Yesterday was a GOOD Day... and had an unexpected QUIT benefit

[notsmokinjo]

Yesterday sucked... big fat donkey balls of suckage.... Yesterday I was diagnosed with Graves' Disease.... and I have nodes, that's right I am living with nodes.... but unlike big red in Pitch Perfect my nodes aren't on my vocal chords, mine are on my Thyroid Gland and one is on my Parathyroid Gland... but wait yesterday was so fricking good for so many reasons....

 

Some of you may know that I have been having some medical tests that involved me being on the worst diet on earth, the low iodine diet... what most of you wont know is that I took myself off to the doctors (after the repeated nagging of some fellow members here. Thanks @Sslip, @beazel & @jillar) because I was have issues with my heart and dizzy spells... they  nagged me over there  and they nagged me over here and coupled with some other symptoms I was having I had already diagnosed myself as being in menopause (nope, which I am quietly spewing about) and possibly having some form of heart disease, most likely due to my weight and smoking... so I didn't want to go to the doctor, I wanted to plop my big fat arse down on my nice comfy barge and live on that river in Egypt, you know Da Nile. Anyway, nag nag nag and off I went... took some blood tests, got a phone call Good Friday and its been appointments and blood tests and crappy diets ever since... ok and a break down or two with the treat of tossing my quit over amongst other things not being allowed to have Vegemite (thanks to both @Sslip & @Sazerac for the saves there)... then there was the plan to go back on the gum if I needed to to get em through it.... you get the idea, I was preparing myself to use it as a get out of quit guilt free card. Well yesterday I got my results. I have Graves disease and nodes, which are little lumpy things, that are usually benign, but 2 of mine have grown since the first scan on Good Friday.. which isn't necessarily bad either, they might turn into a goiter OR they might do nothing or there is the teeniest, tiniest chance they might be something a little bit nastier, but even if they are its not a worry... cos they are easy peasy to fix. Anyway... Graves Disease is totally treatable, and totally curable... the quick easy fix, which is what my doctor wants to do is to remove the thyroid gland and in my case one of the parathyroid glands and then have this special iodised radiation treatment. The hard way is to take the tablet, alter your diet (not as bad as the no iodine diet) and ride it out for 18mths to 2 years. I don't want the easy way's, side effects and possible complications or secondaries are pretty intense. I want to do the hard way... so My appointment included a yelling match between my doctor and I where I was informed I'm not fun to treat anymore... but we came to a compromise.. I would let him biopsy the nodes and he would let me try just the meds and the diet for 3 months and then we would review it....

 

So here is why yesterday was good:

1. I got a diagnosis

2. Its treatable and curable

3. I never would have gone to get it checked if I hadn't quit smoking, as I would have put it down to smoking and age and the like.

4. I never would have gone to the docs without the nagging of my mates, who I never woulda had if I hadn't quit smoking.

5. I didn't use it to excuse tossing my quit.

6 Despite one of the biggest symptoms of Graves being anxiety and panic attacks (which I have been suffering with pretty badly) have I NOT tossed my quit.

7. Not once, all day, before, during or after my appointment did I want, crave or even have a fleeting thought of having a smoke. NOT ONCE.

 

So to everyone who supported me in the healthy wealthy threads with my whinging and whining about my diet... weather it was positive words, or food suggestions or even just clicking little emotions thanks for making the past 6 weeks bearable and having my back, Saz, Slippidy-doo-dah, Jilly, @WeegieWoman, @Doreensfree, @Joe7 & @Frezflops thanks. Oh and @Wee fluffy me & @PeaceTrain you guys been in on the support too. If I missed ya sorry.

 

But this is Good. We have a plan, its frickin totally treatable, and the Nicodemon b1tch didn't even raise her ugly mug. And my unexpected QUIT benefit... I went to the doctors and found out I have something pretty serious wrong but I never would have gone to the doctors if I hadn't QUIT and I'd be ignoring all my bodies "hey dipshit somethings really not right here loveducks" signs and you know what it can do, having a thyroid flooding your body with ridiculous levels of thyroxin... it can make you dead, it can kill ya heart, it can hurt ya liver, you can have a stroke... what awesome, lovely side effects.

 

I love my new life.

Edited May 22, 2018 by notsmokinjo

[jillar]

Yay, FINALLY a diagnosis! I'm so happy for you jo to be able to have an attack plan   And its so awesome that you went through all that misery smoke free and kept your quit! Be super proud of yourself because I'm proud of you for sure!

[Sslip]

One of the glorious, unexpected, side benefits of giving up smoking is the fact that it is so much easier to be honest with ourselves. I love this.

 

You are so strong it is easy to support you and I'm so proud of you that you have managed to go through all of this with your quit intact and more than that thriving.

 

[Reciprocity]

Glad you are getting this sorted Jo and doing it while maintaining your quit all the while. Now that's heroic! How step forward for ya

[lml]

That is a lot you have handled courageously jo.  Glade it is something that can be cured and treated. And no thoughts of smoking...bravo.

[Martian5]

The thought of all this going on and also trying to deal with all the stress and still fight off the nicodemon -- just an awesome job.  You are one strong aussie _____

[notsmokinjo]

Well I have decided that whoever or wotever is out there pitching inside rise balls ( I can't usually hit those) can go get effed.. I've had enough of that you didn't get me at 4 weeks, you didn't get me at 7 weeks, 11 weeks... Easter, and the weeks since... You didn't get me over the weekend so its not gunna happen... You can stop testing me...I've had my share...but thank you fates...thanks for proving to me that no matter what life throws at me I don't need a smoke or nicotine to get through it.. So thank you but fvck you very much cos enough is enough.

[Frezflops]

My mother in law had/has graves disease it is now in remission and has been for years. Not sure if she is still on meds for it now. She had it bad with the telltale bulging eyes etc.... glad you have a diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Lisa

[Phoebe2]

Hey Jo

 

Sorry to hear you're having to go through this scary time. And special diets suck ...  anyway just wanted to say I also was diagnosed with Graves Disease many years back. It explained why I used to shake (doctor said it was nerves) and why I cried when I walked into the kitchen just after I'd cleaned it and found the kids had made a bit of a mess (no energy fatigue with a big fat F like you wouldn't believe). It explained why I was hot hot hot all the freakin time and went out in short sleeves in the depths of winter. It explained why I felt like a crazy person 24/7 and why I couldn't sleep.

 

So they gave me meds to take which didn't work. I knew I needed the offending body part removed. So I had a crying meltdown session with the surgeon and he placed me on the urgent list. The minute I woke up from the surgery I felt different. Peaceful. Normal. Like my old self. Finally.

 

It was a partial thryroidectomy (sp?) so I have a bit left which does its  job nicely. I have regular blood tests and I've never had to start thyroid meds in over 20 years.

 

You know your body and quitting smoking makes you much more in tune with it. Good for you for coming to a compromise.

 

 

All the very best!

[Sazerac]

I am so glad, bebe.  I couldn't feel more relieved.

You are a star !  and thank you for your huge contributions here, we love you so much.

s

[Joe7]

Sorry that you have to deal with this Jo, but glad that it is treatable. Life has thrown a lot of nasties your way since you first quit, but your quit has endured through them all. I hope you catch a break for a while.

[notsmokinjo]

1 hour ago, Frezflops said:

My mother in law had/has graves disease it is now in remission and has been for years. Not sure if she is still on meds for it now. She had it bad with the telltale bulging eyes etc.... glad you have a diagnosis and a treatment plan.

Lisa

 

Thanks Lisa... luckily we seem to have caught this early-ish and the bulging eyes aren't one of my symptoms. I only have the dry eye bit. I'm actually really positive about the treatment and just glad to finally have a diagnosis. Knowing someone who has had the full blown effects and is fine, even just by association, is good. On the plus side I have dropped a heap of weight which in reality I could afford to and with the new diet regime I should be able to maintain it healthily. Although, being a hater of shopping I sent the kid with some money and I now have lovely new pink jeans.. she insists they are mushroom... but the reality is they aren't black or denim, they are frickin pink... but at least they don't fall off when I walk.

 

@Phoebe2 ... thank you for sharing... so much of that tallys... but because it all sort of coincided with my quit (ok it started about 3-4 months before my quit but river/egypt, ostrich/sand) and my age that it was easy to chalk it up to that and or menopause (which it isn't  )... Its all early, I want to try the drugs first as I have nodes on both sides and the isthmus so it will be a full thyroidectomy but thanks for the positive experience, It really lifts my spirits.

[Giveintowin]

Sorry you had a tough day with tough news. I’m on a diet for my autoimmune disease so I understand the struggle. 

 

Keep us up to date of what’s happening. And while this sucks, it would help me to remember (if I were in your situation) smoking won’t help at all but just make it worse. 

[Doreensfree]

Aww sweetheart....

You are going through it...I'm sorry this has happened..to you...but so thankful you decided to quit ,and found  yourself surrounded by a army of friends to helpl you through ,what  will a tough time for a while..

I hope knowing you have something that is treatable and curable is a big comfort....

Quitting is the wonderful thing you can do for your health Jo...it's the first big step ,your a strong woman...you will get through this...

Hugs to  ya..xxxxx