Dear So and So

[redrhodie]

Dear Indy,

Hi! I didn't want to hijack the other thread. I have been riding just 3x per week, slow to boot, so I haven't had much to write about here! But I'm good. I'm finding the right balance of exercise, where I feel good and still have energy left, but it's not very exciting compared to the adventures on te! It's been hard to learn that my body can't handle the kind of miles I used to do without feeling wiped out, because I'm stubborn. But I am making progress, though I still get twinges of guilt for not riding more.

How are you?

[indysteel]

Dear Indy,

Hi! I didn't want to hijack the other thread. I have been riding just 3x per week, slow to boot, so I haven't had much to write about here! But I'm good. I'm finding the right balance of exercise, where I feel good and still have energy left, but it's not very exciting compared to the adventures on te! It's been hard to learn that my body can't handle the kind of miles I used to do without feeling wiped out, because I'm stubborn. But I am making progress, though I still get twinges of guilt for not riding more.

How are you?

Honestly, that sounds a lot like where I am, too. I don't know if it's my thyroid, marriage or what, but I haven't had the desire or ability to ride like I used to for a while. So, I don't. DH and I are generally content to ride 2-3 times a week, maybe 2-3 hours at a time at most. I'm otherwise taking some exercise classes at a local rec center, where I've been lucky to meet some really friendly people. That's taken the edge off my discomfort with the town we moved to in September of 2009. It's funny how something so seemingly minor can help make a place feel more like home. I'm doing yoga twice a week and working out with a personal trainer twice a week, once in a group setting and once on my own. So, while I'm not riding, I do feel like I'm really active and fit.
We've otherwise had a great summer. We went to Hawaii in April and are headed to Tennessee next month. Married life is good. We're like two peas in a pod!

My thyroid is still sort of all over the place. I took a small dose of Methimazole from November until late June. I was able to keep my TSH at a good level, but it had started to creep up to close to 3, so he took me off the drug. My latest test indicated that it was at 2.37, which is closer to abnormal than I'd like, but I feel mostly good, so I'm just not going to stress over it. I do think the doctor is right that I likely have both Graves' and Hashi's, which explains all of my fluctuations. I don't know the best path forward if that's the case. Maybe I should just nuke it and be done with it. If I don't do that, Graves will probably burn it off over time, and I'll just go hypo at that point anyway.

But I don't want to complain too much. I've felt more like myself this year than I did last and, like I said, I've had a really good summer.

It's so good to see you on the forum, Red! Stick around a while; you've been missed!

[redrhodie]

Honestly, that sounds a lot like where I am, too. I don't know if it's my thyroid, marriage or what, but I haven't had the desire or ability to ride like I used to for a while. So, I don't. DH and I are generally content to ride 2-3 times a week, maybe 2-3 hours at a time at most. I'm otherwise taking some exercise classes at a local rec center, where I've been lucky to meet some really friendly people. That's taken the edge off my discomfort with the town we moved to in September of 2009. It's funny how something so seemingly minor can help make a place feel more like home. I'm doing yoga twice a week and working out with a personal trainer twice a week, once in a group setting and once on my own. So, while I'm not riding, I do feel like I'm really active and fit.
We've otherwise had a great summer. We went to Hawaii in April and are headed to Tennessee next month. Married life is good. We're like two peas in a pod!

My thyroid is still sort of all over the place. I took a small dose of Methimazole from November until late June. I was able to keep my TSH at a good level, but it had started to creep up to close to 3, so he took me off the drug. My latest test indicated that it was at 2.37, which is closer to abnormal than I'd like, but I feel mostly good, so I'm just not going to stress over it. I do think the doctor is right that I likely have both Graves' and Hashi's, which explains all of my fluctuations. I don't know the best path forward if that's the case. Maybe I should just nuke it and be done with it. If I don't do that, Graves will probably burn it off over time, and I'll just go hypo at that point anyway.

But I don't want to complain too much. I've felt more like myself this year than I did last and, like I said, I've had a really good summer.

It's so good to see you on the forum, Red! Stick around a while; you've been missed!

Thanks Indy. I'm glad you're feeling better!

What are the risks of nuking it?

[indysteel]

As I understand it, thyroid ablation can increase the chance of thyroid eye disease. Since ablation doesn't eliminate the root cause of the disease, the antibodies that once attacked your thyroid can move onto the eyes, their other primary target. I'd rather try to bring the disease into remission through drug therapy, but if I'm just going to yo-yo, then I may have to rethink it.

My latest labs show a TSH of 2.3. I've been off meds for 7 weeks. It's higher than I'd like, but I feel relatively good. I have a few hyper symptoms, which is weird, but assuming I have both dieases, not unheard of.

[redrhodie]

That's a bummer. I think waiting seems reasonable. You have a good handle on how you feel, so you'll know when the time comes.

Dear former upstairs neighbor,

I am so glad you're gone. I can finally sleep! Without earplugs! I kind of understood your need to go to the gym every day at 4 am, but if it were me, I would have made an effort to be quiet. You marched around, ran up and down the stairs, slammed doors, dropped and crashed things constantly. No one else was ever so loud. You were so self centered that if it occured to you that others may be sleeping, you didn't care. You were also just generally inconsiderate and unpleasant. And getting rid of your cats really sealed my feeling that you are not a good person, but at least I'm sure they are better off.

Your for sale sign in the yard was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. It belongs in a museum. Your good fortune at selling so fast is the best thing that's happened to me in a long time. I wish you the best, but I will not miss you.

[Owlie]

Dear credit card company--

Seriously?

Lesson learned, I guess. But you still suck.

Me.

[emily_in_nc]

red -- what WONDERFUL news! I remember when you wrote about this terrible noisy neighbor before, and I so felt for you, having lived on the first floor under loud folks before myself. I know you must be to the moon!

I love a happy ending...