My sewing machine died this week. I have had her since the eighties and I wasn’t her first owner. Sewing is one of those things that many of my friends don’t realize I do. Mostly because I don’t do it often and I am not very good at it. When I have down time my brain starts dreaming up things to make and I currently seem to be focused on fabric. So out comes my seldom used sewing machine. After about a week of sewing I needed to make a bobbin and the clutch would not release. This lead me straight to the internet and long story short (smile) I broke my machine. I think I got bad advise. The sewing machine repair guy also thinks I got bad advise. Well, it wouldn’t be the first time. I hate when it happens, especially when I am suffering the consequences of said advice. The internet is a bevy of information to wade through. The problem is disernment. Bad advise often makes sense or looks really appealing. But it is still bad. I have learned that knowledge is power and I just need to be careful where my knowledge comes from.
In dealing with my health I have been overloaded with information. I have pursued several options and my path has not been quick, clear or straight. I recently decided to simply wait before I proceed with any treatment for my cancer. The cancer is not in a good place to remove surgicially and Thyroid cancer is usually slow growing. It seems that God has me in a place of waiting. An action that I am getting better at. As I wait I am asking God to take away my cancer. I am taking care of the health that I have and being content in my circumstances. I researched a few sewing machines online but just couldn’t commit to a new one. A friend advised me to borrow instead of buying and I am currently trying my mom’s sewing machine. Borrowing was good advise.
In faith, Deanna
Being off thyroid replacement medication feels like you have been in a car accident. There may not be any visible injuries but every part of you aches. Even your hair. Then there is the brain fuzz. I imagine it was what my grandmother who had Alzheimer felt like. She realized she couldn’t remember. There is a loss of control and things teeter at the edge of recall. It is difficult for most people to understand that you are just not 100%. I look the same. Well almost. I look like the tired-didn’t-comb-my-hair version of me. Although I am able to function everything takes at least fifteen to thirty minutes longer and requires a nap. I will spare you the funnies about Husband having to guide me to the proper vehicle (too many choices), forgetting what year it is (after all it is only March- isn’t it?), forgetting to rinse out my conditioner (I am proud my hair got priority). It is good to have a sense of humor otherwise I would just refuse to get out of bed. And I have done a fair amount of that. This brings me to the out of whack emotions. There aren’t enough emojis to express how I feel. Not to worry because it is quickly passing, unreasonable, amplified emotions. Normal Deanna runs even and we look forward to her return.
I have a tendency to mindless overeating when I am stressed and sometimes when I am happy. Sugar is my drug of choice when I need a bit of a pick me up or I am distracted or just too busy. Currently I am floating on a sugar high and Easter candy is my new best friend. I have discovered that jelly beans are in season! They are reasonably priced, readily available and the selection is extensive. I admit that it can be a challenge to find the perfect bean. The jelly bean must be really fresh. I prefer bright happy colors such as orange, purple, blue or green with a nice fruity bouquet. A compliment to the firm coating that surrounds a soft smooth center. A burst of tangy yet sweet flavor intensity is the highlight of the bean and it what leads me to consume one right after another. I am only limited by my memory of running into a friend at the dollar tree when the maple leaf cookies were in season. I had to explain that the cookies were seasonal so the armload I had was for the year. They freeze quite well. No kidding. I am not sure I could use the same story for jelly beans. I guess I need to do a bit of research on freezing…
The first rain upon the earth lasted forty days and forty nights. Our current weather causes me to think I should gather some animals. Build a boat. Goodness gracious it is even raining in the movie currently playing in my living room! I wish I could say my attitude isn’t determined by the weather, but I can’t heartily proclaim that it isn’t. I am an outdoor gal in need of some vitamin D. I feel trapped indoors and seeped in dampness. Waterlogged, as if I will never be dry again. I don’t suddenly feel better when someone proclaims that at least it isn’t snowing. Bah humbug! Yes I admit to a touch of seasonal depression. I am usually able to rally and keep the blahs at bay. After all, a season marked by sweaters, snow days, soup, binge watching, napping and making plans for spring can’t be all bad. And so the rain and I continue. I have been trying to be in charge of my own health while depending on others. I am learning to be patient and at the same time be productive. I am learning to be content where I am as I am moved into a fresh perspective. Sometimes the winter drags on a bit too long and the rain feels neverending. I know that when spring comes she will be sweet. In the meantime I will put on my galoshes and wade on through. I am hoping it won’t take the full forty until the promised rainbow.
I had begun to call my first go around with thyroid cancer The Big Inconvenience. I had survived. I found it doable and at this point it mostly felt inconvenient. I was still trying to figure out how to live with HYPOPARA and I was still managing my daily meds. Both with no end in sight. The endocrinologist I began my journey with had retired and I began to see the Nurse Practitioner. JG was great. She spent time with me and listened when I had issues. I really felt like a person and not an appointment time slot. She found part 2 of my cancer. It was 2013 and for the last eight years I had been having the regular blood-work and ultrasounds. When things showed up she wanted me to go for a biopsy. I had done all this before and I had opinions about who I would go to. She patiently send me to someone more specialized in delicate area biopsy. My new Cytopathology person Dr R was amazing. It was still painful but a much better experience than the first go around. I was surprised with the results because thyroid cancer was supposed to be the easy one. No big deal in the cancer world. The word about town was that it was curable. We next had to find a surgeon and I had gotten pretty choosy after the first experience. I landed with Dr O. Since this wasn’t my first party I felt I knew what to expect. Not a lot of the process had changed. The nurse would start to go over things with me and I would inject my own view of what was going to happen. I am sure I was annoying but I felt annoyed. There are lots of important details that they don’t exactly share up front. I want the whole story. I want to know what to expect and to have a plan. I can veer from the plan but I need to have one in place. Aside from the problems with my calcium levels (hypoparathyroidism) following the surgery, everything else went fairly smoothly. I liked my new surgeon. He made another scar right above my old one.
I am a glass half full kind of person. I can’t help it really. I am blessed with being able to see different sides of a situation and I am naturally drawn to the full side. But sometimes my glass gets tipped over. It throws me off and it takes a bit to get it upright again. It’s like one of those days when gravity always wins and no good deed goes unpunished. There is a line in Psalm 22 that describes it for me exactly. “I am poured out like water…” Wow. If you have ever felt this way you know exactly the feeling David was describing. It feels like I am spent and I have nothing more. I have often heard well meaning believers say that God won’t give you more than you can handle. Well I don’t think that is exactly true. Without getting into a Scripture debate I declare my proof is in life. I know because at this moment I have more than I can handle. You disagree? You think I am handling? I am certainly not doing it in my own power. I am spent. Poured out like water. I think I have misplaced my glass and I am not going to look for it. Instead I will paraphrase 2 Corinthians 12:9 His strength is made perfect in my weakness.
asked and otherwise 