February 19:
I caught a virus around February 4, and it caused a significant autoimmune flare. I got a little better, but then the extra website work of last week has caused another flare. I thought my memory was bad last month; now it's even worse. I am making a lot of mistakes. I have cringed about a few online gaffes from the last week. Oh, well. I've gotten pretty used to embarrassing myself during flares and even sometimes when not in a flare.
March 16:
It didn't help that I caught two viruses in February. The first virus from February 3 had mild symptoms but definitely impacted my thyroid levels. I felt the hit.
The second virus from February 18 had moderate symptoms. I had a lot of congestion, which lingered for around two weeks. I didn't notice an impact to my thyroid. I suspect that I was probably already so messed up from the first virus that any further impact from the second virus was negligible.
My thyroid levels were tested on March 6.
My TSH has come down. Ideally, it should be no more than 1. It is slightly higher than 1, but it's close to where we want it. TSH is Thyroid Stimulating Hormone. It increases when the body doesn't have enough T4, and it decreases as the T4 level improves.
My T4 level has improved, which is why the TSH decreased.
The problem is my T3, which has dropped.
I believe that the low T3 level is the sole cause of my mental stress. I don't have enough thyroid hormone circulating in my brain, so my mental state is not that great.
I quit taking NP Thyroid in early December, which is a natural thyroid medication containing both T3 and T4. I am now on T4 only. The removal of the T3 in my medication has caused my level to drop. My body should gradually adjust as more time passes. The body converts T4 to T3, which is the active hormone that makes us feel good. My body hasn't started doing that again like it should.
The viruses didn't help the situation, either. Viruses impact conversion of T4 to T3.
I may need to add a synthetic T3 medication, but my provider wants us to give my body a little more time to recover from the two viruses. Once more time has passed, we'll test again to see how I'm doing. I have started taking a few supplements that are supposed to help with conversion of T4 to T3 in hopes of speeding up the process.
That's where I'm at right now.
In summary, I feel like I can handle having my eBay store open. I can fulfill any orders that I receive. I hope that I do receive a number of orders, since my eBay shelves are packed. In time, I will reopen my Etsy shop. I will eventually begin listing new items for sale, but that's probably going to be awhile.
I look out for myself first, of necessity. I didn't use to do that. Now I know better. Always be kind to yourself, and remember that you can always say "no" if a task is more than you can easily bear.
