I Chose to Heal – This is my Story

I Chose to Heal – This is my Story

It was excruciating.  That pain.  I lay there staring at the ceiling corner.  A spot of white paid peeling from the cornice.  The hairline crack growing ever so wider as it inched it’s way along, finding it’s place, forced to tear, rip and be exposed.

breathe. To my right, through the window a stunning summer’s sky outside, I longingly gazed at the pool, sparkling blue, alone and still, waiting for the shrill children’s cries of glee after school. Waiting to be swishing and swirling, to be joyous in the celebration of life. But, just for now a gentle soft ripple, a soft motion under the propulsion of the cleaner.

Time to move, bracing for pain, I kept laying there, contemplating the adjustment. What do I want to achieve? A slight left, or to the right or a complete roll. No, just get the pressure off my heel. Palms pressing deep down onto the bed, pressing into the crumpled sheets and heave. Screaming out in frustration, fear, pain and hate. Hate for this moment, hate for lying here wasting, hate for my circumstance, hate for my life, hate for just waiting.

Is this it? Is this the way it’s going to be, my life, over.

Both physically and mentally paralysed, crippled in the very sense of the word. Swollen knees, so big that not a bone to be seen, so swollen inside and outside that only a slight foot movement backwards can be achieved. Stuck with outstretch legs, pain and overwhelming loss, grief and despair.

Alone in anguish, alone in pain, and, mainly just alone.

There is always a choice. Giving in was certainly debating fiercely with my mind. What would that look like? What would that achieve?

Many an hour, many a day, many a week, much time, just lying there, me and that ceiling crack, deliberating.

As I saw it, I was alone. Only I was in this mess. Everyone else’s life was going to go on. Albeit some changes, but the reality was, I am the one in this. No one else.

I had a choice. I had become angry at the pain, angry at the hurt.  There is so much power in hurt and anger to draw from.  Turning that power into strength and determination to get well, to walk and reclaim my life.

I chose to heal. It meant I making decisions for my tomorrow, my new life, and take baby steps.

I was blessed with my knowledge and my lack of acceptance of what I could become. Much tough healing.

Gradually, slowly moment by moment, day by day, I made the decision to heal.  It took a year to walk ‘normally’ again. Knees were still swollen, kneeling still impossible.  Physical rehab slow, painful.

Five plus years on I find myself still building my wasted thighs, still learning to kneel. But the fittest I have been for years, strong in mind and determination with an unswaying belief that the body wants to heal, all we need to do is facilitate that.

No excuses.

If you’d like to know more about this or other topics, you are welcome to join my free membership on face book. Thyroid, Metabolic, Hormone Harmony Hub. 

I’d love to see you there

Inspiring Wellness

 

Beth 

Thyroid Blood Tests – What’s in a full Thyroid Blood Panel?

Thyroid Blood Tests – What’s in a full Thyroid Blood Panel?

The TSH – Thyroid Stimulating Hormone test is also known as the TFT blood test.
Although this is called the Thyroid Function Test (TFT) it only tests for the one hormone.

This hormone is a secretion from the Pituitary hormone and not your Thyroid.

It is a messenger hormone and its release is stimulated further upstream by another hormone from the Hypothalamus called the Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone TRH.

The release of TRH is caused by the lack of hormone being detected in the body.

Once the Thyroid has been stimulated it will excrete from its’ stores of hormone. Mainly T4 and some T3 will be released into the blood stream.

Thyroxine, T4 is a combination of a small protein molecule, amino acid, of Tyrosine attached to 4 mineral molecules of Iodine.

Once the T4 is released into the blood stream it circulates the body. A molecule of Iodine will be cut off from the T4 by an enzymes called deiodinase. It then becomes the active hormone T3 or changed again by different deiodinase into T2 or the alternative of RT3 – Reverse T3.

RT3 or Reverse T3, is the mirror image of Active T3 and it is this hormone that will block the activity of the active T3. RT3 is commonly elevated in times of stress or too much medicated Thyroxine.

There are three Thyroid antibodies to test for:

Thyroperoxidase Antibody, TPOab

Thyroperoxidase is the enzyme that takes hydrogen peroxide that is made in the Thyroid cell and breaks it apart into Oxygen and Hydrogen. The Oxygen is then used to turn the Iodide into Iodine before it attached to the Thyroglobulin prior to the formation of T4. As you can imagine, if there are antibodies involved in this process with Hydrogen Peroxide involved there will be excessive inflammation and toxic damage. That is why TPOab is considered most aggressive and damaging of the Thyroid gland.

ThyroGlobulin Antibody, TGab

The Thyroglobulin is a large protein molecule that is made within the Thyroid cell and becomes the backbone on which the newly made T4 and some T3 are attached. This protein molecule takes the hormones from the central colloid reservoir back to the external cell wall where the Thyroglobulin is dissolved and the T4 and T3 are released and excreted into the blood stream. The antibodies will work against this protein molecule.

Thyroid Receptor Antibodies, TRabs

The TSH attaches itself to the Thyroid Receptors on the external cell wall. This in turn stimulates the production of the Thyroid hormones. If these receptors are over stimulated then the production of Thyroid hormone increases such in the case of Graves disease where there are too much Thyroid hormone sent around the body.

If you’d like to know more about this or other topics, you are welcome to join my free membership on face book. Thyroid, Metabolic, Hormone Harmony Hub. 

I’d love to see you there

Inspiring Wellness

 

Beth 

Why will my Dr only test TSH?

Why will my Dr only test TSH?

Many of my clients come to see me who have seen their Dr time and time again as they are suffering from the symptoms of having low thyroid hormone.  It is partially frustrating for them, that after pathology is completed with me, they find out they have Thyroid Antibodies pointing to the auto-immune disease, Hashimotos.

So why don’t the Dr’s test more than the TSH?

Medicare is your answer.  The Dr’s are bound by specifics and it not their fault.

For the costs of a test to be covered on Medicare they have certain rulings around what test will be covered.

For Thyroid there are a few different rulings:

 

Item 66716

For Thyroid, this ruling states 66719: TSH quantitation

Thyroid function tests (comprising the service described in item 66716 [above] and 1 or more of the following tests – free thyroxine, free T3, for a patient, if at least 1 of the following conditions is satisfied:

(a) the patient has an abnormal level of TSH; [See Rule 9 below – it says “outside the normal reference range”]

(b) the tests are performed:

(i) for the purpose of monitoring thyroid disease [it has been previously diagnosed] in the patient; or

(ii) to investigate the sick euthyroid [a normal thyroid that is affected by an illness or accident] syndrome if the patient is an admitted patient; or

(iii) to investigate dementia or psychiatric illness of the patient; or

(iv) to investigate amenorrhoea [when you don’t get a period] or infertility of the patient;

(c) the medical practitioner who requested the tests suspects the patient has a pituitary dysfunction;

(d) the patient is on drugs that interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism or function (Item is subject to rule 9)

 

Rule 9:

Thyroid function testing

9. (1) For item 66719: abnormal level of TSH means a level of TSH that is outside the normal reference range in respect of the particular method of assay used to determine the level.

9. (2) Except where paragraph (a) of item 66719 is satisfied, the amount specified in the item is not payable in respect of a pathology service described in the item unless the pathologist who renders the service has a written statement from the medical practitioner who requested the service that satisfies subrule (3).

9. (3) The written statement from the medical practitioner must indicate:

(a) that the tests are required for a particular purpose, being a purpose specified in paragraph (b) of item 66719; or

(b) that the medical practitioner who requested the tests suspects the patient has pituitary dysfunction; or

(c) that the patient is on drugs that interfere with thyroid hormone metabolism or function.

So, that is why you won’t get more out of your Dr because he is scripting for you for tests that will be paid under Medicare. So they are doing as much as they can within Medicare boundaries.

It may be more convenient (cost and time effective) to get a full thyroid profile done through a functional practitioner.  This saves your Dr having to justify and conform to Medicare’s ruling and saves you time of two Dr’s visits plus your time off work to do so – one for the initial appointment and the second to go back for the results before you are able to take action on them with your functional practitioner. 

If you’d like to know more about this or other topics, you are welcome to join my free membership on face book. Thyroid, Metabolic, Hormone Harmony Hub. 

I’d love to see you there

Inspiring Wellness

 

Beth  

Reference:

Medicare Benefits Schedule Book

Category 6
Operating from 1 January 2019 

http://www.mbsonline.gov.au/internet/mbsonline/publishing.nsf/Content/1E8EDDDB20264E41CA2583610081D914/$File/201901-Cat6.pdf