Not that explanations are necessary but…
I have been quiet before, but this time my inability to post was a result of me really actually truly being incapable.
As many of you may know, I am usually quite fit and active (cycling, boxing, lifting weights, pilates) but I was increasingly finding it hard to recover after workouts and some days even hard to get out of bed or wash my hair… you know, the stuff that makes one socially acceptable. My doctor sent me for blood tests and discovered I had Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, an autoimmune disorder that results in extreme fatigue. She told me to wait six weeks and test again, and in that six weeks I crashed. Badly.
It has been a very busy year. I travelled and wrote and did all the things I usually do, but in the last six weeks I have been incapable of almost everything I usually do. I’ve been on my bike maybe once. I stopped going to gym. I had heavy brain fog so have been unable to read or think or write. The only thing I’ve been good at is sleeping. I could sleep for Australia (except on those nights where my thyroid would surge hellishly back to life and leave me with palpitations and constricted lungs and so wired my brain wouldn’t shut down).
Accurate representation of me
My doctor tells me it’s just bad luck, but there are other who think such auto-immune disorders bear a relationship to overwork and adrenal fatigue. Indeed, I don’t seem to know how to stop working but as workaholism is fairly socially acceptable nobody has cautioned me very harshly. I feel my exhaustion now, all the way to my marrow.
But the light at the end of the tunnel isn’t always the front of an oncoming train. My second blood test showed, predictably, that my condition had worsened and now I am taking medication. I was told that it might take up to a month to work, but after a week the fog has lifted and I don’t feel so flat. I’ve still got a long way to go to regain my pre-Hashimoto’s self, but with a little bit of self-care and kindness, I should have a terrific 2016. You’ll have to expect less of me, as I expect less of myself.
I wish you all happiness and joy for the new year. Take care of yourselves.
Kim xx
So sorry to hear of your ill health, Kim. My sister had a type of thyroidism recently – Graves’ disease – and it knocked her around very much like you describe. It took at least a year and lots of meds but now she’s fine and full of energy again. Just give yourself time. Best of luck and all good wishes for the coming year – Jo (another of Selwa’s writers!)
Thanks, jo. My son loves your book!
That’s wonderful! which one?
Castaway!
Excellent! š
Kim I have always admired your energy and productivity It must be hard not to have it. I’ve been living with Hashi myself for many years. It affects so many other areas of health. Do what you can on the days your energy is there and don’t get too frustrated on days it is not. I do hope 2016 is a good one for you and that you can navigate this condition well.
Thanks! I’m remaining positive. K x
Oh no! Hashimoto’s is a rotten thing. It’s also often hereditary, so tell your siblings to keep an eye on their thyroids too. Medication, low stress and sleep will have you good in no time. Take care.
Maria
Yes my mum has low thyroid but it didn’t hit till in her 70s, so I’m the lucky one. K x
Hi Kim.
Thanks for your well wishes and the adorable couch mouse. Couch hamster?
The body’s balance is a delicate thing, but her wisdom is strong. It could be you were way overdue for REST. In a culture where workaholics are favored over slackers, we often lack the tools to dial it down and just be.
To support your recovery, I won’t ask if DOTS II is on schedule. I know it’ll be amazing when it lands. No rush!
Here’s to giving ourselves, and our friends and family, permission to find ease and peace, allowing the body to weigh in at least as much as the mind.
Wishing you all the best in 2016. The year of Fire Monkey!
xxKim
what a lovely comment, thanks! DOTS 2 is actually finished (in draft) so I won’t have to let too many people down. xx
That’s great news on DOTS 2. (See! Even when you think you’re inactive, you accomplish more than most people do in a lifetime.)
So sorry to hear of your illness. I recently suffered a bout of pulmonary pneumonitis so I can wholly sympathise with the sheer bloody frustration of a sluggish mind and a body that won’t cooperate (not to mention nine months of breathing like Darth Vader and drugs that made my hair fall out).
I love your writing so much but hope that you take it very easy in 2016 and look after yourself. Look at George RR Martin – your fans will wait years for your book š
Am glad you have solid answers and can use things like rest and meds to work on being better.
After a decade plus of dealing with similar, you have my sympathies enduring the brain fog and fatigue (especially when it impacts on loves of reading, wording and well, anything really).
May 2016 bring you into balance and your body back to energised.
Hey, I hope you feel better soon. I was wondering if you had any new releases coming up so I checked out your site. When you feel better, write an all out horror novel like you used to do. If you don’t, I still hope you feel better….
Jim
Change of topic, but can I ask why it is so hard to get Daughters of the Storm in the UK? It still doesn’t seem to have been released here. I paid a silly amount to get it direct from Harlequin (worth every penny mind) but am just curious as to why it doesn’t appear to have been more widely released?
It hasn’t been bought by a UK publisher yet. Fingers crossed that after the US release next year somebody may be interested, and I’m very sorry about the expensive postage!
Don’t apologise! Like I said, worth every penny. I hope a UK publisher picks the series up – you are one of the best writers around and I think Daughters of the Storm is your best work so far.
Just bought Sisters of the Fire and read it in one sitting. Feel like going back and reading it again. Awesome stuff – thanks for the short break from reality.
yay! i’m glad you liked it!
Again off topic and you are probably already aware – there has been some interesting Anglo-Saxon news today on the BBC: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-37940012