That is one of the funniest things I've ever read.

 

I think you're worrying too much...you make it sound like you're changing from young to old lady over night.  In my experience, women are much too hard on themselves(read: overexaggerate about bad stuff) when it comes to looks.

~Zoo

Welcome to aging. It sucks, I know. Been there, done that, knocked out the guy who tried to sell me a t-shirt.

Though, I will admit, it does seem to be hitting you a bit early. I was 38 before I got my first gray hair.

Zoo:



Haha. Glad you liked it.



I agree that women are often far too hard on themselves. Unfortunately, this is a pretty accurate inventory. It just seems like everything is changing so rapidly. Ugh.

Gene:

Heh.



Yeah, no joke. It seems like every negative trait in my family's genetic line got passed on to me.

My mom is nearly 50, and although she says she has a few gray hairs, you definitely can't tell. She's still golden blonde. No wrinkles, either.

I am just not ready for this.

I'm 24 and I've got greys, hidden by the blonde hair.

Boo.

Grey hair could be cool as long as you do it up funky (like an anime character) and not like a soccer mom.  I've seen several people in their early 20's who have dyed their hair grey or silver.  One guy looked like a doof but that was his clothes.  Oh, and accessories!

I wouldn't worry too much about your physical looks if I was you. Hotness has never been about how chiselled you are - it's all in the way you hold yourself. If that wasn't the case, most people would never get laid.

As long as you motivate yourself to think you are the shiz, other people will think so too. It's all about the confidence.

Of course, having an appropriate height/weight ratio is a definite positive, but I don't think that's a problem for you unless you've stacked on a tonne of weight recently.

People will overlook almost any physical flaw if they think you're interesting, and interesting = sexy these days. Just think how hot Juno was, and how popular Michael Cero is these days. Neither of them is particularly goodlooking, but lots of people seem to think they're hot.

Have you had your thyroid checked recently?  I know this is a "harp" subject for me...but think about getting it checked, and make sure you get a copy of the lab results.

I was falling apart and went to the Dr, they did a thyroid test and told me it was "normal."

When I didn't feel better, I asked for a copy of all my labs so I could research myself...and guess what?  What the military considers "normal" thyroid levels is NOT what civilian endocrinologist and the latest medical research show are normal and healthy.

Thyroid problems tend to show up (if they're going to) in women within a year of birth..however mine didn't start until Gavin was nursing less and less...so about weaning time....or once they get on more solids....

It's a simple blood test....they will check your TSH level...get the actual # and the numbers the labs use as a guide.

Just about every single thing you mentioned can be symptomatic of thyroid disease.  If you have obese people in your family, then the chances are a lot more likely its an endocrine disorder.

There isn't a set in stone "normal" standard.  A real endocrinologist uses the lab results as a guide and treats you clinically.  Hormones and how they react in your body are very individual.  You also have to have a pretty severe hypothyroid to gain much weight.  You tend to retain water more, and losing weight is a bit more difficult, but gaining weight isn't a good indication of thyroid problems.  If you have gained weight, lost hair, have dry skin and are fatigued, then it could be thyroid related.  Thyroid problems in the US are getting more and more frequent due to lack of iodine.  People are cutting out salt (great for blood pressure!) but lack iodine due to salt being about the only real iodine source in our diets due to poor soil nutrients from over farming.

TSH is also not all that should be checked for Thyroid.  TSH just checks the pituitary gland.  You also need to have your T4 tested (they call it a Free T4, or you could get the Free T4 index for the most accurate results). 

TW, have you thought of using Henna to cover your grey?  There are very few people allergic to it, and it's natural and comes in funky colors if you wish to go that route.

Aging bites, but it's better than the alternative

I was gonna say something, but somehow I seem to have forgotten what it was.... darned aged brain cells

Brandie, I've said this before, but in every picture I see of you, you look different. Anytime I get a mental picture of you that goes with the name (I do that with everyone, including characters in books), the next time you post a pic with you in it, that mental pic is erased. I can say this though, I've never seen a pic of you where you didn't look beautiful. I'm not talking "model", air brushed beautiful, but every day, real, honest beauty.

I think what you need to do is quit going by what you see in the mirror and start going by what you see in Adrians eyes when he looks at you, says your name, or even thinks about you. You need to see yourself through the eyes of your kids, who see you as the mostest beautiful, most funnest, bestest mommy in the whole world!

Sabrina made a good point. Your life over the last few years hasn't exactly been stress free. Combat and family separation pay aren't the only things you get when your spouse is deployed.

Tova also made a great suggestion. The thyroid regulates energy levels and proteins. It also has an indirect effect on development. Anytime there is a change in energy or how the body uses proteins, the tyroid should be considered.

Another thing you can do is daily facial exercises. Facial exercises take less time, are easier and have more noticeable effect that any other exercise. Tighten all the muscles in your face and hold it for about 5 seconds. Your mouth will naturally come open, but keep it closed, that way you exercise the muscles that open them, and the ones that you have to used to keep it closed. You'll see the effects in a couple of weeks.

I have been getting grey hairs since I was 19.  I wanted to smack the girl who was doing my hair and told me I found seven ... no, nine grey hairs.  Of course, after that I was paranoid and always looking for them.  I'm 36 now and still not noticeably grey.  I do pluck them when I see them though.  I feel you on the breaking out thing too.  I have broken out more in the past few years than I ever did in high school. 

I still think you're pretty, Tex, and you are too hard on yourself.  Just take care of yourself the best you can.  I know that smoking can age you prematurely.  I don't know if you smoke but I have definately noticed the effect on friends with wrinkles around the eyes and mouth.  I'm getting some wrinkles on my forehead and am considering a new hairdo with bangs. 

Oh and LW, you totally depressed me. 

Oh.....to be 29 again!!  I remember being really, really depressed when I hit 30!  What WAS I thinking? 

TW I also started noticing a few gray hairs in my middle 20's and with three small children it didn't go over well.  I was actually horrified when my friend plucked out my first gray hair as she stood over and behind me.   In the beginning I would pluck those few stray hairs and so this did not really become noticeable until I hit close to 40.  Ha!  It just got to the point where I couldn't keep up with the plucking them out anymore.   I have very dark hair even so I just started coloring when it hit around 39-40 with a very gentle hairdye in the beginning. 

Even now I'm basically gray, from what I can tell, only on the crown of my head and around the temples. 

As far as the rest goes, getting yourself into a good exercise routine, whatever it is, would be really great for your self image.  It sounds like maybe you just need to do some toning.  I know I feel so much better about myself when I keep my running and biking schedule not to mention I fit better into my clothing.

As far as the wrinkles go....not much can be done about that but a good skin care routine can do wonders and make you feel better as well.  Try a few diff products until you find something you feel works best for you. 

We have so many great ladies out there in their 50's 60's and 70's that are still knockouts.  If they can keep themselves looking young at these ages we can too at our "younger ages." 

 

 

When it comes to set in stone...I find NOTHING in the medical community fits the catagory..hahaha.

However, in the last decade a series of studies have challenged the "normal" range of 0.4 and 6.0m U/1 for the TSH test.

The American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists (AACE...thats the governing body for all endos in the nation) revised the "normal" range in 2003 and encourages all Endos to treat patients with ranges who aren't from 0.3-3.04m U/1..and there is some indication that anything over a 2.0 can be abnormal.

Heck before TSH tests were even created, Docs went by symptoms. And some Endos are really starting to doubt the veracity of TSH tests.



We're not talking about real Endos we're talking about the military haha....they will give her a TSH test and a free T4, that's it. It took me over a year to get them to run a free T3 test. And they don't treat by diagnosing symptoms....they treat you by your TSH ONLY and usually on the phone...My TSH was 8 the first time (not too high since they cling to the old standard) BUT when I went back four short weeks later it was in the 30's, cholesterol way high, and a host of other issues, not the least of which was weight gain..in four weeks, with no change in diet or exercise..



Losing weight is much more difficult. An under active thyroid slows your metabolism, gives you lower energy, and often leads to depression. These things alone can add the pounds, pack them together and you have a fat chick cocktail. Heh. Thyroid replacement therapy won't make ya skinny, but if you are hypo, it can give you energy to exercise more...or just move more.

Also, sometimes hypothyroid contributes to hypoglycemia which directly promotes weight gain.

Endocrine disorders effect every single cell in your body. Before 1975 women in the US with an under active thyroid took Armour Thyroid, a natural pig thyroid, measured in grains. In 1975 a synthetic T4 was introduced in medical schools across this country...all the sudden Armour Thyroid (which supplies ALL of the hormones our thyroids make) was considered "old." Most Endos won't even CONSIDER using it now...not because it didn't work, but because they were taught in med school Synthetic is better, easier to "regulate", things which were never clinically proven as true (in side by side comparisons)...just stuff the pharmaceutical companies said.

So women went from being able to get all the hormones produced naturally by our thyroid (using pigs) to only one, synthetic T4...and because T4 is supposed to convert to T3 in the body, and the other hormones are considered by products and/or waste (read: they haven't figured what they are used for yet) that was that...we were told we don't need those others.

That is why some women who just take Synthroid still gain weight no matter their diet and still have brain fog and other symptoms. On the website thyroid.about.com there is a lot of useful info if you decide to get some blood work done. And the woman who started the website (Mary) did so because she was a military spouse who couldn't get satisfaction...heh. Her story is on there...as well as several book recommendations.

I don't mean to go on and on, if you read all that, wow. I have a lot of resources and books on this Brandie if you are interested.

But first, THE BLOOD TEST..heh..cause the military won't do anything without it.

Tova, you don't have to give me that much info, I've had thyroid problems for the past 19 years and have been thyroid free for over 4 years (I had a lobe removed when I was 18, and the rest over 4 years ago).

Armour Thyroid is still prescribed by many Endocrinologists, and is on an uprise due to it being more naturally compatible.  Some people will never convert T4, and if you don't have a thyroid, or it is minimally functioning, you need both T3 and T4 to have a properly regulated hormone level, and each have their own half life. I've been on Armour thyroid for over 5 years.  Synthroid and other synthetic brands did nothing for me.  However, dessicated pig thyroid (Armour) works.  It smells really bad, though.

That's typical for thyroids when they start having issues.  However, especially since you mentioned cholesterol, it was most likely water weight (ie: retaining water) versus fat.  I am still hypothyroid even being on the highest dose they can give me without causing heart problems (my body just isn't using the replacement hormones like it should) but the only reason why I haven't lost weight is because I eat too much and sit on my butt too much. 

So, what caused your hypothyroid?  If it had that drastic of a change, didn't they look into the root cause?  Have they scanned it to see how it is functioning?  Auto-immune disease and all sorts of underlying health issues can cause thyroid issues.  It's as important to find out why it's not functioning correctly as it is finding out at all.  A lot of times it's a symptom of something else, not the problem itself.

 

 

Thanks, everyone.

LW: Very disturbing indeed. I might as well kill myself now.

Tova & Karma: I had my thyroid tested a few months PP after Isabella because I felt I was losing a ridiculous amount of hair. The doctor said it came back normal, so I didn't think of it again.

I tend to be a hypochondriac, so that doesn't help. Don't plant ideas in my head. Haha.

I need to have a check up soon anyways, so it would not hurt to have it tested again, I suppose. I am having a lot of menstrual cramps, not just during my period, so that is something I guess I am kind of concerned about. I think my weight issue is due to a) nursing less, eating A LOT of fast food while we were in the hotel for a month c) lack of activity/poor eating and d) metabolism slow down with age (I read that 25 is when you start noticing it).

Thanks for all the info.