For me it's only been a little over 3 weeks. Lost my mother to a sudden massive heart attack. We (my dad, younger sister and I) didn't see it coming. Any how, for me I haven't had sudden burst of tears yet. Not since the first week. Though, while standing in the basement looking at the picture of her sweet face next to her urn...I have lost it 2x. Thinking of the past, the good times...etc. As one of the members said "...it is only natural". What I at the moment can't and don't want to consider is how it will be when I loose my father as well. As I am presently a single male. So I would only have my younger sister to rely on when that day comes. Assuming I haven't found some one, gotten married and have started a family of my own. We all know our parents will eventually leave us. But till it actually happens to you... My 2 cents...

Thank you for sharing that.

Hi Allison: Please keep us posted on Monday .. thanks for the info. of requested tests on Stop the Thyroid Madness site. In the old days, doctors went overboard in unnecessary tests & surgeries, but nowadays insurance put a restriction on that. Over a decade ago my sister wore her hair in an "onion" bun (capped with a metallic hair fastener), they took X-ray and the doc. thought it was a HUGE GOITER, or HUGE THROAT CANCER. They did CT scan & MRI & unnecessary tests just to find out that it's a bundle of hair & metallic cap. I wrote to my insurance asking for further thyroid antibody-test & neck-checking for my 12-year old daughter, and my insurance wrote back " You can submit a pre-authorization request for review. This normally includes a letter of medical necessity with medical records to substantiate the service. This review generally takes 15-20 business days and all responses are made in writing. " From StrawChicago: I will wait for the kelp snack to boost her metabolism, and if she becomes depressed again during the summer, then I will take her for further thyroid-test. When I read through the Earthclinic.com/People's pharmacy website, one person reported solving her hypothyroid just by consuming a few Brazil nuts a day (high in selenium, necessary for normal thyroid function). Another person solved her hypothyroid with Stress-Tabs (Vit. C 120 mg, Thiamin 10mg, Riboflavin 10mg, Niacin 50 mg, Vit. B6 5 mg, Folate 400 mcg, Vit. B12 100mcg, Panthothenic Acid 40 mg, Proprietary Amino Acid Blend 100 mg (Arginine, Glutamine, Taurine), Sensoril extract.). The NON-MEDICATED approach is more effective & less side-effects because it comprises of a vast array of nutrients to boost thyroid health. Plus one can adjust the dose by oneself (less Brazil nut, or less seaweed snack) ... without going through the doctor. There are side effects for Levothyroxine: Insomnia, flushing, muscle pain, fatique, mood swings. There's a long list of side-effects of Synthroid, see the link below: https://synthroidhaters.wordpress.com/synthroid-side-effects/ When I googled, "The problem with Synthroid", there are tons of info. of horrible effects either through buying less-effective generic drugs, or it doesn't work, or the dose is too high, etc. Here's one example: " Saw dr after labs and ultrasound dx cysts on thryoid and hypo put me on generic synthroid.25. On meds for approx 6 weeks became very hoarse to the point of not being able to speak, not sleeping for more than 3 hrs, terrible bloating and gas, increased racing heart and "shaking like tremors". ... Subsequently I felt so bad I stopped the med without her knowlege. Hoarseness, sleeping, hand symptoms and chest fulness, bloating have improved to what they were before starting meds." http://www.medhelp.org/posts/Thyroid-Disorders/problem-with-synthroid/show/1587399 From Stop the thyroid madness site: "Did you know that a healthy thyroid makes five hormones?? They are T4, T3, T2, T1 and calcitonin. T4, also called thyroxine, is simply a storage hormone meant to convert to T3, the active hormone. But a healthy thyroid doesn’t make you totally depend on conversion alone, and also gives you “direct” T3 plus the other hormones above ... Being on a T4-only med means you are missing out on four other hormones directly, and thus, you are being forced to live for conversion alone!" Many people complained that Armour Thyroid (dried pig thyroids) are no longer available, and the chemical Synthroid has tons of side-effects, which they can't handle. See an excerpt from below link: "I had been on Armour thyroid for several years and it worked really well. Unfortunately, my last prescription was put on hold by the manufacturer and I have not been able to get it filled. That was in July 2009. My dr. had to put me on Synthroid instead and I feel terrible now. I have insomnia and anxiety yet my blood tests look fine. I'm not sure what to do now. I've called the pharmacy several times in the last 4 months and Armour is still not available to the public. " http://www.endocrineweb.com/community/hypothyroidism/1288-armour-thyroid-vs-Synthroid "About a year ago I was prescribed Synthroid and almost immediately had a pretty severe reaction to it. Throat swelled, ankles and hands swelled, heart raced ... felt like crap. My doctor switched me to an all natural herbal product called "Innate Thyroid Response." It worked pretty well until just recently. So I'm going back for a tune-up. :o) Doctors and pharmacists are provided ve-e-ery generous "perks" by pharmaceutical reps for pushing what my doctor calls, "designer drugs." The more expensive the drug, the "more effective" it is often touted to be, when often that could not be further from the truth. I would question the motives of a doctor who "insists" that one drug is preferable to another ... especially a tried and true oldie like Armour." Tinyhandz said... 2 years 52 weeks ago "I was on Synthroid for a while and I really did not like the way it made me feel. I was shaky, nervous, couldnt sleep, and I became very anxious over the months that I was taking it." http://www.endocrineweb.com/community/hypothyroidism/1288-armour-thyroid-vs-synthroid

Yes the deli was a Jewish deli in a Jewish suburb of Detroit. I'm sure they know what a Shiva Tray, Platter or Basket is but their menu called them "Condolence Platters" because I am also sure that not all their customers are Jewish and Jews don't have a monopoly on sending food to people's houses, although it is mostly common in homes populated by mensches of various ilks . . . What I sent wasn't a traditional shiva tray anyway. A traditional shiva tray would be a dairy assortment of mounded egg salad, tuna salad, and bagels with maybe some fruits and other embellishments depending on how elaborate you want to get like lox, whitefish, cottage cheese, etc. That would be to a kosher home. Otherwise, a cold cut assortment, and/or mazah ball soup. The tradition is to serve round things--eggs, bagels, fruits. muffins, rolls, rugelach, lentils. Renewal of life is the symbolism. Having gone through this, I sent a small sandwich platter because they can be bagged up and sent with people who are traveling, and also frozen if leftovers. Same with the rugelach, easy to freeze anything left over. That's what we did with the leftovers from my Mom's funeral day. Here's a great link describing traditional and not so traditional shiva food gifts. I stayed away from kugel and strudel because there would be simply no way the quality of a deli made version of either of those things could compete with the memory of the wonderful versions made by the deceased and enjoyed in her home. https://www.jta.org/2019/07/31/food/the-best-foods-to-bring-to-shiva