WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON WITH MY HEALTH: PART II

continued from Monday's post...

So at this point, I've been to four different doctors and I still feel horrible. But I was determined to find an answer. I did more research, I prayed a LOT, educated myself on my symptoms via podcasts, and I asked more questions of more people. Then one day, I was talking to my Pilates instructor about my issues and she recommended I see her naturopathic doctor. I had heard of naturopathic (i.e. holistic) doctors before (especially from listening to this Podcast), but had never been to one. So as soon as I get home from my session, I research the doctor and by the end of the following week - I made an appointment. He didn't take health insurance (big negative), but he seemed well versed in my issues and it was extremely comforting to think of the possibility that whatever was wrong could be healed in a natural way. Plus, at this point I was desperate and didn't feel like I had much to lose by exploring something new.

My first appointment with this doctor was a DREAM in comparison to all of the other appointments I had in 2015. He literally sat across from me at a table and listened to me explain my issues for one whole hour. There were no computers or phone in sight. He made notes on a sheet of paper as I was talking. If he wasn't writing, he was looking me straight in my face as I talked. Our conversation made me feel like he was genuinely interested in helping me. At the end of the appointment, he drew up a plan. The plan included a food sensitivity test, an adrenal stress test, and a blood test that would test my hormone levels, my immune system, certain vitamin levels and ALL of the functions of my thyroid - not just the two that had already been tested. In the meantime, he suggested I start meditating once a day and start taking a certain type of magnesium for my heart palpitations and insomnia. I left that appointment more hopeful than I had felt in quite some time...

Once the tests came back, I went back to my naturopath to get the results - face-to-face. The results weren't given to me over the phone or over some portal on the internet. I got them face-to-face. Loved that. The tests revealed my diagnosis along with a few other alarming things... All of my blood work came back fine with the exception of the adrenal stress test, the immunity test, and my one of my THYROID tests. My adrenal stress test revealed that my hormone levels in the morning were all over the place, which made sense because that is when I felt the most anxious. The test for my immunity was positive, meaning that my immune system was compromised. The main functions of my thyroid were fine (as the prior test revealed), but my thyroid antibody levels were really high, meaning that the antibodies surrounding my thyroid were working overtime to keep the thyroid functioning properly. The compromised immune system and high thyroid antibody levels revealed my diagnosis: I have Hashimoto's Thyroiditis. Hashimoto's Thyroiditis is an autoimmune disease where the immune system attacks the thyroid. The invasion increases the thyroid antibody levels, which causes all of those symptoms I was experiencing, including my raging hormone levels in the morning. Why the immune system does that is somewhat of a mystery. Genetics, sex, age, toxins (environmental and food), and stress levels are just a few factors, but the exact cause is unknown. And there is no cure. My doctor tells me all of those things, things I had never heard of before, and I'm both happy and scared out of my mind at the same time. I'm happy because I FINALLY have an answer. I'm scared because now that I know I have a incurable disease. His recommendation for dealing with it makes me even more scared...

A good naturopath is interested in getting to the root cause of an issue. They don't give you a diagnosis then send you straight to the pharmacy to pick up a medication that might quickly fix the issue, but not eliminate the cause of the issue. So my naturopath reveals to me that the best way to manage this disease is through meditation, stress management, supplements, and most importantly diet - a Paleo diet to be exact. He also suggested that I eliminate my personal food sensitivities for a while. Per the food sensitivity test he ran, I am sensitive to gluten, wheat, grains, eggs, bananas, spinach, tomatoes, chia seeds, and a few other things - all things that I was pretty much eating on a daily basis. So basically I have to be gluten-free, dairy-free, grain-free, cheese-free, egg-free, and free of a bunch of other TASTY stuff. "What the HELL else is there to eat???," I thought. He tells me I have a disease and now he's telling me I have to eliminate pretty much every food that I love - healthy and unhealthy. And you know how I feel about FOOD!! It's everything to me! I just want to die at this point...  So he sends me home with a list of supplements to order, and an order to up my meditation practice to twice a day, get enough sleep (which I was starting to get thanks to the magnesium), eliminate my personal food sensitivities, and start the Paleo diet ASAP. I just wanted to die... Did I mention that??

Well, that appointment was three weeks ago. I have done exactly what the naturopath suggested - EXACTLY I say.  I'm certainly not 100% yet, but I can honestly say that I am feeling better in just this short period of time. Switching from a diet dependent on some carbs for energy to a diet solely dependent on vegetables, quality proteins, and good fats for energy made me extremely tired in the beginning, but that has gotten better with time. I'm no longer super anxious in the mornings. Last year, I even stopped watching the morning national news (something I'd watched every morning since college) because it made me feel even crazier. Now I can watch the morning news without getting anxious, which is huge considering how incredibly crazy this world has become just over the past year. My heart palpitations have almost ceased, my digestion is much better, and my thinking is much more clear. Meditating has been a HUGE help (more on that soon), and making rest and sleep even more of a priority has helped, too. I'm still bald in that one spot on the back of my head, but I'm hopeful that it will grow back with time.

Thinking of food in a new way has obviously been the hardest part for me. There are so many foods that I loved that I will no longer be able to eat without the risk of feeling horrible or causing damage to my thyroid. I was so frustrated in the beginning that I hired a nutritionist to help me out. She also has an autoimmune disease, so she really understood my issues and was really helpful. I'm currently making all of my meals entirely from scratch while trying to learn new ways of cooking things, which is necessary, yet completely exhausting. I've been to Whole Foods more in the last few weeks than in my entire life. I've cooked more in the last few weeks than I have in my entire life. Lots of fresh organic vegetables, lots of fish, lots of grass fed meats, and lots of smoothies and juices have been happening in my kitchen. But things are getting easier by the week as I learn new and quicker ways of doing things. Over time I'll be able to add back in the Paleo items that I am personally sensitive to, which should make things even easier. However, gluten, wheat, soy, and eggs are pretty much out for life. Ugh... But I'm willing to do whatever it takes to feel better, so I have to do what I have to do...

So why have I told you all of this?? I felt these posts were necessary for a few reasons. Most importantly, I wanted to drive home the point of owning your health. If you aren't feeling well or have that slightest inkling that something isn't right, please get checked out! If your doctor isn't listening to you, moving you around from doctor to doctor to doctor, and/or you aren't getting the attention or answers that make you feel at peace with what is going on, then keep it moving until you find someone who will listen and provide answers- may it be a regular doctor or a naturopath. Never give up!!! Do your research before ALL of your appointments so that you go into them armed with questions and a heightened sense of awareness about what might be going on. Also, be sure to ask about how your current diet and lifestyle might be affecting how you feel and how changing them might make you feel better. Diet and lifestyle are two things alone that can heal so many things, so please ask! Doing so could save you time, money, and ultimately your health.

The other reason I'm telling you all this is because this whole process has made me question the direction of this blog and how often I'll blog. Obviously things like cakes and cookies will not be featured here very often anymore. Even though this is going to be a big part of my life, as of right now I'm not planning on turning this into a blog all about health, Paleo, and gluten-free foods. There are enough of them out there - as I have seen from my many hours of research. But maybe from time to time I will feature recipes that I think would be tasty to anyone irrespective of a certain diet. In terms of how often I'll blog - well that's still up in the air. Right now, my health and maintaining my energy levels are most important to me. My energy levels lately aren't very high after work most days, and much of my weekends are spent cooking, running errands, exercising, and resting. But I promise you I will do what I can when I can.

Lastly, thanks so much to all of you who have sent your thoughts and prayers my way! I'm so completely appreciative and grateful. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me via e-mail or via any of the social media pages. For more info on Hashimoto's, this infographic pretty much sums it up...

Disclaimer: This post is for informational purposes only and is not intended to diagnose any medical issues.

Image by Dana Eason