News

Hello, once again. Its been a while since I posted last, but as usual, there isn't much going on. Though, I have been finally called as a visiting teacher. But, it seems kind of silly to do that after 6 months of being here when I have only 2 and a half months left. Oh well.
Anyway, I'm still having problems with exhaustion. I've been taking my medication for 5 weeks now, but the last few weeks, I've started to feel worse. I went in to the doctor yesterday, and talked about how I've been feeling. She decided to take me off the medication temporarily. Then, I have to go back for some more tests. She said that they should be able to get it all taken care of and fixed before I go back to school. That's a relief because I don't think I would be able to handle school feeling like I am.
I guess that's about it for me!

Finally

I finally decided to create a blog in Russian. This is to help me not lose my Russian and also so my friends and family in Russia can read my blog. You just need to understand that I don't speak perfectly, so there will be mistakes and incomprehensible phrases. I want to learn and know Russian better. So (if anyone reading this speaks Russian) please write me (you can do that as a commentary or by email) so I can learn to speak more correctly and also so I know when something is not understandable in Russian. Thanks! I hope that it will be interesting for you to read about me!
Also, I was finally called to be a visiting teacher. I'm glad because its already been 2 hours since I've been a visiting teacher.

Currently reading:
The Last Battle
by C. S. Lewis

Just a thought

Here I am, still awake, even though it is getting rather late. Well, that's not the point of my post. I went over to my friend, Erin's, apartment, yesterday. She lives on the third floor and has a balcony facing the parking lot. As I was leaving, I was suddenly struck with a wave of sadness. This feeling was linked to a profound missing of my mission.
You see, in one city, there was a woman and her son whom we visited regularly. Every week we went to their home which was inside a hostel. Basically, this is a building where everyone has separate rooms, but they share the bathroom/kitchen with several people. It is kind of like a dormitory. Anyway, their rooms were near the balcony facing the front of the building. Every week, they would walk us out and wave to us from the top of the stairs as we walked out (they lived on the fifth floor). Then they hurried to their balcony window and waved to us as we walked out of sight. (See above - Татьяна (Tatiana) and Саша (Sasha) from their balcony - woman on the right is a neighbor of theirs) I'll never forget that small gesture. In that action, I felt their love.
As I left my friend's apartment, I wished that I could have another moment like the one experienced at that hostel in Russia. Don't get me wrong, I don't expect my friend to wave to me from her balcony window as I walk to my car and drive away. She has two kids and a home daycare, so I know that isn't something she can really do. I guess what I'm really trying to say is that such little things, like walking from a building, can remind you of places far away and people long gone. Most people who have served missions can probably attest to the longing to return, and still more people can probably understand that desire to see people they haven't seen in a long time after a simple little act.
Well, I don't know if this make any sense at all. I hope that amongst the ramblings, you can understand my sentiments.

Currently Reading:
The Silver Chair
by C. S. Lewis

Side effects

So, I've been taking the medication (Levothyroxine) that my doctor prescribed for nearly a week, but I don't feel any better. Unfortunately, the info I was given on it says it may take several weeks to start working as my body gets used to it. Even worse, there are several side effects that make me feel worse still. I get headaches and stomach aches, I am almost always burning up (not with fever, just I feel like I'm under the sun in 90 degree weather), and it even makes me irritable. Sometimes I find myself irrationally feeling angry or upset. There is no reason for me feeling that way, but it makes me want to snap at someone (look out!) And to top it all off, sometimes I feel like my heart is going to beat out of my chest. Add all that together with the symptoms I was already experiencing and you can bet I am pretty miserable.
Well, enough of that complaining, I am mostly fine, I just wish some things were different. I am going to be working for a few days next week. I was working at the cafeteria in the state capitol building before I found out about my thyroid problem and they need some help. That will be interesting to see if I can make it through, even with 4 hours a day.
It is a strange feeling to be unable to work. I've never experienced this before. I've never been unable to work. I mean, I probably could work (I always push and push), but everyday I worked was hard for me to get through because of the exhaustion. Even now, I have a hard enough time doing more than walk up the stairs. As it is, I get winded doing that. Sheesh! That makes me sound like an out-of-shape weakling! Oh well, that's really how it is for me. Sometimes I even wake up and have a hard time moving my muscles to get out of bed.
That means that right now I spend a lot of time reading, and watching TV, and occasionally (when I save up enough energy) writing emails and posting here. The only thing is, that all gets boring. Unfortunately, going out somewhere (even just to my friends') wipes me out for a couple of days.
Let me tell you something, if anyone out there is feeling even a small portion of this and it has gone on for several weeks, go in to the doctor. If you don't, it will just get worse!
Well, I guess this isn't a very interesting post, but at least its informative!

Currently Reading:
The Voyage of the Dawn Treader
by C. S. Lewis
Prince Caspian
by C. S. Lewis
The Horse and His Boy
by C. S. Lewis

What's wrong?

So, I finally went in for my thyroid uptake scan on Monday and Tuesday morning. I had to go into the hospital, nuclear medicine department. On Monday when I arrived, when it was finally my turn, they made me sign something saying I understood any and all risks associated with radioactive isotopes. Then, they injected me with radioactive iodine (I'm pretty sure that was what it was). I had to wait about 15 minutes for my system to take it up. Then they took me into a room where I had to lie on a table and hold still while a special camera was pointed at my neck. They took several pictures of my thyroid from several different angles.
That only took about 20 minutes before they gave me two pills to take. I don't know what that does, but I think they called them iodine pills. They told me that I couldn't eat seafood.
So, I went back the next morning. The first thing they did after I was once again on that table (what are those things really called in hospitals, they aren't really tables) was point the camera at my left thigh. The guy doing that told me it was to see how much iodine wasn't picked up. Then they took some more pictures of my thyroid.
They told me afterwards that the report would be sent to my doctor. I didn't know how long it would take to actually find out, but that very same day, I got a call from my doctor. She told me that the results suggest that I've either been taking hormone medication (which I haven't) or my thyroid is "burned out". She said that we could wait some more and do the tests again, depending on how I feel. But, since I am still exhausted all the time, she decided to start me on some medication.
So, I have to take that for a couple months and then I need to go back in for them to recheck everything. It is nice to finally have a possible solution, I just hope it starts to work quickly. We shall see.
That's really the only thing new with me. I went to see the Living Legends who performed at Mandan High School last week, and my family also went to see a high school production of the Sound of Music last night. I really love going to see those kinds of things. It is the one thing that would compel me to live near a large city, to have the opportunity to go to more and better productions, plays, operas, concerts, and things of that nature.
I guess that's all!

Pictures contained in this posting are all from the Living Legends production. Don't worry, I didn't use the flash.

Currently Reading:
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
by C.S. Lewis
The Magician's Nephew
by C. S. Lewis
Every Good Gift
by Gary L. Davis