The Good - OK, I'll concede/accept that the Thyroxine is indeed doing everything expected of it.
I'm enjoying my new-found "normal" body temperature (although most of my summer shirts are too big for me now - damn!), my weight is stable, energy levels doing fine and my water intake has stabilised somewhat.
With regards the energy levels, I finally got around to dusting off my push bike and going for a ride. The outbound trip was hampered by lower than ideal tyre pressures, whereas the inbound leg showed how correctly inflated tyres dramatically reduce resistance. I'd forgotten how much different the workout you get from riding a bike is to walking. I was absolutely knackered after a 20 minute spin, whereas I'm more than comfortable walking for 90 minutes or longer.
I'll now take up the challenge (weather gods willing) to get out cycling more to build up that level of fitness. Damn it, I really like these sorts of challenges now.
The Bad - I'm getting this vibration in my ears. It happens with and without my hearing aids, and only in my left ear, so I'm pretty sure they aren't to blame. I'll be just going about my day and then this vibration kicks in. It's quite weird and lasts for a few seconds, then goes away. There is no structure to when it happens, so will bring it up at next hearing appointment.
Another issue is, by mistake, I used some moisturiser over the weekend that contained SPF, and I'm allergic to pretty much all sunscreens. Net effect - I've got an annoying rash around my neck and have had to resort to Telfast to try and control the itch. That will teach me for not reading the label properly first.
The Not So Ugly - I've had my hearing aids for nearly a week now and I think I'm adjusting to them fine. I'm actually amazed that I don't feel self-conscious about them at all. That is no doubt helped by how discreet they are, but thinking back I was never really bothered about Jake or the morphine pump either. They were/are all part of the hand I've been dealt, so there is no point trying to hide them.
I have a follow-up appointment next week where the audiologist will tweak the aids. At the moment they are on a "learner" setting, so next time they'll be adjusted to "normal" operating status. At the moment, I think there is indeed some improvement in noisy environments, but not sufficient as yet to say it is worth all the money. I've tried to compare sounds with them in, then quickly take them out to see if there is any change, and in quiet situations the difference isn't really noticeable, but as I said before, in loud situations there does seem to be benefit. With them on, I can hold a conversation with someone close to me and not get lost with the background noise, but it is pretty much dependent on how soft the other person is speaking.
I am tempted to try and bring the appointment forward, but another week of getting used to them probably won't hurt
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