Cherise M. Kyster wrote:
>
> Joan,
>
> Thanks so much for your encouraging words.  I'm glad to hear that you're
> feeling so well.  Have you been able to determine what causes your "crashes"?
>
> Cherise


Cherise,
        My endo suspects that I may have something else going on, possibly in
the arthritis range. There is a history of arthritic and autoimmune
diseases in my family, and I have had tons of tests--all
negative--except my SED rate, which is almost always slightly elevated.
My hip joints are nearly destroyed by "inflammatory" arthritis (stalling
hip replacement as long as possible), so I've been a bit of a mystery.
Now that I definitely have an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's), my endo
is ordering some additional tests, but she suspects that any diagnosis
may be "sero-negative" --based on symptoms, not blood work.
        Since my Hashimoto's was discovered, I've been working hard on my
attitude towards all this, something that's easier to do as I feel
better. Basically, I'm trying to live my life and then deal with my
medical woes, rather than focusing first on the medical stuff. I've had
a rough four years--first my hip problem with the threat of surgery
looming, then menopause with all its upheaval, and then my thyroid
fading out. I was feeling like a collection of medical problems
surrounding a fading person. Now I rarely talk about how I feel, except
with my husband, and even then not much unless I'm having a really bad
day. Aches and pains are part of my life, and I choose not to focus them
too much. Some of the posts here have been VERY helpful in this process.
My favorite quote from this group (sorry I didn't make note of the
author) was, "Who we are is in the way we live with it."
        Hope you begin feeling better. Thanks for the opportunity to vent a
bit.
Joan