Who votes thyroid?

I do! I do!

Diabetes is still on the table, but thyroid maladies are more common in women of my age. (Still, since both John and Kathy have diabetes, I won't say, "Why me?" I'll say, "Me, too!")

Here are my symptoms:

•  Fatigue
•  Changing vision, dry eye
•  Thinning hair, itchy scalp
•  "Fuzzy" thinking ("what was the name of that place?" and "what's that word I want?")

Of those four, three are symptoms of thyroid disease. Two are symptoms of diabetes. So we'll see.

I'm lucky to have good insurance and a good doctor. I'm also lucky that both hypothyroidism and diabetes are common and manageable.

I'll be glad when I have a diagnosis and I start feeling better.

I think September is breaking a sad record

I've made three "in lieu of flowers" donations already this month!

1) I just sent money to St. Jude's in memory of my friend Mindy's mom, who died Saturday morning.  I think it's a blessing that Mrs. G. died. Her health has been failing all year and she's been in hospice since spring. A 90-year-old with chronic COPD and dementia was never going to get well and this ordeal has been so hard for her daughters.

2)  Less than a week ago, I made a contribution to a canine rescue organization in memory of Ben, the brother of my coworker, Katie. He was only 24 when cancer claimed him. He was never going to get better, either. His case stymied doctors at both Northwestern and the Mayo Clinic.

3) The Key West Botanical Garden was one of the charities listed in the obit of a friend of a friend. My friend Henry loved her very much, and it made him so happy to see that I'd honored her in that way.

To be completely honest, I'm not personally mourning any of those three people. I didn't know the young man, and I can't say I ever cared for those two women. But I love Henry and Mindy and I hate how much stress Katie is under, so that's why I made the contributions.

But then there's this: My own mother was put to rest four years ago this past week. September 25 would be my favorite uncle's birthday. In memory of them, I made a contribution to the animal shelter where my mother adopted her favorite cat, Ethel, and to a different cat rescue organization my uncle supported in life.

I'm sure the money I donated will do a lot of good for some worthy organizations. But I hope I'm done now for a while.