I knew it was too quiet. Things were going too well, so I guess I was waiting for the yuck. I just didn’t expect it to come in this particular form.

First of all, I’m losing my hair. No, seriously. It’s creepy; I’m 32 and my hair is thinning? Doesn’t make sense.

Of course, trying to find a doctor to give me a straight answer about it is a joke. My P-doc says it’s not the anti-depressants. Maybe it’s my diet. Am I getting enough iron? My dermatologist says it’s not diet - maybe it’s my anti-depressants. All I have to do is go completely off them, and my hair will grow back. (Of course, this is coming from the same guy who asked me if L-Lysine really works to keep cold sores at bay. Oh yeah, baby. Isn’t this your speciality?)

The dermatologist sent me to the lab to be tested for hypothyroidism and to check my glucose levels. I checked out the symptoms for low thyroid levels, and low and behold:

• Depression


• Fatigue


• Weakness (muscle)


• Weight gain or increased difficulty losing weight


• Coarse, dry hair


• Dry, rough pale skin


• Hair loss


• Cold intolerance (can’t tolerate the cold like those around you)


• Muscle cramps and frequent muscle aches


• Constipation


• Depression


• Irritability


• Memory loss


• Abnormal menstrual cycles


• Decreased libido

Yeah, so if my thyroid is functioning normally, I’d be shocked out of my skin. I have every single symptom on the list except two.

Anyway. I quit being a chicken and had my blood drawn Monday. I’m hoping to hear something by the end of the week.

Then we have the disaster of the swollen knee. About two weeks ago it started to swell and ache. I’ve been ignoring it, wrapping it, icing it - everything. Nothing will make it go back to normal. My range of motion has been cut in half, and walking up and down stairs is irritating.

Carol is a physical therapist, and finally advised me to go to the doctor. This appointment was this morning. I got to see the bones in my knees! Woo! Yeah, okay, so x-rays are cool. Unfortunately, besides my patella tracking sideways when I flex, nothing is off. But the swelling persists.

Tomorrow morning - bright and early at 7am - I have my very first MRI. I’m not very excited about it. The two options the doctor seemed to give me were surgery (”we’ll have you on your feet by your wedding day!”) or draining the knee and doing extensive testing the fluid.

I am 32 and falling apart. I think this sucks. Hopefully it will all turn out to be no big deal, my knee will return to a tolerable size, and my hair will grow back spontaneously. Keep your fingers crossed.

In pieces (or falling to),
michelle