Not feeling 100%

I'm one week into the low-iodine diet and I'm hurting. Not looking for pity, but it is a statement of fact.

I'm dragging. Having a hard time sleeping, too. My energy level is below where I like it to be (my usual 100mph is not an option). My neurons aren't firing at their usual pace. 

The normal stressors of life (kids, work, etc.) are in play, but I feel like they are on steroids right now.

Oh yeah...I've got a raging headache pretty much everyday.

I called the doctor to find out: is this normal?

Yes, it is. Mostly due to hormonal issues (not low-iodine). We're really slaves to our bodies, aren't we? I'm on the Cytomel, not the Synthroid. Just got to deal with it.

Yes, this sucks. Yes, I know I just have to persevere, but sometimes I just want to crawl into my bed and cry, hoping it'll go away, knowing that the worst...being away from my 2 beautiful kids for 2 whole weeks is still come.

One day, I'll look back and I know it'll be in the distant memory. I know that, as Viktor Frankl says, I "always have a choice of how I am going to respond."

Sometimes, though, I think it takes some time for you to first admit..."ok, I'm here, I've got a problem before you can figure out what you've got to do next."

Admitting weakness...not something we like to teach our boys and young men...is a tough thing. I feel the weight of responsibility to my wife, my kids, my community, and my co-workers. All of that makes me want to keep on pushing, to make sure that no balls get dropped, but it's a "Teufelkreis" as they say in German, lit: a Devil's circle (aka a vicious cycle). 

I know it's a marathon and I have to conserve and prepare, G-d willing, for the long haul, but it's hard. Really, really hard. (I can hear my mom correcting me now. The word is difficult!)