Having trouble feeling good

OH! when I read that I was like ZOMG, Christina should've been there, I HATE YOU BACKY!
But then re-read the thing, and it was a Booth, not an event. LOL.

glad you had fun

 

From the description of your symptoms, most of what you're experiencing is related to stress. These things are the way that our bodies tell us that we need to step back and let go of some of the things that cause of us stress.

The interesting thing is that many of the side effects that we attribute to stress are produced by hormones that our body produces when we are stressed. Among those hormones is cortisol (produced by the adrenal glands). The side effects of cortisol? Weight gain, water retention, inability to concentrate, trouble sleeping, tiredness and a tendency to pick up colds and other illnesses. Sound familiar?

On your medical issues- before you start cortisone injections, you might want to try an anti-inflammatory like Celebrex. It's very effective and it doesn't have the side effects of cortisone. And until your hip pain gets better, you might try a less weight-bearing exercise such as swimming or yoga instead of walking.

And if you haven't had a physical and a blood workup- you should have everything checked. There are other things like mononucleosis and thyroid dysfunction that can also cause similiar symptoms.

 

First of all, big hugs to Becky. As one of our beloved EC Moms, we all want you to be happy in your life.

I can't really say anything that hasn't been said already, but I'm glad you had a feel good moment at your concert

 

Thyroid hormones regulate metabolism. Without the replacement thryoid hormone, you would notice a big decrease in your energy level. Given that you have been on the medication for so many years, it is probably something that you will need to continue to take since any remaining thyroid tissue you have may not produce enough hormone to maintain what your body needs.

It would be a good idea to have your levels checked to make sure that you are getting adequate thyroid hormone replacement.

Cortisone injections work very well for acute inflammation- for example, when someone has a pinched nerve or is having back spasm. The problem with cortisone injections for chronic inflammation is that the injection gets rid of the inflammation temporarily but the inflammation often returns. To get the anti-inflammatory effect, you have to repeat the cortison shots. You can repeat them every 60-90 days but it does mean having the rather long needle inserted into your hip joint each time.

Cortisone that is injected has many of the same effects as the cortisone produced by the body during stress, so while it may help temporarily with the inflammation in your hip, you may find that it makes some of your stress-related symptoms worse. If it were a one-time thing, this might be more tolerable but it sounds like the problem is a long-term problem, so the shots would need to be repeated. There's an article about the injections on the Mayo website here-> http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pain-medications/PN00046

Celebrex does not irritate the stomach or have many of the side effects of drugs like ibuprofen, naproxyn or aspirin. It is very effective in reducing inflammation and a short course of Celebrex may help reduce the inflammation enough to allow you to get back into normal activities.

 

Oh dear, Becky I am sorry to hear about that. I have an aunt who was in a very similar predicament... chronically tired, would go to sleep at 9pm and not really fall asleep until 3 or 4 am, and then be up again at 5am. Every day, there was another part of her body that ached. All of this led her to become chronically depressed.

All of this, until about three years ago. We recently had a family BBQ, and my uncle asked her how she was so much better so quickly. She said that she did several of the things that you had mentioned. She gets cortizone shots regularly, and she sought counseling. Her counselor actually told her that the key to physical well being and being physically comfortable is actually a result of a emotional well being. When you are emotionally strong and healthy, your body releases something (I want to say pandorphines or something like that) that make your metabolism as a whole stronger and more efficient.

Becky, if I were you, I would invest your time in getting yourself emotionally strong. Maybe this involves counseling, maybe this involves just talking with your husband. Based on your profile, I run the assumption here that you are close to your children. Maybe you could spend more time with them. You are a beautiful person and I really hate to see you down like this. But there is something about you that tells me you have a very strong will and a very strong personality... and a good one at that.

Also, as far as a job and all, I work in Human Resources. I know several national head hunters. If you want to take on a career change, then I would be honored to help you however possible. If not, I find the best tool for me, during my recruiting responsibilities, is actually indeed... this site takes job openings from all kinds of job boards... Monster, Yahoo, Career Builder, JobFox, etc. Please PM me if you would like any assistance. I do HR for a living, so I think I could definitely help you.

I believe that I speak on behalf of the entire EC community... we are all here for you. Please keep us updated.

 

Yay! Please do! I would love to help how ever possible.