Having a thyroid problem is a real problem

 I thought MS was annoying enough until I got told I had an over active thyroid. The thyroid is always thrown around whenever someone is feeling tired and run down but I never realised how serious and horrible it is until I started suffering from it. 

At first I was losing loads of weight and thinking this is good, I needed to lose a couple of pounds (something most girls would say). But then I realised I was finding it hard to concentrate on the simplest task, getting extremely tired, struggling to exercise without getting horrible pains in my chest and feeling very down and anxious (so much so, I had a bit of a breakdown at work). To be completely honest it’s physically, mentally and emotionally drained me and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone.  

The reason I have a thyroid condition is due to my MS treatment. It’s one of the main side effects of it. I had my last treatment over a year ago but only just recently had the thyroid problem so at first I thought I’d avoided it. 

My nurse has made sure I’m on the right dose of medication and I’m hoping that it will soon settle down and I’m on the mend... starting to think I’m that problem child you had in your class at school haha! 

I think if you do have anything wrong with your thyroid it’s really important to get on the right dosage of medication asap so you can continue living your normal life. 

The lockdown continues...

What a crazy time! We’re all in limbo and not knowing what’s going on.

I’m furloughed (you know that word no one had ever heard until 2020) and I can’t say I’m hating it. I’m getting time to do loads of different things which I wouldn’t do on a normal holiday from work or a weekend.

So, us lot with MS are vulnerable to this as our immune systems are weak. We have to be super careful, I didn’t actually get a letter from the government say I was on the vulnerable list (which I was quite glad about) but I know I’m not as strong as some people so I am anyway. The only time I’m leaving the house is for exercise once a day, that’s either a walk or run.

Not working is strange… I’ve read books, attempted to learn Spanish, exercised a lot (my Apple watch doesn’t know what has hit it), tidied up a lot (my bathroom has never been so clean), done a lot of quizzes with family and friends, cooked, baked and done some online courses.

Here’s somethings that have helped me through the last few weeks:

·      I’ve set an alarm every morning (trying to make it easier for when I do return to work)

·      Put a bra on every day (girls that one is just for you)

·      Do what you want to do, we’re probably not going to get this time back so if you want to binge watch a TV programme do it – don’t feel guilty about it!

·      Make a to do list everyday – I don’t mean make one so you have to succeed at them all and some of my to do lists have had watch tv on, but it just gives you a bit of structure

·      Talk to people, let out your anger – some days are bloody stressful

Things I’ve learnt from lockdown:

·      No matter how many miles you run, if you eat chocolate every night you don’t lose weight

·      If you add garlic to any dish, it normally is nice

·      You don’t need to have takeaways; you can cook everything possible in the house

·      Some people are just idiots

·      I’ve never visited the Colliery Woods so much (it’s only across the road but before this I’d never been in)

·      Doing a quiz before bed makes me not sleep

·      Work is not life, it’s somewhere you go to make money

While this is all going, I also got a call to tell me my thyroid was overactive (I think I told you all in my last blog)… excellent!

It made sense though, when she explained some of the symptoms, I had some… except the one where you lose weight – god damnit!

The itching, bad skin were the main symptoms I was experiencing and although I didn’t feel fatigued, when I was running my body was but the doctor told me that it was because my body felt like it had already ran a marathon so me trying to run was as if I was running another one!

Although the NHS at this time are under a lot of stress, they got me on tablets straight away and I’m sure they were an illegal drug because now I feel great.

Stay safe guys!

Having MS in the current pandemic

Okay first I need to start by saying what the hell has happened to the world?! 

We’re all currently experiencing something we’ve never known before, so nobody really knows what to do and how to act but we’ve all got to stay positive

MS is one of the illnesses that is on the vulnerable list, so I’ve been advised to be extra careful and if possible, avoid people and stay at home. If people like myself with MS get it, it’ll more than likely affect us more than the average person.

I’m not the type of person that just stays at home a lot so when I was told I had to, I felt like I needed to make a list of how I could entertain myself. I’m working from home for the foreseeable future so that means I have made a home office on my dining room table (whether my dad likes it or not). 

Working from home is weird- I was told before I started that I should make myself a routine otherwise I wouldn’t be able to concentrate. So I did… 

I've started going for a morning run before I turn my laptop on to start working for the day then at lunch time I exercise then have my lunch before getting back to work for the afternoon. 

It’s a pretty simple routine but I felt like if I didn’t get out the house, then I would go crazy. 

Working from home is a pretty new experience for most of us. What I’ve learnt from working from home: 

Lighting is always bad on a video call
I must talk a lot during the day as I got so much work done
Niall Horan’s new album is really good
I don’t snack as much when I’m sitting in the house
Fresh air is amazing 

When you have MS, you have a weak immune system, so you catch everything hence why we are in the vulnerable list at the minute. I probably get a cold every two weeks, to be honest I’ve forgot what it’s like not to have a cold.

Every month I go to the hospital to get my bloods taken to make sure my treatment is working, and my blood cells are normal. 

Last Monday, it was my monthly appointment, if the results are normal, I don’t normally hear anything, I just get a letter through to my next appointment. On Wednesday my nurse rang me to tell me that the bloods that were taking earlier in the week have come back and I have a low thyroid. I wasn’t too panicked, but I did think okay this is when I do need to be extra careful with the coronavirus going around (sometimes I think I’m invincible). My nurse explained that the symptoms I could get was very similar to the coronavirus so don’t panic if I do get a cough. 

Typical of me to have something that has the same symptoms as the most talked about virus in the world!! 

Anyway, I have an appointment this Monday to sort it out so if you hear me cough, don’t worry I probably don’t have coronavirus just a dodgy thyroid!

It’s a difficult time for us all but all we can do is not panic and be positive. Staying in is the new going out for the next couple of months but it’s our chance to spend time with our loved ones, watch rubbish TV, play board games and create new memories. 

Stay safe and look after eachother guys xoxo