Day 1 cont.

I skyped with Bob this afternoon, talked to mom, watched some TV, then went to see the doctor. Oddly I am not very hungry although I have not had anything to “eat” today, not even juice or broth. The doctor was nice, asked a lot of questions, wrote stuff down, then did an exam. He gave me a probiotic, some mineral stuff, and a homeopathic that is supposed to support your heart and circulation.

It was 7 PM by the time I was done. Since I missed “dinner” (1 cup herbal tea with 1 T honey) I decided to check out the sauna. I was hoping I could tolerate it without taking a beta blocker but I was wrong. I only lasted 12 minutes in there and when I got up to go out my heart rate was so high I had to lean on the wall for a little while. Very disappointing! So if I want to get the benefit of sitting in the sauna I am going to have to take a beta blocker. I don’t like those options.

The heart rate issue is one that I would really like to figure out. It just does not seem that my thyroid med (Cytomel) is causing it, at the same time, I keep going back to it. There are many things I am unsure about and I am hoping that God will give me some answers during this fast. If you are reading this and feel inclined to pray, here is what I am confused about:

1. Should I switch back to Armour Thyroid or stay on Cytomel? Or do I need a combination of the two?
2. Should I taper off the progesterone cream and just stay off of it for a while, then get re-tested?
3. What is causing the heart rate issue?

Writing about it produces some anxiety for me. I haven’t gone to the “what if this fast doesn’t help” what if. I am trying to just focus on today and keep thinking positive.

They have a Catholic church service twice a week and guided prayer time every Monday through Friday at 12:15 PM. There’s a pastor on staff here that you can talk to if you feel the need. And tomorrow he is doing a presentation (for lack of a better word) called “Finding God Through Joys and Sorrows”. I am going to check it out.

The doctor recommended dry skin brushing while I am fasting but of course I left mine at home. He said there’s a store in town that should have them. Guess I’ll trek down there tomorrow to see if I can find one. He also recommended I ride the bike every day, participate in water aerobics, and he discussed which of my supplements I should keep taking and which I should stop while fasting.

Overall I am feeling pretty good. Other than the heart rate issue, a mild headache, and now some white coating on my tongue I am fine.