I've been trying really hard to be a healthy housewife, but it's been a battle. Starting in January my health took a dive. At first I thought it was mostly physical, but the longer it went on, the more I came to believe that it was both mental and physical.
In September I switched from anti-depressants to light therapy with my doctor's approval. Fall was wonderful! Then I had a heart scare in December, followed by super low thyroid levels. Somewhere along the line I think that the light therapy wasn't enough to keep the winter blues at bay.
I tried upping the time I spend under the light. I went on vitamin D supplements. I tried to get outdoors on sunny days. I tried to get good and sweaty on my Nordic Track every morning. But despite my best efforts, my health deteriorated.
A month or so ago I was flipping through channels and came across a show on PBS about mental health. The man said, "Saying someone has depression is like saying someone has back pain." His point was that everyone experiences depression differently. Everything from its causes, symptoms and treatments needs to be individualized.
For me, depression manifests itself very physically. I get incredibly tired. My stomach hurts (nausea, IBS symptoms) as well as other parts of my body (headaches, joint pain). I get frustrated when I can't accomplish all that I expect of myself. I can get moody. But this year I've experienced what I call the winter blahs -- just a tired, empty mood most of the time. (Hence, my lack of blog entries lately.)
I've tried being patient. Because a low thyroid can cause depression, I thought I'd wait until I get my throid levels tested again before doing anything. But the tummy troubles and fatigue are getting to be too much. A week ago I called my doctor and we decided that I should go back on medication at least through the end of April. Hopefully that will banish these winter blues.
Here's hoping that a healthy housewife re-emerges soon!
4 comments:
Hang in there! Lighter, brighter days are coming!
The blog award I've given you might help you feel better, Christie. It's a Premio Dardos award, which you can "pick up" on my blog.
I hope the new meds are helpful. I'm doing what I can to stay off them. My physical symptoms aren't as severe as yours. Maybe we should try "girl lunch out" therapy? :)
Hi Christine,
Did you know that thyroid disease is really a very rare disease and yet there is an epidemic (1 in 4 people) of it in America. The truth is that an autoimmune disease such as Hashimoto's (IBS is a symptom of this one) or Graves disease probably (90%+) gave you your thyroid disease. Autoimmune diseases are very interesting, there are aprox 80 to 100 at this time with another 40 waiting for a name. Medical science cannot explain why and has not found a cure for even one. You can trigger one of them just by having an auto accident, taking aspirin or medicine, by starting a new exercise routine, or even stressing out says latest research. Naturopathic medicine says, "Look for the root cause. The cause is in the basics; beginning with what is on your fork, what toxins are in your body, what exercise do you do, what stress is in your life, what is your spiritual base". Science has led us down the wrong path, we better stop and take a close look at what is happening. Autoimmune disease is the worst kind of contradiction; for thyroid disease your immune system is attacking you at your own thyroid, a world upside down. God bless you in your search Christine.
Thanks
Paul
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