Search for T3 Only Doctor

The naturopath, who diagnosed my hypothyroidism and initially prescribed a T4 drug, later added a T3 drug, because T4 only didn't eliminate my hypothyroid symptoms. After a year of intermittent success with various combinations of T4 and T3, I decided to eliminate the T4 and continue T3 only, which my naturopath approved.  She continued to prescribe whatever dose of T3 which worked best work for me, even after I began taking 75 mcg of my T3 drug (generic liothyronine) in 3 divided 2 5mcg doses.  I continued that dose for 18 months while experiencing neither hyperthyroid nor hypothyroid symptoms. I also had no cold during the 2 of the 3 years I was on higher t3 doses.
.
 However, after my ND saw my DEXA scan results, she recommended bone building supplements, biodentical HRT and a much lower dose of my T3 only drug. Her last recommendation was based on research that suggested that TSH is related to bone density.  Unfortunately, taking T3 only supplements often suppresses TSH, even when the T3 dose is very low.  Nevertheless, my ND recommended that I lower my T3 dose enough to raise my TSH to a 'normal' range, even though the doctor who oversees my ND does not believe TSH is an effective measure of thyroid function.


So during a few weeks in August 2014 I reduced my total T3 dose from 75 mcg to 37.5 mcg (still 3 divided doses).  That lower dose was where I started with T3 only in January 2012 and did well for over 6 weeks before hypothyroid symptoms returned.  After a month on 37.5 mcg T3 only, I retested my thyroid hormones (free t3, free t4, tsh).  Unfortunately, my tsh was still lower than normal, although a bit higher after a month of the lower t3 dose.


Then my ND asked me to reduce my t3 dose to 25 mcg and retest after a month on that dose.  At 25 mcg daily I acquired my first cold in over 2 years. That cold turned into a severe sinus infection, from which I finally recovered over 3 weeks later. Also I experienced all my typical hypothyroid symptoms (feeling cold, tired and constipated all the time, as well as being vulnerable to respiratory infections and having fragile fingernails that tore, split and developed vertical ridges).  My next blood tests at that 25 mcg level showed that my free t4 was still very low (I stopped taking t4 in early 2012), my tsh was still below normal although slightly higher and my free t3 was now below normal range.  My ND blamed the low ft3 result on the timing of the dose preceding the test (not close enough to the blood draw) and insisted I again reduce my t3 dose to 15 mcg total daily for at least 6 weeks and retest.  She sent me home with a prescription for that amount and a lab test order.




I initially reduced my dose to 18.5 mcg total daily t3 for awhile. However, I was so hypothyroid at that dose (and had found so many articles dismissing the value of tsh testing for free t3 levels), that I talked to my primary care doctor about my hypothyroid symptoms. She encouraged me to return to my previous 25 mcg total daily and gave me a prescription for 37.5 total daily t3 (6 months worth). After she talked to my naturopath, my PCP said I needed to see an endocrinologist for further thyroid treatment.  Unfortunately all endocrinologists in my 'network' required history from my previous/prescribing doctor (my naturopath) before they would see me. Because I couldn't get an appointment until the following year, I had time to change health care plans and find an endocrinologist who actually prescribed t3 medication.


I found online a list of doctors in my area who prescribed t3 supplements. One of those doctors actually practiced at a clinic covered by my plan.  However, he would no longer see medicare patients (perhaps  because medicare plans don't pay as much as private insurance plans). So I was referred to another endocrinologist in his clinic. The first appointment with that endocrinologist seemed to go well.  He ordered many blood tests, a 24 hr urine collection,  and a one month prescription for my current level of t3 supplement.  Rather than discuss my thyroid supplements, he focussed on testing me for hypoparathyroid problems which could explain my osteoporosis.  I already told him about my years of undiagnosed celiac disease and treatments for gut symptoms which exacerbated bone loss.


When all my hypoparathyroid tests showed normal levels, that endo strongly encouraged me to begain taking Forteo for osteoporosis,  despite resasearch which showed that drug causes bone cancer. Also the benefits of Forteo on increased bone density are only temporary.  I agreed to consider Forteo until I discovered it contained mannitol, to which I react with cramps, bloating and diarrhea, as I also react to sorbitol, xylitol, etc. So I called his office and reported my discovery and declined to take Forteo.  That endocrinologist also did not like my thyroid blood test results.  However, he never tested free t3, but preferred to test total t3, which says nothing about the amount of  biologically available thyroid.  He wouldn't even listen to my experience and research about t3 medication. I never saw him again.


Next I saw a new PCP, whom my previous naturopath had recommended as a more naturopathic medical doctor. She was affiliated with the same clinic as the endocrinologist whom originally I wanted to see.  That PCP seem very caring and attentive to my history about celiac disease, food allergies, and prescribed meds which influenced my osteoporosis. She even physically examined me (listened to my heart, lungs, intestines, etc.), which my previous PCP had never done. However, when I returned for a followup visit to discuss my thyroid history and medication, she said that she must defer to the endocrinologists in her clinic, because she was only a 'family medicine' doctor.  I gave her a handful of studies about T3 supplement use and problems with using TSH tests.  However, she recommend I talk to another endocrinologist.  I told her that I had wanted to see an endo in her clinic who supposedly prescribed T3 but he wouldn't see medicare patients.  So she agreed to call him and talk about my history. She later called me to say that he recommended I cut my T3 and add a T4 supplement in order to raise my TSH levels.  However, I had already tried T4 plus T3 supplements for over a year.  When my T3 levels were high enough to eliminate hypothyroid symptoms, even while taking some T4, my TSH was suppressed.  Been there, done that ...


My last hope was a new naturopath, who supposedly prescibed T3 supplements.  I had tried seeing traditional docs within my health insurance 'network', but the PCPs all deferred to endocrinologists who were focussed only on TSH test results, not my hypothyroid symptoms or lack thereof.  I wanted to avoid paying out of pocket for healthcare, because I already paid for my medicare healthcare plan.  However, I previously only received accurate diagnoses and treatment from  naturopaths.  Traditional doctors had misdiagnosed or discounted my symptoms of celiac disease, food allergies, hypothyroidism and gut infections. 


The new naturopath listened to my history and current osteoporosis treatment approach (nutritional and bio HRT) as well as treatment for hypothyroidism (T3 only).  I left her office with a prescription for my current level of T3 and 3 refills (enough for a one year supply).  She encouraged me to consider taking a T4 drug to raise my TSH level.  However, after reviewing my history with T4 and T3 combinations, I noticed that my TSH level was suppressed even when taking T3 and T4 drugs.  So I called her office to remind the naturopath to review blood test results from the year I was on both T4 and T3.  Adding T4 to my current T3 dose would just further decrease my TSH.  My TSH level had only been normal when my T3 was too low to eliminate hypothyroid symptoms.  That naturopath never called me back.  Nevertheless I have enough prescriptions for about 16 months of T3 only.  I really don't know what a suppressed TSH will do to my bone density.  However, I'll get another DEXA in September or October and find out.

Biodentical HRT

I never considered HRT after menopause, because I never had hot flashes or other postmenopausal symptoms. Thanks to having undiagnosed hypothyroidism, I was cold all the time and my blood pressure and pulse were 'nice and low' (according to my traditional PCP).I also didn't want to risk getting cancers associated with HRT. However, after I fractured my hipbone and had a DEXA scan, my naturopath suggested that I consider biodentical HRT, which was less likely to cause cancers.  Also Lara Pizzorno in "Your Bones" described how estrogen and progesterone help bone growth.  So 17 years after menopause I decided to try biodentical HRT for no more than 2 years.


My insurance company agreed to cover the Estradiol patch (0.05 mg/24 hr ptwk).  However they wouldn't cover the biodentical progesterone product, Prometrium (micronized 100 mg caps), one cap daily. My ND recommended that I take both the estrogen and progesterone products together to minimize side effectt. After my ND appealed twice, my insurance company agreed to cover Prometrium. So I started taking a daily prometrium capsule and wearing the Estradiol patch.


I had read that I would experience side effects. However what I experienced during the first five days seemed more like my typical food allergy reaction, than menstrual cramping pain.  After five days of intestinal cramping I rechecked the ingredients, which I foolishly assumed my naturopath had checked before prescribing to me, and found SOY (one of my diagnosed food allergies) among the inert ingredients.  When I confronted my ND, she said 'some of my patients react to the soy'. GRRRRR!!!! I ALWAYS react to soy with gut cramps, bloating, gas, diarrhea or constipation.


So I went off both the estrogen and progesterone for a week to let side effect symptoms subside.  Meanwhile my friendly compounding pharmacist created a compounded version of prometrium without soy.  So after a week break to recover from soy symptoms, I resumed taking my 'safe' prometrium and estrogen patch.  During the next 4 weeks I experienced many of the listed side effects for estradiol patch and prometrium, including breast swelling and tenderness, weight gain, abdominal bloating and tenderness, significant white vaginal discharge with no odor, and pretty severe reflux.


I could tolerate the other side effects, but I would not tolerate severe reflux.  I do NOT have excess stomach acid.  I actually have to take betane hydrochloride capsules to digest proteins and fats.  I don't want to take acid blocker pills or even biocarbonates, because I need stomach acid to digest all the calcium I take for bone health. So I stopped the HRT for another month to recover from all those side effects.


During the first 2 weeks after I stopped taking the estrogen and progesterone, the other side effects subsided, but I increasingly felt faint when I stood up. So I wondered whether I had low blood pressure and started checking my blood pressure and pulse regularly at local drugstores.  Initially my blood pressure was 86/56.  So I continued to check that every other day and noticed my pulse and blood pressure slowly rose back to normal (for me) over the next 2 weeks. When I talked to my ND after discontinuing bio HRT, she suggested I cut my dose in half. When I reminded her that the progesterone was a capsule, not a tablet, she suggested I stop taking the progesterone.  However I had recently read that estrogen raises blood pressure and progesterone lowers blood pressure. I knew I needed both for balanced blood pressure.
. 


I waited a few more weeks to overcome all the side effects before I asked my compounding pharmacist to show me how to accurately split the contents of each prometrium capsule.  That was a time consuming procedure, but I learned shortcuts as I went along.  Then one month ago I resumed half dose of estradiol patch (1/2 patch or 0.025 mg/24 hr ptwk) and 1/2 dose of compounded prometrium (25 mg capsule daily).  During the past 4 weeks, I experienced some breast tenderness and swelling and slight vaginal discharge, which seem to be diminishing now.  Actually I welcomed the breast swelling, which gave cleavage without wearing a push-up bra.  I began my second month today and hope the side effects really do disappear after the first month, but neither side effect is bothersome. Nevertheless, I will reassess the benefits of bio HRT after I see my next DEXA scan results.

OSTEOPOROSIS TREATMENT

After fracturing my left femoral neck (hip bone) last June 2014, I had a DEXA scan in mid August which showed pretty significant osteoporosis. Just getting an order for the DEXA was challenging. The doc substituting for my PCP (who was on maternity leave) insisted that a hip fracture already says I have osteoporosis. He wanted me to take Fosomax (side effects: jaw necrosis, spontaneous fractures and gastrointestinal damage) ASAP.  I convinced him to order the DEXA and postpone Fosomax until I saw the results. 


The naturopathic doc, whom I'd seen regularly for 5 years, freaked when she saw my DEXA results. However, she prescribed a great nutritional supplement plan, biodentical hormones and lowering my T3 supplement. She also recommended I read "Your Bones" by Laura Pizzorno and Jonathon Wright MD, who heads the clinic where I first met my ND. 


I had taken calcium regularly when I was younger, before I had hypothyroid symptoms (esp. constipation).  Then after my celiac and dairy allergy diagnosis, I tried to get calcium fron nondairy sources.  Obviously many years of undiagnosed and misdiagnosed celiac disease prevented me from absorbing calcium and other bone strengthening nutrients. So, despite my doing regular weight bearing exercise and lifting weights for years, I have significant osteoporosis now.  I knew I was losing height (I'm 2 inches shorter than when I was in my 20s), but didn't realize the extent of bone loss before my DEXA.


So after my DEXA and visit to my ND I started taking the following supplements: 

AlgaeCal 5 caps daily for 1250 mg total calcium (Per cap 250mg Ca, 22 Mg, 333 D3);

Magnesium 3-3/4 caps daily (Per cap 300mg Mg, 200mg K) plus AlgaeCal Mg;

Strontium 2 caps daily (680 mg for 2 cap) 3-4 hours after calcium;

Vitamin D3 (1000 IU per tab) 1-1/2 tabs daily (plus Algae Cal which also contains D3);

Vitamin K2 (100 mcg per cap) 1 cap daily;

Vitamin B Complex (includes 80mg Niacinamide, 400mcg Folate, 600mg B12) 1 cap daily;

Vitamin B (balanced B 100) 1 cap daily;

Niacinamide (500mg per cap) 1-2 caps daily for thumb joint and elbow arthritis;

Vitamin C (500 mg per cap) 2 caps daily;

Vitamin E (400 IU) 1 cap daily;

Zinc (30 mg tab) 1 tab daily 

Custom Probiotics Adult CP-1 Formula (50 billion live cells per cap); 1 cap daily;
IAG (arabinogalactans) 1 tsp dissolved in 6 oz water daily (2 g arabinogalactans) for immunity;
Betaine Hydrochloride (650 mg per cap) 2-4 caps per meal w/ fats and protein for hypochloridia

I also do weight bearing exercise (walking, jumping and lifting weights, as well as pt exercises to strengthen my hips and back) daily.

I'm still taking all those supplements and doing well.  However, I had to battle my insurance company to get biodentical hormones.  I also had to find a doc who would give me an effective level of my thyroid supplement.  Neither too little or too much thyroid hormone is good for bone health.  However, I'll describe those battles in another post.

I suspect this post will make me  vulnerable to loads of comments, criticizm and suggestions by posting my osteoporosis treatent supplements. However, I'll try to respond to every comment, unless it's really an advertisement for drugs for osteoporosis, which I will immediately delete and/or block. Nevertheless I'll reply to questions about treatment and my experience with supplements.

 

Update: June thru November

I haven't posted for several months, because I've been busy with health issues. Before 2014 ends I wanted to describe what happened after my second toenail surgery:

By late May both of my big toes had bulky bandages. So I could only wear sandals with velcro straps around the ball of my foot and over the toes.  That didn't provide much support while walking. So I was unbalanced and slipped several times while walking on concrete sidewalks with rocks or sticks.  I only sustained a few scrapes and bruises from those falls until June 28, when I was walking downhill on a sidewalk with scattered landscaping rocks. I slipped on the rocks, slid downhill and fell on my left hip.  When I tried to stand I felt excruciating pain down my leg.  So my husband ran home to get the car and we drove to 'Urgent Care' where I received x-rays which weren't definitive.  So then we drove to a nearby hospital to get a cat scan, which showed a non-displaced fracture of the femoral neck (large leg bone which fits into the 'ball and socket' joint at the hip).  Based on that x-ray I was admitted to the hospital immediately, had nothing to eat until late the next day, and nothing to drink after midnight.

The next morning I had surgery to stabilize the femoral neck fracture with 3 pins and 3 screws.  In recovery my surgeon told me I could walk on that leg now.  Despite problems with medication (the anesthetic made me nauseas and Demerol for pain made me throw up my first post surgery meal), I finally got some IV Tylenol and did well after that. That afternoon I was given a walker and was walking well the next day.  I was released the next day with a walker, which I used for 2 weeks before getting a cane and leaving the walker for my cockatiel who liked to perch on it.  After a week on the cane I started physical therapy and abandoned the cane to walk unassisted.

 After 10 sessions of physical therapy I noticed that I had developed new muscles in my thighs and hips.  So I decided to try on my heavier clothes (fall/winter pants, jeans, skirts) to see what still fit. After a day of trying on pants, I was a little stiff. After the second day of standing in a small closet in a cramped position trying on clothes I could barely move without excruciating pain in my back. I could no longer do most of my pt exercises without pain. Around that time I was scheduled for another x-ray of my surgery site (left thigh) and visit with my surgeon.  He said my femoral neck fracture was healing well, but suggested I get an MRI and get more pt for my back.  I decided to wait until after the MRI before starting pt so the therapists wouldn't have to guess what my back problem involved.

The MRI showed that I had a bulging disc at L5/S1 in my lower back as well as several (old) vertebral fractures.  I had recently gotten a DEXA bone scan which showed significant osteoporosis in my back and right (nonfractured) thigh bone. So the vertebral fractures and osteoporosis were consistent with loss of height (about 1-1/2 inches) over a 30 year period.  So I went for more physcial therapy, which focused on strengthening my back this time.  After 12 pt sessions I'm doing well, but I continue at home physical therapy exercises daily to prevent more back problems. I still have occasional pain and stiffness, but I can easily walk 3-4 miles or about an hour without stopping and do almost everything I previously did,except lift heavy objects without pain. 

However, when my naturopath saw my DEXA scan results, she freaked out and wanted me to start a complicated program for bone health, which included talking many supplements, adding biodentical HRT and cutting my thyroid supplement dose drastically.  I'm doing most of that now, but I'll describe that process and problems in another post.

Toenail Treatment Finale Part 2

Yesterday I had my second total matrixectomy (removal of toenail and matrix 'envelope' at the base). After enduring the same procedure on my left big toenail one month ago, I had the same procedure done on my right big toenail. (For anyone who hasn't read my previous 'toenail treatment' posts: longterm untreated toenail fungus caused bone spurs on the ends of my big toes, which prevents normal nail grow out, even after I finally treated and eliminated the fungus. Rather than endure bone spur grinding and skin tuck in hopes of normal nail grow out, I opted to just remove the toenails, which had been problematic for about 35 years.) The second matrixectomy went as smoothly as the first. My doctor wisely distracts me by asking about my cockatiel.  However, he tried a new bandaging technique, after I told him how much the first toe surgery bled. He wrapped the first dressing with a small ace bandage hopefully to reduce swelling and bleeding. Unfortunately the second sugery site bled much more than the first. Oh well, the idea sounded good at the time.


For 48 hours after total matrixectomies I need to keep my foot elevated, which also reduces swelling and bleeding, but mostly reduces pain.  I can't take narcotic drugs (which make me vomit) or NSAIDs like Alleve which causes stomach pain and inflammation. So I rely on Tylenol for pain. However, I can't take more than 4-5 capsules daily without getting sick from overdose symptoms. My low weight and my nonuse of drugs make me vulnerable to overdose symptoms from painkillers.  Nevertheless, I can take a tylenol capsule about every 5 hours and endure the worst of my post surgery pain.  I suspect I also have a high pain tolerance level after enduring 30+ years of undiagnosed gut pain, which I later learned was celiac disease, food allergies and gut bug infections. I never took anything for celiac or allergy pain. I wanted to discern the cause, rather than mask the symptoms. So I also learned to keep myself distracted.  I can sense the pain, but I don't obsess about it as long as I know the cause and treatment.


Next week I return to my podiatrist for a dressing change and another dressing change (to just a bandaid) after another week. As I learned from my first total matrixectomy 4 weeks of healing removes most of the pain and allows the skin to grow over the surgery site.  On my left toe (first surgery), I just replace the dressing daily with a large cloth bandaid (after applying antibacterial ointment).  I can wear most of my sandals on that foot now.  However, in order to accomodate my swollen toe from my second surgery, I wear old sandals which allow for adjustment at the toe and ankle straps.


So for the next week I'll be sitting more often with my foot propped up and blogging more often, IF my cockatiel will stay away from my laptop.  Usually he wants to watch singing cockatiel videos and/or peck the keys (with disastrous results) anytime he sees me with my open laptop.  Fortunately he got bored with the video thing after an hour. Now he's on top of his cage foraging for sprays of oats which I hung around his cage to keep him entertained ... at least for a few minutes.

Dress Like Your Bird Day

4 days ago (before toenail surgery) we had very warm weather. So I wanted to take my cockatiel Kiwi for a walk outside in the sunshine.  I would never consider letting him outside without a flight prevention harness.  Fortunately we ordered from Avian Fashions a 'flight suit' (harness attached to a birdy diaper garment) even before we brought Kiwi to live with us. After less than a week of getting Kiwi accustomed to seeing the flight suit, he began playing with it (chewing on and dragging it around his play table).  So we thought he would be ready to wear the flight suit.  He resisted every attempt to put him into the suit.  At one point he even stopped playing with the suit. However some touch training and millet rewards got him more comfortable with the garment.  However, with my hand recovering from injuries from the cast for my fractured elbow, I needed an extra pair of hands to get Kiwi into the flight suit. With my husband's help we got Kiwi ready to see the world outside our house. in his flight suit.


Because the weather was so sunny, I dressed in yellow jeans, tee, sweater and a straw hat with an orange band.  I wore Kiwi's colors!  After we got him into his orange flight suit, we took him outside immediately so that he would associate the flight suit with a good experience.  After a little pruning (a blueberry bush) in the front yard with him attached to my shoulder with harness, we decided to walk around the block twice to let Kiwi see new things and hear new sounds.   


Although Kiwi ate lots of millet (his favorite seed treat) as reward for getting into the flight suit, we needed lunch. So we went home, had lunch and set out for another walk this time around Greenlake.  We had just walked to the business area (restaurants) near the lake, when someone wanted to take a picture of me in my sunny yellow outfit. I told her today was 'dress like your bird day'.  Then she saw Kiwi and wanted to take several pictures.  So after we returned home I asked my husband to take more pics on my camera.  You can barely see Kiwi's flight suit, because it closes in back and attaches to the lanierd leash in back, but you can see the orange leash (which attaches to his flight suit) around my neck.  That should really be called an 'antiflight suit', beause he tried to fly off me, but only got as far as my wrist.


He wore the flight suit for almost 3 hours. The inserted diaper (cotton wafer) absorbed guano very well.  I feared we'd need to wash the flight suit, but the diaper protected it well and slipped out easily.  I hope Kiwi asociates the flight suit with good experiences.  He was 'cruising' on my shoulder as I walked the lake. Most of the time he was cuddling next to my cheek.  Sometimes he closed his eyes, but I suspect the wind bothered his eyes.  Nevertheless he was glad to get out of the flight suit.  I just hope he will tolerate it the next time we have a sunny day (and my toe surgery has healed enough for me to walk).

Toenail Treatment Finale Part 1

After years of unsuccessful treatments for toenail fungus, including grinding, removing the toenails (which grew back with fungus), and soaking daily in Listerine, I finally successfully treated the fungus on my 2 big toenails with daily applications of oil of geranium mixed with DMSO.  A year of that treatment eliminated the fungus so that the toenails would regrow normally. Unfortunately during all the years when I had thick, fungus laden toenails, I developed bone spurs on the ends of my toes from pressure from toenails.  So the 'healthy' toenails could only grow into the fleshy, bone spurred ends of my toes and become 'ingrown'.


One podiatrist suggested I could either (1) keep trimming the nails as best I could or (2) have the toenail and matrix (envelope holding the nail) completely removed so that the nail would not grow back or (3) get the bone spur removed and flesh tucked to allow room for the nail to regrow naturally.  Option 3 sounded most promising for healthy looking nails.  However, that meant major inflammation and recovery after surgery.  Nevertheless, I planned to pursue that option with that doctor UNTIL I discovered he wasn't covered under my medicare plan.  I didn't want to pay for surgery outa pocket.  So I got a referral for a doc who was in network. 


The new doc saw the x-rays taken by the previous podiatrist, when I saw him 4 months later. However, he said the toenails were already looking ingrown and removing the bone spur may not cause normal regrowth.  The toenails had been damaged in the original accident and then later removed by an inept podiatrist who didn't remove the matrix, but only removed the toenail which grew back with fungus.  With that much injury and that much passage of time the new doc thought regrowing normal toenails was not possible.  He suggested option 2 (complete matricectomy), which would prevent toenail growout.  That would still require surgery, but not as complicated. 


So after enduring 2 more months of ingrown toenails (and daily application of analgesic ointment), yesterday I had a total matricectomy on my left big toenail.  The anesthetic prevented me from feeling anything beyond pressure.  However, I was advised to elevate my foot as often as possible for the next few days above my heart level to prevent swelling and more bleeding. Unfortunately I had to walk a long ways to my husband's car in the clinic lot. Then I had to walk up 2 flights of  stairs into our house.  By that time my toe was throbbing. So I took another tylenol (my 3rd for the day with my upper limit of 5 daily) and propped up my foot.  However, getting to sleep with my left foot propped up and my left arm propped on pillows and ice bags was almost impossible.  I finally gave up about 4am and read for another hour before rearranging the pillows and blankets and finally drifting off to sleep for a few hours before I had to get up and take care of my bird. Hopefully I can sleep better tonight.  At least I had my foot elevated for about 8 hours last night. 


The good news is that I may be able to walk around after a few more days. I will return to the clinic to have the dressing changed next week. The dressing look pretty bad now, but my sandle hides the worst blood stains.  The bad news is that I have to endure the same surgery on my other toe (right foot) next month.  Hopefully the first toe and my fractured elbow will have healed enough to make the second matricectomy process go more smoothly.

Non-displaced Fracture of Olecranon

On March 21 I fell and fractured my elbow.  My husband and I were walking home from a restaurant near our house. He turned to say something and tripped me with his foot. I fell in front of him and tripped him with my body. Fortunately he wasn't injured, but I suspected I broke my elbow.  Later that day x-rays confirmed a non-displaced olecranon fracture. Urgent care personnel splinted my arm from upper arm to fingertips and gave me an oversized sling, because they didn't believe the smaller size would fit.  2 days later I returned, because the splint was wrapped so tightly that my fingers were swollen and tingly.  Also the sling kept falling off and my splint slipped out within a minute after tightening straps.  They rewrapped the splint, which relieved finger symptoms, but refused to give me a smaller sling. I wore the splint for 5 days before returning to get a cast.


I was pleased with my pink cast, but still couldn't get a properly fitting sling. Like urgent care personnel, the ortho doc and assistants blamed us for not adjusting the oversized sling often enough (every 60 seconds???)  I experienced the same 'blame the victim' treatment when my cast was removed.  X-rays showed that my fracture had developed a soft callous long the fracture line/ However my fingers, hand, wrist and forearm were swollen to twice the normal size.  The tech would wrapped and set my cast had not put enough padding around my bony hand and wrist.  I have always bruised easily and am taking horsechestnut for venous insufficiency.  However, I suspect the overly large sling forced me to bear the weight of the cast on my hand/wrist/forearm.  Nevertheless the doc and tech tried to blame me for not raising my arm often enough (false).  Then the doc said the 'hematoma' (swollen bruised parts) resulted from the elbow injury (false).  He also thought I injured my hand/wrist in the initial fall, but my hand/wrist was normal 5 days after the fall, before I got the cast without much padding outside the elbow area.


They initially rewrapped my arm in a removeable splint and told me to exercise my elbow w/o the splint 4 hours daily. However, the splint exacerbated pain from my badly bruised hand/wrist/arm.  After 10 minutes of pain, I returned and asked them to reconsider the splint.  Instead they gave me a brace with velcro straps.  The good news was they gave me a size small sling which fit my arm perfectly with the splint.  The bad news was the brace was too big for the small sling.  So I was left with the original oversized sling.  After 3 days of more pain an swelling from the brace pressing bruises, I realized my bruises would heal better w/o the brace.  I could also exercise my elbow more often Unfortunately someone bumped my elbow a few times a few days later, but x-rays showed no new fractures or obvious displacement.


When my hand was sooo badly swollen with bruises, I discovered that aloe vera gel helped heal bruises and reduce swelling.  Now over a week later, my left hand almost looks like the right hand of the unfractured arm.  I have also recovered more range of motion with daily use of my elbow. I continue to ice the elbow at meals and at night, but still need to reguarly take tylenol for pain.  (I can't tolerate NSAIDs or narcotic pain meds and have to limit tylenol to no more than 5 daily, because I don't weigh as much as the 'average' adult and can overdose on the recommended no more than  6 daily limit (as I experienced after oral surgery last year).


I see my ortho doc again next week to check elbow healing progress with x-ray.  He wanted me to begin physical therapy, but I had to cancel the appointment because I can barely walk now. I had a total matricectomy on my left big toenail yesterday. My toe is wrapped in gauze to control bleeding, but I also need to keep it elevated as often as possible for at least the next 2 days.  I'm doing pt on my elbow with daily activities as well as recommended rotational exercises throughout the day.

How Kiwi Changed Our Lives

Our cinnamon pearl cockatiel "Kiwi" moved into our house 19 days ago.  Within 24 hours I and my 'nightowl' husband began living on bird time. Cockatiels need at least 2-3 hours with their 'flock', which means my husband and I. (I suspect he actually gets about 7-8 hours with us.) However, cockatiels also need 10-12 hours of sleep each night. Because Kiwi won't even be 5 months old for another 10 days, I keep his cage covered for almost 12 hours. Covering the cage prevents 'night frights' (usually caused by seeing shadows, lights or hearing strange noises during the night).  A thick blanket over his cage keeps the cage temperature moderate, even when night temperatures drop.  We also installed thermal blinds in Kiwi's room to moderate the temperature.  Kiwi rapidly adjusted to his 'schedule' of sleep time, out of cage time with us, meals with us, in cage quiet time or feeding time and sleep time. 30 minutes before I cover his cage and turn off lights for the night, I turn on a low light and put on a relaxing harp CD.  Sometimes he goes to his feeder for one last snack before I cover his cage. More often he settles into his highest night perch in anticipation of total darkness and sleep.  Of course, keeping him on a regular schedule led me to  go to bed and get up earlier.


Because cockatiels need fresh fruits and vegetables, but must avoid excess salt, fats and sugar, our diets have slowly improved. We bring Kiwi downstairs to share our breakfast and lunch. So we avoid any foods he can't eat (like leftover chocolate Valentine's cookies) at those meals.  He loves to eat many fruits, vegies and grains (gluten free breads, muffins or cereals), which we eat.  He gets about 70% of his diet from specially formulated pellets for cockatiels, which he eats in his cage. However, we try to supplement the pellets with cockatiel safe fruits and vegies, grains, and occasional nuts and seeds (I use millet for training).




Previously I never seemed to find enough time for sewing in my studio. After my studio became Kiwi's room, I finished at least one sewing project daily, because Kiwi needs lots of time with his 'parents'.  Having a bird on my shoulder/arm/sewing machine makes some alteration projects quite challenging. Nevertheless I now seem to accomplish more than ever.. 


Most of all Kiwi has trained us to be loving bird parents very quickly. My husband is the chief neck scratcher/feather preener.  So Kiwi loves to spend quiet time getting his neck preened or just preening his own feathers sitting on my husband, while he reads the paper.



I am responsible for maintaining fresh water and food in the cage (including clipping fresh stalks of brocolli and other vegies to the cage), giving Kiwi regularly 'misting' for feather health and decreasd dander shedding, bringing him down for meals, encouraging him to play with new toys, and training him to fly to me on command. (I forgot to mention that I also replace cage floor paper daily, clean cage parts weekly and the entire cage monthly.) I'm so pleased that Kiwi will fly across the room on command and land on my shoulder now, even without millet reward. That targeted landing training has almost eliminated crash landings after startled flights. Often I can coax Kiwi to land on me after he begins a startled flight.  Sometimes, he just flies to me without command. Maybe he began to see me as a safe place, when he's startled. However, Kiwi loves to just be whereever I am, pecking at keys on my laptop, pulling thread while I sew (or hiding in the garment cloth), and of course eating breakfast and lunch with me.  So I suspect I'm 'big bird' or prime parent, while my husband runs a close second place parent with his neck scratching/preening. 


I never imagined that Kiwi would change our lives so much, but I'm so glad he did. A friend recently said that she wouldn't want the responsibility of a pet to 'tie her down' so she couldn't travel.  We have the option of boarding Kiwi with the pet shop owner, whenever we travel.  However, I've travelled so much in my life. I had lived in 26 different places by the time I was 26 years old. I've been across the country several times, toured Europe when I lived in Germany for 18 months and returned to Maui to celerate our wedding anniversary 7-8 times (I've lost count).  We may return to Maui to celebrate our 20th anniversary, if I can bear to leave Kiwi for 2 weeks. Yet I would be just as content to stay home with Kiwi and live on 'bird time'.

There's a Cockatiel on My Head!

Six weeks ago I visited my favorite pet store. We haven't had a pet since our yellow lab died in 1998. However, my family had a parakeet when I was very young. So I always visit the budgies and cockatiels at that shop.  Over the years I began to prefer cockatiels, who seemed friendlier and interactive.  During that visit I met a very friendly cockatiel. A shop employee asked me if I wanted to meet that bird. He hopped onto my finger and nibbled my thumbnail.  It was love at first nibble. lol That cute little cockatiel even let my husband (who is more of a dog person) pet him.  I later realized that bird chose us, more than we chose him.


That day we learned that the owner was moving her store to a new location. So we could not 'adopt' any birds for at least a week, while she moved.  During that week I definitely decided I wanted that cockatiel for my upcoming birthday present.  Then we learned that another bird in his cage was diagnosed with a bacterial infection. So all the birds in the cage (including my new friend) would need to take antibiotics for 14 days. That meant we would have to wait another 2 weeks to acquire our new pet.  During that time our area experienced a rare snow storm. So the owner didn't start the 2 week antibiotic regimen for a few more days. 


Before we could actually bring home a new cockatiel we converted my previous sewing studio to a 'bird room'.  We covered my 3x8' cutting table with craft paper, assembled a large cage, filled it with perches, toys, food containers, added 'out of the cage' toys to the table, and 'bird proofed' the whole room (as well as many other rooms of our house). Of course all that preparation required several trips to local pet stores. We also purchased 2 cockatiel books and dug out all the 'Bird Talk' magazines, which I acquired many years ago, when owning a bird was just a dream.  I assembled an emergency bird first aid kit, hoping I'd never have to use it. Finally we installed thermal blinds to keep the room temperature more in 'bird range'.


The big day arrived over 3 weeks after my birthday.  We drove to the pet shop, signed papers, bought food and 'travel cage' and carried out our new cockatiel. We previously decided to name him 'Kiwi' because, cockatiels fly wild and free in the Australian outback. So I talked to Kiwi, while holding his towel covered travel cage on my lap during the drive back home. 


After a challenging transition from travel cage to home cage (a palace by comparison), Kiwi rapidly adjusted to his new surroundings, but especially to having so much more attention and 'out of cage' time. I won't go into much detail in this post, but I will say that Kiwi prefers being on my shoulder to anyplace else, except maybe perched on my breakfast bowl eating oatmeal.  My husband is Kiwi's designated neck scratcher. So Kiwi enjoys spending time with either or both of us. He literally 'walks all over' us. Kiwi's newest discovery is that he can climb up my pony tail (and scrunchy) to roost on the top of my head (hence the title of this post).  I could go on and on about Kiwi's antics, but I'll save that for another post. Our lives have greatly changed since Kiwi came to live with us, but more about that later ... 

New Year Update

Over 6 months passed since my last post.  I'm so busy with living life that I don't really have much to post about health challenges or discoveries.  However, my blog stats tell me that my readers continue to read my posts about health challenges and treatments, esp. tapered/pulse dosing for c-diff, toenail fungus treatment, T3 only therapy for hypothyroidism, etc.  I'm glad posts about my experiences can help so many people.  So I'll add an update about my current health status ...


THYROID STATUS:
I've been relatively stable on 75 mcg of  T3 (in 3 divided doses) daily for the past 4+ months. That amount sounds like a lot, but 75mcg of t3 is an average dose for people on t3 only. I don't have overdose symptoms, but neither do I have hypo symptoms. I love being at a level where I can take whole pills (3-25mcg pills every 4.5 hours), rather than splitting pills into little (often uneven) pieces to make up a divided dose. That was a lot of work, but I wanted to increase my dose in small increments until I reached a stable dose, which took about 2 years.


TOENAIL FUNGUS:
I successfully treated my toenail fungus with 2x daily applications of a mixture of  DMSO and oil of geranium (2 drops per application).  My toenails (on both big toes) are pink, healthy and growing out ... until they reach the upper end of my toes.  Instead of growing over the toe flesh, they try to grow into the toe flesh and create an ingrown toenail. So I went to a podiatrist, who x-rayed my toes. Apparently I developed bone spurs at the top of the toes during the years I had thick, fungus infected toenails on those big toes. Now my choices are: (1) ingrown toenails (OK, not a choice), (2) keep trimming new growth to prevent ingrown toenails (very tricky, but I'm doing that), (3) complete removal of both big toenails (been there, done that, as a treatment for fungal nails, but won't do that again), and (4) outpatient surgery to remove bone spur and tuck extra toe skin to allow toenails to regrow naturally.  Actually (4) is the best longterm choice, but for now I'm doing (2). I may consider surgery during the summer, when I can wear sandals, while my toes heal.


OSTEOARTHRITIS OF THUMB JOINTS
I played tennis almost every week last summer, as well as all my usual right-handed activities (sewing, gardening, baking, etc.).  By fall I thought I had sprained my thumb. So my ND recommended taking P5P (B vitamin derivative) to heal the tendon.  However 2 months of P5P didn't decrease my thumb use pain. Then my doc suggested getting x-rays of that thumb joint. That revealed moderate degerative changes to the upper joint (just below the thumbnail) and mild degerative changes to the middle and lower thumb joints. Ironically the lowest and middle joint hurt the most after use.  BTW degenerative changes means osteoarthritis, which is caused by injuries and use, unlike rheumatoid arthritis, which is an autoimmune condition, probably caused by antibodies from food allergies and/or gluten. (Many celiacs who abstain from gluten notice less RA pain.)


So my doc recommended niacinamide (a form of B3 which doesn't cause flushing like straight niacin) plus a good multiple B vitamin to help my thumb recover and/or not get worse.  Unfortunately niacinamide causes gut pain, indigestion, diarrhea, nausea.  So I could only tolerate one dose daily during the first month, while my thumb didn't improve, but didn't get worse.  Now I can tolerate 2 doses daily with only slight gut pain, no nausea. My thumb pain is decreasing.


VENOUS INSUFFICIENCY
For years my fingers have bruised easily. My fingers would tingle, swell and turn black and blue after bumps that most people wouldn't notice.  Granted, my blood pressure was abnormally low during all the years I had hypothyroid issues.  So the nerves and veins were rather exposed.  I developed broken veins on my ankles after wearing too tight boots.  However, I also had hemorrhoids during the time when hypothyroidism caused chronic constipation.  So my ND suspected 'venous insufficiency' and recommended horsechestnut twice daily, about the same time she prescribed the niacinamide. The bad news was I became very ill after taking both horsechestnut and niacinamide at the same time (with meals to delay absorption).  Googling the side effects of both supplements told me that both caused the same side effects (gut pain, nausea, diarrhea, etc.).  So I needed to find a schedule to take both supplements with meals at different times.  I decided I needed the niacinamide more than I needed the horsechestnut. I started taking niacinamide with breakfast and dinner, but taking the horsechestnut only at lunch.  That schedule has eliminated most side effect symptoms, though I still get slight gut pain after taking either of those supplements.  Fortunately after years of undiagnosed celiac disease, I have a high pain tolerance and can ignore gut pain, when I know the cause.


MORE GOOD NEWS (BESIDES THYROID SUPPLEMENT STABILITY)
My husband and I are taking a meditation class at our church.  We've both tried various forms of meditation, but neither of us continued to meditate regularly. Our curent class will explore many different forms of meditation. The teacher's approach is that the only 'right' way to meditate is the one that works for the person meditating.  Before the group meditation session our teacher encouraged us to take any position that felt comfortable. Some sat in chairs. Some lay flat on the floor.  I sat on the floor against the sofa with my knees bent and feet on the floor. I discovered I was most comfortable in that position after mediating in my 'papasan' chair with my feet propped up on the edge of the chair, during a 40 days of mediation to a mantra (suggested by my church).  I don't know whether I actually reached a deep state of meditation, but I learned what position was best for me.


Our meditation teacher gave us 'homework', besides reading more of "Meditation for Dummies". She recommended that we eat one meal in absolute silence with no distractions, like reading material, to become totally aware of what we ate and how we felt during and after eating. (That was easy for me, because I did that with the Thin Within program.) Also we were told to mediate for at least 5 minutes daily.  I like meditating when I need a break in the morning and just before sleep at night. Amazingly I don't fall asleep while meditating sitting up in bed ... okay, yet. lol  I did notice that I slept more soundly when I was meditating daily during those 40 days.  I also observed that I was calmer and more detached from whatever happened the rest of the day, after meditating this morning. I anticipate more good results from taking my current class.


I'll try to post more often this year.  I finished most of my garment alterations, but I can always sew new clothes. I'm getting more piano tuning today (tuned earlier, but one key still stuck) so that I can play more often. Sewing and playing my piano are other creative pursuits that could distract me from posting. However, I'll try to add updates when I have health news for those of you who read this blog for health treatment suggestions.

Acetaminophen Overdose

10 days ago I had oral surgery.  A cavity developed under a crown and spread into the roots and jawbone. So my dentist had to remove the roots and part of the bone to eliminate all the cavity.  She inserted a bone graft and sutured the hole, which will need to heal for about 6 weeks before she can insert a bridge tooth.

My dentist warned me to take a painkiller before the injected anesthetic completely wore off. She offered to write a prescription for a painkiller.  However, I assumed prescriptions were required for heavy duty painkillers like Percoset, Demerol, etc.  Years ago after outpatient surgery I took one Percoset tablet and then threw up for 72 hours. When I was later prescribed Demerol, I had to also take an antiemetic to prevent throwing up the Demerol, because I don't tolerate heavy duty painkiller drugs.  So I declined my dentist's offer of a prescription.

 Neither will I take NSAIDs like Alleve or Ibuprofen, which can cause reflux or harm sensitive stomachs (I've already had damage from H. Pylori infection).   I told my dentist that I'd be okay with just taking acetminophen (Tylenol).  She warned me not to exceed 8 tablets daily, but to take 2 tablets per dose.

I didn't get home (to my acetaminophen bottle) until after the dental surgery anesthetic had definitely worn off and I experienced obvious mouth and jaw pain.  So I took my first 2 acetaminophen tablets about 2 pm and only too 2 more doses that day for a total of 6 tablets (500mg each). 

The next day I took my first tablets about 6am. I noticed I felt a little nauseas and no appetite, which worked well for chewing restriction (on one side of my mouth to avoid the surgery area).  I decided that I needed to get another bottle of acetaminophen, because at the rate of 8 tablets per day, I would run out soon.  However, the second bottle (also generic) suggested that no more than 6 tablets be taken per day (vs. 8 per day on the previous bottle).  So I only took 6 tablets the second day as well. 

However, on the second day I noticed stomach pain as well as nausea and loss of appetite.  Around bedtime I experienced some serious refluxing.  I already have hypochloridia (my stomach doesn't produce enough acid), which means I won't take antiacids or acid blockers. So I dealt with the reflux by drinking sips of cool water.  Eventually reflux turned into serious nausea which turned into uncontrollable vomitting.  After that I was finally able to go to sleep. 

The next morning I took 2 acetaminophen to cope with mouth/jaw pain, but I also had diarrhea that morning in addition to mild nausea, stomach pain and lack of appetite.  I knew I hadn't consumed any allergens or foods which cause reflux. So I started to consider what was different, when I recalled that acetaminaphen can cause overdose symptoms. 

I research acetaminophen overdose symptoms and found those matched what I experienced during the past 2 days.  However, I definitely had not exceeded the recommended dose on the package. Then I wondered if there was any standard of how much the 'average adult' taking acetaminophen weighs, because I weigh below average for my height and age.  I found nothing for adults, but I did find a dosage per weight chart for infants and children.  I just happen to weigh the highest weight mentioned for children (under 100 pounds). A child of that weight should take 1 (500mg) tablet per dose not to exceed 5 tablets per day. 

For my weight (not my age) I had exceeded the recommended acetaminophen dose, not by much, but enough to get mild symptoms (stomach upset, vomitting, etc.).  Fortunately I hadn't taken enough to get serious overdose involving liver damage and a quick trip to the ER to get my stomach pumped.  Needless to say, I took no more acetaminophen that day or even after my next dental appointment a week later, when I had a cavity removed from another tooth.  I had slight discomfort after the dental anesthetic wore off, but not enough to risk acetaminophen overdose again.  I continued using ice packs and gargling with warm salt water for the surgery site.

After I told my dentist about my experience with acetaminophen, she said that's the most common drug overdose.  People, like me, assume acetaminophen is safe, because it doesn't irritate the stomach like NSAIDs or aspirin or narcotic painkillers.  However many other drugs contain acetaminophen. So people can easily overdose by popping a few acetaminophen tablets while taking another drug. Other people like me (maybe other underweight celiacs) can easily overdose if they follow package instructions for adult doses of acetaminophen.

 If I ever really need a painkiller, I might take ONE accetaminaphen caplet and not exceed 4 daily.  However, mouth pain is so mild compared with the gut pain I had with undiagnosed celiac disease. 

Toenail Treatment Update

I noticed that several people have recently read my old (2011?) post about toenail treatment. I suspect that back then I was soaking my toes in Listerine once a day to fight a longterm fungal infection in my 2 big toenails.  I developed that infection sometime during the early 80s after a biking accident where my right big toenail was almost torn off. I went to the ER and received only a bandaid on my bleeding toenail. No antifungal or antibiotic ointment was applied. Who knows whether the attendant had even washed his hands before bandaging my toe? 

Within a year my toenail (right foot) thickened. Then the other big toenail (left foot) thickened. One podiatrist told me I had hereditary thick toenails. He regularly filed those 2 thick toenails. When he retired, I saw another podiatrist who informed me that I actually had a fungal infection. He discounted topical treatments (as ineffective) and internal treatments (as too dangerous for my liver). He persuaded me to undergo surgery to remove both toenails and let them grow back as I applied a topical treatment to the toenail bed.  Needless to say, both toenails grew back thick and yellow with the still intact fungal infection.

Many years later (2011?) I read a 'people's pharmacy' column which recommended soaking the toenails in Listerine (or generic equivalent) mouthwash daily to kill the toenail fungus. After many months of daily soaks, my toenails seemed healthier, but were still thick. I enjoyed going to bed with mouthwash evaporating from my feet all night so that I didn't get hot feet during the summer months.  However toenail thickness after many months of soaking suggested I still had the fungus.

When I finally found a really good naturopath (who determine why my immunity was so low), she wanted to check my liver enzymes before we treated my toenails.  I wanted to focus on doing whatever I needed to do to improve my immunity and stop catching continual gastrointestinal bugs and respiratory infections.  So I agreed to wait until after testing my liver enzymes (which were fine).

Last year I again asked my doc about treating my toenail fungus. She suggested either oil of oregano or oil of geranium mixed with DMSO to help the oil penetrate the toenail to reach the toenail bed, where the fungus began. I chose oil of geranium, because I rather have my feet smell like a flower, rather than a pizza. LOL

 Twice daily I applied the oil of geranium/DMSO (mixed in equal portions) to my toenails. My doc suggested that I apply vitamin E capsule contents to any burned tissue around the toenail.  Although the DMSO ingredient made the geranium oil penetrate the toenail, DMSO also burned any surrounding skin it touched.  I soon learned to apply vitamin E oil all around the toenail before I applied the geranium/DMSO solution (1-2 drops per toenail).

After over 6 months my doc looked at my toenails and suggested I stop the geranium/DMSO treatment and see what happened.  Before that point the old toenails had died, peeled off or were filed off, which  allowed new, healthy toenail to grow.  I wasn't quite ready to abandon the daily ritual. So I continued a few more weeks applying the solution.  After I missed a few days when I was busy, I decided to stop applying the solution and watch my toenails. I filed off a few more dead (black) layers and spots. Only white toenail grew back. I could only see pink, healthy tissue underneath the new toenail. 

Now the remaining healthy part of old and new toenails haven't quite merged. So I still file down the old toenail occasionally. However, I'm pretty certain that I will have healthy, normal looking big toenails just in time for summer.  I'm already contemplating which toenail polish color will adorn my healtheir toenails. 

So bottom line for readers of my old toenail treatment post: Listerine doesn't work for longterm toenail fungus. However, oil of geranium mixed with DMSO does work with 2x daily application for at least 6 months.  I suspect less longterm fungal infections might respond to less, but I only know what worked for me.   

A Month of Hypo Symptoms

After experiencing hypothyroid symptoms (irregularity, bloating, gas,  indigestion, esp. reflux, fatigue, low body temperature) during most of April, I finally realized that I needed to increase my T3 dose by 2.5mcg (which is a small amount, but effective with T3 only treatment).  I tried that small increase off and on during the past couple of months, especially after my last allergen (vanilla) contamination incident.  Most celiacs react to contamination with diarrhea, not constipation, which is more indicative of hypothyroid than allergy reactions. However, I had experienced soooo many years of constipation before my hypothyroid diagnosis that I automatically think that I must have eaten the wrong food or not eaten enough of the right food or not drunk enough liquids or not exercised enough, etc., etc. I heard all that 'constipation cure'  advice for so many years that I can easily forget that the only longlasting solution for me is an effective thyroid dose.

 Last year I spent 8 months slowly raising my T3 dose (according to symptom appearance and resolution). So I believed I finally found my final, full effective dose, when I had no hypo symptoms for 8 months.  I wanted to stay at one dose. I didn't like having to request new prescriptions with new doses, although my doctor lets me tell her how much I need.   

 I should stay open to the possibility that I need to increase my dose.  Of course 2.5mcg is a tiny increase, but enough to notice a huge difference in my digestion, gut motility, energy level, body temperature and general attitude toward life.  I don't know whether I'll stay at this dose. So I plan to ask my doc to give me a new prescription witn a 5 mcg increase, just in case I need another small dosage increase.

What Are Your Favorites?

I've read several versions of the following questions on various social media, but I don't recall ever blogging my answers to questions about my 'favorites'.  So in the spirit of getting acquainted, I decided to list and answer the following 'favorites' questions.  I alphabetized the questions. (Actually I used the alphabet for inspiration.) Feel free to copy and paste these questions into your own blog post and insert your own answers ...

Favorite automobile: Mazda (first car was a GLC, now own a Mazda 2)

Favorite bird: penguin

Favorite color: orange

Favorite dessert: cookies or ice cream

Favorite eastcoast city: NYC

Favorite fiction book: "I Was Amelia Earhardt" (I don't usually read fiction, but recently read and liked that book)

Favorite game: Go Fish with Hawaiian species (Do you have any Hummuhummunukunukuapua'a?)

Favorite holiday: Wedding Anniversary which we celebrate in Maui.

Favorite ice cream flavor; Green Tea or Chocolate (I can only eat one brand which contains none of my allergens. Those are my 2 favorites of the 4 flavors I can eat. However, I can make in my blender and icecream maker many allergy free flavors, but that's more work.)

Favorite jewelry: Delicate, long earrings or lightweight necklaces with coral or freshwater pearls

Favorite knick knacks: My deceased aunt's colored glass pitchers.

Favorite lyric from a song: "Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."

Favorite musician: Enya (singer) or Geoffrey Castle (electric guitar player) for instrumentals

Favorite nonfiction book: "Waiting to Fly: My Escapades with the Penguins of Antarctica" by Ron Naveen

Favorite ocean beach: Kamaole Beach 2 in Kihei, Maui, HI is nice for swimming, but I prefer the beach behind the Lahaina Shore Condo/Hotel also in Maui for just walking and beachcombing.

Favorite perfume/scent: White Ginger

Favorite quotation: "(Y)ou'll do best by filling your minds and meditating on things true, noble, reputable, authentic, compelling, gracious--the best, not the worst; the beautiful, not the ugly; things to praise, not things to curse." (Phillippians 4:8 from "The Message" translation)

Favorite restaurant: Tropica at the Ka'anapali Westin, Maui, HI (The chef loves making allergy free entrees with fantastic sauces just for me. I love the special attention and tasty meals.)

Favorite sport (either watch or play): I like to watch figure skating but actually skate occasionally. I like to play tennis during the summer.

Favorite tv show: "Project Runway" or "Once Upon a Time"

Favorite umbrella: animal print umbrella which matches my inifinity scarf

Favorite vacation destrination: Lahaina, Maui, HI

Favorite westcoast city: I like Seattle where I live, but San Diego is also fun to visit.

Favorite xanthum gum use: Gluten free cookies, breads or cupcakes.

Favorite yogurt: Amande raspberry yogurt with additional raspberries.

Favorite zoo: Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle, but San Diego's SeaWorld "Penguin Experience" is the best penguin exhibit I've seen.

Little Known Facts About Me

I was inspired by a friend's blog post about funny things about her and another blogger's post of 5 things people don't know about her.  So here's my list of little known facts about me:

I'm a penguin freak. I collect stuffed penguins, penguin clothing (not tuxedos LOL), jewelry, penguin ornaments (our Christas tree has penguin lights and ornaments), books about penguins, etc., etc. When I was very bloated with undiagnosed CD and food allergies I often described my body as 'penguin shaped'. 

I'm addicted to fashionista blogs.  I read them daily and get inspired to improve my style.

I prefer sewing (making new garments or altering old ones) to almost anything else.

As well as penguin paraphenalia, I collect clothes.  I make them, buy them, alter them for better fit.  When I travel I buy clothing 'souveniers, like tee shirts or dresses.

If I ever won the lottery, I'd buy a house on the beach in Lahaina, Maui, HI.  I've been to Maui about 8 times and always return to Lahaina.  The manager of Lahaina's Serendipity boutique knows me well.

I walk 45-60 minutes daily to keep my bones strong. I lost 1-1/2 inches of height during the years I had undiagnosed celiac disease.  Several NTX tests proved that I'm no longer losing bone, because I'm no longer eating gluten. So I can easily absorb calcium from my diet.  However I still take daily magnesium and vitamin D for bone health,  I also lift weights daily.

I weigh 40 pounds less than I did during my freshman year of college. Instead of the 'freshman 10' I gained 25 pounds during my first 3 months of college.That was the first time I could eat freely without teasing or critcizm from my family about my weight (which was 115# when I entered college).  Of course I'm 1-1/2" shorter now, but I'm happy that I no longer worry about weight, thanks to a healthy metabolism with thyroid supplements.

I'm 4 years older than my husband who won't be able to collect full SSN benefits for another 4 years.  (Do the math.)

Like my friend, I need to do something with my hands when I walk or stand. If I can't put them into pockets or carry something, my hands, arms (wings?) automatically slip into full penguin position.

That's enough for now.  I feel a little embarrassed after revealing all that  ... SIGH

April Update

After 1-1/2 months of not posting I realized that I prefer enjoying my life to writing about my activities, health, beliefs, etc. Nevertheless I decided I could at least post a monthly update.  Friends who read my blog tell me that they enjoy reading about my day to day activities. However, I get the most 'hits' on posts about my medical experiences. So I'll share my physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual news:

PHYSICAL:  I'm still doing very well on 55mcg daily of liothyronine (T3 supplement). Over a year ago I stopped taking my T4 supplement and started T3 only therapy.  After 8 months I reached my effective T3 dose and have stayed at that dose for the past 8 months. 

However, a week ago I accidentally consumed a small amount (1/2 teaspoon) of chocolate sauce which contained vanilla (one of my diagnosed allergens to which I strongly react).  After 7 days of cramps, bloating and reflux I'm finally feeling almost normal digestion again (and my typically flat stomach).  I was so angry at the sales person who gave me that tiny sample. I specifically asked what ingredients were in the chocolate sauce. She told me "only cocoa and agave". AFTER I tasted that, I looked at the label on the container and saw the word 'vanilla'. I asked the salesperson why she didn't tell me it contained vanilla. She tried to wriggle out of the situation by saying she didn't think the company added vanilla, but the cocoa already contained vanilla.  Just the same, the label stated vanilla and she lied by omission by not telling me when I asked.  NOTE TO SELF: Always read the container. Never trust the salesperson. SIGH

EMOTIONAL: This month began on a high note. A longtime friend spent her vacation seeing my city and spending time with me during the first week of April.  We packed so much into the four days we spent together. We shopped for clothes, ate lunch together every day, did the 'house tour' of my home, walked around my local lake and fed crows and coots, prepared and enjoyed a meal at my home, visited the art museum and waterfront aquarium, rode the Space Needle to the top and took lots of photos, saw the Dale Chihuly Glass Art Museum (first time for both of us) and enjoyed dinner at the Whole Foods Deli one night and at PF Chang's before she boarded the train to the airport and flew home home.  While doing all that we talked nonstop and learned so much more about one another. We walked so much each day that at one point I reminded my very tired self that I could return to my usual relaxed pace the following week. However, I felt rather numb during the first few days after she left. I didn't feel anything. Then yesterday I had to go into town to run errands before meeting my husband for dinner and a meeting at our church. When I returned to one of the same shopping malls where I met my friend several times during her visit, I realized why I felt numb. I really felt sad. I had just spent a wonderful week with a great friend, but now I was visiting those same places alone.  Just acknowledging that sadness and realizing how much I missed my friend helped me move on.  That experience reminded me that I used to feel numb, rather than face unpleasant feelings. I became more aware of my feelings several years ago. So that 'numbness' took me by surprise.

MENTAL: I still enjoy altering clothes that don't fit or flatter my body as well as I'd like.  Every garment is a new challenge, although some garments require alterations which are similar to previously altered garments. Of course, every successfully altered garment is like a brand new piece of clothing. I previously donated to charity (or tried to sell in consignment shops) clothes which no longer fit well (or never fit well, but I didn't really know when I bought them).  Now I love to pin, rip and resew anything I can find.  I haven't followed any patterns to make new clothes since last year.

SPIRITUAL: After reading "A Course in Miracles" cover to cover (in 3 months) and attending a study group about the "Course" for almost 8 months, I took a break from that group while my husband and I battled a bad cold. (The group met in the leader's small living room, where we could have easily shared our cold virus with the whole group.) After a few weeks away, I didn't really want to return to the group. We did return one night, but decided to stay away for awhile, at least until after the first week in April, when my friend visited.  However, on Easter on minister announced that she would lead a class on affirmative prayer during April.  We have attended Unity of Seattle for 8 months, but we're still mystified by that church's approach to prayer. So both my husband and I attended the first class last night and decided to take the whole course (another 3-4 weeks).  I realized after the first class that reading "Manifest Your Dreams" by Wayne Dyer familiarized me with the logic of affirmative prayer, without actually calling the approach 'prayer'.  (Maybe he could sell more books by not calling it 'prayer'.)  I know a bit more than I did before the first class, but I'm still struggling with practical application. Of course, that's why I took the class.

I'm uncertain where 'gardening' fits into my categories (physical? emotional?) ... but I wanted to mention that we started our vegie gardens. I transplanted brocolli plants (from a local store). My husband and I planted seeds for lettuce, green onions, kale, carrots, golden beets.  We will wait until we have warmer weather in May to plant zucchini and green bean seeds.  I still need to clean out the strawberry patch and transplant some strawberry 'volunteer' plants which pop up wherever birds (who eat the berries) drop the seeds.  Our raspberry and blueberry bushes are blooming, but we won't see signs of life from our grape arbor until after a few more weeks. My cold weather herbs are doing well. I need to use or freeze the rosemary before summer, because it thrives during cold weather and barely tolerates heat.

 

March Update

As expected, my life became more complicated after my last post.  I did make Valentine cherry flavored cutout cookies with coconut flavored frosting. My husband LOVED those cookes, but we still have 6 left. He wants more decorated cookies for St. Patrick's Day, even though he never celebrated that day before he met me.  Any excuse for more cookies ... but I need to explain what happened on Valentine's Day. 

My husband caught a cold from a coworker about a week before Valentine's Day. He shared that cold with me. He developed a painful cough. I developed a sinus infection. So by Valentine's Day we were both too sick to celebrate much, even though he took time off to spend the day with me.  We walked to a local Mexican restaurant for lunch, because I always crave spicy foods when I havea cold. He also gave me an H&M gift certificate with his Valentine's card for me. No chocolates, because we can't find any chocolate free of dairy, soy and cane sugar. I can make allergy free fudge, but that's too much work for the few times I crave chocolate. I can always eat my allergy free chocolate ice cream on those rare occasions.

Despite taking lots of zinc, vitamins C and D and arabinogalactins (the source of echinecea), eating many oranges, getting lots of sleep, the cold lingered on for weeks. When my husband returned to work, he heard everyone coughing and their stories about getting a severe cold that lingered for weeks. My husband is still coughing a month later. I still get a sore throat (my first symptom), when I get tired early in the evening.  Nevertheless we both recovered somewhat.

I never finished altering one pair of pants, although I successfully altered the other 2.  After days of struggling to resolve a crooked pleat problem, I gave up and hung the pants in the back of my sewing closet, behind many other garments, which I'll probably want to wear sooner than those pants. 

We had sunny, warmer weather this weekend. So we cleaned out last year's vegie gardens by harvesting the rest of the carrots and leeks, but threw out brocolli plants, which our local birds considered part of their daily diet.  Although we have 2 seed feeders and 3 suet feeders, the birds attacked my brocolli regularly. So I only harvested a few small brocolli heads from about a dozen plants. This year we will plant brocolli far away from the bird feeders and cover the plants with netting.

I've also spent several weeks hasselling with Express. I bought a pair of columnist pants last month and was told I'd get 50% off a second pair.  The first pair was a store return, which fit perfectly. However, that size is usually only available online. So the manager ordered another pair online, but we could only guess the color, because online colors are deceiving.  Over a week later, the 2nd pair of pants arrived, but the color didn't match anything in my wardrobe. The fit was fine, but just not my color. So I returned those pants in store and was persuaded by that store's personnel to buy another pair in a different color. However, those pants were the same number size, but different length.  I soon realized that a 00r (regular) is actually bigger all around (waist, hips, thighs and lengths) than a 00s (short), the size of my original purchase.  However, I also had ordered 2 more pairs of columnist pants online in my size and colors which seemed to fit into my wardrobe.  Before the 2nd 2 pairs arrived, I returned the 00r to a local store.  The next day I received the 2nd 2 pairs in the mail.  One pair was labeled size 00short, but they were huge. I could put them on and take them off without even unhooking or unzipping them.  The second pair was another 00regular, which were a little too big, but I ordered those before I realized that 00regulars were bigger, not just longer, than 00shorts.  However, I measured the waist of the 00r, which was 28 inches. Then I measured the waist of the 00short pair, which seemed waaaay too large. The 00s was actually 32 inches in the waist.  Obviously those were mislabeled. So today I returned the mislabeled 00s and slightly too big 00r pants to the store.  I need to mention that I ordered another 00s pant in a true white color.  Hopefully the color and the size will be correct this time. Fed Ex estimates I'll receive that last pair on Friday, the day before St. Patrick's day, when I'll be baking cookies.

 I hope Express finally gets one right.  After this experience, I'm done ordering online. I'm glad H&M only offers garments in the stores. If they don't have my size, I move onto another garment (or store).  By the way, I've already blown that H&M gift certificate, which my husband gave me for V Day.  I don't know why I bother shopping anywhere besides H&M.

Alteration Trials and Tricks

Related to my addiction to clothes is my alterations passion. Rather than give away clothes which I previously loved and wore BCDD (before celiac disease diagnosis when my stomach was bloated almost 24/7), I learned to alter garments so that they fit my current (flat abdomen) body. I haven't posted again on my blog since my birthday, because I've been busy doing alterations on dressy pants.

Several years ago I bought wide leg pants with high waists. I loved the high waist part, but I'm really too petite (short and thin) for wide leg pants. I also dislike the constant flapping of the pants bottoms against my legs. Those are dark colored, light weight wool. So I would wear them in the winter, but the wide legs don't provide much warmth. Similarly I bought flare pants, which got wider below the knee. Again too much flapping for me. So I've been working on reducing the flare (and flap) on 3 pairs of pants. After I get those to hang straight, I'll tackle 2 more pairs of wide leg pants. I'm also altering a wool bias cut skirt (from long to short plus narrowing the sides a bit).

I did include 'tricks' in the title of this post. So I need to add that if you take in one side of a pant leg (i.e. outer seam) below mid thigh, you need to take an equal amount off the other side (i.e. inner seam). Otherwise, the pleats don't hang straight.  If you have narrow hips (yeah that's a rare problem, but I have that), A-line skirts may 'collapse' on the sides and create 'tails' in the front and back of the skirt. So you need to fit the skirt pattern to your own hips or alter the finished garment (which I usually do). Bias cut skirts tend to collapse more obviously in the front and back, when your hips are too narrow. So, instead of tails, you get inverted tails or ruffles over your knees with a deep indentation between your legs. SIGH The heavier the material, the more a bias cut skirt can collapse, rather than forming even little ruffles at the  hem. I plan to take in the hip area and use a serged rolled hem to create even ruffles on my wool bias skirt.

Amidst all that I need to find time to make Valentine's Day cookies. I doubt I'll post again until after this week.

Cake Occasion

I love frosted cake. Even with 7 food allergies (gluten, dairy, soy, cane sugar, egg, vanilla and nutmeg) I can bake tasty, allergy free cakes which I LOVE to eat.  I consider every holiday a 'cake occasion' or at least a cooky occasion if a cake occasion will occur in the same month.

Today is my birthday. Because we'll be busy all day attending church, seeing a movie, shopping and having 'birthday' dinner at PF Chang's, I made (and ate) my birthday cake yesterday. I hadn't baked a bundt cake since my husband's birthday 2 years ago, when I made a lemon poppyseed cake with lemon glaze. We enjoyed that cake so much that I wanted to try a recipe for apple spice bundt cake.

I like to 'enhance' recipes.  Besides the suggested cake batter ingredients (all gluten/dairy/soy/egg free), I substituted finely chopped pecans for raisins (one of my husband's allergies). Instead of vanilla (an allergy for both of us), I used my favorite 'ginger peach' flavor. I also added ginger and cardamom to the recommended cinnamon spice. I always substitute beet sugar or coconut palm sugar for cane sugar in recipes, because I'm allergic to cane sugar.

I totally changed the recipe's glaze. I tried combining maple syrup with powdered sugar (per the recipe), but I hated the flavor (icky sweet). I always taste what I prepare, esp. glace or frostings. LOL Rather than the sickening sweet syrup/sugar combo, I decided to add some Earth Balance soy/dairy free spread (like a soft margarine) and more ginger peach flavor,  I spent awhile adding and tasting, before I created the taste and texture I wanted, but I liked it. While the cake cooled, I refrigerated my version of the 'glace'. Later before dinner I set the glace on the counter to soften a bit, because refrigeration hardened it beyond spreading.  Even after an hour at room temperature,  I still had to spread the glace rather than pour it.  However, after the glaced (frosted?) cake sat on the dining room table, while we ate dinner, the glace began to melt and run off the cake just a little. So we'll store the cake in the refrigerator.

I enjoyed the cake part, but still thought the glace/frosting was too sweet. My husband suggested that I just scrape off the frosting, when I cut a piece of cake for myself, and put the extra frosting back on the cake or cake plate. He assured me that he would take care of any extra frosting. LOL I suspect I will enjoy the frosted cake on a day when I haven't been preparing and tasting frosting. I can easily get sweets overload!

I won't mention my age, because I feel healthier and more energetic than I did 25 years ago. Age is relative and most related to mindset.  My ACIM lesson for today is "I could see peace instead of this".  That's my favorite lesson so far.  I may find situations in which to practice that today.