My tired life

After I had Knox, I was tired all the time and losing hair like crazy. I didn't think anything about it. New moms are supposed to be tired, and I'd heard you lose a lot of hair after you give birth. No big deal. It wasn't until 4 months later, when I was visiting my sister after the arrival of my niece, that I realized something was wrong. From across the room, my mom asked, "What's up with your neck?" 

"Oh, my fat roll?" I responded. 

"That's not a fat roll! That's your thyroid!!"

And so began my journey. I saw an endocrinologist and was diagnosed with Hashimoto's disease, a form of hypothyroidism. I didn't think much of it. I figured at some point I would have to go on thyroid medicine since every other woman in my family was. 

It sounds stupid, but I didn't realize this disease would completely change me. I assumed I would start a medicine, feel better, and go on with my life. I tried different medicines, none of which helped me feel better. I continued to be tired, to lose hair, to have trouble producing milk, and to gain weight (about 20 pounds in a year). 

What I didn't realize is that this is an autoimmune disease. That means my immune system went psycho when I had Knox, and started killing off everything in my body...first to go was the thyroid. (I also had liver problems that healed on their own, and then gallbladder issues--which still seem to flare up every once in a while.)

I really like a quote I saw the other day: "There's no tired like thyroid tired." It's so true! Think about the most tired you've ever been. Maybe when you've pulled an all-nighter or, for those who have been pregnant before, that first-trimester fatigue. Now, double that and live with it everyday...with no hope of it ever going away. THAT is thyroid tired. 

When I got pregnant with Nora, I was worried about what it would do to my thyroid. Luckily, I felt really good throughout my whole pregnancy. I had some energy and surprisingly was able to keep up with Knox. 

Since having Nora, I've felt the worst I've ever felt. My hair is falling out at rapid speeds and I have no energy to do anything. Luckily, I have been able to produce enough milk for Nora and I haven't had to supplement at all yet. 

The question is this: if my blood work shows that my thyroid levels are normal, why do I still feel like crap?!?! If anyone can answer this, I'd love to hear from you!

Also, more than 20 million Americans have some form of thyroid disorder. One in 8 women will develop a thyroid problem at some point in their lifetime. This is a big deal. Your thyroid literally affects every part of your body. So why isn't more being done to solve the problem and help people when the typical thyroid medication just isn't cutting it? 

I'm not sure exactly what the point is of writing this blog post. I wish I had a success story so I could possibly help someone else. But, hopefully this sheds some light on the situation for someone. And maybe if you see me out and about and I look like I've just been ran over by a truck, this could explain it :) 

Oh, and when I tell people I'm losing a lot of hair, I don't think they always realize just how much. Or they may think I'm exaggerating. The next pictures will show just how much...

I looked in our bathroom trash can and saw this yesterday. I knew I was cleaning out my hairbrush every day or at least every other day, but didn't realize how much it was adding up to. Cody takes our trash out every Sunday night, but forgot last Sunday. So this is two weeks worth of hair just from my hairbrush. I continue to lose hair all day and night that is not included in this glob. Sorry if this grosses you out, but I cried for a long time after I saw this. 

I half-joked with Cody that I was going bald, but reality set in when I saw that I actually am going bald! I have matching bald patches on either side of my head.  

I guess I'm hoping that everyone takes thyroid problems seriously. If you're showing signs, get to a doctor and get a full thyroid panel. You'll have to request a full thyroid panel, because most doctors just run tsh. And hopefully my current issues can help someone else! 

How to properly clean a toilet

Friends, I have a two-year-old boy. He is potty trained, and has been since a month after he turned two. In the last 9 months, I've learned a lot about cleaning. You see, when it's time for him to go to the bathroom, he thinks he has to go as fast as he can or else the toy he was playing with will self-destruct. Yes, people, we have aim issues in our household. 

So I have developed a 10-step process to ensure a clean toilet. For those of you with boys (especially those that are potty training) or just really like a thorough clean, continue reading...

Step 1: The basics

With your favorite cleaner, wipe down the tank and both sides of the lid. Proceed to wipe off the toilet seat. Lift the seat and let out a little shriek. What the heck happened under there?!? Squirt your toilet bowl cleaner in the bowl and scrub down with the toilet brush. This is where most normal people can stop. Moms of boys? You're just getting started. 

Step 2: The seat

Now that the seat is safe to touch, remove the toilet seat by unlocking the hinges. Clean around the hinges on the bowl as you're wondering how he manages to overshoot the toilet bowl every.single.time. Don't forget to turn the seat upside down and clean the hinges on it too. While you're at it, go ahead an wipe the whole toilet seat down again. Can't hurt anything. 

Step 3: The base

Get down on your hands and knees if you're brave enough and have on clothes you can burn after the whole thing is over. Spray down the base of the toilet. Use about half a roll of paper towels to remove the dribbles from all the crevices. Be thorough. Toilet makers like to put lots of curves in their products. Realize a man designed the toilet because whoever did must not ever actually clean it. 

Step 4: The floor

While you're cleaning the base, notice how much gunk has accumulated around the base of the toilet. Did ANY pee make it into the toilet?!? At this point, grab a toothbrush and scrub around the bottom of the toilet. 

Step 5: The floor, part 2

Go ahead and scrub all the floor within a three-foot radius. Trust me. Even if you don't see it, it's there. 

Step 7: The wall

 Yes, you read correctly. The wall. Somehow he's managed to pee all over the wall. Go ahead and scrub the vanity and side of the tub if they are anywhere near the toilet. 

Step 7: The back

Now stick your head waaay back behind the toilet. Even though this is somewhere you can't seem to even reach, there will be pee back there. He's got skills, folks. 

Step 8: The front

Scrub anywhere in front of the toilet. That includes the floor, the wall, the vent (realize it was a poor placement of the vent), and anything else that was in front of the toilet, like a step stool. Pat yourself on the back for thinking to remove the bath mat when you started potty training. This step is often neglected, but moms of boys know that when they sit to go #2, the #1 shoots out the front of the toilet. 

Step 9: Sanitize

Not the toilet, that should be covered by now. I'm talking sanitize yourself! You will feel disgusting. You will want to wash your hands with scalding water, followed by a whole bottle of germ-x. You will want to take a hot shower. You will also promptly add "hazmat suit" to your shopping list for next time (which, let's face it, will be tomorrow).

Step 10: Save

Just start putting a few bucks aside each month. At this rate, you'll need a new toilet by the time all your kids are potty trained.