Am I expecting too much?

[megg]

I've just been told that I have an underactive thyroid which certainly explains a lot of the way I've been feeling, I have to go to the doctors next week to find out what medication I'll need. This has been praying on mind because I really can't take tablets and now I'll have to for the rest of my life, I'll also have to stop drinking, cut down on the chocolate and generally change my diet totally. Dp has been away all week which has contributed to the general depression I've been feeling, I had to have an ecg yesterday. Anyway he came back today and he had to look after ds while I went to the hairdressers. I had really been looking forward to the hairdressers as I was having all the grey bits coloured and its relaxing. When I got back he was in a bad mood because ds hadn't wanted to get back in the car to come home from the soft play, dp took one look and moaned that I had had it cut (hello I had been to the hairdressers thats the general idea isn't it?!). There were no compliments just a tirade about how ds had played up, how his back was hurting, about how tired he was and that he wasn't feeling very well. When I told him why I was p**d off at him he just said we hadn't anything to talk about. Needless to say I feel quite upset by this, he has been away all week and he knows how I am with my health (I worry a lot about being ill I put it down to my mother dying so young). Sorry to bother you all with this but I just thought I should take a step back to see if I was over reacting. Thanks for listening.
Megg

He sounds like a typical man, nobody is ever as poorly as they are and its all your fault if the children play them up - and why should they have to look after the children anyway when they go out to work? As we've said before, men just don't think, most of them only consider their own needs and feelings whilst we generally have to look after everyone else before ourselves. Hopefully they'll soon control your thyroid problem and you'll feel a lot better in yourself and the doctor might be able to give you some medication in liquid form rather than tablets if you ask. Good luck at your appointment next week, hopefully things won't be as bad as you anticipate.

No, you're not over-reacting. He's just being a total *** - I can't say it, can't be rude about your DP, but I think you know what I mean. Men. As Willow said on another thread, you can't live with 'em, can't kill 'em.
Hope your health problems get sorted out soon. I would take revenge if I were you. Go and have a facial next week, and if he complains again, have a full body massage the week after.
xxx

Hi Megg,

I won?t comment about the ?men? problem, I could go on all year! I just wanted to say, have you thought of Homoeopathy? I have heard that it can be v successful in thyroid problems (and other things), so you don?t have to take tablets for the rest you your days.

I too am speechless!

Sobernow, can't believe your DP!!! Can you go out and leave him with DS just to give him a taste of what it must be like for you? IME men always feel sicker when they get the same bug as you - definitely the weaker sex...

Sobernow - my jaw is dragging on the carpet. What an arse.

Megg - don't panic about the thyroid thing. Mine was overactive, had surgery to have it removed about fifteen years ago and have been underactive ever since. I take two tiny tablets a day - weeny little things - get free prescriptions - and can drink as normal. Yes, I do put on weight at the drop of a hat and spend my entire life either feeling great because i'm losing it or crap because it's coming back on - but so do lots of other people who don't have a gland to blame it all on! So really don't worry too much - taking tablets becomes second nature and they are so small you shouldn't have a problem.
Babymac - not sure about homeopathy being an answer, might help you absorb thyroxine from tablets better, but I would seriously question anything that suggested it could replace thyroid replacement. While easily controlled, thyroid problems can be life threatening and, as such, should never be "experimented" with.

Just have to say aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaggggggggggghhhhhhhhhh about men who think childcare is solely the mother's responsibility! IF WE ARE ILL WE NEED LOOKING AFTER TOO, much, much sympathy sobernow

and megg

Why do men do this? Mine is great about looking after the kids etc, but if I get ill he accompanies every visit to my bedside (and to give him his due he cooks and ministers quite well!) with "I don't like it when you're ill. When are you going to get better?", almost as if it was something I was doing on purpose. AND he is rarely ill, but when he is he DIES.

Real sympathy to Megg and sobernow, dont think I could put up with that.

Is it s mething to do with how our MILs raised them (in which case we'd better think about how we're raising our ds's ), or is it testosterone-related??

My mum has an underactive thyroid and the tablets she takes are MINUTE - teeny weeny things - so don't worry about that. Also she eats what she likes and drinks wine and everything and has never been told not to. The treatment totally transformed her health and state of mind etc so please don't worry about that aspect of things. She's a million times happier and more energetic with the tablets. She's also a size 10 (!) so get yourself a prescription and good luck!

Did doc say you'd have to take tablets for the rest of your life? My thyroid went very over-active after both births. I was told it'd take minimum of 18 months to bring it under control, but the tablets worked much quicker, and once'normalised' I was able to come off the medication. This happened after both births.

And my tablets very teeny too.

And despite having an over-active thyroid I never lost an ounce. Either time.

Monkey - overactive thyroid's can sometimes be sorted out with medication - underactive ones can only be "controlled" with medication - ie: you have to top your own natural levels up regularly with medication. I've never heard of the problem fixing itself.

PS aloha - your mum's a lucky so and so!

Thanks for all the messages. I read about the eating and drinking thing on the UK Thyroid site. It said thyroxine didn't mix well with alcohol and chocolate gave too much of a dip after the initial hit which would mean being susceptible to hypoglaecimic. I already have problems with my blood sugar dipping too low if I don't eat regularly. Until I go on Friday I don't know what medication I'll be given. My friend said her aunt had the same medication and the weight dropped off her so fingers crossed that'll happen to me. Just typical I couldn't have an over active one my friend lost 7kg in three weeks and when her's went over active I could have done with a quick fix diet! Come to the conclusion dp is just trying to avoid thinking about me being ill as he still hasn't mentioned it. When I give in to being ill and stay in bed my dp is like Azzie's sitting on the edge of the bed. He even brings ds in so I end up getting up as I'm not getting any rest being in bed. He sits there and says 'you'll feel much better if you get up' or 'you'll feel better if you go out'. If I bring ds in when he's ill God help me. Thanks again.

Sobernow, have just read your sickness bug post and I'm still open-mouthed. Not even my spawn-of-the-devil DH can top that.

Although, thinking about it, I suppose he could. He probably wouldn't have come home from work in the first place ...........

Megg, my mother had an underactive thyroid a few years ago and she was quite severely depressed by the time it was diagnosed (not picked up for quite a while). She had been feeling suicidal, apparently - not that she told any of us - and tried to put it down to a recent house move. Her mental and physical condition improved so much within just a few days of starting the correct dose of thyroxine and she has been fine ever since.
I think what I am trying to say is that apart from the nasty physical symptoms, the condition does affect you psychologically, and that might have added to your feeling low. I do hope you feel better soon.
Shame there are no teeny-weeny pills any of us can take for multishirking, underempathising partners. I'd have spun round and spewed on his feet, Sobernow - I can't tell you how cross and upset your post made me. I hope the rat gave himself a hernia throwing up. On the other hand, I hope you are now feeling fine.

Megg, I've had an underactive thyroid for nearly 20 years and it's no big deal once you get the dosage sorted (mine hasn't changed once in all that time after the initial tests). The whole thing about taking the very tiny tablets (and some brands are really sweet - I suck them like sweeties!) is that they restore you to normal and you are no longer ill.

I've never heard of not being able to drink alcohol or eat chocolate. Sometimes these websites are a bit OTT and you need to take them with a pinch of salt. IME, they tend to attract people with worst-case scenarios who need to let off steam and thus are not representative of the vast majority. I also have low blood sugar levels and low BP but that's just me, I think, and I know what to do to avoid problems.

BabyMac, I've never heard that homeopathy could replace thyroxine and cure an underactive thyroid. Do you have any research about it as it would be interesting to know more? The reason hypothyroidism sufferers are entitled to free prescriptions is because it is a lifelong, incurable condition.

As for the men mentioned on this thread - suffice to say that I'm glad I'm not married to any of them!!!

Megg, I am sorry you are not well - I hope they are able to sort it out for you on Friday ... Unfortunately I don't know anything about thyroids so I can't give any bits of advice...

BUT I do have a DH who is similar to yours and sobernow's ... he never used to be but in the last year or so he has been terrible like that ... I think things changed when I became a SAHM and he started a new job with longer hours ... You have my sympathy on that and I do entertain myself with little imaginary scenarios where a magician could magically make him be the one to wake up 3 times a night when DS is unwell, or even make him have the symptoms of early pregnancy so that he knew what it felt like ...

So Sobernow I take it your DP didn't take any time off work with his illness and never has done? That would be only fair since that is what he expects of you....

following on the thryoid tip - has anyone got any advice for supplements you can take to help you not pile weight on at the drop of a hat. I only have to look at a supermarket aisle for it to cling to my thighs - and it is doing my head in. I managed to shift nearly 3 stone after having ds - but over past year I've put half of it back on again and now hate myself. Am going back on "diet" but would be interested in any alternative bits and bobs I could do to help matters.

No wise pearls here Im afraid Sobernow, just can't believe his audacity ! But as so many of you have said, it is ALWAYS worse when they have it. Men are such wimps !!!