Surprising and Disappointing News

There are days when you just shouldn't answer your phone. Yesterday was one of those days. I was woken by a call from my primary care doctor's office with the results of my recent blood work. Please note for DDD patients reading this that this isn't usual for all fusion patients. In my case, I have had a reaction to all injectable pain medications. In this instance, the drug caused my blood pressure to plummet. They were able to assist me each time it happened so I was in no real danger. I didn't think twice about it until now. I was told my thyroid isn't working well and I will need to take synthetic thyroid hormones now, for life. In conjunction with the thyroid, you develop high cholesterol. I've also been put on medication for that. To add to the horror I was told I have a UTI but as I have no symptoms, I have no idea how long the infection has been in my body wreaking havoc. No wonder I feel like crap!! One of those "I told you I was sick!!" scenarios. No wonder I've been tired and in pain. Perhaps it had nothing to do with my back at all.
I tell you my experiences as honestly as I can. I didn't handle this news with grace or dignity. I think even a few words not worth mentioning slipped out in my shock and horror. I do know I blubbered like a spanked child for quite a lot of the day before pulling up the big girl panties, squaring my shoulders and getting on with life. I am human after all. Life has throw me a curve ball. How I adjust may take time but I will keep you updated. DDD is a nasty B.... It takes over our lives, can affect the rest of our health, hurts our families, alienates our friends, messes up our thinking, hurts all the time in varying degrees, and disrupts sleep and worst of all, kicks over our bucket list. Dang DDD. So what to do? Fight back with every fiber of your being. You can be sure I will. 
How? Eat healthy food: I'm gluten free mostly. I did the research for thyroid and wrote down the recommendations for food intake. Exercise: I have had three suggested programs. It can be confusing when told different things. I walk 40 minutes a day. I have a treadmill and a recumbent bike. The pool is almost ready for walking in now. I have purchased special therapy paddles for resistance. Sleep: I don't get enough of this due to pain. I am no longer to take meds for pain so I suffer, a lot some nights. I rest when I can. Life enjoyment: Find a hobby you enjoy and pursue it again. Take up something new. I am a stamp collector, like jigsaw puzzles, am a quilter, and I review books on Goodreads. I have a medium sized home library so I don't have to go out to the local library unless it is a special item I want. All else is done in ebooks, Netflix for movies and my own small but awesome movie collection. This is my entertainment now. Nothing fancy to keep me content. Books and a black and white classic film, usually noir for me. A bag of organic, non-gmo popcorn keeps me happy.  
Did I miss anything? Comments welcomed. How do you take care of yourself? What simple pleasures do you have to help you through the tough days? Let me know.