Since receiving my diagnosis of Hashmimoto’s Disease and writing about it here, the word “Hashimoto” is appearing with greater and greater frequency, in various forms in the list of search terms plugged into Google that get you to my site.

Don’t worry, “northlondonhippy” remains the number one search term that finds me. I’m a proper online destination.

But very high up on the list, sits Dr. Hashimoto. Considering the first time I ever heard of it was as it passed over my doctor’s lips preceded by the words “you have…”, I’m somewhat surprised at how common it is.

It seems quite a few of you out there in internetland have Hashimoto’s Disease too, or at least you think you do.

People search for symptoms, search for cures, search for clues on how to live with this auto-immune disease.

I’m far from an expert, having only known of my own condition for several months, but I have been discovering loads of people I know who have thyroid problems.

Everyone wants to know what “your dose” is.

“What’s your dose?”, they all say to me, looking visibly disappointed when I tell them I am currently on a paltry 50 micrograms of levothyroxine, compared to their 150-200 microgram dose.

Its true my dose is currently low, but that is about to change, again. My GP is monitoring my thyroid levels at regular intervals and increasing my dose gradually. The key, he says, is to find the lowest therapeutic dose, because too much can cause different problems. I’m due for another blood test next week and I would expect my dose to go up again as soon as I receive the results.

With me, I didn’t know I had a problem for quite a while, I ignored or dismissed all the symptoms I now know I had. It wasn’t until my back seized up and my legs gave out that it dawned on me I might have a health problem.

Clever, eh? I had heart palpitations, breathlessness, nausea, dizziness, no appetite, no energy, aching joints and a slow heart beat and I just thought it was just the normal ageing process catching up to me.

My doctor assures me that all of this is very treatable and once my dosage is correct, I will feel like my old self again. I’ve felt crappy for so long, I’m not sure what that really means.

So if you’re already diagnosed, just be patient. Give the medication time to even you out, just like I am.

And if you think you have Hashimoto’s, just go see a doctor and you are a simple blood test away from diagnosis and treatment.

And if it turns out you don’t have Hashimoto’s Disease, perhaps this article in today’s New York Times, might give you pause for thought.

Yo.

I haven’t pointlessly rambled here in a while. It’s just an observation.

I woke up early this morning, silly early, before 6:30am. Blame a blocked nose, a noisy cat and the threat of a couple of deliveries for this early morning appearance. I had an alarm set for 7:30am anyway, so its not a tragedy that I am up so early.

I’ve got a shipment of fresh coffee beans coming from my online roaster…yes, I am still madly into fresh coffee. I had to ease back from it a bit thanks to my thyroid problems, but I am feeling a little better, which means caffeine and I are buddies again.

I couldn’t really handle coffee for a couple of months, which was quite depressing for someone who adores the stuff. For a while, I thought it was down to side effects from my thyroid medication, but my doctor told me it wasn’t, it was the actual disease causing the breathlessness and heart palpitations.

For about the last fortnight, I haven’t had those symptoms because around a week prior to that, my doctor up the dosage on the thyroid meds. I’m still not on a high dose and its likely to be increased again in December, after my next blood test. I just think the new dose is having some sort of therapeutic effect on me.

I’ve also seemed more energetic in the last week or so and I am feeling more myself than I have in a long time. That’s a good thing.

My back has been a lot better too. You might remember that’s how all this health nonsense started, with a crippling back problem. I never do anything that’s straightforward, so naturally my thyroid condition caused inflammation in my back!

I was off from work for about 8 or 9 weeks in the end and my doctor offered (or rather suggested) that I take even more time off but my bank account couldn’t afford it. I went back for a couple of nights a couple of weeks ago and it was a serious struggle, but I had another long planned gap of 2 weeks between shifts and my health improved somewhat during that time.

While I was off, I had the joys of having builders in, refitting my ancient bathroom. I’d been trying to get this done for years, but finding someone reliable and trustworthy was nearly impossible. In the end, I found a plumbing company that was not ridiculously expensive and did the job fairly well, but it meant nearly two weeks of disruption in my home.

The new bathroom is simple and modern, replacing a 30-40 year old bathroom that was neither. I’m just happy to have it finished.

Returning to work this time was far less daunting because I am genuinely starting to feel better. After being part time for October, I’m back to working full time in November. Trust me, its a welcome return and not just for the financial reasons.

I like working and I’ve missed it; I’ve missed my work mates too. That said, I am getting increasingly bored with being asked where I’ve been for the last couple of months and having to explain all of my health woes. I thought about preparing a written press statement, that I could hand out and refer to when repeatedly questioned, but people would think that was weird.

I’m sure some of the people asking genuinely care how I am, but the majority are just asking to be nosy. I also thought about making shit up and giving everyone a different answer on my whereabouts, like:

- I was on a secret mission for the queen
- I was directing my first feature film
- I was on tour with my band
- I was in a drug induced coma
- I was having my shinbones stretched (and it didn’t work!)
- I ran away and joined the circus
- I was on an EU wide thrill-killing spree

And my personal favourite:
- I don’t know where I’ve been, I have amnesia

The only place I ever want to talk about myself is right here on my website. In real life, I’d much rather be ignored and not have to explain myself to others. I’m actually quite a private person, reclusive even, but when people pretend to be interested in your life, you have to pretend you’re happy for their interest. Social niceties have to be respected, even when you know its all bullshit…especially when you know its all bullshit.

But not you, of course. You’re deeply interested in every single aspect of my blessed existence and you hang on my every word. Online, I’m used to the attention and I crave it like a drug.

Ok, not really like a drug and believe me I know the difference.

It’s more like leaving the curtains open, while you change your clothing in front of the window. I’m giving you the choice to peep at me, but its up to you if you choose to cast your glance in my direction and if you do, you might see more than you expected.

My life is an open book here on the internet, available for you to casually thumb through the more interesting chapters, assuming one day I might write some. We can all wait for that day to come, but until then you’ll just have to put up with whatever drivel I post.

Like this pointless entry about my rather pointless life.

It’s about bloody time!

The Global Cannabis Commission report is being presented at the House of Lords today. It was undertaken by the Beckley foundation, a UN-accredited non-governmental organisation in advance of the United Nations strategic drug policy review expected next year.

The report makes a rather surprising recommendation…surprising because it is so sensible! They suggest that a “regulated market” should replace the current (silly and unenforceable) international prohibition of my favourite plant. The report proposes that we consider replacing prohibition with a system of labelling, taxation and minimal age requirements.

This is a seismic shift in attitude for the United Nations, which as an organisation, sits at the centre of cannabis prohibition, but I can’t say for certain that they will take this advice on board. After all, similar recommendations have been made here in the UK and have been promptly ignored by our ignorant politicians. Especially that incompetent uesless twit, Gordon Brown. I really thought he would be gone by now, but the Labour Party is seriously lacking common sense and balls and they pussed out at their party conference. Wimps!

This report puts the issue in context, going on to say “…in terms of relative harms it (cannabis) is considerably less harmful than alcohol or tobacco. Historically, there have only been two deaths worldwide attributed to cannabis, whereas alcohol and tobacco together are responsible for an estimated 150,000 deaths per annum in the UK alone.”

I’d like to know how 2 people died from weed. Did they choke on on it? Oh and the word “historically” in that context means since records began, which is a seriously long-old time!

Naturally this report is being warmly welcomed by cannabis campaigners world-wide, myself included.

My dope smoking recently hasn’t been recreational, as much as it has been medicinal, thanks to my recent health problems. Spliff helped when my back was seized up like a clenched fist and it continues to calm the nausea I am feeling from my chronic thyroiditis, which is another name for Hashimoto’s disease.

I don’t know what I would do without weed and I know that is the same for literally millions of people around the world, who are unnecessarily criminalised for our love of dope. I am not a criminal and neither are they! It’s about time the law caught up to this undeniable truth.

If you would like to read the Guardian’s take on this new report, all you need to do is CLICK HERE.

And if you would like to find out more about weed, please follow this link to the hippy’s cannabis truth series.

This is turning into the diary of the infirm.

Sorry, I know this used to be the capital of online fun. Maybe I should bring back the virtual blackjack tables? At least the house would always win.

I’m still feeling crap. The medication I’m taking is providing me with a host of side effects, all of them seriously dull and no fun.

I saw my GP again last week, he changed the brand of the meds I’m taking, which has subtracted a lot of the nausea, but not all of it and I still have the other side effects. Like breathlessness, heart palpitations, dizziness, headaches, tiredness, confusion and forgetfulness…need I go on?

My GP ordered more tests, which he says is to rule out some other things, rather than confirm anything he suspects. I think that’s supposed to be comforting.

My back seems to be holding its own. I still have pain, but I can cope with it. I’m still seeing the chiropractor, twice a week down from three visits and its always better after an adjustment. It tends to slide back a bit in between though, which I think is down to the fact that my thyroid levels aren’t right yet. The inflammation is being held at bay, but it’s not disappearing completely because whatever originally caused it, is still causing it.

My thyroid levels won’t be right for a while, as my GP says the dose I am on now, that is giving me all these fun side effects, will most likely needed to be increased after my next blood test. Doubled, actually. I can’t wait.

I haven’t felt like posting much lately, which is annoying because there’s loads I’d like to write about, I just don’t have the attention span to focus very long.

For all the jokes and references I’ve made about being middle aged, I’ve never really felt it in my bones. These days, not only do I feel it, I think I look the part too. It’s all dreadfully tedious and I’m bored of it all already.

I liked it better when I thought I was healthy. Clearly, I wasn’t really healthy, but I thought I was and isn’t that what really matter?

My doctor says that once my medication is sorted out, I’ll feel better than ever. Right now, I find that really hard to believe. When you feel shitty every day, its hard to be even a little bit positive about anything.

The following is a hippy health update:

I haven’t mentioned how I’ve been feeling for a bit, because I’ve pretty much been feeling the same. There’re two pieces of good news, though…I’ve got a definitive diagnosis. I have something called Hashimoto’s Disease.

Hashimoto’s Disease is an auto-immune disorder, probably genetic in origin and it causes my bodies T-cells to attack my Thyroid Gland, resulting in Hypothyroidism, which is an under-active Thyroid and causes all sorts of metabolism problems.

And Dr. Hashimoto is the guy that discovered it and it is the first recognised auto-immune disorder.

This diagnosis ties together all sorts of symptoms I’ve had over the last 6 months to a year that I hadn’t really put together or even thought were symptoms of anything. I just thought I was getting old!

Mainly, it explains the acute inflammation in my back, which continues to cause me pain, though not nearly as bad as it was when it started. I never thought my back problems would be caused by something bigger and scarier!

My other symptoms included loss of energy, appetite and concentration, poor sleep, a lump in my throat and flutters in my chest. I’ve had all of those things to one degree or another and I simply attributed them to middle age and my erratic work and sleep patterns. Silly me. I didn’t put any of this together.

When the back trouble started, I began treatment with a chiropractor, who I credit with helping a lot, but I still couldn’t completely shake the pain. After three weeks I saw my GP, because I thought I might have Shingles - I had a minor rash on my side. It turned out I didn’t have Shingles, but my GP ordered an x-ray (which was negative) and a battery of blood tests, which included a test for Thyroid function.

The test came back and confirmed my diagnosis. My GP also prodded my throat and said he could feel my swollen Thyroid Gland. I had noticed a slight sensation when swallowing for a while, but didn’t think anything of it. It wasn’t painful, or even uncomfortable, it was just different.

I’ve learned a valuable lesson and that’s to listen more closely to what my body is telling me and to do something about it!

Thankfully, Hashimoto’s Disease is very treatable and I will be on a medication called Levathyroxine for the rest of my life. It replaces the Thyroid Hormone my body no longer produces and once they get my dosage to the correct level, my body will go back to normal, whatever normal is…

I’m having side effects from this medication, nausea, sweats, and palpitations mainly, but these should pass soon. I hope.

Left untreated, it could eventually cause heart failure and death, so its a very good thing my doctor caught this. I’m lucky I have a good GP too.

Oh and the other good news is thanks to Hashimoto’s Disease and my cool new daily medication, I now get free NHS prescriptions for life. Now all I need them to do is approve cannabis prescriptions on the NHS and this disease stops being a curse and it becomes a real blessing!

Anyway kids, your Uncle Hippy is on the mend and it won’t be long before I’m back to my old self and trying to touch you all up again!