Yesterday I was a tad run down and equally cranky. This morning, while I did get up and walk, I felt heavy and tired and run down. Wasn't sure I was going to make it until 2 p.m. for the repeat needle biopsy on my thyroid nodule.

9:30 a.m. I was getting settled at my desk and had already started counting the hours. My legs were restless and I think I looked at the clock about every 30 seconds.

Acutely aware of my nerves, I tried to take lots of deep breaths, tried to focus, tried to pray, tried to calm down. And then I think I gave in: there just was not going to be a calm Michelle until after the biopsy.

  (READ MORE)

I like to be prepared for things. Especially when it comes to medical procedures. And especially especially when those medical procedures involve getting a needle stuck in my neck.

A couple weeks ago when I saw Dr. R she recommended that I have a repeat biopsy on my thyroid nodule. The one that's so freaking gigantic. Although she said I'm not symptomatic and that I've likely had it for years, the American Thyroid Association (I think that's the one) recommends nodules over a certain size (which mine is) be biopsied until a diagnosis can be made. And since the last biopsy I had came back non-diagnostic (which means they didn't get enough cells in the biopsy to determine anything) she thought we should do another.

"How did you do with it last time?" she asked me.

  (READ MORE)

What are you thinking about right now? Is it the color purple? Because that's what you should be thinking about right now. Purple. Now it's everywhere, right? All of a sudden it seems to be everywhere you look. See, right there? No, on your left. It's purple.

Everywhere.

That's what I've been dealing with for the last roughly five months -- finally being able to put my finger on something and then it's freaking everywhere. Earlier this year I had a "routine" ultrasound on my thyroid. I've been taking medication for more than 10 years because of my thyroid and my new endo is the first doctor to ever suggest I have an ultrasound.

  (READ MORE)

One thing about diabetes that can be particularly frustrating is not knowing how our body will react to stress. I've had just as many highs from stress as I have had unexpected lows.

Strangely, I think I more often go lowish from certain kinds of stress. Namely medical stress. Just over a year ago, for example, I had to have an MRI on my hip with contrasting dye and it was really an experience I was not prepared for. Sitting in the waiting area before the procedure I was high. During the part where the doctor injected the dye into my hip, I felt myself going low and thought I was going to pass out.

And then there was the minor hand surgery I had two and a half years ago where my sugar stayed low all morning until my mid-day surgery. (READ MORE)

The February "O - The Oprah Magazine" arrived last week and I just got to take a look at it.  Our dLife reader and commenter, diabeteshope, called it perfectly last month right here.  It seems that Oprah's weight gain she attributed to a thyroid problem may well have been hormone related.  MOST people really cannot go off thyroid medication after they have started it.

Oprah says that after just ONE DAY of taking bioidentical hormones, she started feeling better.  Boy, I didn't know any legal drugs worked that quickly!   (Just kidding!)

  (READ MORE)

I went for my 6 month endo appt week before last. I finally got my bloodwork back in the mail. That's one thing I really dislike about my doctor. I think it would be so much more effective to have the test results in front of us for the discussion.

By the way, where I write "doctor", feel free to substitute "physcian's assistant". As with most doctors who are in demand, he has 4 PAs that also see patients. The office tells you that you can make appointments with anyone, but if you want to see the actual MD, it takes a couple more months of waiting or accepting the oddball times, like 7:45 am on a Monday or 11:55 on a Friday - they close at noon on Fridays.

My HbA1c went up from 5.5 to 5.7. I realize that is still an awesome result and nothing to complain about, but I'm sure it's directly related to the 12 lbs I have gained in the past 6 months. That dreaded holiday weight that I was so afraid of? Yes, that would be about 8 of those pounds. (READ MORE)