Monday, August 18, 2008

Mommy's a shapeshifter!

The real perils of thyroidism - be it hyper or hypo, is the potential to shift between the two! I call it the hyper-hypo-hippo phenomenon! Its the perfect hi and lo scenario! Its the perfect sanity crasher. One day youre thin! the next day youre not!

On a bright note, a very small note - I was happy with some weight loss. All my life, I was never really that fattest person in the room - but I was also never really the thin one. That puts me in between. So losing weight does matter - especially to my ego. Its a welcome morale booster. So yes! In a big way, the losing the weight part that came with the hyperthyroidism symptoms was welcome- sans the sweating, sans the jitters, sans the nervous wreck it turned me into. The down side to this is usually, when you get better, your eating and appetite doesnt necessarily switch off with it. Youre stuck with the cravings, youre stuck with the food escape you thought was the privilege that came with hyperthyroidism. In the end, you find yourself not exactly hypothyroidism (YET! as they say this is a usual end result for the unlucky patrons! sigh!!!!!!!!!) but plumper in an unhealthy bent out shape. Easily, you could rise to hippo proportions if you dont swig it off your system! Thats why more than the physical aspects of exercise, you have to teach your heart and train you will to 'manage' and deliberately love yourself to health.

These days, I feel like a shape shifter. Ive resumed my badminton activities and tried a little walking here and there to keep me at bay. I automatically felt better with it ! Yes! I highly recommend some form of physical activity!

Day by day, with a little bit more discipline and encouragement, who knows, I can finally be the shape that defies thryoid proportions. =) It cant be just wishful thinking.

Wednesday, July 23, 2008

I'm a happy book seller, finally !

Finally, I sold a few books online today. It was a great and wonderful blissful feeling. Such a small accomplishment but it felt grander than winning a debate. I am thankful to my husband for always sending me waves of encouragement. This has kept me standing strong. I am thankful to my two daughters, young as they are, for being sources of whimsical inspiration...I have always kept the child in me but getting to know the child in them brings me to an all time high. If there's ever such as thing as triple happiness, that would be it.

Looking back at how all this started and how it all restarted, it was a pretty long journey. Way back in college, I have always dreamed of having a bookstore. It was my romance with books, in a way. In fact when I told my friends about Pomatomom's Bookshop, they said "Finally, your dreams have come true!". Of course, not everyone knows why I suddenly had the nerve to jumpstart. After all, it has long been relegated to a wishlist for more than ten years. The answer to that is simply this- I had to be shaken to awaken.

For the longest time, I have kept a list of the lives I wish I had, the lives I wanted to live, even part time. For the longest time, I have kept a list of 50 things I wanted to do before I go to heaven (didnt want to say die, because that was too limiting...lol). For the longest time, I have kept a list, a long list of things I was grateful for. I kept them for year because I wanted to remember long after my memory bleeps on me. But why now? Was it the thyroid scare? I suppose it accounted for a great chunk even though looking back it didnt seem as threatening. Yes I had a moment! I thought if not now? then when? And if I wanted to see my children grow to be the best people they could be, shouldnt the lessons come from someone who had their own journey towards fulfillment ? Shouldnt it come from someone who had their share of trying, failing and picking things up again? The answer is not absolute. I could be wrong too. But at that precise moment, I am reminded of a lesson I learned halfway through my life. I cant give them what I dont have.

Monday, July 21, 2008

The good that comes from what you thought was (*@&#(*@^!

The hyperthyroid thingy gave me a real scare. The end result? I am now living out a life long dream. Ain't that a gift ?

Celebrate it with me!
Visit http://pomatomom.multiply.com
You're not obligated to buy anything.
To enjoy it with me is enough.

I feel funny

I feel funny because I dont think anyone's reading this. I am writing for myself. For my sanity.
Then again, many out there are filling the same shoes.

You're not alone- even if you can't hear me.

Surviving Overwhelm

Possibly one of the more downplayed symptom of hyperthyroidism would be the sense of overwhelm. We tend to focus so much on the physical scares that we forget that the sense of overwhelm is not a reaction, it is also a symptom.

After reconciling the constraints of the symptoms, I decided I will not, I should not be afraid. I will live by the day, blessing myself head to toe, thankful for each day that I am blessed with a functioning body- every detail working. I overlooked the possibility of an emotional pitfall. I was distraught at work and at managing my house responsibilities. (Of course, it didnt seem any different from the usual...lol!) Then I realized, hey! I AM experiencing the anxiety, that sense of confusion and lack of focus! I wasnt being intentionally dispassionate about my work, my life, my kids, my dear husband ! My seratonin was merely malfunctioning from time to time.

Thankfully, these details- I have made it a point, do not and will not define me. Every conscious step I take after each and every pitfall, I will use positively. Needless to express, I am truly sorry for affecting my family, if at all, with my emotional highs and low.

If any at all, I am thankful for this because it made me value my family and my life. It may take from me, but it has also give me MORE. It has given me TIME. It has given me DRIVE. It has given me a renewed sense of VALUE. Svetla, my new hyper friend, was right. At one point, you will 'love' this condition- not because it is lovable, but for the good that it has brought to your life.

At no other time have I felt God's design to be more loving.

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Accepting the fact

When you are diagnosed with something like hyperthyroid, its hard to just sit and take it. For one, the tremors wont let you. Second. there is uncertainty really, as to what to expect. Sure, the symptoms are classified. But with the irritability, lack of focus, who knows what kind of person or alterago this will make of you.