Everything sublime is as difficult as it is rare. Baruch Spinoza

Friday, March 24, 2023

Life


I have been taking desiccated bovine thyroid for one week today. So far I have had no side effects. One more week then I'm to increase the dosage. I have been feeling better emotionally, but I'm not going to attribute that to the medication at this point. To use an obvious metaphor in my case, I like to hold the reins.

I'm going to make Beatrice's bread recipe today. I like the simplicity of it. As I've said, simple has become my go-to. I'm also going to start a creme fraiche culture. It's so easy to do and the results are delicious, so why did I stop? I'm sure there's an answer, I simply don't remember what it is.

We are going into much warmer weather now. We will be in the high thirties to low forties into the next week. It's not possible to predict if we are going to have spring in April or not. 



I used the small cherry tomatoes to make a shrimp and pasta dish a couple of days ago. I made a game hen and the romanesco cauliflower last evening, I forgot to photograph it. The cauliflower is good, I don't know how to characterize it....milder cauliflower, maybe? I kept calling it broccoli because of the color but it didn't taste like broccoli. I'd buy it again.

I received a call from the Bariatric Center yesterday to set up an appointment, even though I had already cancelled my appointment. The friendly person said she wanted to make an appointment for me. I told her I didn't think this was the place for me. Silence. Then a tentative 'ok'. I then said that after doing the questionnaire I felt the lifestyle counseling centered around eating and emotional disorders. She said it did. I thanked her for her time. Another person who thinks I'm in denial. I'm getting good at this!

The sun is shining, I'm vertical and the refrigerator is full.  



14 comments:

Far Side of Fifty said...

You will get Spring before me, that should perk you up...looks like frozen tundra up here. I heard the Northern Lights were awesome last night and of course I was asleep:)

37paddington said...

I am so glad you are taking thyroid medication. A low thyroid function can definitely affect one’s emotional state. I know this first hand. I do believe the meds are a contributor to your feeling better. I too chose to forgo my bariatric surgery pre counseling appointment. Denial or not, I don’t regret it.

Pixie said...

Weight gain or obesity as the medical establishment likes to call it, has a multitude of factors involved in it, although right now they seem to be focused only on one thing sadly. Good for you for telling them no. I did something similar last week, refused to put Katie's and other people's needs before my own needs. It felt good.

I told 37Paddington about a radio show that I listened to last week which was very interesting. It was about obesity (sorry, I don't think you're obese) but it was excellent. The doctor on the program was from the University of Calgary and believes obesity is, and needs to be treated as, a chronic disease. It was very good.

https://www.cbc.ca/listen/live-radio/1-1-alberta-at-noon/clip/15972168-managing-obesity

Sandra said...

Far Side, it still looks like the frozen tundra here right now, but that will change within the next week or two. Unless it decides to snow! I didn't even know the Northern lights were happening.

Sandra said...

37paddinton, I didn't need to waste time or money on that. I was on Amour for 4 years until the dr. retired. I felt better than I had in years. Afterward no one would listen to me. The neurologist advised me to use dr google, and I listened.

Sandra said...

Pixie, I let out a teen girl squeal when I saw your name! It seems the medical establishment never got the memo on weight. There is a strong undercurrent of judgement and shaming in how they react. Good for you, putting yourself first. You need to do that in order to be able to take care of what is on your shoulders. I hope you are able to feel more relaxed and breath a little easier. I'm so glad to see you here. I'm going to paste the link into my browser and listen.

Boud said...

The assumptions the medical establishment make about weight are so narrow and don't take account of the systemic patterns. Things like gut flora, thyroid imbalance, exist as part of the health picture. I think it's malpractice to push for one answer to every person, especially when they might not apply, such as "everything's emotional, you're eating wrong" etc.

Good for you for taking the thyroid med. You'll soon know how you're doing, and feeling better.

Sandra said...

Boud, there's a lack of curiosity, interest. And then there's the fact that private equity groups have been buying up the institutions. I started to see these drs as educated assembly line workers and I was the item coming down the line that was not profit generating, so I got tossed the waste bin.

I'm actually glad I did get tossed. So much pressure came off I was astounded. I really, really hope the thyroid is what I need.

The Happy Whisk said...

I love a simple bread recipe. Very cool. I confess, I bought bread today because I didn't make any on my days off. Now I have work this weekend and peanut butter and jelly it is.

Sorry the questionnaire stuff didn't work well for you. I'm still newish here so I don't know all the details.

Wishing you a wonderful weekend and I look forward to reading more about your journey.

e said...

I hope what you are doing for yourself continues to work and good for you for saying no to that clinic.

Val Ewing said...

When the medical establishment understand that standard forms created by data folks are not really helpful, medical treatment can move forward and out of the ... check this box mentality.

When I worked in insurance as an underwriter, we lived for data and stats. If a person was injured in a certain way, stats and data said they would recover in X amount of time. We adhered to that even though I thought it was BS.
I left that world but it opened my eyes.

You have to do what is good for you and you seem to be headed in the right direction.
:)

Sandra said...

Val, If something is evident, easily diagnosable, the medical system works well, if you have insurance. Mark's care and treatment were topnotch. I've learned through my own frustrating experience, it falls apart mightily when it's outside of the ticked boxes. I can't fix it so I can only try to help myself, hopefully without a lot of trial and error.

Sandra said...

e, I can try. I knew I wasn't meant for the center I was referred to, thought I'd try anyway and then read the questionnaire. Nope!

Sandra said...

Ivy, I always keep a loaf from the store in the freezer, just in case.

I've had a couple of years on the medical merry-go-round, with no resolution of my symptoms. I've been set on my own.