Living with Congenital Hypothyroidism

 Hi everyone I have some great news! In a little bit more than a week I'm moving to my new job. If you are new here, I'm a teacher and I graduated last year. The first term of the school year is already over, so I'm starting in the second term. I took this photo at my recent substituting job at a school close to home. I currently live with my parents in Somerset West and my new job is in Villiersdorp. It's a small town about a hour from my parents' house and about a hour from where my boyfriend studies. I'm moving into the hostile, where I will be doing some duties in exchange for my rent and food. That means no cooking, cleaning and lots of bonding with students inside and outside of school. These last few weeks I've been buying all the things I need, preparing what I want to pack and making lists. I am very exciting and I really can't wait to have my own classroom and move out of my parents' house.  Young adult moving from b...

Hi everyone Last week my two weeks of substituting at a school near my house ended. I learned a lot during this time and it also reminded me of the feeling we all know too well. The feeling you get when you have so much to do, but physically you are to tired to do so. If you're reading my blog for the first time or maybe you forgot, I'm a teacher. I graduated last year.  I substituted for a teacher who's main subject isn't my main subjects, but my Bcomm degree gave me the ability to do so. First of all, substituting sucks. The students don't know you, their discipline decreases and you don't necessarily have access to all the school communication. Teaching in a classroom like that is difficult and I had to make adjustments accordingly, but I absolutely loved it. I knew exactly what work I had to cover during these two weeks. Planning was mostly done for me, except for Maths where I had to do everything myself. I really enjoyed planning the Maths,...

Hi everyone Today I would like to share my hair care routine with you. I always get complements for my hair and I have found what works for me. I opted for some selfies without any makeup and comfy clothes. I have very long hair that goes to about the middle of my butt. My hair gets greasy and gets darker because of it, therefore I wash my hair every day. Yes, you read that correctly. Every day. My hair is also very thin and very straight, so drying my hair is very fast and effortless. I absolutely love my hair. You can see some blond pieces in my hair, that is the sun. I have never coloured my hair. My hair is darker in the winter compared to the summer.  I wash my hair with LÓreal Elvive Fibrology Thickening Shampoo and I use the conditioner for the tips of my hair, I stay far away from my scalp. I wash my hair using a hand shower, because it's quick and easy and none of the product and soapy water gets onto my body. It is much better this way with m...

Hi everyone Happy new year to all of you. I wish you all the best for this year. Biggest thing that happened and changed my life is my boyfriend. We met in June last year and have been together officially for six months now. He is very understanding and supportive of everything I do and feel. He is very supportive towards my condition as well. I've always felt that this is very important as Hypothyroidism effects how I feel, how tired I am and I have to take my medication half an hour before eating in the morning. He has been very sweet and woke me up, during the holiday, in the mornings to make sure I have half a hour before breakfast as we would all have breakfast together in the mornings. I couldn't be more happy and in love. I feel so much love and appreciation daily. I got my blood drawn and went to the doctor after my exams and before going away on holiday. I was feeling very tired although I was already well rested after my exams. First my doctor said...

I made these scrunchies myself. Photo credit: @erikswart7 Hey everyone We see many articles and YouTube videos about self care, but I believe we should make self care our habits. We should do things that enable us to take care of ourselves and make time for some special self care. Here is a list of things that should be habits: Take your medication before breakfast Wash your face with suitable face wash daily Use moisturiser/lotion/body butter that works for you Wear spf daily Exfoliate daily Try to drink enough water Exercise (walking and climbing stairs count) Know your limits and don't feel bad when you can't do something Be honest with yourself about the things you can and cannot physically do. Your body knows best Get at least 7.5 hours of sleep Set goals about what you need/want to do today Plan your day & week My point is that everyone shouldn't tell us how to take care of yourself, tips are informative and I give them to you too, bu...

Hi everyone I have some great news, I found the best pajamas for my itchy and full of nonsense skin. The secret is silk. I realised that I use all these products for my skin and it works, but what works against it is my pj pants. My cotton pants don't stay soft for long and I spend all my time at home in my pjs. So I thought, silk.  I Googled the benefits of silk pajamas, and according to  Enjoy Silk  the benefits are as follows: Hypoallergetic Good for the skin Safety and Natural Smooth Lightweight Dry One garment for all seasons Only silk is silk My experience so far has been nothing but positive. It is spring here in South Africa and most days are still cold, I don't feel cold or hot in my silk pj pants. It is really soft, feels like you are wearing nothing at all. It feels very nice on your body and lovely to touch. When you wash it it dries very fast. Silk pjs are a bit pricy, but I asked someone to make the pants for me. I paid the pri...

Hi everyone As some of you might know, I'm busy doing my Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE). Part of this course, is doing practical teaching at a school. It's 6 weeks out of 9 weeks at the moment. I am coping. I'm not too tired, I can still deal. I get all my work done, because of good planning and enough sleep. I'm not going to lie, I am tired but not too tired that I can't function properly every day. Apart from what I have to do as a student, I have also been substituting for a teacher for the last 3 weeks. The school doesn't have enough teachers to teach this teacher's classes and I'm the only student teacher qualified enough to to the job. In other words, I've been a full time teacher these last three weeks while also doing all my student work. It has been a very good experienced filled with all the good and bad times of teaching, but I have been given the opportunity to learn so much more than the average student. I've...

Hi everyone Today I did something I hate doing, this is personal. I Googled something I heard about CH. I am a young adult and growing up with a chronic illness there will be a day when you start to ask questions. So you think to yourself, let's Google stuff. I soon realised that the internet is a scary place, because you get lots of articles and websites writing about CH but it isn't written by people who have it. Groups on Facebook are scary for me too. What basically happens is that you read these lists of symptoms or claims and start looking for them in your own life. Lots of the times you either don't have it or you get so confused that you convince yourself you have that symptom too. It was shortly after making the conscious decision to not read up on CH that I started this blog. I want to write about my experience and share my story. Through this, people get real connections and honest answers. Please feel free to contact me with any questions you have through ...

Hi everyone About a month I decided I wanted to try exfoliating. I exfoliate my face once a week and it helps to get rid of my dead skin and some acne. I've never exfoliated my body before. I was just thinking that I was applying lotion or creme my skin, but does it really completely wash off or does it just build up on my skin? I honestly don't know the answer to these questions. This is why I decided to try exfoliating so my skin can be completely free of any products before I apply any lotion, body butter or creme. I bought this exfoliating mat as Dischem for about R30 (about 2.24 USD), which is really inexpensive. I use it with my Dove soap. What is nice about this mat is that you don't have to buy any expensive or additional products to exfoliate. This is great, especially if you are on a budget or a student like me. The first time I exfoliated it felt really strange, it feels like I was scratching an itch and I was going all over a bit hard. I only f...

Hi everyone I took these photos on Monday, it will be my last day on campus for a while. We just finished with our exams and I think it went well, still waiting for marks. I am currently busy with my postgrad in education, so this exam was the post relaxed of all my exams so far. I wrote exams and my other had 6 assignments to do, one of which was an IsiXhosa oral. I put myself into a routine waking up at 7:30 every day and 5:30 on the days I wrote. I also had minimum stress as I've worked hard, given my best and I only have year modules. It is the end of the semester now and I have a month long holiday till I start with my practical at a school for three months. We went for a school visit on Tuesday and the school is great! I felt welcome immediately. It is exciting and scary at the same time, I am in that period in my life where student life is ending very fast and I am approaching adult life. I have lots of adulting to do this holiday. Jobs to apply and forms to fi...

Photo credit: @megan_arendse Hi everyone I turn 23 a week ago. We didn't do anything special, because we're in the middle of exams. I stuffed my face with pizza from the day before and on the day. We had pizza for lunch on my birthday and I had to study for my exam the day after. It was all good and relaxed. The exam went really well, but only the marks will be able to tell.  I definitely do not feel 23. With certain things I feel older and others I feel the same. I'm busy with my last year of studies, I graduated last year and I'm now doing my postgrad in education. It is the last year of student life, which means another season will be ending for me in a few months and then another will start. I'm in that period when you are excited but scared at the same time, which is completely normal. I have to apply for jobs and then my adult life begins. All of which are big steps to exciting and new things.  This year I've made the most amazing friends....

Hi everyone Today I would like to share with you the products that I've been loving, repurchasing and using every day. Real Techniques miracle complexion sponge: This is the best thing ever! I use it damp to but on my foundation, concealer and powder. I wash it every weekend with a Dove soap, after that it looks brand new. Yardley Absolute Translucent Loose Powder suitable for all skin tones: I use this to set my concealer under eyes using my damp beauty sponge and to set the rest of my face with my damp beauty blender or a big fluffy brush. Palladio Baked Bronzer in Atlantic Tan: This is my very first bronzer but it looks really natural and goes well with my skin tone. LA Girl Pro Conceal in the shade green: I use this underneath all my makeup and after moisturiser  if I have a bad breakout, I use my fingers to push it into my skin. Catrice Liquid Camouflage in the shade Porcellain: This is a high coverage concealer that covers those dark under-eye cir...

Hi everyone It's time for an update, it's been three months since I've changed to taking Eltroxin New Formulation. It is Levothyroxine with different ingredients to bind the Levothyroxine into a pill. My main reason for changing was that I struggle with really itchy skin especially on my legs and as far as I can remember I never itched that bad when I was on Eltroxin. I take my medication first thing in the morning with water and I wait at least half a hour before eating and/or drinking coffee. What I've noticed so far is: The tiredness from before is much better. When I went to the doctor three months ago I was exhausted from doing nothing all day. I would be in bed for most of the day for days on end. That is gone, I get up every day and I get enough sleep even though I'm a full time student. There are still days and especially after a long week that I am exhausted, so I try to sleep till I wake up at least once a week. I'm unsure if the sk...

Hi everyone This is me, no makeup, second day hair and top knot on top of my head. Sometimes we see all these photos of on social media where people look so perfect. It's always important to remember that that's not all of them. I too love to wear makeup, but when I'm just home, tired or just not feeling like making a fuss this is how I look. I mean look at those dark circles and all my freckles. The necklace I never take off and my favourite spot at home is right there on my bed with my pink walls. Today I thought it would be nice to share a bit more about me and my personality. According to the Myers Briggs personality test I am the personality type ESFJ. Find out your personality   According to this website I can be described as:  Strong practical skills, strong sense of duty, very loyal, sensitive and warm, and good at connecting with others. This is very accurate. I am well organised, I like to plan and manage my academics and life. There needs to be a plan....

Hi everyone I know it's been a while, but postgrad is keeping me busy and tired. As you know by now I'm answering some of your questions. These are questions from moms that have children with Congenital  Hypothyroidism as well as other people with thyroid conditions. I love hearing and talking to all of you, always feel free to get in contact with me. Easiest would be through Instagram, but you can contact me through Facebook and email as well. How did I know I was born without a thyroid? My parents found out a few days after I was born when the results from all the tests came back.  Have you been on medication since birth? From as soon as they found out, since the thyroid hormones is very important for growth and development. I have skipped a day here and there, only once 2 days and I felt sick. I haven't skipped a day in years. Did you have a normal life? Yes I did. I'm not sick, I just need to take care of myself. I just have less energy ...

Hi everyone It's been about 2 weeks since my last blog post. It's been hard guys. It was the first 2 weeks of my postgrad. I graduated in December with a Bcomm degree in Investment Management and I'm now doing my Postgraduate Certificate in Education. I'll be a high school Math Lit and Accounting teacher soon 😀 It wasn't the work that was hard, it was a few things put together. From the last blog post you'll know that I've been struggling to eat, I didn't feel like eating while I was actually hungry. Sounds strange, but it's a thing. I wasn't even depressed or anything. My will to eat came back, I just started eating better and then I got a tummy bug that was going around on campus. So I've been sick since the first day of my postgrad. The next Monday I was still not better, so I went to the doctor. I just walked in and got an appointment for right away, what's the chance of that ever happening. I was so happy to see my doctor, I...

Hi everyone These last few days I have been feeling strange. I am hungry, but when I have the food on hand I just can't get myself myself to eat. I don't physically want to eat. I'm honestly not stressed or depressed in any way. Nothing has happened or is going to happen that can make me feel like this. I'm not feeling emotional either. The day I was at the endocrinologist I was also feeling like this, I told him about this but he showed no concern. I'm sorry but how annoying is that? This feeling usually lasts a few days and then I'm back to normal. I've felt like this for about a week in the past. I have no idea what causes this. I asked my followers on Instagram  about this and a few was people was feeling the same way on that same day. What bothers me even more is that these last few weeks I've ben losing weight without eating different or exercising. I'm feeling concerned for myself. I'm dealing by making myself eat the 3 me...

Hi everyone About a week ago I went to an endocrinologist for the first time. Endocrinologists specialize in the endocrine system which controls hormones. I went for the first time now, because I only found out about these kind of doctors a few months ago and no doctor or person ever told me that I should. If you've read my previous blog posts you'll know that I'm really struggling with my super itchy skin. Not just that but I found out that there's a new formula for Eltroxin. I was on Eltroxin for most of my life and changed about 2 or 3 years ago when the medical aid decided they will only pay for Euthyrox, which is the generic version of Eltroxin. I Googled it a bit...from what I can understand,the main ingredient of Eltroxin and Euthyrox is levothyroxine. The only difference being the ingredients used to put the pill together. I have a history of being allergic for medication and as far as I can remember I've always had dry skin, but never as bad as wh...

Hi everyone I am no expert, but I would like to share some tips and tricks I use or do to prevent or get rid of my acne. I'm not talking about products I use, I'm really no expert and you have seen my skincare routine. When I wash my face: I use clean hands and I have a separate towel that I use only for my face. I wash this towel regularly. I also exfoliate once a week at night and the next morning some of the acne is just in such a better condition. I wash my face twice a day every single day no matter how tired I am, this is super important! Other things I wash regularly: My beauty blender is deep cleaned every weekend with a bar of soap and leave to completely dry. Pillow cases and sheets. Remember your face touches this every single day. Makeup brushes Things I avoid during the day: Touching my face unnecessarily, with this I mean like when in thought, in class and while studying. I'm at university so the computers are used by lots of...

Hi everyone Last year I graduated with my bachelor's degree in investment management, this year I'm going to do my PGCE (postgraduate certificate in education). This has been my dream for as long as I can remember. I've always wanted to be a teacher getting there is the only way that has changed. By not just studying education I have more options and knowledge. Teaching has always been my passion, in school and university I've been the person people come to for help. Whether it's explaining something, notes or what the lecture said. This year is that final step to being a teacher. It's one more year of studying and then I'm off to the big world of living on my own and earning money. Right now I'm in that sweet spot where I'm excited for this next step, but also have no idea what to expect. I have to do 2 weeks of observation at a local school that is very different from the school I was in, then hand in a report at registration at the univer...