She-Groks Only.......... cuz it works different for us page 113

[teach2183]

Just got back from the doctor and am quite frustrated. Except for 3-4 days, I have been exhausted since the end of May. I've been getting 9-10hrs of sleep at night and needing a 1-2hr nap every day. He's running a thyroid test and other general bloodwork. But commented that TSH is a better indicator for hypothyroidism than T3/4. Everything I read says the opposite. So I think that if the tests come back low it will be an uphill battle. I love my gynecologist but he won't help with the fatigue. Just don't know where to go or what to do at this point. But I will be working 2 part time jobs in the fall (plus SAH with 2yo and 4yo) and need my energy back!

[tomi]

Teach - if you can't get the results you want with this doc - find another one. They're everywhere! Ask friends and family or people you work with for recommendations. If you're having energy problems your best bet is to see an Endocrinologist. The sooner the better cuz these things take time and patience to correct. I just started taking Armour Thyroid and my doc said it will take 8 weeks just to see the results of the first level of the med. If I need more we'll titrate up slowly........ so I'm looking at possibly a year to get to where I feel I should be energy wise.

Good luck.........

[RitaRose]

I totally agree with trying out the men's stuff.

I don't technically "hike" per se, but I walk outdoors a lot for my work, usually over pavement, gravel, landscape rock, grass, desert dirt, clay and mud. I have to wear ankle high hiking boots because it's an OSHA requirement (so I don't turn my ankle) and it really sucks to step on a nail in running shoes.

I have been buying men's hiking boots for more than 4 years now, and I have to buy a new pair every 3 or 4 months (probably sooner but I'm cheap). The men's boots are just put together better, I have no idea why, and they have more room in the toe box. Plus they're just wider all over, which is great after a long day.

Before I stopped wearing shorts for work, I was totally addicted to the men's cargo shorts at Target. Simple, cheap, sturdy, lots of pockets, decent belt loops and they didn't creep up like women's "pretty" shorts did.

[sbhikes]

You know, I have to admit I went to K-mart the other day and thought some of their men's boots were just as good as anything you could get at REI. I've also got to admit that I've admired the painter's pants and cargo pants at OSH.

One thing I love about my new men's hiking pants is how the front pocket go so far down my thighs I can almost not reach the bottom. There's a little secret pocket at the bottom of the pocket, too. I'd never seen anything like that. Of course all the men are like, duh, don't all pants have that?

The best thing is the waist is small and the thighs are large. The women's models had the waist HUGE so the whole world can see right down your crack, and the legs SO THIN. Why do they totally have this backwards????

[June68]

When I first started riding motorcycles, finding GOOD women's gear that would PROTECT ME IN AN UNPLANNED GETOFF, was practically impossible. It was all fringe and rose appliques. Ridiculous. None of it was worth a damn. I bought men's stuff and while it didn't FIT worth a damn, at least it would prevent injury. These days, things are better, but woah, for a while there it was major suckage.

[cori93437]

I normally need to buy my pants in the "short" variety, which, at least in the stuff I have bought, has been shorter than petite. Would I be able to find short-length pants in mens?

The mens pant stuff is generally marked with waist and leg measurements and there are various combos of measures available.... so something 'short' would be say 30/28, 30 waist and 28 leg.
If ONLY womens clothing were so simple. BUT nooo.... sizes and generalized regular, tall, shorts... bologna!

[bakers3]

Teach: best of luck on the thyroid. It really is ridiculously difficult to get a doctor that knows their stuff when it comes to thyroid! I ended up paying out of pocket 5 years ago to see a natural medicine specialist who put me on Armour. I stopped seeing him because he started pushing some ridiculous stuff on me. When Armour couldn't be found some time back, I was able to talk my regular doctor into letting me take both synthetic T3 and T4. You are right...the TSH is a pretty worthless test on its own. Really try pushing for that complete thyroid panel even if he says your TSH is "normal". Symptoms are as important as blood tests and I wish more doctors understood that!!

Sbhikes: love reading about your hiking adventures. Growing up we backpacked all over the Pacific Crest Trail and in my early 20s I did a solo trip in the 3 Sisters wilderness. I am so excited to move back to Oregon because I want to be a hiker again! And paleo bird: Kilimanjaro? Whoa...amazing!

On men's wear: I buy a lot of men's stuff. I wear an 11.5 wide shoe so pretty much all of my athletic type shoes are men's. I am tall and large framed as well so men's coats, jackets and tshirts fit me way better than women's. I found a womens jeans brand that works well with my ample hips, thighs, and butt and they are actually long enough for me too. Pants (and skrts and underwear...lol) are always women's but everything else is fair game.

Kim: Healing thoughts for your doggy. My stinky old lab, Ruby sends your baby a get well lick! I feed Ruby grain free too. I make her food every couple of weeks and freeze it. I started doing that a year ago because she was overweight, dandruff ridden, extra stinky and losing her fur in areas. Her weight is better but no luck on the skin issues. She is still stinky, flaky and has pretty much no hair left on her tail. Vet just shrugs. I supplement with a doggy multi, glucosamine (for her arthritis) and cod liver oil. Frankly it is a PITA and I might just start buying a grain free kibble.

Last but not least, I am very impressed that you tried mountain biking KerryK! Funny story! I haven't been on a bike in decades...lol.

Hope that catches me up with most of the recent posts! I am hanging in there but really struggling to eat today. Just not hungry. I have so much to lose, I am not worried about starvation mode...lol.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Keri

[RitaRose]

The mens pant stuff is generally marked with waist and leg measurements and there are various combos of measures available.... so something 'short' would be say 30/28, 30 waist and 28 leg.
If ONLY womens clothing were so simple. BUT nooo.... sizes and generalized regular, tall, shorts... bologna!

Exactly!

When I buy women's pants, it's size "mumblemumble" and then either petite, regular or tall length. When you buy men's pants, you find the right waist, then choose from a multitude of lengths. It's great!

[sbhikes]

Don't get me started on shoes! I've got short, wide feet. I can't fit into women's shoes because they are too narrow. I can't fit into men's shoes because they don't make them small enough. Once in a while I can find a good pair, but then they stop making them. Chaco sandals fit the best, but I have to buy the wide version. I finally taught myself how to make shoes. It took a lot of trial and error but I've got several pairs that fit great and look pretty good. Sandals, too.

[KimT]

I agree on the men's clothes too. I almost always buy my workout clothes in the men's department. I refuse to wear shorts with a 2 inch inseam anytime, let alone working out! I buy men's tshirts too since they are longer and boxier. Having the additional inseam options would be great cor pants! Regular length isn't long enough, but tall can be too long. I think they do it on purpose to make us all feel more inadequate and like we don't measure up to "normal" sizes. No, I don't really think that's the case, but obviously the thought crossed my mind.

Keri, thanks for the well wishes and the get well lick from Ruby! Ivan sends thanks back her way. He is a soon to be 12 year old Belgian Malinois. He's never had a weight issue, actually tends to be a little thin, but was having some other issues, so we decided to try the grain free diet. I've never made his food, we just buy Nutro Natural Choice Grain Free. How hard is it to make? We have him on supplements too, but we did start him on an anti-inflammatory since x-rays showed he has a lot of arthritis in his knee and he's been limping a lot. The vet thinks he probably had an ACL or MCL tear along the way we didn't know about. I guess old age sucks for them too!