I'm not sure if they included single people living with roommates in this number; the article didn't specify whether two single people sharing one apartment were still considered a single-person household. But either way, there are a lot of single people living in this area.

What accounts for the rise in single households? The Washington Post says that young people are "finishing their education, investing in careers...and postponing marriage," and also that "people who divorce are less likely to remarry."

Moving to a new place has been on my mind quite a bit lately. While I'm looking forward to living by myself again, I've been dragging my feet -- mostly due to the fact that living by myself will mean paying more in rent than what I do now. I can afford to pay more than I currently do, but I like the fact that paying less means I don't have to budget. I always have money in my account; I never have to worry that I'll have enough to cover my bill if I go out with friends or if I decide I want to buy something random. And I get to put a chunk of that extra money from my paycheck in my savings account every month.

Let's talk numbers. Right now, because I split the rent and utilities with my roommate, I pay about $800 a month. For this area, and in comparison to what I know other people pay, that's pretty darn low. Of course it all depends on your perspective, though -- $800 a month (for one person) might be considered pretty high in an area with a lower cost of living.

I've done my research on places to live in DC, and I know I'd be looking at a rent increase of roughly $400 a month. Most apartments in that price range ($1200 per month) are studios, and they're not in luxury buildings, although some of them offer 24 hour security. In comparison, studios in more high-end buildings regularly start around $1800. Again, these prices are all about perspective. People in San Francisco and New York would probably find these prices to be quite reasonable.

But $1200, even including utilities, wouldn't be my only charges. I'd also have to factor in another $100 a month for cable and internet, and if I decide to keep my Virginia tags instead of registering my car in DC, I'd most likely have to pay to park in off-street parking (~$100 a month). So let's say I'd be looking at a monthly increase of $600 a month. Whew.

So that's why I'm having a hard time making a decision. Yes, I want to live by myself. I want a change of scenery. I want to live in DC. I want to live closer to my friends, and to the Metro, and to entertainment options. But depending on where I move and how much I end up paying, that's an increase of $400-600 a month over what I'm paying now. Yes, I could pay it. And I might. But it's certainly giving me pause.

I could always look for another roommate, but it would have to be somebody I know, or someone who comes highly recommended by a friend. And even then, I'm not sure I want to do that.

I like being responsible with my money, but I also don't want to be overly-miserly if this new situation is one I'd like better.

Given the same situation, what would you do?

Related Reading:

AshAsh lives in Alexandria, Virginia, too, and she's in the same situation I am -- she currently lives with a roommate but she's been thinking about moving out by herself.

Viv explains why she's glad that she lives alone.

One of the many things that Jenae likes about her life is that she lives alone.

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

Our deal breakers can be serious, but that isn't always the case. Sometimes a deal breaker can be something annoying, like someone who chews with their mouth open or has abnormally long fingernails -- in other words, an exhibited behavior that makes it easy for someone to write you off without getting to know you better. While this may sound a little unfair, it's not necessarily a bad thing. I'm sure we've all done it at some point in time.

The biggest reason I enjoy reading about deal breakers? It's interesting to see what people consider so heinous that they immediately don't want to see someone anymore. Sometimes when I look at these lists, I think to myself, "Yeah, okay, that makes sense. I can see why that behavior would annoy you or turn you off." But often, other people's deal breakers aren't something I would have thought of right off the top of my head.

Another reason why it's interesting to read about deal breakers is because many of them have come from personal experience. It's easy to say that you wouldn't put up with some type of behavior that you know is horrible, even if you haven't experienced it personally, but you can usually tell when someone has known that behavior firsthand.

For instance, I love Shannon Stamey's blog. Even when she's making fun of something or someone, she's always cute, funny, and nice (although, since I know her personally, she'll probably get on my case for saying that). In other words, she rocks. And in this post, she was spot-on with some things that I, too, consider to be deal breakers.

Cynicism. Negativity is a dealbreaker, of course, because who wants to be around someone who needs constant propping-up? Cynicism goes a little deeper: I cannot bear to love someone who believes the world is an evil place, everyone is out to get theirs, and we're all hurtling toward oblivion. I know I'm on the rainbows and unicorns, true love and carousels side of the spectrum, but I've always considered that one of my better qualities. Don't try to take that away from me.

(Note: I'm not happiness and rainbows all the time either, but even though I consider the negative options and realize they exist, I tend not worry about them until they actually comes to pass. My rationale is, if that negative thing doesn't happen, I've just wasted a lot of time thinking that it might. I may be sarcastic, but I'm definitely not cynical, and I wouldn't be able to stand that quality in someone else, either.)

Picky eating. I didn't always have the healthiest relationship with food, and hearing a bunch of fussing brings back ugly memories.

(Note: If I was with someone who obsessed over what they ate, and couldn't just eat something for the sheer enjoyment of it, that wouldn't be good for me at all. Eating issues, I have put you in my past -- but that doesn't mean I'm immune to noticing these patterns in others.)

Lack of conflict skills. If you go nuclear to win an argument, or, more to the point, you care more about winning the argument than resolving the problem, I'm going to kick off my sexy heels and run like hell. Also, yelling freaks me out completely.

(Note: Yelling freaks me out, too. I'll do pretty much anything to avoid it. I believe in having conversations, and heated ones are unavoidable in relationships, but yelling doesn't have to happen. All I do is retreat, like a turtle tucking its head into its shell.)

Lemmonex has a list of things she's previously dismissed guys over, but she sums up her list with a simple truth: if you really like someone, these silly things wouldn't matter.

* ordered a salad on the first date
* was blond
* hiked
* geographically undesirable
* thought he was still 21
* talked about money far too much
* was too laid back
* drank too slowly
* bad tipper
* blabbed on excessively about his car
* loved Train (yes, the band, not toy trains)
* was afraid of his own semen
* primped more than me
* passive
* had horrible taste in beer
* admitted he was scared of me
* wore pleated front khakis
* owned a cat
* talked to his parents daily

I have cared about, perhaps even loved, guys with at least one of these attributes, but the bottom line if this: when you know, you know. If he isn’t going to work, it is a hell of a lot easier to come up with some ridiculous reason to heap them on the pile then to face the frustration of another bad date or failed relationship head on. Some call it finnicky, I call it self preservation.

Although she's in a committed relationship, Livit Luvit can easily list the behaviors that she wouldn't put up with.

If you can’t let your inner dork/freak fly when you’re alone.

If he avoids meeting the people you love most.

If he believes you when you say you don’t want anything for your birthday.

If he doesn’t make you laugh. Like, all the time and stuff.

If you think, deep down, that he would probably bone your best friend, given the right circumstances.

If you feel like you pay for more than he does. (Disclaimer: unless you make a significant amount more than him.) (Disclaimer not valid if he’s unemployed -- and we’re talking real trailer park trash unemployed, not “the economy is flushed” unemployed.)

And, finally...

If you’re unhappy more often than you’re happy.

Newsweek: Is Texting While Dating a Dealbreaker?

My take on this topic is that while mid-conversation texting is rude and tacky, I don't think a first date has to exist under some electronic cone of silence. It's nice to get so wrapped up in someone that you don't check the BlackBerry all weekend, but that's a privilege usually reserved for a few weeks after date one. In the meantime, why shouldn't I check my e-mail while you're off at the bar getting drinks?

I've previously written: What Do You Look For in a Partner? (Hint: It May Change.)

Do you have any particularly interesting deal breakers you'd like to share?

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

Some people would ask, well, what about guys who are a little shorter than usual? Is it unfair for someone like me, being 5'9", to eliminate a guy from romantic consideration if he's, say, 5'6"? What's my hang-up?

On an online dating site, if you do a search for people and attempt to narrow the number of results (in addition to searching for something obvious like geographic proximity), one of the many filters you can use to eliminate people from your search results is minimum height. I haven't used this search feature for a number of months, but I remember what I originally set as the minimum height -- 5'10", which is an inch taller than me.

I have a hypothesis, though. A guy would probably say it's unfair for a taller woman not to give him a chance (if a height difference is the only thing holding them apart from mutual attraction), but I think there are many guys who specifically look for shorter women. This doesn't hold true all the time, for sure -- there are always exceptions to any rule -- but, well, here's the thing. I'm basing this assumption on personal experience. I've dated a few guys who weren't substantially taller than me and the subject of height has always come up, usually sooner rather than later.

Sometimes it'll be a comment, like the guy will say, "I've never dated a woman as tall as you before." Or when we're standing face-to-face, they'll straighten up as tall as they can, just to make sure the top of their head is above mine. (To the other tall ladies out there, have you noticed that when someone does this and you're wearing shoes, they automatically look down to see how much height your shoes are adding?)

And, really, come on -- it's not like I'm an Amazon. What must it be like for women who are 6' or taller?

(And yes, certainly, sometimes there are positive comments as well. Like the tall guys who say it's nice not to have to bend down so far when they come in for a kiss.)

I've thought about what it might be like to go out with a guy who's shorter than me. I know there would be absolutely no difference in the person -- it would all come down to how comfortable I felt about having him be the one to tip his head back when it came time for a kiss. I'm not sure how I'd feel about that. And on the flip side, I think there are a lot of guys who wouldn't know how they feel about that, either.

I don't know what made me start thinking about this recently. Maybe because I've now gone out with men who were older than I said I'd go out with, and I've gone out with people who had a different overall look/body type than my "normal" preference. I guess it just makes me wonder what other things I thought were what I wanted may not really be the case.

Ladies, have you ever dated someone who was noticeably shorter than you? Guys, have you dated someone taller? If you haven't, do you think you'd be okay with that?

Related Reading:

At The Frisky, 6'1" Susannah Breslin has some advice for How To Date A Tall Chick.

When other guys see a guy with a woman who's taller than he is, they assume one of two things: A) He has a lot of money, or B) He's really good in bed. Bagging a six-footer is big-game hunting. If you land one, everyone will assume you're a baller. Now, get out there, and find yourself a tall woman. I bet she's waiting for you -- with her heels on.

Double X: Julia Childs' Height Was Not a Handicap

Tall women's struggles are more subtle. You're not aware of this unless you're tall, but there's a vortex of silence around tall female public figures, and a total dearth of tall female role models. Sure, there are lots of very successful tall women out there. But you probably don't know who they are. Because they don't talk about it.

Kaye Dacus published a novel with a plus-sized heroine who also happens to be 5'11". She said she wanted to address the stereotype of tall men and short women, women "who are short enough the top of their head barely reaches the hero’s shoulder."

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

I gave my roommate the option of moving out with me but she's not ready to leave this area yet. And I certainly have nothing against Alexandria -- in fact, I think it's a great place to live. Beautiful, safe, all that. I just need a change.

In addition to needing a change, another factor is my commute -- since I started my new job a few weeks ago, my commute is longer. If I lived in DC, I'd be closer to my workplace. And spending less time traveling is always a good thing.

Aside from the shorter commute, a big motivator for finding a new place to live is that I want to see what it's like to actually live in the city. Not just close, or right over the border, and not just working in the city or traveling there on a regular basis. Living there.

I've spent some time researching apartment options. I admit that I'm opposed to moving in with someone I don't know (even though it would definitely be cheaper), so I'm looking for a place by myself. My current roommate and I get along pretty well, but I'm looking forward to living by myself again.

The only problem is, with the amount I'm willing to spend on rent, my options are pretty much limited to studio apartments. While I know there are plenty of people who live in studios and they like it just fine, and there can be creative ways to hide the bed from the main living area, it's just not my first choice. Even though I'm just one person, and I could do it if I had to, I'd much rather have my bed in a separate room, even if the bedroom was just a tiny, closet-sized space.

I've been lucky -- once I started letting my local friends know that I'm apartment searching, I've been receiving all kinds of input and advice. It's great to be able to ask people for their opinion and receive tips on specific apartments in my price range and areas of the city that they think I might like. (I would also like to note that one of those people is a DC police officer, and he's already offered to give me safety/crime-related information about the areas I'm interested in. Gotta love having a wide variety of acquaintances!)

But when it comes down to it, I'm the one who will make the final decision. Either it's going to feel right or it won't. I'll know when the time comes.

Related Reading:

I've been checking out my local Apartment Therapy site for decorating ideas and bookmarking posts that I like.

Urban Sardines shared photos of a studio apartment that she admires.

At Decor8, a writer shares her need to do some cleaning and organizing in her small apartment.

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

That's all changed now, and it's the same for online dating. In the past, people used to write emails to each other, and talk on the phone, before it was considered acceptable to meet in person. Now we tend to want to meet someone as quickly as possible -- to see the real person instead of just the pictures and description, to see if there's a spark.

Not only that, our avenues for meeting people on the internet are evolving. Now that there's no longer a stigma attached to saying that you met someone through an online dating site (remember when people would lie and say that they met through some other method?), it's also no longer strange to say that you met someone through some other form of social media.

I've talked about how I met a fair amount of people through Match.com in the last year, but over the past month I've dated a guy that I met via Twitter, and I also made plans to hang out with a guy that I've primarily talked to via Facebook. (Meaning, we'd met in person only once, months ago. He left a comment on a photo I posted, and after sending some messages back and forth we decided to meet for drinks.) And over the course of a few years, up until last summer, I went out with a few guys that I met through MySpace.com (ah, those social media sites of old).

When I talk about meeting new people from a dating perspective, though, I still kind of feel like I have to point out that I'm not meeting all these guys because I'm opposed to being with one particular person. But it is true that I go out more often when I'm not seeing just one guy, and I'm introduced to new people that I wouldn't have met otherwise, and I end up going to new places and eating at restaurants that I've never been to before. (Raw oysters at the Fish Market in Old Town Alexandria at 11pm on a Saturday night? Why, yes, please.)

I have a habit of posting details about my various escapades on my Twitter and Facebook profiles, and recently one of my aunts left this comment:

Look at you Zan...you have it so good: the freedom to go and be with whomever you choose, so many friends, dates, dinners, travel. Don't give any of this up by hooking up with just one man. [These things] add to the rainbow you live under.

"The rainbow you live under." Isn't that a great phrase? It's a nice thought, at least, even though -- of course -- my life isn't always rainbows and glitter and smiles and fun. But my life is pretty darn good, especially in the past few years since I discovered how much I enjoy meeting new people.

I like that our attitudes have changed and that it's now acceptable to meet people through multiple technological avenues. And it really makes me wonder what we'll be using ten years from now.

Do you have a story about meeting someone through the use of technology?

Related Reading:

Lalawag: How to Get Laid With Twitter

Twitter is probably the best way to hook up. Old-school methods of getting to know someone through their blogs and Facebook profiles is a large investment as far as time goes -- and time is a luxury not all of us have. With Twitter, you can find and engage hundreds of people in your network.

Huffington Post: Is Internet Dating the Death of Romance?

[M]y main reason for resisting the urge to internet date is my feeling that it drains romance of all its...romance. Even worse, it turns romance into a commodity. When you post photos of yourself and wax witty on the "five things you can't live without" or "your most embarrassing moment," you effectively reinvent yourself as a product -- to be reviewed, assessed for quality, and either purchased or passed over.

Ryane at The Platinum Years talks about the advantages of being single.

I never have to manage someone else's expectations; I never have to compromise on food choices or who controls the TV remote; I never have to put-up with bad moods (except my own!) or contrariness for no good god-damn reason other than that is simply the mood of the day. I would never pretend that not having to deal with these realities is reason enough to never want to get married or be in a relationship; I know they aren't. Idiosyncracies are part of the fun of a relationship. I'm merely realizing that for every thing I feel I don't have as a single woman, I have something equally as wonderful as just me, Ryane alone.

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

Not all of the experiences have been good, of course, but cumulatively I feel like my life would have been much, much different this past year if I'd made the decision not to try online dating. Not so much because of the boring dates -- the times I forced myself to sit through an hour at dinner because I didn't want to seem rude -- but because of a few men who I ended up seeing on a recurring basis. Especially the ones who ended up becoming friends.

(That's always harder, though, isn't it? Taking a dating situation to a friend-situation? At least if there were any kind of feelings involved. Most of my guy-friends are men I've never dated -- I met them through friends or work or school. It tends to be easier that way.)

I was thinking about all this the other day when I clicked on the "Rejected" folder in the Gmail account I created specifically for all of my Match emails and winks to go into. See, whenever I get an email or wink that I don't want to respond to, I label it "Rejected" and file it away. (For people that I've actually exchanged emails with, they get a folder with their first name and screen name.)

As of today, there are 628 emails in my Rejected folder. (But just too clarify, some of those emails are duplicates -- men who have attempted to contact me multiple times, or who sent both an email and a wink at the same time.)

I haven't been keeping track of the number of men I've actually met in person, but I went through my folders today and counted the names of men I remember meeting face-to-face. I came up with 20. That's not including at least 5-6 people who I met offline, so I'd say that I've gone out with at least 25 people in the past 12 months. (And keep in mind, I've been out with some of those people on multiple occasions.)

I'm sure that will seem like a lot to some people, and not very much to others. If you think about it, it's an average of two new people a month. Totally manageable. But how it really worked out is different. There were some instances where I met 3-4 men in one week, but then I'd go weeks at a time without meeting anyone new. And of course the number of new dates would slow down when I was dating someone in particular that I liked.

Earlier this year, when I was dating one person regularly for four months, I only met 2-3 other people during that entire four-month span. And in the past few months, I haven't met any new Match-people at all. The people I've gone out with have all been men I met offline.

Even though I've gone through some tough times, I'm glad I made the decision to put myself out there and meet so many new people. I would certainly prefer that it not be so many new people in the future, but I know that my experiences this past year have been good for me. And I haven't canceled my Match subscription yet.

Here's a recap of some of my dating experiences since July '08:

Last July, the decision to try online dating in the first place wasn't an easy one.

Like pretty much every big decision I make, I realize I've been putting a lot of advance thought into this whole thing -- as opposed to just jumping in, creating a profile, paying a fee, and seeing what happens. It's funny. I've been encouraging to other people who wanted to try online dating, and I don't have anything against it personally, but I've never been wild about using this particular method to meet someone.

I posted about my personal do's and don'ts.

With the combination of my past dating experience and what I've read and heard from other people, it quickly becomes apparent what turns me on and what turns me off, what makes me click on a profile versus clicking quickly away, and what has to happen for me to take time to respond to someone's indication of interest.

Very early on, I realized that rejection happens to everyone.

When you post a photo and description online for anyone to see -- when you accept the fact that you'll be going on multiple dates if you're going to find the right person -- you either have a pretty good idea already that you'll be dealing with rejection or you come to terms with it very quickly. Nobody is immune to it, no matter how beautiful or wonderful we (or other people) think we are.

Just a few months into online dating, I ruminated on what I thought about the experience. (Was it fun? Frustrating? Wonderful? Stressful?)

Dating can sometimes seem like a game, even if you're not the type of person who's looking for a game -- you still have to play. A lot of people get tired of it and get out. I've heard from a number of people, both online and in person, who told me they used to do online dating but stopped for that very reason.

I wondered if my male friends have an impact on my dating life.

I've dated guys who knew I have male friends that I hang out with, and while they haven't specifically said they don't like it, I've gotten some questions. One of the most popular questions (after I assure them I'm not physically attracted to my guy friends and we don't enjoy "benefits") is, "But they think you're hot, right?"

At the beginning of the new year, I took a look back at the first five months of online dating.

One of the things that stands out to me about online dating is that, unlike meeting people on an occasional and random basis, if you're truly active and meeting new people pretty regularly, you're experiencing these emotions (nervousness, happiness, disappointment, excitement) way more often than you normally would.

I realized that our preferences change -- the things I've looked for in guys in the past may be different from what I look for today.

I wouldn't say that having preferences for what we're looking for in a partner are...crap...exactly, but aren't a lot of preferences pretty cliche? "I'm looking for someone who's smart, funny..." Well, sure, that's what we want. Those are all good attributes to have. But when someone asks me what kind of guy I'm looking for, I don't want to list a bunch of cliches. Those things should just be assumed.

I gave tips on things to keep in mind when writing your online dating profile.

I've looked at a fair amount of online dating profiles that were written by males, and I've talked to men who have looked at a wide variety of female profiles. Because of this, I've been able to draw a very important conclusion: most of us are not very original. While there isn't anything necessarily wrong with having our words sound very similar to those of many other people, it's also very hard to stand out.

I had to confront the exclusivity question.

If you're going to ask the exclusivity-question, you have to be prepared for things to change. Things will either change in a positive way, and the person will agree that you're fabulous and they don't want to see anybody else...or, you know. It'll be the answer you didn't want. You may even hear nice responses like, "You're awesome," and "I think you're great," and "I don't want to stop seeing you." But in the end, the only answer that really matters is that the other person isn't ready. You might be great, but you're not it.

I tried to envision what I’d want a relationship to be like ten years from now.

When I think about my past, I feel a sense of anticipation for all the things that the future is sure to hold. I hope that when I'm in my late 30s, I'll look back at Zan in her late 20s and be just as content with the choices I made in that ten-year span as I am right now, with the things I've done thus far.

I decided that I don’t want to be a "for now" woman.

I need the guy to like me just as much as I like him. That's what clicked for me. If I could see myself being happy with dating only this person, and I knew I wanted to see him more often and get to know him better...but he was telling me that he wanted to keep his options open? He doesn't feel the same way I do. And rather than give it more time and risk being hurt, I decided to move on.

I learned how to look at the positive side of bad dates.

In the context of dating -- specifically the dates that are so bad that you want to throw up your hands and give up for a while -- you can seriously start to question your pre-screening skills. But really, if you're going on first-dates with people you've previously only seen photos of, and exchanged emails with, and maybe talked to on the phone...there's a very high probability that you'll encounter a stinker or two at some point.

I ran away from conflict. Literally.

On July 4th, I did something that I haven't done in quite a long time. I was upset because of a conversation I was having with someone, and I had this feeling come over me that I had to leave the situation right that second. I didn't want to talk; I didn't want to work things out; I needed to leave. So I did.

Related Reading:

Leah asks if there is A science to online dating?

I've done a fair bit of online dating in my day. Heck, my dad even suggested it to me after I met (and sometimes dated) a fair number of "real life" duds. It's much less random than bumping into someone on the street, and it's easy to vett out the guys who obviously aren't compatible with you. [...]

[I]t seems to me that what matters most is adding to your repertoire of how to meet people. With online dating, I had another tool in my kit that helped me socially engage with the people in my area. And as a young adult who no longer has the social structure of school to help me meet people, I appreciate every method at my disposal for social interaction.

Your Tango: Top 8 Reasons Online Dating Is Great

The Huffington Post: The Ten Commandments of Modern Dating

Single Edition: Virtual dating assistants let men 'outsource' online dating

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us.)

I did some research online. My doctor wanted me to come back for another blood test in six weeks; I identified some changes I could make and decided that if these methods didn't work, I'd take the pills. Here are some of the thyroid-control recommendations that I found and attempted to implement:

Eat three meals a day instead of mini-meals: This one was different for me because I’ve been a mini-meal eater (usually eating at least 6 times a day) for quite a few years. I’ve made an effort for the past few months to eat more food at one time instead of spreading it out. This doesn’t always mean that I eat only three times a day, but I'm making a good effort.

Limit carbs at dinner: I was good about sticking to this for a few weeks, but I’m not a huge fan of preparing food if I'm not doing it with someone else. This means, on the nights I don't eat at a restaurant, I usually have a bowl of cereal for dinner. (Not by itself! Cereal and something else.) In my defense, I eat organic bran cereal that has a very high fiber content.

Don't eat anything three hours before bed: I generally try not to do this anyway, and I’m pretty good at sticking to it. I brush my teeth after dinner when I’m at home, and if I’m really hungry a few hours later I’ll eat something that won’t stick to my teeth, like applesauce or yogurt. This means I can rinse with mouthwash instead of brushing and flossing all over again.

Limit artificial sweeteners: I don’t eat a lot of processed food or use sweetener in my coffee. Most of the fake sugar I consume is through diet soda (but I usually only drink soda when I'm having alcohol with it).

Reduce soy intake: This was a change for me. I’ve been drinking soy milk almost exclusively for about seven years (it originally started as an attempt to consume less dairy, but it resulted in me preferring the taste). I’ve since switched back to regular organic milk and I’m also limiting consumption of other soy products like tofu, edamame, and faux meat products.

Iodine drops: Some people say that having low thyroid can be caused by an iodine deficiency. This recommendation is controversial, which I didn’t discover until after I’d ordered the drops online. I took them for a few weeks before I read another article that completely debunked the original article I’d read. I have no idea which theory is correct, but since the danger of having too much iodine is supposedly worse than not having enough of it, I stopped taking it.

Natural thyroid supplement: This was something I decided to add. My mom recommended a natural-products website that she goes to all the time, and I found something there called Thyroid Helper. I figured it couldn’t hurt to try, so I ordered it and have been taking it regularly since May.

So I did those things, and I went back six weeks later (per my doctor’s instructions) to have my blood drawn again. Instead of improving -- or even staying the same -- my thyroid levels were even higher. I wasn't all that surprised, though...the symptoms I'd been experiencing hadn't gotten any better, either. My doc wrote me a prescription for Synthroid and I started taking it yesterday.

I’m not overjoyed about taking it. I’ve been reading about a natural thyroid medication called Armour Thyroid, but it sounds like it can be hard to find doctors (except natural physicians) who will prescribe it. More research is needed on my part, but in the meantime I didn’t want to put off taking something any longer. I’m tired of feeling lethargic. I want to get better.

Do you have hypothyroidism? What’s your treatment method?

Related Reading:

Call Me Mama is very happy with the natural doctor she sees about her thyroid issues, saying she was looking for someone “that would treat my symptoms, not just my lab results.”

Merry from Cranky Fitness talks about the importance of having certain things checked (including thyroid function) when you’re eating right and working out, but not losing weight.

Brittany Walker has a tumor on her left thyroid lobe and has to have a thyroid lobectomy.

(Contributing editor Zandria blogs at Zandria.us. She is currently quite excited about attending BlogHer ’09.)