Of all the things that I have received from my program with Dr. Jack, I think that the greatest has been the return of ENERGY. Gosh, how I never realized how little of it I actually had.
When my Hashimoto’s disease was at its peak, my energy level was minimal at best, unless there is a category below minimal? I would wake up exhausted. every single day. It wasn’t like people who want to hit the snooze because you just don’t want to face the day, it was pure exhaustion. I would go to bed as early as possible, sleep restlessly all night long, and wake up feeling as though I had not even had a ten minute nap.
I would drag myself out of bed, try to get the puffy swelling to leave my eyes and drink as much coffee as I could to get wide awake. I teach school, there is no time to get your bearings when you get there, you better be ON from the second your arrive. I would work so hard during the day, go home, and drink more coffee or tea to try to make it through my evening job. Then come home, fall into bed exhausted and tomorrow, do it all again. Over and over, like a gerbil running on a wheel, going no where.
Because I was so tired all week, I just couldn’t get things done during the week that needed doing. I couldn’t do jobs around the house or pay bills or even finish my school work. Too tired…. all the time, so weekends became the “catch up” days. I would get up, and try to break the whole weekend into tasks. When my disease was at it’s worst, it was hard to just put groceries away without a break. So all weekend, was just trying to get through. That means you start the week off tired again because you never get a chance to recharge yourself. I lived like that a long time, day in and day out, pretty much hidden from people I know who would think I had it all together!
Life was exhausting and everyday problems just were greater solely because I didn’t have the energy to deal with them. It is hard to even try to solve a situation you have going on when you feel as though every two minutes you need a break.
About three weeks into my work with Dr. Jack, suddenly that pattern started to change. I had given up the coffee and tea already and was still tried, but about week three, I noticed that one day at school, I was able to work through my planning time and when I was finished, I had some things accomplished! Before I could barely sit and focus on a task long enough to complete it. Suddenly, things were getting done and that meant less was going into my bag to go home. I would go home. And when I got home, I was able to make myself some dinner, and get a load of laundry done. I could pay a few bills, or organize things at home. Each day brought a little extra charge of energy.
From there, changes started happening more rapidly. Saturdays I could get up well rested, get groceries, clean up the kitchen and do laundry, with no breaks. I could clean up the house and get things done. Then it was that I could get all my weekend tasks done in a few hours, including school work that came home. Every week it just keeps getting better!
I find that now my energy level might be what “regular” people have, and sometimes even better than regular people!!! I still work my two jobs, but in between jobs, I am not pumping myself up with any caffeine at all. I come home, make dinner, do some laundry, get some things around the house done, finish up the next day’s lessons and STILL go to job two! And when I get home, I have time to sit and read something or answer some email before going to bed. I have more time for family and friends, more time to read what I want to read not have to read. I have things organized and accomplished and even though the day gets away from me sometimes, I feel like I have a good handle on it. It doesn’t take me days to catch up on a few minor tasks.
I get TONS of things done in a single day and I am amazed that I can!! Every single day, so much is accomplished that when the weekend comes, there IS time left over just for me to enjoy things that I like. That is so different than spending every single day on HAVE TO’S. I feel so much better because my mental focus is better.
When I go to bed, I sleep! All night long, I sleep! And when the alarm goes off, I feel rested and ready to tackle my day. I read a book about Hashimoto’s that said that when you have this disease, you never get that energy level back. …..
I guess Dr. Jack had other ideas about that….. and for that I am truly grateful!