It's been almost a year since my last post here. Not sure why I stopped. I have found myself with so much to say for a while now & realized I need to come back here & share.
If you have been following me you know this isn't just about fitness & health related things.
Today is though :)
Over 10 years ago I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism. I found out during a check up when I mentioned I wanted to try to get pregnant again & could they just run blood work, etc to make sure all things were fine.
When the labs came back I was in TOTAL denial! I had them run it again because I just thought there is just NO way. Haha. Silly me. They gave me meds (Synthroid) and I cursed that little pill EVERY.SINGLE.MORNING.
Life went on. I hated taking that pill but I did it. Eventually we got pregnant again and had our final child - our daughter. Then I heard about some other "natural" med I could be taking for my thyroid & spoke to the N.P (Nurse Practitioner) about it. She had said she would monitor my blood work & do the ultrasounds but if something changed I had to go back to a specialist ( I had stopped because I just plain old didn't like the guy I was seeing). So she switched me to a compound and things stayed normal for a while.
Then I started declining. The fatigue has been almost debilitating. Everyone just thinks it's laziness. I have been sure of that (in my head - no one actually came out & said it to me). I had my adrenals checked & I was borderline with that too. Double whammy.
My NP kept checking my bloodwork & adjusting my compound as needed but nothing helped. Then we did my yearly ultrasound & realized the nodules had been growing. She switched me to Amour (still never got a set answer WHY she changed it - just saying it's the same as the compound). Because the nodules showed growth she told me I had to go back to a specialist.
Ugh. I found one that she suggested (after nixing the 2 I didn't care for) and started "googling" this doctor. Many patients opinions were "He has a god complex". I realized I needed to see SOMEONE. My symptoms weren't getting any better.
Since the appt I made was still 3 months out as he couldn't get me in any sooner, I started reading more about the thyroid. I had since been diagnosed as "Hashimotos". Confusion set in. What the heck??
I began reading "Hashimoto's Thyroiditis" by Izabella Wentz AND "The Hormone Cure" by Sara Gottfried, MD. The latter because I am also in peri-menopause.
Who knew? Thyroid issues are growing it seems & people just don't know what to do about it! h & those starting menopause seem to be having thyroid problems!!
If you have the time & energy (ha!) you can seemingly reverse the disease & have a healthy thyroid. Not the case I am learning if you have already started taking meds. :(
So here I am. A new doctor & he is telling me I need to go back on different meds as the "natural" ones weren't working for me. Also said with the size of the nodules I needed to have them biopsied.
I came home very upset. I hated those meds. I didn't want to be on them. Nothing I can do now about that. No more denial. I have a thyroid issue & it's wreaking havoc on my life. I started taking Selenium & some Adrenal Fatigue supplements and making sure I took the new meds every morning & not eating for about an hour afterward. I was going to be a good girl & follow the instructions.
I have noticed only that my hair isn't falling out in crazy amounts after being on the meds for about 2 months. When I went in for the biopsy they did another ultrasound & the doc came in to inform me that the nodule was no longer big enough to biopsy (can you say HAPPY DANCE???).
So, that's what I have so far. I am taking this all day by day. I am thankful for the doctor I have & the meds I can take to HOPEFULLY help me to start feeling better. I go again for more bloodwork soon & I look forward to seeing what that shows.
The doc said I am the "nightmare" patient with both Hypothyroid AND starting menopause. Turns out the symptoms can overlap.
So that's my story so far. It's not over. I still continue to choose health over anything else. I, once again, need to get the sugar intake under control as I did let that go a little nuts. My workouts have changed slightly. I can't overdo anymore. It's too taxing on my body right now. My adrenals will come around & I can start picking things up a bit again. Right now I am doing the workout "21 Day Fix" and making sure I do the 1/2 hour & then stretch & be done for the day. I'm finishing up a round (3 weeks) of it & will take a week of just Piyo (Pilates & Yoga) then start another round of 21DF. I LOVE fitness & movement but need to make sure I listen to my body.
I would LOVE to hear from you if you find yourself struggling with the same or similar things. We need to lean on each other!
Be Blessed,
Pamela
