Summer-like temperatures have finally arrived. This afternoon my husband planted the gladiola bulbs from last year. Hopefully, they will do better this year.

Tomorrow we are planning to put in the Hostas which a generous neighbour gave to us. I love Hostas; they are a great filler and come up every year. 

With the state of my health, I have to resort to perennials only. The one exception is two hanging baskets of petunias to place into my planters.  Of course, my preference is purple petunias.   The Hydrangeas I planted 16 years ago still come up every spring.  Because we live in Manitoba, the only Hydrangeas available are those that produce white flowers.

Incredible fatigue continues to plague me.  Going off Cytomel brought my heart rate back to normal and did away with the  Premature ventricular contractions also known as PVCs.  PVCs are extra heartbeats that begin in one of your heart’s two lower pumping chambers (ventricles). These extra beats disrupt your regular heart rhythm, sometimes causing you to feel a fluttering or a skipped beat in your chest.   I, however, need to find a solution for this neverending fatigue.  Any suggestions would be much appreciated.  I am also curious to hear from patients who are taking Desiccated thyroid extract (DTE) instead of Synthroid. DTE is a prescription medication made from the desiccated (dried) thyroid glands of animals.  DTE drugs include the brand names Armour Thyroid, Nature-Throid, NP Thyroid, and WP Thyroid.  Desiccated thyroid extract was first used in the early 1890s.  Natural thyroid preparations, mostly DTE, were the standard treatment for hypothyroidism until the mid-1970s.  

My pain levels have increased dramatically in the last three weeks.  The only thing I can link it to is weather changes.  Hopefully, the summer-like temperatures will remain constant and my pain will decrease to a barely tolerable level.   My daughter and daughter-in-law are dealing with incredible pain on a daily basis.  My daughter has finally been diagnosed with a pituitary tumour.  She also has been given the diagnosis of Fibromyalgia a word that doctors love to use when they neglect to come up with the real reason for pain.  The only pain relief she has been offered by her doctors is Tylenol.  There are days when her depression, caused by constant debilitating pain, scares me.  My daughter is extremely creative and manages to cope most days.   She is a well-educated businesswoman.  My daughter-in-law who lives in the USA has doctors who refuse to help her deal with her severe arthritic pain.  Consequently, she is unable to work in her chosen profession.  Doctors’ attitudes will have to change.  How can they allow people to suffer like this on a daily basis?

Well, I will get off my soapbox for today.  Hope all my readers have a great week.  Be back soon.