Push because no matter how great the people, Asia's not where I want to be. & yet, when it comes to medical care, it blows the US away.
Another Hashimoto's sufferer is a good friend of mine here, & she recommended a doctor I've seen others recommend, so I decided to go in today, because my old prescription is running out, & the former doctor is pretty lax & carefree about meds & dosages. I was still a little hypo last visit, yet the dosage didn't change, and I can't cut the pills much less than I do, though I think any rational human being would agree we laymen shouldn't be doing that shit ourselves.
Now that I have the national plan, I was less worried about the price, though this doctor was good enough to tell me the prices before I agreed to her suggested tests, which were multiple & surprising, because one I've never been offered before. So, aside from a blood & urine test, she offered & I agreed to a thyroid ultrasound & a uterus ultrasound, which was conducted inter-vaginally.
The ultrasound technician didn't sugarcoat, though she also probably wasn't apprised of my condition. She remarked that my thyroid is rather small & damaged, & while of course it is, it was still a little shocking to hear that. Uterus apparently is fine, except that it looks like my period may be coming early, since there was a thicker build-up of blood on the walls.
I brought the last test results I had, & while looking at it she said that my dosage is way too high, because while my T3 is low (the hormone the body uses), my T4 is high (this is the pill I take, & the body converts it to T3). So, my body isn't converting the T4 that well. One reason could be that it turns out that I'm anemic. I was asked the most remarkable question for a paleo person, namely: are you a vegetarian? Because I'm very low in vitamin B12. Having just looked up what foods are high in B12, I can see why: aside from my opting not to cook fish because I hate the smell & never feel like going to Lotte Mart, where the freshest fish is, it's mostly stuff I can't really eat: dairy and soy, as well as red meat, except apparently for pork, which only has 11 g per 3.5 oz. & the doctor said this, plus other things including stress for shit's sake, can interfere with my body properly converting T4 to T3. So in addition to a diet that is tailor-made to deprive me of sufficient nutrients, I also have high anxiety. I truly was made to be battling myself at all damned times.
Although I was charged 96,000 won more than I anticipated, I really can't complain about paying 196,000 (I'd guess about $170) for 2 ultrasounds plus blood & urine tests. The other bonus was that Dr. Park told me to contact the national insurance office to see if I as a foreigner qualify for the free annual pap smear & mammogram that any 40-year-old Korean woman would.
So I'm sure I'll have more to add next week, when the test results are in.
Thursday, June 29, 2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
What is my problem?
My first thought is that my problem is this yoga instructor on youtube, because every time (EVERY. TIME.) she says it's a "challenging practice," I will be angrily calling her a cunt in the middle of it. So, yes, she's my problem, but of course I'm fully aware my real problem is ME. Because I keep doing her videos.
I'm really trying to focus on improving my balance & flexibility, because it'll help me get stronger & especially help me when I'm older. My family on both sides are clear lessons on what I'd like to avoid.
Basically, Mon-Thurs I dread coming home to do the shit I have to do, but I do it, & as you haven't seen since I'm writing into a vacuum since no one reads this, on arm days in particular I get excited because despite the exhausting tabata or core workout, I can still do & am leaning new arm balances.
Fridays I was intending to be my easier day, just a day of stretching & relaxing yoga. But then I get home & I think, yes, sure, need some stretching, but let's just do something with a LITTLE balancing all the way around.
There's a lot more leg balancing than arm balancing in today's video, & on the one hand that's good because I really fucking need to improve there, but on the other hand, I can't fucking balance on 1 leg very well, & we're on 1 leg for a fucking long time. To my continuing anger, Cassandra the yoga girl has us do 3 warrior 3s (which is not easy since my ankles & legs just don't like balancing for long, & I worked my legs yesterday), & worse, standing splits twice.
To add insult to my inability to withstand her 1 legged marathons, she has us go into blighted pigeon pose for what she SAYS will be 10 breaths, but that fucking bitch can't fucking count because when she still hadn't ended it after 10 breaths, I couldn't even keep track of how long we held it since I just was then focusing on not screaming at my computer.
Weirdly, I still can't really hold crow for very long though my legs are starting to get higher on my legs & I can lift my feet a bit more once I'm up, but weirder still is that the big balancing pose is supported headstand. I couldn't get my legs straight up, but I did get them both off the ground, & held them at my stomach for a good 5 breaths. When I tried extending one up & came out of it, but I was able to get right back up into my knees at my stomach for another 5 breaths.
Funny: I want to say balancing on my arms is easier, but we only do the 2 poses, whereas we hold these torturous 1 leg balances for at least a few minutes each leg. So the time & frequency aren't comparable, but it still irks the hell out of me.
I'm really trying to focus on improving my balance & flexibility, because it'll help me get stronger & especially help me when I'm older. My family on both sides are clear lessons on what I'd like to avoid.
Basically, Mon-Thurs I dread coming home to do the shit I have to do, but I do it, & as you haven't seen since I'm writing into a vacuum since no one reads this, on arm days in particular I get excited because despite the exhausting tabata or core workout, I can still do & am leaning new arm balances.
Fridays I was intending to be my easier day, just a day of stretching & relaxing yoga. But then I get home & I think, yes, sure, need some stretching, but let's just do something with a LITTLE balancing all the way around.
There's a lot more leg balancing than arm balancing in today's video, & on the one hand that's good because I really fucking need to improve there, but on the other hand, I can't fucking balance on 1 leg very well, & we're on 1 leg for a fucking long time. To my continuing anger, Cassandra the yoga girl has us do 3 warrior 3s (which is not easy since my ankles & legs just don't like balancing for long, & I worked my legs yesterday), & worse, standing splits twice.
To add insult to my inability to withstand her 1 legged marathons, she has us go into blighted pigeon pose for what she SAYS will be 10 breaths, but that fucking bitch can't fucking count because when she still hadn't ended it after 10 breaths, I couldn't even keep track of how long we held it since I just was then focusing on not screaming at my computer.
Weirdly, I still can't really hold crow for very long though my legs are starting to get higher on my legs & I can lift my feet a bit more once I'm up, but weirder still is that the big balancing pose is supported headstand. I couldn't get my legs straight up, but I did get them both off the ground, & held them at my stomach for a good 5 breaths. When I tried extending one up & came out of it, but I was able to get right back up into my knees at my stomach for another 5 breaths.
 |
| So, this, instead of straight legs |
Funny: I want to say balancing on my arms is easier, but we only do the 2 poses, whereas we hold these torturous 1 leg balances for at least a few minutes each leg. So the time & frequency aren't comparable, but it still irks the hell out of me.
Tuesday, June 20, 2017
It's my blog, I'll do what I want.
Well, I guess technically this isn't the first time I've used this for health updates.
First off, I've had the oddest outbreak of very small, painless, itchless, basically doing-nothing red dots all over my body. I suspect it's due to my rosacea, but really, I have no idea. I posted to the global rosacea page with the below picture, & some girl identified it as her allergy to sweat. Not really sure that that's it, though no other options have presented themselves, since I am taking my sweet time making another doctor appointment.
The only other news is really about my fitness: I'm doing yoga arm balances after my upper body workouts on Mon & Wedn. Crane/crow I can still do, but really can only hold for 5-10 seconds. The upshot is that I've added some new ones, including the below. Again, can't really hold them for long (I will blame the 44 push-ups, 22 tricep push-ups, followed by an exhausting tabata on Mon & same core/plank one on Wedn) that precedes the yoga for at least part of my lack of endurance. But that SHOULD improve the more I practice.
So, aside from regular crow, which is the only arm balance I've not lost any ability to do:
Yay me!
First off, I've had the oddest outbreak of very small, painless, itchless, basically doing-nothing red dots all over my body. I suspect it's due to my rosacea, but really, I have no idea. I posted to the global rosacea page with the below picture, & some girl identified it as her allergy to sweat. Not really sure that that's it, though no other options have presented themselves, since I am taking my sweet time making another doctor appointment.
The only other news is really about my fitness: I'm doing yoga arm balances after my upper body workouts on Mon & Wedn. Crane/crow I can still do, but really can only hold for 5-10 seconds. The upshot is that I've added some new ones, including the below. Again, can't really hold them for long (I will blame the 44 push-ups, 22 tricep push-ups, followed by an exhausting tabata on Mon & same core/plank one on Wedn) that precedes the yoga for at least part of my lack of endurance. But that SHOULD improve the more I practice.
So, aside from regular crow, which is the only arm balance I've not lost any ability to do:
I've added the following:
Friday, June 16, 2017
OHHHHHHH, I GET IT NOW!
So got into an interesting discussion today. A friend is on vacation, having a fling, & wrote, "I want for nothing. Unless I catch feels & then that's the one time someone doesn't want me back." The girl who wrote this is of course a Millennial, because that's who uses that ridiculous phrase. It also the guiding philosophy of the 20-somethings age group, rather than something only men under the age of 80 practice. I replied that while their generation gives me hope because of their belief in universal healthcare & love of travel, I know humanity is still doomed because it's such an emotionally stunted way to live. I said I guessed it came from helicopter parenting, but whatever the cause of this problem is, at least they somehow developed empathy.
(What? Yes, of course this is how I talk to my friends. Why ever would you wonder?)
Another girl told me that was condescending (while my above summary certainly is, what I actually wrote was far less so). Interestingly, I learned how the helicopter parenting did bring this about, at least when you're looking solely for whose fault it is: after whining about why they shouldn't be blamed, it's the Gen Xers' fault they're this way, she wrote: Gen Xers raised us by being overbearing and constantly critiquing us aka "helicopter parenting". Gee I wonder why we don't want to form relationships?
& THAT'S when I got more of what my problem has been-- I've been wanting to date the 20-somethings because of aesthetics, but despite knowing how emotionally stunted they were, I was STILL hoping to have a relationship with them too. Even if it wasn't as deeply connected as I wanted, I still wanted SOMETHING. But this particular age group in general wants no relationships of any kind at all! How phenomenally clear & depressing! All this time when I was living by that whole, "age doesn't matter" thing, but in this case it really DOES!
It also helped explain the mistake I was making in the past, when I'd still be looking at American guys. Helicopter parenting & the generational stuff we always hear/read about is a distinctly American phenomenon. Stereotypes across generations in the rest of the world are different from those in America. So when I swore off American men earlier this year for good, this particular interchange bolstered the wisdom of my decision.
So look at that, way to poison my dating pool, peers!
Funny enough though, I was really struck by how important it was to this woman to place blame. In one of my yoga DVDs they say something that I found incredibly difficult, important, & true: "The traumas & troubles in our pasts may not be our fault, but they become our responsibility." Hopefully as they gain experience, the Millennials will gain that wisdom too.
(What? Yes, of course this is how I talk to my friends. Why ever would you wonder?)
Another girl told me that was condescending (while my above summary certainly is, what I actually wrote was far less so). Interestingly, I learned how the helicopter parenting did bring this about, at least when you're looking solely for whose fault it is: after whining about why they shouldn't be blamed, it's the Gen Xers' fault they're this way, she wrote: Gen Xers raised us by being overbearing and constantly critiquing us aka "helicopter parenting". Gee I wonder why we don't want to form relationships?
& THAT'S when I got more of what my problem has been-- I've been wanting to date the 20-somethings because of aesthetics, but despite knowing how emotionally stunted they were, I was STILL hoping to have a relationship with them too. Even if it wasn't as deeply connected as I wanted, I still wanted SOMETHING. But this particular age group in general wants no relationships of any kind at all! How phenomenally clear & depressing! All this time when I was living by that whole, "age doesn't matter" thing, but in this case it really DOES!
It also helped explain the mistake I was making in the past, when I'd still be looking at American guys. Helicopter parenting & the generational stuff we always hear/read about is a distinctly American phenomenon. Stereotypes across generations in the rest of the world are different from those in America. So when I swore off American men earlier this year for good, this particular interchange bolstered the wisdom of my decision.
So look at that, way to poison my dating pool, peers!
Funny enough though, I was really struck by how important it was to this woman to place blame. In one of my yoga DVDs they say something that I found incredibly difficult, important, & true: "The traumas & troubles in our pasts may not be our fault, but they become our responsibility." Hopefully as they gain experience, the Millennials will gain that wisdom too.
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