What'd you say?...Thy-who??

Nearly 2 years ago, I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. This was the first I had heard of Thyroid. So, I thought, since up until now I was totally oblivious to this Thyroid gland that it would be no big deal and all would be good in no time. Well...how wrong I was!

Apparently; according to much research and of course, my personal experiences; this little butterfly shaped thyroid gland controls LOTS of things!!  It’s fair to say it has some level of impact on every bodily function from our memory and brain function (often called brain fog and is very awful!) right to dry, brittle, thin fingernails/toenails, hair and skin.  Including everything in between!

Cutting a long story short; my thyroid journey began with a “wait and watch approach”.  When this was no longer possible, we realised I would need surgery.  So, on 28/01/2010 I had just under 2/3 of my thyroid removed. For the past 18 months, it has been a rollercoaster journey of meds, doctors and blood tests to try and regulate my thyroid hormone levels.  This was made increasingly difficult by other issues I have going on and is very much a balancing act trying to keep everything happy without too many major movements too quickly...quick, major movements aren’t good...one, or more of the issues get grumpy and fight back!  I admit, my other issues have made the thyroid journey slightly more extended and harder than the average person; however, slowly, it seems to be getting slightly more stable as the days go by. There is still difficult days where the thyroid “takes control” and tells me it’s not happy or that it just wants to mess with me. But, all in all, there are slowly becoming more good days than bad!

This 18 month long (and not over) thyroid journey has been the most difficult thing I have faced so far in the 20 years I’ve walked on this Earth.  There’s been more tears than I wish to count, days I’ve just wanted to give up and more of an insight into the number of rude, uneducated doctors that exist than I wish on anyone!!  I’ve seen more doctors than I have fingers on both my hands and “fired” all of them...all except one!  There is such a major lack of knowledge about thyroid illness in both the medical profession and in the general public as a whole (but that’s a whole other blog post!).  Most of the doctors I have seen have either been stupid or rude (now, I must say I respect the medical profession and think they do an amazing job), but I believe the lack of understanding is the reason behind the way some doctors act towards certain thyroid situations.  Many times I was told “oh, you can’t have a thyroid problem, you’re not a middle-aged woman”. What a stereotypical thing to say; and just slightly silly!...well, I’m sorry, I'm no doctor, but, even I know no illness discriminates!!

But, I also believe, that along with the difficulties, tough experiences and tears; this thyroid journey has taught me alot about myself.  I’ve spent quite alot of time soul searching and thinking alot about the person I am and, at times, how the hell I keep going without too many tears!  This journey so far has had many setbacks (more than I wish to count), but, along the way, there has also been a few victories on my part.  I’ve had a few wins along the way too.  I imagine it’s going to continue going like this until I eventually take the final victory.  That will be the day I can say “I beat my thyroid disease”.  One day!  Hopefully one day soon!

I also made many realisations over the past 18 months and quite a few have focused on the possibility that I may be stronger than I thought.  Maybe I deserve more credit than I give myself.  Maybe I can do anything!!

This is my story.  My journey.  Although the illness may have the same name, everyone's thyroid journey is as unique as the individual themselves. 

Anyone reading with thyroid illness of any form...we can all beat this...we can all do anything! And one day, we’ll all celebrate the final victory – when we regain full control!!

Thanks for reading...it means the world! xx

Totally excited; pumped; shocked and many other things...Part 2!

Hello to all my lovely readers!!

After many DM's on twitter and emails requesting a follow-up post on my work placement; I've decided to make it a 3 part series! The original which I posted back in june after the interview; a follow-up post tonight (after 3 weeks in the work placement) and the final part will be once I've finished the internship in a few months.

Well, so far it's going really, really well.  I'm getting into the routine of the company and am finding my way around quite well.  Haven't quite got everyone's name remembered yet though...lol.

The office is quite nicely orgainsed too. I have a desk right near the window so that's nice! I get the sun and warmth...and the view of the city! It's in a rather cute part of the city too! The streets around us have a whole heap of terraced houses and looks rather like something you'd see in parts of England! I love it!! I walk through this lovely park each morning (Hyde Park for anyone who knows the area) and sometimes am lucky enough to head back to sit in the park in the sun for lunch...perfect way to spend lunch if you ask me!!

They're having me do a whole variety of different tasks; from the semi-mundane filing of examples of creative material, to the much more exciting (and thought requiring) preparing of briefs to send over to the customer service team.  There was a couple of days I had a whole list of campaigns to create overviews for which were being sent over to the customer service people who were basically reading my work and expecting to understand the different campaigns the company was running!!

There's been a couple of times I've wondered what I was doing and doubted my abilities (but, of course, that's normal and expected in the beginning), but I soon focused and reminded myself I do know the theory behind what was happening and all I had to do was apply that theory I know so well to the real-life situation I was in.  The situation I was in may have been very new to me...but the theory wasn't!!

I've had a few compliments over the past 3 weeks too.  I like compliments (ok, that's probably a stupid statement...I'm sure everyone likes receiving compliments!!).  A few people have commented on how well I write and that I have alot of potential and I'll go far with my career among other things so that's been really nice! Except, if the compliments keep coming, I may get a rather large ego LOL!

Anyhow...that's the news so far.  All rather exciting. 
Thanks for reading...it means the world!! xx

A woman's right to shop

As you read on; you're probably going to think I'm a bit of a princess; well, truth is...I am! I'm a massive girly-girl and a bit of a princess. Shoes, bags, nails and make up are all facets of me; but I'm much more in depth than that. There is more to me...I assure you!

I'm reminded of the Sex and the City episode 'A woman's right to shoes'. In this particular episode; Carrie is made to feel guilty for splurging on rather expensive shoes when they're "stolen" at a baby shower in which shoes had to be removed before entering the house. Shame is put on Carrie once it's made public that the shoes cost $485. It leads to a discussion about life choices and how Carries' lifestyle of expensive (and multiple) shoes may be considered extravagant as compared to that of her friend Kyra who is more family orientated and doesn't spend insanely large amounts of money on a single pair of shoes.

It begs the question; Does a woman really have a "right" to shop and do other women judge us by the shoes we wear; and the bag we carry?? Are we seen as 'shallow' or 'spoilt' ot 'irresponsible' if we choose to buy designer bags or rather expensive shoes??

Earlier today, I was in the midst of re-arranging my wardrobe so that I'd be able to fit my recent purchases (shoes and bags) in the wardrobe rather than having them neatly arranged in the corner on the floor. My sister (who doesn't seem to have the shopping gene) was shocked at the fact that I have so many bags. I rationalised my full wardrobe by saying I need different colours and styles for different occassions and different seaasons and of course, depending what I'm wearing. Then I realised...hang on, I don't need to explain myself!!

Just like Carrie was made to feel shame over her $485 shoes; I was made to feel some level of shame because I have multiple (actually, multiple is an understatement...I have many) handbags and even worse...they don't all easily fit in my wardrobe. It then went even more in-depth when it was noticed some (not all) of my bags are designer brands.  I have a couple of Guess bags, Prada, D&G...does this really bring it to a new level?? Designer labels are really just another brand.  Just like there's flashy packaged coffee and plain ol' coffee beans in a plain ol' packet.  To me, there's no difference between my purple Prada bag; and my red bag which is just a generic red bag from an everyday handbag store; they are both gorgeous and in the end, they do the same thing!

After this, I was wasting time on facebook and had a very interesting conversation with a female friend (who is lovely! - Hello if you're reading!) and something she said made me think. She gave me the instruction to put smaller bags inside bigger bags as to save space; then, said "advice from one who has never had a handbag - but it doesnt mean I can't observe objectively!". And, upon reading this, the first thing that popped into my mind was "How does she do it without bags?!?!?!" How would I carry all the essential items - phone, ipod, keys, book, make-up, hair brush...etc. I rely on my bags!! What would I do without them??? Could I get through 24 hours without a handbag...probably not!!

More questions then flooded my mind; Can one have too many handbags?? Do I have too many?? What do people think when they see 3 of my 7 shelves in my room are dedicated purely to handbags (and let me tell you it's a stretch to get them all in...if I touch the shelves in the wrong way they'll all come crashing down!!).  And probably most intriguing; Do people notice that each time they see me I'm carrying a different handbag??  They're all interesting thoughts!!!  Either way, my handbags and I are happy!!

Thanks for reading...it means the world!! xxxx