Getting blood work done always brings around a strange mixture of emotions. On one hand, I want my results to come back with golden stars, A+ and two thumbs up. However, I am getting blood work done to hopefully find what is causing a kink in my health. If everything comes back great, than what the hell is causing my symptoms?
I am happy to say the recent blood work panel came back with a lot of optimal scores. There were only two main things I needed to fix: I needed to exercise more (very very true) and that I have a high Vitamin D deficiency. Optimal scores are between 30-100, but my doctor recommends a score of 50 for woman. I was a 21. Yikes!
The more I looked into vitamin D, the more my deficiency made sense. Vitamin D is not just a vitmain, its a hormone that supports bone and immune health. It can cause muscle pain, joint pain, and in many cases stress and depression. Eventually this became a vicious cycle. I would feel sick and not go outside to exercise, hence not getting any natural sunlight (a excellent source for vitamin D). And because I wasn't getting outside for that natural cure, I was feeling worse and I would get stressed. Eventually the whole thing becomes a rut.
My doctor has thrown some supplements into the loop, and in a few months I will go back to see if this helps. If things seem to be improving, I will highly recommend others get it tested.
Cheers,
Maddy
P.S. On a side note, my Kickstarter is now half way thru its funding period! You can see more here: Classic Fairy Tales in Print
Friday, September 13, 2013
Friday, August 30, 2013
Kickstarter
For a long time, art has been a therapeutic outlet for me. I have, quite literally, hung up the phone after a break up and immediately picked up paper and pen to start drawing. Since my hypothyroid diagnoses, I have focused more and more on artwork because that is where I am truly happy. It only took a failing thyroid to show me that.
So where is this going you may ask?
Starting today I have launched my own Kickstarter project! This small crowd-funding site allows me the opportunity to follow my dreams.
In no way am I asking for handouts. I am just immensely proud of myself for sticking to my guns and wanted to share the news! More information is available below:
Kickstarter: Classic Fairy Tales in Print
So where is this going you may ask?
Starting today I have launched my own Kickstarter project! This small crowd-funding site allows me the opportunity to follow my dreams.
In no way am I asking for handouts. I am just immensely proud of myself for sticking to my guns and wanted to share the news! More information is available below:
Kickstarter: Classic Fairy Tales in Print
Thursday, August 15, 2013
Agoraphobia
There is no way to sugar-coat this: I have agoraphobia. No, this is not self-diagnosed. This was noticed in others, and subsequently in a therapist I was recommended to see for my general anxiety disorder when I refused to take medication.
Before I press on, lets go back to agoraphobia 101. It is a fear of being in places where it is hard to escape, or where help might not be available. It can be in a crowd, or wide open spaces, wherever you feel there is a danger. Agoraphobia sometimes occurs when a person has had a panic attack and begins to fear situations that might lead to another panic attack.
This is what happened to me. When I went through about 4 months of panic attacks (which included chest pains, dizziness, and a feeling that I couldn’t breath) , I was commuting to and fro in a town where all my close friends were at least an hour away. My social life was at a low point and most excursions were solo. So most panic attacks were thus happening when I was by myself.
I no longer wanted to be in a car alone. I associated the dreadful feelings of panic attacks with driving and couldn’t shake the idea that if I got behind the wheel it would happen again. To explain my thought process any further and utter fear of driving away from my home would sound totally irrational. Which is exactly what a phobia is (agora*phobia*), an irrational fear typically disproportional to the actual danger posed.
In theory, I have nothing to be afraid of. Besides my thyroid issues, and some back problems, I have a clean bill of health. Those chest pains I feel don’t mean i’m dying, just that I’m panicking.
Some days are better than others. A friend visited me once and we drove an hour to Nashville to a hockey game. About 20 minutes in, I started to panic and tried my hardest to remind myself that nothing was going to happen and she reassured me beforehand that we could always pull over. Despite that, by the time we arrived my legs were literally numb and I was walking around the parking lot thinking I was going to faint. But I did it. And that's what i’ve had to remind myself over and over again. I do those drives when I have to, and as stupid as it may sound, I am immensely proud of myself when I can handle any drive over 30 minutes.
The largest hurdle is any attempt at a social life mostly because I let very few people know about my agoraphobia. Instead of being upfront and honest to friends why I can’t visit, I make up excuses. Ashamed that I am “weak” and unable to explain in an articulate matter why this is so hard for me.
Just two years ago I could handle 10 hour drives alone, daily commutes into the mountain, solo hikes...now its embarrassing to have to admit how much of a shut-in I’ve become. Its not something I want to be and I try, but some days I just don’t see any improvement. Other days it doesn’t make sense. Today I went on a 2 mile walk alone with no issues, but getting a text inviting me to have lunch just 15 minutes down the road makes my heart race (for all the wrong reasons). I wish this was more motivational, and more helpful to others. Unfortunately I’m still figuring it out. I understand what causes my attacks, but not how to overcome them. It can just be terribly lonely sometimes and I wish I had let more people in on whats been going on sooner.
Things have been getting better thou now that i’ve moved into an area that forces me to get out of the house. Seriously, who wants to be inside when Colorado is your backyard?
Before I press on, lets go back to agoraphobia 101. It is a fear of being in places where it is hard to escape, or where help might not be available. It can be in a crowd, or wide open spaces, wherever you feel there is a danger. Agoraphobia sometimes occurs when a person has had a panic attack and begins to fear situations that might lead to another panic attack.
This is what happened to me. When I went through about 4 months of panic attacks (which included chest pains, dizziness, and a feeling that I couldn’t breath) , I was commuting to and fro in a town where all my close friends were at least an hour away. My social life was at a low point and most excursions were solo. So most panic attacks were thus happening when I was by myself.
I no longer wanted to be in a car alone. I associated the dreadful feelings of panic attacks with driving and couldn’t shake the idea that if I got behind the wheel it would happen again. To explain my thought process any further and utter fear of driving away from my home would sound totally irrational. Which is exactly what a phobia is (agora*phobia*), an irrational fear typically disproportional to the actual danger posed.
In theory, I have nothing to be afraid of. Besides my thyroid issues, and some back problems, I have a clean bill of health. Those chest pains I feel don’t mean i’m dying, just that I’m panicking.
Some days are better than others. A friend visited me once and we drove an hour to Nashville to a hockey game. About 20 minutes in, I started to panic and tried my hardest to remind myself that nothing was going to happen and she reassured me beforehand that we could always pull over. Despite that, by the time we arrived my legs were literally numb and I was walking around the parking lot thinking I was going to faint. But I did it. And that's what i’ve had to remind myself over and over again. I do those drives when I have to, and as stupid as it may sound, I am immensely proud of myself when I can handle any drive over 30 minutes.
The largest hurdle is any attempt at a social life mostly because I let very few people know about my agoraphobia. Instead of being upfront and honest to friends why I can’t visit, I make up excuses. Ashamed that I am “weak” and unable to explain in an articulate matter why this is so hard for me.
Just two years ago I could handle 10 hour drives alone, daily commutes into the mountain, solo hikes...now its embarrassing to have to admit how much of a shut-in I’ve become. Its not something I want to be and I try, but some days I just don’t see any improvement. Other days it doesn’t make sense. Today I went on a 2 mile walk alone with no issues, but getting a text inviting me to have lunch just 15 minutes down the road makes my heart race (for all the wrong reasons). I wish this was more motivational, and more helpful to others. Unfortunately I’m still figuring it out. I understand what causes my attacks, but not how to overcome them. It can just be terribly lonely sometimes and I wish I had let more people in on whats been going on sooner.
Things have been getting better thou now that i’ve moved into an area that forces me to get out of the house. Seriously, who wants to be inside when Colorado is your backyard?
Thursday, August 8, 2013
The Price of being Gluten Free
For the last two months I have been attempting to live a gluten-free life. Which is incredibly hard because im pretty sure I was put on this earth to eat all the bagels and scones I can possibly shove into my gluttony hole. But I know I need to stop, because when I am able to go 2-3 days without gluten I feel soooooo much better. I.e. A lot of my joint pain goes away and my head clears up a bit.
But if your like me, I am, how you would say.... domestically impaired as a woman. I don’t know how to iron clothes, what cycle is best for laundry, I throw makeup at my face hoping it works, and most importantly: I hate cooking. Cooking to me is a last resort. Once all the ramen is gone and the forever-alone microwaveable meals are depleted, I turn to my pots and pans in mild disdain.
So most of my gluten free substitutes are store bought and pre-made. If you are looking for tasty recipes, might I suggest: Zen Thyroid
Today I ran out of my usual breakfast and had to leave my cave to get some gluten-free waffles from the store. In the process I decided to jot down prices of some ready-made gluten free goodies. This can give you a general idea of some prices if you too are considering to go gluten free (but hate to cook).
Udi’s Gluten Free Sliced Bread $5.69
Udi’s Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies $4.99
Udi’s Double Chocolate Muffins pack of 4 $6.49
Udi’s Pure and Simple Granola $5.99
Annie’s Mac and Cheese (6oz) $1.67
Pillbury Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough/ Pizza Crust/ Pie & Pastry Dough $4.49
Van’s Gluten Free Waffles $3.00 (was on a special)
Nature Path Organic Chia Plus $3. 69
Cheers,
Maddy
But if your like me, I am, how you would say.... domestically impaired as a woman. I don’t know how to iron clothes, what cycle is best for laundry, I throw makeup at my face hoping it works, and most importantly: I hate cooking. Cooking to me is a last resort. Once all the ramen is gone and the forever-alone microwaveable meals are depleted, I turn to my pots and pans in mild disdain.
So most of my gluten free substitutes are store bought and pre-made. If you are looking for tasty recipes, might I suggest: Zen Thyroid
Today I ran out of my usual breakfast and had to leave my cave to get some gluten-free waffles from the store. In the process I decided to jot down prices of some ready-made gluten free goodies. This can give you a general idea of some prices if you too are considering to go gluten free (but hate to cook).
Udi’s Gluten Free Sliced Bread $5.69
Udi’s Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies $4.99
Udi’s Double Chocolate Muffins pack of 4 $6.49
Udi’s Pure and Simple Granola $5.99
Annie’s Mac and Cheese (6oz) $1.67
Pillbury Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough/ Pizza Crust/ Pie & Pastry Dough $4.49
Van’s Gluten Free Waffles $3.00 (was on a special)
Nature Path Organic Chia Plus $3. 69
Cheers,
Maddy
Thursday, July 25, 2013
One Year Mark
Whoops! The one year anniversary of this blog slipped past me! I would just like to say thank you to everyone, 2,925 page views later, who comes to this page. It means more than I can explain when my words reach anyone, and more so if they help someone going through a similar situation.
Last night I was not in the best of places, and to keep my mind off things I finally tired drawing something abstract to explain the way i've been feeling, and somewhat what this blog is about. There is no final piece, but here are some rough layouts:
Cheers!
Last night I was not in the best of places, and to keep my mind off things I finally tired drawing something abstract to explain the way i've been feeling, and somewhat what this blog is about. There is no final piece, but here are some rough layouts:
Cheers!
Sunday, June 30, 2013
Video Blog #2
With all the packing, the stress that comes with it, and the procrastinating that comes with those two...I forgot to mention that I am also going Gluten Free! I'll talk about that more once things settle down in Colorado.
P.S. I've had an Etsy shop for awhile that I figured I could exploit on my own blog, so the link can be found on the lower right-hand side :)
P.P.S. Speaking of exploiting, I am currently in an Art Matters contest hosted by Blick Art Materials. Top 3 videos get a gift card for supplies and a matching donation to art education. You can vote for mine daily until July 14. http://bit.ly/135EVnm
Okay, now im done :)
Cheers!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Recent Article
Clicking the link below, not the image, will take you to the article.
"Getting help with unknown medical conditions"
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