[Anonymous February 28, 1998 at 7:09 am Post count: 93172]

#1051747

Well, I’ve beem watching and reading here since December. I feel that I should now post. I didn’t quite make the four month mark that Jake mentioned is typical.

I would like to discuss several things in this posting. I will start with my GD condition and then follow with a couple of unsolicited opinions about the postings I have been seeing within the board.

I have felt pretty “crummy” for YEARS! I hesitated to continue to mention various symptoms to doctors, due to the fact that I was made to feel like a hypochondriac (sp?). Finally this fall my blood tests revealed GD. In looking at a list of symptoms I thought “My gosh – these are the things I’ve been complaining about for all these years!”

I had a semester in college where I had mono followed up in two months with pneumonia. I haven’t had much energy since! That was 1982. I have always been on the heavy side, and have yoyo’d all my adult life. Now I am quite obese. Unfortunately, the weight loss seems to be the only symptom listed on the sheet I mentioned above that I DON’T have. I have struggled now for 8 years to try to have any energy to work-out and/or diet. All I wish to do after work is sit…..

Now this summer I began to have “the sweats”. Can’t even clean a sink without feeling like a ran a marathon. Then I noticed my heart was racing. Then my skin (particulary near my appendages) began to itch so! I was actually scratching myself raw. Still do sometimes.

The last few years I’ve also noticed that I catch any bug going aroung. And it puts me in bed. Can’t avoid it! Cough like there’s no tomorrow. Drives everyone around me nuts! And the additional lack of sleep really helps. Not! After the last bout (in the fall) I began to have a “warm” sensation in the back of my throat. Constant! Just like I had just had some brandy…. No one seems to understand that one either.

The irratibility had gotten to be too much for my new hubby and step-kids. So – off to mental health I went. Depression they said. Here’s some drugs they said. Nothing changed. Oh – except I started having bowel accidents! Very embarrassing and saddening. So, the dr. says – gosh, maybe you need a physical!

They then find the GD. I get PTU’s after having a scan of the thyroid. Two and a half months later – I don’t feel any different than I ever have! I just got over an extreme bout of the crud – put me in bed for over a week. And of course, I’m still coughing. And the “warm” feeling is coming back to my throat.

I’ve been seeing mental health drs, family prac drs, ENT drs & specialists, as well as my endo. I DON”T FEEL ANY DIFFERENT!!!! Because I’ve been taking the antidepressant since June to no avail, my family prac agreed I could work my way off them. Still don’t feel any different.

What have I got to do to have any energy? How can I get healthy? How can I lose weight? on and on my questions go…..

That was topic one that I mentioned at the beginning. If anyone has some ideas or advice, I would really appreciate it. My family doesn’t really understand how I’m feeling – or maybe it’s how I’m not feeling…

Now – about the postings on the board. I have some questions.

1) Jake – you mentioned recently that you have only deleted one posting on this board. Why only one? What about cleaning house on the goofs and multiple copies of posts. These are really a time waster, I think! I would think that all involved would appreciate help cleaning this up!

2) I appreciate that participants wish to send happy thoughts to each other – but we spend so much time reading “one liner” retorts… Is it just me that has this busy a life that things like this cause me to not be as excited about this BB?? I really don’t think that’s the case. Maybe much of these types of comments could be off-line in the form of personal e-mail back & forth? For example – When people need prayers and such – this is great to ask for them here! I will join the troops in a moment of prayer for them, also. But the responses to this could probably be better suited for the individual only. I think we all understand that we all really do care about the ongoing physical condition of fellow GD sufferers – we don’t need six posts in a row to show this!!

3) I really don’t understand the bashing I see on here sometimes. For example, I really think that Tom was unduly chastised by many individuals. If you don’t like a post – IGNORE IT!!! Let’s be adults about this – we all have our good and bad moments. If you think you’re seeing “someone’s bad moment”, let it slide off your back and move to the next post. Get over it!

Okay – that part was my soap box. I just thought these comments might allow us to work together to make a better BB for all of us.

Thanks for reading….

Susan

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