WORST SURGERY EVER
Yes! So I have a (somewhat) clear head at the moment, am in between my generic brain fog of lortabs & pain and because I tend to think about others more than myself, I thought I would post some stuff.
I will write about the surgery later when I has a bit more strength & mindset. Whenever that will be.
I posted publicly on my Facebook page today 2 links for certificates through Boomerang. One is a $5 off $20 for Julep & the other is $5 off $50 when you shop at Target online. They expire after 30 days &, from what I have been able to tell, can only be shared through Facebook wall posts at this time. I couldn't find an option to tweet or e-mail them.
Boomerang doesn't bombard you with e-mails but you get at least 1 weekly with usually a free $5-10 off a certain amount spent. Some place I usually haven't heard of. You can also buy certificates in certain amounts for friends on their birthdays or special occasions for places like Bath & Body Works, Etsy, Groupon, Sephora, Anthropologie, etc. In the past I've even received deals for Ghirardelli & Diamond Candle.
So, if you are an online shopper like me, sign up, take advantage. When you send certificates, you may even get additional free ones of your choice.
You may/may not be able to use these in conjunction with other promos & certificates, depending what they are. I was able to use the Julep in combination with their July clearance and with another gift certificate I had that I had been saving up. So a, close to, $50 order (including shipping) became $30 with the sale & then became $11 with the codes (I had $14 certificate plus the $5). DEAL!
More later!
I don't make soap but I'm obsessed with bath and body products! Hypothyroid after a thyroidectomy. Influencer for Perfectly Posh!
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Saturday, July 27, 2013
Under the knife... again!
Tonight's bath consisted of:
I was happy to find three Me! Bath ice creams on my last trip to TJ Maxx for close to $5 each. SCORE!
Over the last couple of weeks ideas, thoughts, plans of things that were going to happen were in the works for me. And then.... things just turned in a completely different direction. Of course this all has to do with my thyroid & autoimmune disease! We thought RAI therapy was going to be the best option for me. We decided against that.
I really have to thank everyone for all the kind words & support. Family, friends, even people who hardly know me. Others who have been through this, or are still going through this. No one really knows how awful Graves' Disease is unless that are going through it. Before being treated for Hashimoto's thyroiditis, I've talked to SO many people going through that & they tell me how terrible it is. I know, I've been there & was being treated for that before the Graves' kicked in. I just pray it doesn't switch on like a light to Graves' like mine did. I can't wait to get back to hypothyroid... or even better... NORMAL!
Monday I am going in for surgery to have a total thyroidectomy. There's no concern for cancer with me but when I was 1st diagnosed with Graves' the plan was to start on a high dose of medication & then get my numbers evened out & taper off of that. Well, my body didn't want to work that way. Instead, they would even out but then immediately slip. So, the dosing went higher... then higher... then higher. Now my T3 & T4 levels are in a good range for the surgery, but my THS is almost non-existent again so my anxiety is through the roof & a good reason why I've been so ill in many ways lately.
It has put a lot of things on hold. On a leave from work, seeing 5 different doctors because of it, missing going to Toronto with one of my BFFs, etc etc etc. Everyone keeps telling me things will get better after they remove it. I've been feeling like crap for so long it's almost unbelievable! Excited, nervous, anxious, scared. I may & may not have a long road of recovery after.
And my eyes! Oh my eyes! So you can't really see it by looking at me but I have the start of TED in my left eye. It's extremely slight & they had me on steroid eye drops for it but are weening me off of that & have me on a high dose of oral prednisone (WORST medication EVER), before the surgery &, under supervision, are going to ween me off of that (hopefully) by the end of September. My eye is constantly tearing so it's hard to see out of it, things get blurry or light streaks across my vision, like if you were looking at lights through water. That in conjunction with the vision in my right eye being fine, causes confusion sometimes. It's been making it difficult to not only see but drive my car also. I can be sitting around & tears will just start rolling down my cheek like I'm crying & I can't get it to stop. I do NOT want that to get any worse!
The whole thing is still so confusing to me. There's so much to know & learn & do suffering through this. Not to take up so much time writing about it but, it's my blog so I can do what I want. Of course, I'll keep everyone informed.
In addition to this I really messed up my computer the other week also. UGGHHH! I did something that made it try to boot from the E: drive (which was what I was using my flash drive under) while moving some documents around. Had a hell of a time getting past passwords & moving files from the hard drive to a portable one. Then I had to reinstall Windows. Reinstall all my programs. Reinstall all my drivers.
Upon doing so I found some pictures I would like to share!
Can you tell I love purple? That's an old picture of my closet too. Things have kind of expanded to 2 more shelves. This doesn't even get into my candle addiction.
I think once I get back on my feet I am going to also subscribe to both Birchbox & Ipsy. I have been toying with the idea of both of them lately. This should be interesting. I was doing Julep, but that's another story for another day. I always have so many ideas & things I want to write about but with this illness everything I have been doing to get to this point, my blog has just been another thing put on the back burner. I really hope not for much longer.
Well, I warned the hospital at my pre-operation appointment that, considering I can't eat after midnight, have to be there at 10:30am & surgery isn't until 1:30pm that I may become quite crabby & irritable. They said no lotion, nail polish, perfumes, oils, makeup or deodorant. Also went to CowPök to have my ear piercings removed that I couldn't get out on my own in prep for Monday.
Feeling more scared about it all... if anything. Maybe I'll have some time to update tomorrow just some general fun stuff. Kind of doubt it though it would be nice.
Wish me luck!
- Sandalwood Fig bath ice cream by Me! Bath
- Polished & Protected body scrub by EcoTools
- Sweet Lemon shower gel by The Body Shop
I was happy to find three Me! Bath ice creams on my last trip to TJ Maxx for close to $5 each. SCORE!
Over the last couple of weeks ideas, thoughts, plans of things that were going to happen were in the works for me. And then.... things just turned in a completely different direction. Of course this all has to do with my thyroid & autoimmune disease! We thought RAI therapy was going to be the best option for me. We decided against that.
I really have to thank everyone for all the kind words & support. Family, friends, even people who hardly know me. Others who have been through this, or are still going through this. No one really knows how awful Graves' Disease is unless that are going through it. Before being treated for Hashimoto's thyroiditis, I've talked to SO many people going through that & they tell me how terrible it is. I know, I've been there & was being treated for that before the Graves' kicked in. I just pray it doesn't switch on like a light to Graves' like mine did. I can't wait to get back to hypothyroid... or even better... NORMAL!
Monday I am going in for surgery to have a total thyroidectomy. There's no concern for cancer with me but when I was 1st diagnosed with Graves' the plan was to start on a high dose of medication & then get my numbers evened out & taper off of that. Well, my body didn't want to work that way. Instead, they would even out but then immediately slip. So, the dosing went higher... then higher... then higher. Now my T3 & T4 levels are in a good range for the surgery, but my THS is almost non-existent again so my anxiety is through the roof & a good reason why I've been so ill in many ways lately.
It has put a lot of things on hold. On a leave from work, seeing 5 different doctors because of it, missing going to Toronto with one of my BFFs, etc etc etc. Everyone keeps telling me things will get better after they remove it. I've been feeling like crap for so long it's almost unbelievable! Excited, nervous, anxious, scared. I may & may not have a long road of recovery after.
And my eyes! Oh my eyes! So you can't really see it by looking at me but I have the start of TED in my left eye. It's extremely slight & they had me on steroid eye drops for it but are weening me off of that & have me on a high dose of oral prednisone (WORST medication EVER), before the surgery &, under supervision, are going to ween me off of that (hopefully) by the end of September. My eye is constantly tearing so it's hard to see out of it, things get blurry or light streaks across my vision, like if you were looking at lights through water. That in conjunction with the vision in my right eye being fine, causes confusion sometimes. It's been making it difficult to not only see but drive my car also. I can be sitting around & tears will just start rolling down my cheek like I'm crying & I can't get it to stop. I do NOT want that to get any worse!
The whole thing is still so confusing to me. There's so much to know & learn & do suffering through this. Not to take up so much time writing about it but, it's my blog so I can do what I want. Of course, I'll keep everyone informed.
In addition to this I really messed up my computer the other week also. UGGHHH! I did something that made it try to boot from the E: drive (which was what I was using my flash drive under) while moving some documents around. Had a hell of a time getting past passwords & moving files from the hard drive to a portable one. Then I had to reinstall Windows. Reinstall all my programs. Reinstall all my drivers.
Upon doing so I found some pictures I would like to share!
Can you tell I love purple? That's an old picture of my closet too. Things have kind of expanded to 2 more shelves. This doesn't even get into my candle addiction.
I think once I get back on my feet I am going to also subscribe to both Birchbox & Ipsy. I have been toying with the idea of both of them lately. This should be interesting. I was doing Julep, but that's another story for another day. I always have so many ideas & things I want to write about but with this illness everything I have been doing to get to this point, my blog has just been another thing put on the back burner. I really hope not for much longer.
Well, I warned the hospital at my pre-operation appointment that, considering I can't eat after midnight, have to be there at 10:30am & surgery isn't until 1:30pm that I may become quite crabby & irritable. They said no lotion, nail polish, perfumes, oils, makeup or deodorant. Also went to CowPök to have my ear piercings removed that I couldn't get out on my own in prep for Monday.
Feeling more scared about it all... if anything. Maybe I'll have some time to update tomorrow just some general fun stuff. Kind of doubt it though it would be nice.
Wish me luck!
Sunday, July 7, 2013
One day at a time.
Tonight's bath consisted of:
There's a theme to that. Can you guess it?
I hope my few followers are doing well. I have been not. My Graves' is not getting any better. I switched endocrinologists, my THS levels dropped again since the last time I had blood work done (in April) & I am now up to 40mg of Tapazole a day. This means I wasn't responding well to the 35mg I was already on. Normal maintenance dosage of the medication is 5-15mg a day. Medication is also supposed to be short-term & I have been on it for 8 months now. My new doctor thought about putting me on PTU but after thinking about it for a while when I was at the office, due to it being less effective than the Tapazole & also known for causing liver problems, he decided against it & just to increase the Tapazole for now.
Eventually he wants my next step to be Radioactive Iodine (RAI) therapy. To do that though, he said I would need to go off my current thyroid medications completely which, with how I am currently responding, will most likely make me very hyperthyroid & feeling much worse than I am now. Then after the RAI, I have to wait a few months for it to even kick in so I may become extremely ill, like how I was back in October of last year (though I feel like I am almost getting back to that point now). I've already had to go back on heart medication due to palpitations the fact my blood pressure skyrockets when I'm at work. They do say stress aggravates it.
I really can't wait to get back to "normal." Whatever that feels like anymore. Between the stress, anxiety, palpitations, on/off problems with my pulse & blood pressure, dizziness, intolerance to heat, confusion, the fact my left eye will not stop watering & I'm having trouble seeing out of that at times now and people keep asking me if I'm ok because it looks like I'm crying, the shakiness & tremors I get, insomnia, the problems it's causing with my skin, eczema, keratosis, panic attacks, tiredness, exhaustion, tension, pain... I would do anything to not go through this anymore! It was funny to mention that at my last appointment my endocrinologist was saying how nausea was an unusual side effect of the graves but it's not unheard of. My response was along the lines of...
Now, back to bath blogging!
PLEASE check them out by clicking the photo to go to their main webpage. Add them on Facebook! BUY something of theirs! There's tons of companies out there who use the same scents over & over, or try to mimic perfumes & signature scents of other companies but Villainess is truly unique!
Their line is limited to a few things. Soaps, Smack! (foaming body scrubs), Smooch! (moisturizing body scrub), Whipped! (velvety body creme), perfume oils, About Face (a line of facial products), & now & then something new & different. Like they currently have a "blood bubble bath" under their Limited Edition section.
I first noticed them on Fab.com as they were having a sale of their products. It was something like, get 3 bars of soap or 2 scrubs, but in all the same scent. I had never tried them before though &, to be honest, I had no clue if I would even like what they had to offer. So I sought out their main webpage & ended up getting a few products on clearance and samples, even paid less in shipping than what I would have paid through Fab.
So I got soap, Smooch!, & Whipped! in the scent Blush. "A blend of sweet berry and tart lime notes, grounded by a slightly tipsy touch of cheap dry wine." Ohhh... I wish they still made this scent! All the products & samples I got I just loved. All the mixes of scents just work so perfectly with each other!
The Whipped! is fantastic! It goes on really light & seeps in right away leaving your skin soft without a greasy feeling. The scents linger for a good long while in all of their products too!
So, again, check them out in the links above! Follow their blog, follow Villainess on Twitter, or follow them everywhere & give them a try at some point!
- Colloidal Oatmeal packet by Rite Aid
- Flying Saucers bath foam by Lush (*Note: The link is to the shower gel as the bath foam has been discontinued.)
- Honey shampoo by The Body Shop (Also discontinued.)
- Killer Beez soap by Villainess Soaps
There's a theme to that. Can you guess it?
I hope my few followers are doing well. I have been not. My Graves' is not getting any better. I switched endocrinologists, my THS levels dropped again since the last time I had blood work done (in April) & I am now up to 40mg of Tapazole a day. This means I wasn't responding well to the 35mg I was already on. Normal maintenance dosage of the medication is 5-15mg a day. Medication is also supposed to be short-term & I have been on it for 8 months now. My new doctor thought about putting me on PTU but after thinking about it for a while when I was at the office, due to it being less effective than the Tapazole & also known for causing liver problems, he decided against it & just to increase the Tapazole for now.
Eventually he wants my next step to be Radioactive Iodine (RAI) therapy. To do that though, he said I would need to go off my current thyroid medications completely which, with how I am currently responding, will most likely make me very hyperthyroid & feeling much worse than I am now. Then after the RAI, I have to wait a few months for it to even kick in so I may become extremely ill, like how I was back in October of last year (though I feel like I am almost getting back to that point now). I've already had to go back on heart medication due to palpitations the fact my blood pressure skyrockets when I'm at work. They do say stress aggravates it.
I really can't wait to get back to "normal." Whatever that feels like anymore. Between the stress, anxiety, palpitations, on/off problems with my pulse & blood pressure, dizziness, intolerance to heat, confusion, the fact my left eye will not stop watering & I'm having trouble seeing out of that at times now and people keep asking me if I'm ok because it looks like I'm crying, the shakiness & tremors I get, insomnia, the problems it's causing with my skin, eczema, keratosis, panic attacks, tiredness, exhaustion, tension, pain... I would do anything to not go through this anymore! It was funny to mention that at my last appointment my endocrinologist was saying how nausea was an unusual side effect of the graves but it's not unheard of. My response was along the lines of...
Now, back to bath blogging!
PLEASE check them out by clicking the photo to go to their main webpage. Add them on Facebook! BUY something of theirs! There's tons of companies out there who use the same scents over & over, or try to mimic perfumes & signature scents of other companies but Villainess is truly unique!
Their line is limited to a few things. Soaps, Smack! (foaming body scrubs), Smooch! (moisturizing body scrub), Whipped! (velvety body creme), perfume oils, About Face (a line of facial products), & now & then something new & different. Like they currently have a "blood bubble bath" under their Limited Edition section.
I first noticed them on Fab.com as they were having a sale of their products. It was something like, get 3 bars of soap or 2 scrubs, but in all the same scent. I had never tried them before though &, to be honest, I had no clue if I would even like what they had to offer. So I sought out their main webpage & ended up getting a few products on clearance and samples, even paid less in shipping than what I would have paid through Fab.
So I got soap, Smooch!, & Whipped! in the scent Blush. "A blend of sweet berry and tart lime notes, grounded by a slightly tipsy touch of cheap dry wine." Ohhh... I wish they still made this scent! All the products & samples I got I just loved. All the mixes of scents just work so perfectly with each other!
The Whipped! is fantastic! It goes on really light & seeps in right away leaving your skin soft without a greasy feeling. The scents linger for a good long while in all of their products too!
So, again, check them out in the links above! Follow their blog, follow Villainess on Twitter, or follow them everywhere & give them a try at some point!
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