Yep, Sounds About Right

Part six of my epic battle of who’s on top goes to Theo the thyroid. Not to be left out of our family game of musical chairs, it seems my thyroid is a little out of whack – surprise, surprise. I should have known Theo and I would have issues since I ran out of meds about a month and a half ago. But, seeing as though we were dealing with bigger issues like cancer, I didn’t hustle to the doctor as originally planned. My situation has been further complicated by the fact that I a) no longer live in the U.S. and b) don’t have insurance. Gasp from the gallery. Yep, one would think with our run of bad luck, we’d all be insured with the Congress gold standard. It's all very complicated, but suffice it to say that I'm not eligible for Cobra since I've been/am employed abroad (UNDP). So, not only has living in the U.S. complicated my tax situation – so much for the ex-pat exemption -- I’ve been walking the streets sans my much needed, and oft-mentioned, bubble wrap. How all this relates to my thyroid is very simple. In order for said thyroid to be checked, I’d need a primary care physician, and in this sad, sad world of private health care, physicians typically require – wait for it – insurance. Where’s a tail so I can chase it? My choices were to cough up the dough and park it next to C in the emergency room, or wait to return to Stillwater where “walk-in” clinics are, by some standards, cheap. Given all that was going on in our lives, I waited, and, in the meantime, Theo was working his magic. My recent blood work registered my TSH at a whopping 22.5 – normal levels are between .3-ish to 5-something. High five to the overachiever. That explains a lot. Thankfully, thyroid’s are such that, with a little synthetic alternative, they bounce right back (or at least the TSH does), and all will be well in the end. Looking back, I wouldn't have changed a thing. This hill is minor compared to the mountains we've been climbing, and, in time, things will fall into place, including the bloody insurance. But, for now, three cheers for living in Thailand -- land of the cheap health care! -- J