Why hypothyroidism worries women!

I was detected with Hypothyroidism quite accidentally. I was suffering from a throat infection for a long time and I had to get well as I had a gig lined up in a month’s time, and I was supposed to sing. My friend, who was also a part of the band, was so tired of my sore throat, that she took me to her doctor friend to get a check up done. The doctor prescribed a course of Azythral and a set of vitamins. I had them for a week but nothing happened. I went back to the doctor again and she asked me to repeat the course. While talking to her I casually mentioned to her that lately I feel very tired and sleepy without doing much work. On hearing that she asked me to get Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) blood test, along with T4, T3 tests done. I used to be so scared of the needle and the pin prick that I just ignored her advice and did not get the blood tests done. The day of the gig was nearing and my throat still felt terrible. I was not worried about my health; all I cared was that I had to get fine to be able to sing. Therefore, I popped in a few more Azythrals; this was the third round though.

The gig went off well but the throat irritation would not go. And I knew that continuing with such strong antibiotics would not be a good idea at all. With no choice left I went to get my blood tests done, and as expected, my TSH level was high, which meant I had Hypothyroid.

I have Hypothyroid for six years now. All I need to do is take a pill of Thyronorm everyday in the morning. I live a very normal life. I haven’t bloated. The little fat that has accumulated around my tummy is just the result of eating unhealthy and not exercising. Besides that, I am 34 years old, and it’s ok to have a little tummy; this is just my way of consoling me for the tummy that just doesn’t seem to go in!

The only thing I suffer from is periodical bouts of cough and cold. But in India, who doesn’t? Thanks to the pollution and poor eating habits we all suffer, don’t we? The degree of suffering may vary from one person to another but the suffering is very much a part of normal living.

Some doctors say that Hypothyroid slows down the system slowly. Initially, when I heard this it did scare me a little, but it didn’t affect me too much as my mother has it for about 25 years, and she is just fine. I am sure there are some negative effects of Hypothyroid on the body, but it varies from one person to another. I very strongly believe that a lot of pain and suffering can be reduced by staying active and happy. My body ache may have gone up a little because of Hypothyroid. I am not sure about the body pain bit as it was told by one doctor I consulted once. Many doctors in India tend to shift the focus onto something else when they realise that they cannot help their patients heal from an ailment. So instead of going back to understanding the symptoms as common sense would suggest, they recommend a different course of treatment. As far as I am concerned I still jump about all the time; a mere body ache cannot stop me from doing what I want to do!

It is also believed that memory gets affected because of Hypothyroid. When did I have good memory power anyway? I used to forget almost everything as a 10 year old; I am sure I did not have Hypothyroid then! Coming to think of it, I forget many important things, but I do remember a whole lot of things, even those things I would rather forget.

My suggestion to all the women with Hypothyroidism is to stay calm as there is nothing to worry about. Eat healthy, exercise a little, get blood tests done once in three to four months, take the tablet regularly, and stay active and happy.

An Angel Called Sachin!

Today was one of those chaotic days when I had to attend to multiple things at the same time. Joy called me amidst all this mess and asked if I was watching TV, I said no, and cribbed a little before asking why was he asking. While asking why, my instant feeling was maybe somewhere there was yet another bomb blast or some fire accident or something as scary, but no, he said, Tendulkar was on 190 and was still batting! For a moment I thought how my mind has got conditioned to expect bad news only.

Sadly, I could not turn on the TV to witness the magical moment when Tendulkar achieved yet another 'first time' record to score a double century in a one day match, but the news channels compensated by repeatedly showing that unforgettable moment. In times of chaos, of almost every kind, all around the world, this man helps to give such tremendous joy with his achievements that one can forget the worries of life for some time.

Sachin Ramesh Tendulkar, hats off! From the core of my heart I wish and pray that this wonder man achieves many many more records!

Grammy Awards - Then and Now!

Last week, while surfing the TV channels, I found that the Grammy Awards programme was about to start in a few minutes. I was mighty thrilled! In that moment of excitement I completely forgot that there weren't too many my kind of musicians who perform anymore. Nevertheless, I still wanted to watch. After watching the programme for a while I felt so dated; I hardly recognised any of the artistes. And, even if I did recognise some faces, I was clueless about their music. By the way, Beyonce Knowles was the star of the evening with her 6 Grammy awards! I still can't figure out what do people find in her music, she whines instead of singing most of the times, but gyrates very well; that sells I guess.

I still remember the times when Stevie Wonder, Whitney Houston and their kind of musicians used to sizzle the Grammy stage with their heart warming renditions. Today, most of the singers cannot sing in pitch, which includes multiple Grammy winner Taylor Swift! The little relief was to see glimpses of a few of my favourite old time musicians such as Eric Clapton, Bruce Springsteen. Bon Jovi performed for the first time on the Grammy stage; they have also changed a little to keep pace with the present world.

I am a little confused about what is happening in the music scene around the world. Though there are still thousands of good musicians still performing, yet there is a huge dearth of good new music. Are we heading towards a time when good music will become history?