I am happy to help people where I can, as I don't know what I would have done without you lot here to help me this year. But because even now after nearly a year, I often feel I don't know enough to give the right advice. Like with the awful ones about cancer, or treatments. But in those cases, I usually still answer so they know someone cares, but say to the poster to wait for the more experienced ones here to answer. But the more I learn on here, the more confidence I am gaining to give better answers. It's difficult sometimes with those relating to lab results as we have completely different T4 ranges here in the UK, though the TSH is much the same, other than you have to be dying from a level over 6 before they treat you! However, the posts I feel most comfortable with are those just needing plain reassurance that there are other people out there in the same predicament, so I will continue to answer those, whilst improving my knowledge to answer more of the other types two.
You guys are all doing an awesome job already .. THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU .. I think Utah hit the nail on the head .... I generally answer the Cancer, Nodules, Ultrasound and Frightened posts, 2nd opinion, Surgery Needed partial vs total, etc. and am unable to answer the intricate ?'s of many other posts ..... this probably holds true for so many of us ..... so thanks for all we do and maybe if we can get out there and just say hi to a few a day even if we don't have an answer, that would probably help out so much ........
What is super fantastic on this community is that we all know who will automatically respond to certain posts!!! THAT is something for ALL of US to be so PROUD OF .. it's amazing .. I scroll by a post and think, "Oh she or he will respond ... they are our "local expert" on this or that subject!
The community has grown so much in the past few months...........thank you all, again ..... for all you do every day ......... together WE are making a DIFFERENCE in so many people's lives.
C~
I am so grateful to this forum and to all the wonderful advice you kind people have given me! If it was not for you guys I would of given up and thanks to your wisdom and advice I kept on at my doctor and finally got diagnosed hypo 2 weeks ago. I thought I was going crazy, I have felt awful for over a year now and I swear my doctor thought I was mad but because you guys informed me with invaluable info I was able to put this to her and make her listen.
I have now been put on 25mcg of levothyroxine, no improvement yet after 2 weeks but I am hopeful I may feel better soon, I hope so. I am also on an antidepressant citalipram, this has helped me feel calmer and less stressed.
My TSH is 5.2 and I feel awful, it was 2.9 about 15 months ago and I was much better then although my tiredness was still an issue all be it a much smaller one!
If I see posts and I think I can help I am more than happy to do so especially after all the help given me but of course I am still learning, I still come on here daily just to look about and sometimes there is someone there just like me who I can pass on info to that I have learned, I only tend to answer though if nobody else has already but in time I am sure I will have even more to share and give back.
Thank you ev1 for your help, I think this forum is gr8, I would be lost without it.
Love
Sharni. xxx
I'm sad when I see a post that reminds me of myself when I first came here. Those are the posts I target my responses at first. I'm not the expert on meds. Heck, I'm still working on that one myself. I thought (one year later...) I was finally "fixed".
Today at the doctors office, he told me I was quite hyper. I told him it was the best I've felt thus far in my "cancer" journey. I can sleep, I can get up and do things, and for the most part... and I feel pretty good. He agreed to let me stay where I am because he's nice and a good doctor. The only thing I know for sure is: The more I know, the more I think I don't know anything about thyroids or meds. What I know for sure is that nothing is cookie cutter or applies to everyone carte blanche....
I answer what I feel "compelled" to answer. It's like a moth to a flame. I'm drawn to certain posts and I can't explain why. I do like to help but I'm not all that helpful nor do I perceive myself thusly. I have no clue about most thryoid ailments but that which I've learned here. This is not helpful to most people.
Oh, but what I've learned.... What I've learned is invaluable! I have stopped being a pawn in the healthcare "system" and started taking pro-active care of myself. And SHOCKINGLY, it's bleed into other's healthcare around me...
It's addictive. It's cathartic. And it's helping myself and others. I do as much as I can without ignoring my family and friends because I need both.
I don't know much, but I'll try to share more of what I do know. I guess it's easy to forget how I felt when I first came on here and was desperate for answers or support. I can certainly try harder to give to others the support I got when I first joined.
BTW, oh goddess of the forum (still bowing but this is getting painful) . . . I'm mostly just hitting the threads and questions about cancer, RAI (for cancer) and surgery.
If it's about labs I'm leaving that for others.
If it's about an autoimmune condition, I'm leaving it.
If it's about pregnancy - I'm *so* not touching that one.
Basically, with all the "stuff" in my life right now I really don't have a ton of time but I'm hitting the ones I've a bit of experience with.
Okay, I gave in on the RAI and, er - how do I put this, "dating situation" one but I couldn't help myself. :-)
If anyone needs me to weigh in on something (or the title of the thread doesn't get my attention fast enough) **please PM me!!!**
Work for y'all???
Argh! Tiara-wear'n-one (a.k.a. evil taskmaster) I'm trying! :-)
(sheeze . . . some CLs are just never satisfied)
Get me a new liver and I could type faster.
LOL
I'm no expert...but I'm happy to share my experiences and what I've learned along the way.
AR....You can have my job!!! (and nobody will care how many fingers you can type with) NCLB = longer hours, same pay, less respect, no funding, lots more paperwork and no matter what you're doing, you did it wrong and you should be doing something else....and since everyone went to school; everyone knows how to do my job better than I do!
mommy2two2008: I am on this community for 2yrs now and I still cannot answer the posts that I let Stella & Co answer LOL!
C~
I don't think I am "thyroid smart" enough yet but love to say hello! LOL - My still undisclosed thyroid condition has me limited on actual fact giving advice! But - still here and still willing to say hello and gave a new post a bump from time to time. ~K :)
SelmaS
Wait .. that leaves 3 fingers available, but math isn't my strongest asset LOL! Even if just to jump in with a quick Welcome .. that would be awesome!
AR - I hit the back key on the browser or back to forum and then go back to be sure it posted LOL ........... now I should just use trust and there would be another post posted in that time hee hee hee!
C~
We can help each other??huh??....lol..wow....u use 7 fingers....not sure how many I use...???if only a job like that exsisted.
Selma,
I need a JOB!!!
Medium range income, work from home, no real responsibilities or expectations of performance would be ideal.
Can you help me out? I can type with seven fingers, although I usually get by with three or four.
LOL!!!
I've never had benefits, so that's not an issue.
ChitChat,
I could post twice as often if I quit hitting the "Back to Forum" button. I'm not sure that would help, though.
LOL!!
:o)
I'm game.....I will try and offer any help I can....I have jumped in when I knew I had the answer......and when I have no idea...sometimes I will say so, especially when the post has been hanging there for a while.....I used to be HR so any employment type questions I can help with actually helps me feel useful....I am out of work since July....
Thanks for this forum...it's great!!
"selma"