Good Heavens!  There was a lot of chit chat about the topic of testing on my Facebook page!  It seems that smart and beautiful women of all ages have struggled with this little butterfly in their throat! 

So, why am I the only one writing about it?  Because women never complain?  But how do we get the word out if we don’t write about it? 

I fasted last night because I had a blood draw today.  Only my veins had a different idea.  I called the doctors office on Friday and requested a butterfly needle like the ones they use in the pediatric ICU.  I took one look at the needle this morning and prepared myself for the fact that this blood draw was probably not going to be successful.  And sure enough, my vein rolled.  Which means that when the doctor tried to inject the needle, my vein “rolled away” from the needle so that she was not able to get a blood flow to fill the tube. 

So tomorrow we do it again.  At the lab.  I can’t always say they are successful either but they seem to have a few more tricks up their sleeve, pardon my pun. 

Yes, it helps to drink water.  So I drank three bottles before 8:15 am.  And put hot compresses on my arms.  And to relax. 

And, of course, its Valentines Day, which means I will be eating Chocolate.  It will be very interesting to see how that impacts the blood tests! 

So, what are the blood tests? In addition to all of the thyroid tests, a comprehensive metabolic panel, a comprehensive nutritional panel, a full lipid panel to check cardiovascular function, and another test called Apolioprotein E Genotyping, which is determines a person’s genetic risk for heart disease associated with the commonly studied gene called apoE, which is involved in the metabolism of cholesterol and triglycerides (fats in the blood).

So back to the lab in the morning.  Hope my veins are cooperating and a vampire is the phlebotamist!

My challenges with my thyroid are not new.  I had a hysterectomy at age 38 and since that time, my thyroid has been a running theme in the backdrop.  What I have learned in the past 7 years is the differences in how conventional medicine vs. holistic medicine approach the thyroid.  MY experience has been that if the situation is not significant enough to throw chemicals at it, the thyroid is largely ignored by the conventional medical community.  Slowing down, gaining weight, hair loss, and all of the other joys are just treated as things that happen as you enter middle age.  Those of us who choose to embrace our new found wisdom fiercely and fearlessly don’t really fit into that model.  So we go to the natural side of medicine that embraces exercise, nutrition, and wellness as a lifelong committment. 

Some conventional doctors simply do blood tests while others will go the full route of blood, urine, stool and saliva.  The naturopath doctor who has kept me healthy for these 7 years in the great hormone unknown, Dr. Renee Young, tests EVERYTHING.  So that is what I am doing right now.  Very soon, she will have the results.  In about two weeks, we will plot our course.  But for now, I’ve got to run.  I have another round of tests to participate in.

Yesterday, my naturopath doctor confirmed for me what I had expected for several weeks but that my general practicioner had missed. 

“Yep,” she said.  “Your thyroid is blown out.” Then she found the goiter on my thyroid.

Great.  Although I was not surprised, I really was hoping it was something different.  Like the flu or maybe even strep.  Certainly that would explain my body aches, tiredness, the fatigue and increase in my heart rate while exercising, “brain fog”, and the color draining from my face.   

I started today with a battery of tests.  After studying every body fluid, my doctor will determine the origin of the goiter and the fun begins. Is it Crone’s?  Is it Hashimoto’s?  Or is it nothing more than my body’s reaction to stress and less than stellar nutrition during the holidays?

I expect to follow a naturopathic route as far as it takes me.  I believe strongly in giving the body the tools it needs to heal itself.  Exercise, nutrition, chiropractic care and supplements.  And then, if pharmaceuticals are still needed, they should work all the better in a body equipped to fight.  In the most severe cases, surgery is indicated.  I am not even ready to wrap my head around that possibility. 

So why am I reporting this here?  Its quite simple.  Other than advertisements for supplements and unsupported documentation, there is very little outside of traditional medical practices discussed on the internet.  So I am going to spell it all out for you right here with the hope that this information will serve others who will search for the very information I did not find in my Google search yesterday. 

There are a lot of clothes for Fall that are loose and even slouchy.  Pants should never be slouchy on women who wish to taken seriously.  Pants should fit properly and be styled in such a way to give the longest leg to the wearer. 

If pants are challenging to fit, consider investing in pants such as Theory, which are made to give a perfect fit to the imperfect body.  Try on various styles and find the one that looks and feels the best. 

Check out the selection of Theory at Shopbop.com and be sure to watch the video on pant fit from Isabel Dupre’.  She is a highly talented stylist who understands pant fit for the real body (even though her poor choice of personal bodywear is about to drive me to distraction…headlights in black?  really??)

To learn more, visit these blog classics:

Pants that Fit the Long or Short Waist

The Rectangle Body Type

The Apple Body Type

The Triangle Body Type

The Hourglass Body Type

In many parts of the country, this is the perfect weather for a warm sweater.  Just looking at Facebook, many of my friends in the southeast are enjoying the last of the beautiful autumn days before the cold sets in.  Here in Northern California, the Indian summer seems to be behind us and the cool and damp weather has set in until the Spring. 

Sweaters are perfect in many ways and a nemesis in others.  I tried on a sweater the other day and looked like a wooly mammoth.  Sized down a size and fell in love.  Be careful that the sweater is the right length.  If you are tall, a longer sweater will be elegant.  If you are short, look at a sweater that cuts at the hip or above.  Baggy sweaters may feel great but be careful that they do not look frumpy or add unwanted pounds to your frame.  Take a closer look in the mirror to see if belting a sweater gives the look a more polished effect. 

Buttons, collars and pockets add interst to a sweater.  Just be careful that they don’t add unwanted bulk.  These goodies should be strategically placed where you want to draw the eye, not move the eye away. 

And finally, look at what you are wearing with the sweater.  The librarian look is never chic nor is the wooly mammoth.  Look to wear fitted pants or skirts to offset bulkiness. 

So here is a sweater that I love from Fever at Nordstrom.  The Oatmeal color is a beautiful neutral.  The collar and buttons are interesting.  It is comfortable with ample tailoring to not look bulky or baggy.  Add jeans or leggings, a cute turtleneck and flats or boots and you are ready to take on the slight chill with a swing in your step!