From Thyroid.org: Notes March 2004 on “Patients with subclinical thyroid disease have few abnormalities and treatment has no proven benefit”:

The panel concluded that marked (but not mild) subclinical hyperthyroidism is a risk factor for atrial fibrillation (a cardiac rhythm disorder) and low bone density, but that there is insufficient or no evidence to conclude that it is associated with symptoms of hyperthyroidism or cardiac dysfunction, or that these problems can be reversed or prevented by antithyroid therapy.

I like the part about “few abnormalities” but not about “atrial fibrillation and low bone density” not finding any relief when treated with antithyroid therapy. This makes me wonder if the opposite is true: do patients with subclinical hypothyroidism have little or no relief when treated with T4?

Additionally, much of the research I’ve done suggests the ‘establishment’ is slow on the uptake when treating thyroid disorders, but it looks to me like they’re certainly working on it: apparently, the addition of a small amount of T3 does not make many hypothyroid patients feel better.

I just realized how exactly I’d shot myself in the foot by deleting my old Yahoo! account.

Bookmarks.

I’ve been using Yahoo! Companion for years on every machine I can get my grubby little paws on. I use it for the Bookmarks.

All my bookmarks are gone! What a moron!

Of course I’ve got tons of old Links stored on my site, but they’re years old.

Oh well. I guess it was time to clean house anyway.

Yes! I know commenting is hosed! I’m working on it!

I know I’ve said this before, but I’ve fuckin’ had it with the spams in my MT comments. I’m currently installing a hack that will require you to verify you’re not a bot by typing characters from a displayed image. Sorry for the hassle, but if I don’t do this my server’ll fill up with garbage, and banning individual IPs and manually deleting spam comments is a pain in the arse. Sigh.

Shiva, my beloved spastic boy, is healing up just fine. He was pretty sedate the first day and a half, probably from having been put under, but he’s pretty much back to his usual spazzy self now… with perhaps the subtlest touch of mellowing out.

I am as always amazed at how much pain dogs can tolerate and how quickly they heal! I check his sutures once a day, and the evening of the first day there was a splotchy area near the incision where blood had leaked under the skin, and which in a human would turn into a nasty bruise and last for days. It’s gone already. I gave him pills for pain the first day, then half doses the second day, and then just quit giving them to him since so obviously isn’t bothered.

But how can that be?!?! I mean, he’s been surgically castrated and he’s hardly even noticed! …makes one ponder the issue of pain: Is it really helpful? Wouldn’t we get along just fine with half the number of pain receptors? I’m being utterly serious here: is there any real biological benefit to being able to feel pain as acutely as we do? (Other than the corrolary: the ability to feel pleasure as keenly as we do.)

My co-worker’s phone is ringing off the damn hook. I’ve been pretty busy today, too. I love a busy day at work! It flies by.

I’ve lately been working with the network person at Hickenbottom’s, trying to get one of their DSL connections working again. The folks there are so nice! (At one point, I tried to call over there and dialled a 0 instead of a 6, and got someplace else, and I asked for my contact’s name, and someone else came to the phone, and I started in with, “So I talked to her and rebooting didn’t help so I need to know if I can get you to reboot the Megabit modem in the basement that goes to her–” and the lady on the other end said, “I believe you have the wrong number.” Hah!)

Brett and I went to Walmart to deal with his phone – the display is broken, but I’d insured it – and all we got for our efforts was a long wait and a brochure with a number to call. The gig: they’ll process the claim, mail out a new phone, then Brett has to take it in to get the number transferred to it. The deductible is $35.

Brett got all hot about that and starting going off on how we should just go re-up and get new phones that way, but I fail to see how re-upping will make any difference. I’d end up with a cheaper phone than I have now because next time I re-up I’ll be getting the free phone, whatever it is, instead of believing those bitches when they tell me I’ll get a rebate they’ll decide to reject later. (I’m going to conveniently leave out the fact that I’m probably the person who drove over Brett’s phone. Shhh!)

I made one of those instant pies the other night. You know, the ones on the labels of the graham cracker crust pie shells? Ingredients: 2 pkg. instant white chocolate pudding, 1-1/4 cold milk, 1/2 8 oz. container non-dairy whipped topping, 2 Tbsp. instant coffee powder. Blend in a bowl for 1 minute. Pour into shell. Top with other 4 oz. non-dairy whipped topping, serve or chill.

It was terrifyingly sweet and cloying – and yes, I was surprized, thank you very much! I remember loving those Cool Whip freezer pies when I was little! (Brett remembers loving Spaghetti-O’s, but they’re too disgustingly sweet for an adult to eat.)

I’d better get back to work. Ciao!