regimen change, he didn't question it. Having been to my fair share of doctors who think I don't have a clue, this was a breath of fresh air and is one of the reasons I keep going to him.

2. He prescribed an honest-to-God synthetic prescription medication as treatment this time around (and it's something that is known well for being an effective treatment). It would have been great if more natural remedies were working, but they just weren't working with my specific set of circumstances and challenges. Having witnessed the occasional raised eyebrow from some medical doctors when they hear I'm seeking treatment from a naturopath, I genuinely appreciate it when health professionals (no matter their branch) don't get so sidelined into thinking that their specialty is The Only and Holy Way of Health that they won't explore the wider array of options available for treatment. It helps affirm for me that I'm in partnership with someone who has my best interests in mind.

So that's where I'm at. And I just realized this might be one of the most mundane posts ever written, but I think I'm going to post it anyway (she says with a grin).

Love to you, and many thanks again.