Hypothyroidism

I had no idea what "hypothyroidism" was until I was diagnosed. It was after I had my second child and I was going through what I thought was postpartum depression. I remember feeling so tired that I could barely get out of bed in the morning let alone take care of my newborn and 4 year old daughter. Things were getting out of hand. My mind and body were not on speaking terms at all. It wasn't until after I found out that I was not providing a sufficient amount of milk for my newborn that I contacted my medical provider for help. I explained to him all of my symptoms and he too thought it was a form of depression. Later, I contacted my lactation specialist and she said "tell your doctor to test your thyroid." I immediately contacted my doctor and set up an appointment to have my blood drawn. A few days later, my doctor asked me to come into the office as soon as I could. I thought to myself why all of the fuss?

After sitting down with my doctor, I was informed that my thyroid level was far below normal that he highly recommended that I be placed in a hospital room with an IV hooked up to my body to get the thyroid levels back to the normal range. I rejected the idea of going back to the hospital but took my levothyroxine as directed. Wow, the medicine made a huge difference. I lost my 20 pounds of baby fat really fast and gained my mental and physical energy back. Life was good. Hypothyroidism is serious business and should not be taken lightly. Yes, it can be treated by taking 1 pill daily. If it should go undiagnosed, it could kill you. I was to the point that I was ready to believe that I was going insane. Hypothyroidism does go undiagnosed by many medical professionals.

My mom was one of them. She had been rushed to the hospital for jaundice and her organs were shutting down one by one. I had been talking to my mom about my medical issues with hypothyroidism and asked her if she had hers tested. She too talked to her doctor whom refused to test her. I told her it was very unlikely that her body had 4 or more things shutting down than to have just one. She then came to the realization that she had to step up to her doctor and demand for him to test the thyroid. She had been in and out of the hospital for over 4 months and came tot he realization that his way was not working. The test results came back and I was right. The thyroid issue had almost shut down her kidneys, liver and gallbladder. I almost lost my mom due to the doctor's unwillingness to listen to his patient. If you think you or someone else has hypothyroidism, don't wait. Tell your doctor to test you. Here is a link so that you can read all about how important of a role your thyroid plays.
http://www.synthroid.com/Hypothyroidism/Default.aspx?s_mcid=bing-ppc

Great, wonderful, fabulous news

You know those days you have where you feel like you are on top of the world or even feel like you set on the shoulders of giants? I had a day like that Friday. I went from having a really bad day thanks to my cold running down my energy level, to having the greatest day in my student career. In the midst of lying down to rest and filling myself to the brim with much needed H2O, I decided to get up and check my e-mail. In my inbox was a letter from a former instructor and friend that read, "Dear Ms. Amy Evans Greiner, You are now an official author of an article that will be published in an international academic journal!" My body was soon filled with adrenaline and excitement. It was so hard for me to grasp the concept of accomplishing some thing so great, so wonderful, and so fabulous.
I first called my husband to tell him the wonderful news. No, I could not wait until he got home to tell the astounding news. As a matter of fact, I went down my cell phone contact list and began spreading the news. My children began dancing and jumping in the living room shouting with excitement. Our home was blessed at this moment with good cheers and lots of overwhelming joy. A moment like this doesn't come very often. We embraced it with all of our might and celebrated together as a family. My friends and family from a far, sent me messages of congratulations. Mass e-mails were sent out in the departments of communication and marketing to spread the news to all faculty members. I was extremely touched by this acknowledgement from the instructors at Bradley. It was as if they too were joining in on the celebration. At this moment, I was so touched and honored by all the congratulations and the positive feedback from everyone. This day was definitely a moment to not only remember but one I will never forget.

Comfort food

So, last week my schedule was pretty tight. That being said, I still have to feed my kids. The crock pot always comes in handy when a meal needs to be made for a mom on the go. I put my 3 pounds of chuck roast in the crock pot with about 6 chopped potatoes and plenty of of baby carrots. I added the pot roast crock pot seasoning mix and set the crock pot on high. I let it cook the food as I attended to my rather long to do list. As I came home at about 6 pm, my dinner was done and I was ready to feed my family a home made dinner. Pot roast always makes me think of my mom and grandma. It was truly a comforting meal for a cold wintry day.
After my kids, husband and I had are full of the pot roast, there was still 1 pound of the roast meat left over. I took the meat and the juices of the pot roast and stored it in the refrigerator. The next day, I took the pot roast meat and juices and threw them back into the crock pot. I added 1 can of tomato juice, two cans of Veg-All, and 5 chopped potatoes. I set the crock pot on high for about 7 hours. After my day of hustle and bustle was done, I came home to a pot of homemade vegetable soup. Vegetable soup made from scratch is definitely one of my favorite comfort foods. It was a pretty quick fix and rather cheap when you use leftovers to create a whole other meal. So, that was comforting too. 

Graduation

Many of us students at Bradley University look forward to graduating in May of 2012. I am most excited to graduate not that the job market is adding to this anticipation. I am mostly excited because I am the first one in my immediate family to graduate with a high school diploma. So, my graduating with a Bachelor's degree in May sets a whole new educational standard for my family. No longer will a G. E. D. be the expected norm. I have paved the road for the rest of the family, especially the younger ones. They will know that getting a college education has been done by a family member and that they can do it too. No longer will any excuses be a liable force stopping them from achieving their dreams. No longer will there be a fear of not knowing what lies ahead them (educationally). This degree that I will receive will not only be an achievement for me. It will be the end of lower standards and the beginning of raising expectations.
I remember when my mom went back to school after she had us three girls. She worked long hours on her GED homework. It was right then that I learned how important education is. So, when I walk across that stage and see my family there cheering me on, I will be in turn cheering them on to continue their education.