Friday, January 30, 2009

Things That Don't Make Any Sense At All

I just typed in this blog's URL and got taken to some Bible College site... What the Jesus? I even checked, and I hadn't mistyped. Bizarre.

Not that there's anything wrong with Bible College, but in a blog where I talk freely about, well, everything... Let's just say that it's not what one expects when one comes here, and leave it there.

So, in other "Things That Don't Make Any Sense At All" news, I have been tired. I mean, Tired. Tired with two syllables, ti-erd. Or is that tierd? As in, something with tiers. I'm probably that too. I have been falling asleep when we put the kids to bed almost every night for a while now, and if I don't, I fall asleep on the couch while watching TV with BJ shortly thereafter. It's becoming a problem. I'm averaging 9 or 10 hours of sleep per night, and I'm still tired.

It has already been suggested, so bite your tongue (or your fingers, I guess) that I'm pregnant. I'm not. No, really, I'm not. BJ thinks I need to exercise, and he's probably right, but I could also take a nap. I think I'm going to try a little phototherapy - via the tanning salon down the street - before I head to the office today. I'll probably be a crispy critter after I fall asleep in the bed. Hopefully they're timed.

Other than my still sore shoulder, I have no other symptoms - no cough, no sneezing, no running of noses, no stomach upset, no GI distress of any kind. I'm drinking coffee again, now that Claire's weaned. Doesn't help. Still tired. Maybe I have the African Sleeping sickness. Maybe I have mono again. Maybe I'm still a hypochondriac. I got my thyroid rechecked in early January, and it was normal, in spite of the "borderline low" reading they got in November.

If it doesn't go away after I go tanning and start exercising again, I'm going to the doctor. This is really disrupting my everything. Poor BJ must be so lonely... When he gets home we do the parenting thing, and when we should be doing the married thing (you know, talking about people who are more than four feet tall, giving each other back rubs, etc.) I'm snoring in Claire's bed. Please be extra nice to BJ while I sort this out. Give him backrubs and talk to him about what's on CNN and NPR, so that he doesn't notice that I'm in a coma, ok?

In other TTDMASAA news, Claire tried to put pepper on her banana this morning, so I took it away, and now she's doing pushups on the table and licking up the pepper that was left behind. Um.... Kids are weird.

9 comments:

KaityK said...

Poor Amy! I'm tired too...but I'm nine months pregnant, so at least I know WHY!
If I were you, I'd get checked for mono. If it's not mono then maybe you have S.A.D. (Seasonal Affective Disorder)
Wikipedia says: The US National Library of Medicine notes that "some people experience a serious mood change when the seasons change. They may sleep too much, have little energy, and crave sweets and starchy foods. They may also feel depressed. Though symptoms can be severe, they usually clear up."

...sorry, like you I'm a hypochondriac and I like to google stuff!

I hope the exercise and tanning help!

Anonymous said...

Who's your buddy? Who's your pal? Who just ordered a light box from Amazon for you? Happy early birthday! It should be here in a week or so. Susan loves her light box.
Love,
Dad

Kathryn said...

Have you considered that even tho' you are getting 9 - 10 hours of sleep at night that it is not quality sleep? There are lots of things, including sleep apnea, that keep you from getting quality sleep. Maybe you could consider doing a sleep study to see.

DPA said...

Hi
My 2 cents worth: the SAD itself is pretty big. Repeating what Dr Oz says (and my doc) at least 1500mg Vit D a day is good for people who live north of Atlanta. We don't make Vit D in bodies or get much from food. Light box will be Excellent!!!
Exercise helps but how? Curves helps some here but I try and walk on treadmill 4 times a week. It's suppose to help the serotonin level also...need That for sure.
My thyroid was borderline 4 yrs ago and doc started me on med. It can be a big help-think it helps me.
Good luck
Mom Di

Rob Monroe said...

Children are indeed weird. Abby trie to bite through a clementine yesterday, then when we peeled it she didn't care to eat any. Weird.

This is the season for people to be dragging. It's weird, but during the summer when I exert energy I get... more energy. When it's winter, I just get more tired. I hope that BJ was standing a room away when suggesting that you exercise. :o)

When in doubt, check with a doctor. I'm not one to give that advice out with ease, but sometimes it's the best thing.

Isabel said...

Wait...peppers on bananas? Maybe she's on to something!

Anonymous said...

I wouldn't rule out thyroid. Most doctors don't know how to test for it, how to interpret the test results, or how to treat it.

I suppose your hormones could take quite awhile to settle down after so many non-stop years of being pregnant and/or nursing.

"Borderline low" sounds to me like you did, indeed, have hypothyroidism; your doctor should have given you a low dose of thyroid hormone(s) (T4 alone or else a combination of T4 and T3) at that time to determine if that would have made you feel better. Good thyroid specialists (endocrinologists specializing in thyroid) have narrower ranges of "normal" than what most doctors and/or labs consider to be normal. Research symptoms of hypothyroidism and then go back to your doctor armed with new ammunition. Also, there are many different thyroid tests, some being much more expensive than others. Your doctor might not even be testing for what your particular thyroid irregularity might be.

Also, your psychotropic drug(s) might need to be adjusted since you quit nursing.

You can get a prescription for Vitamin D; it's extremely cheap. I started with one 50,000 IU capsule per month but switched to taking it twice a month when 50,000 wasn't enough for me.

FYI, calcium absorption, Vitamin D and thyroid function are all inter-related. The four parathyroid glands that control calcium absorption are located on -- you guessed it -- the four points of the butterfly-shaped thyroid gland.

JB said...

Dr. Jenny says that you are making up for all the sleep you have missed in the past, oh, 4 years or so. I know "they" say that is not possible, but I happen to think it is. You deserve the sleep, sista! Get it while you can.
PS I didn't know Claire weaned! Congrats.

Anonymous said...

Here's some reading for you: _Winter Blues: Seasonal Affective Disorder, What It Is and How to Overcome It_ by Norman E. Rosenthal, M.D.; _The Promise of Sleep: A Pioneer in Sleep Medicine Explores the Vital Connection Between Health, Happiness, and a Good Night's Sleep_ by William C. Dement, M.D., Ph.D., and Christopher Vaughan; and _Living Well with Hypothyroidism: What Your Doctor Doesn't Tell You ... That You Need to Know_ by Mary J. Shomon.

FYI, low thyroid can be a migraine trigger. I'm not aware of any good endocrinologists specializing in thyroid in your state since they tend to specialize in diabetes in that geographical area.

Have you considered switching to a prescription stimulant (e.g., Ritalin) instead of being so dependant upon caffeine? As a bonus, Ritalin was first used to treat depression, not lack of brain focus and ADHD. Don't wait too long to try it. By the time you hit your 40s, your brain chemistry will change and stimulants won't be as effective.

Can you treat the family to a long weekend in a nice hotel with a swimming pool and other kid-friendly activities? Or would that upset their schedules too much? It sounds like you all could benefit from some sort of holiday from cabin fever.