I started to feel off in the fall of 2022. I couldn’t sleep, was so tired during the day that I could barely finish my work, and felt hungover every morning even though I wasn’t drinking alcohol at the time. I was also experiencing strange heart flutters, anxiety, brain fog, difficulty concentrating, cold intolerance, headaches, joint pain, weight gain, and many other vague symptoms.
Over the last almost two years, I’ve visited a number of doctors, including a cardiologist, an endocrinologist, and my OBGYN. Every test came back “within” normal ranges. It was gently suggested that I was “getting older.” And that maybe it was just “stress.” And that maybe if I “ate less and worked out” more, I could lose the weight.
Several of the doctors were very dismissive and tried to tell me this was just a part of getting older. And frankly, I felt like I was going a little crazy. Was I over-reacting? Was I imagining it? I started to question myself.
I threw myself into my health. Red light, sauna, cold plunge, supplements, working out, IV therapy. Despite all of that, the intermittent symptoms persisted.
But I wasn’t over-reacting. I know my body better than anyone else. I’ve lived in it for 42 years. I know when something is wrong. I know how I was feeling and as a last ditch effort made an appointment at a hormone clinic.
And now, I finally have an answer.
I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disorder called Hashimoto’s Disease. It’s a disease that damages the thyroid, a gland that releases hormones that control metabolism, growth, and a number of other bodily functions.
Needless to say…..I’m glad that I never gave up advocating for myself. I’m glad that I didn’t take the first doctor’s response at face value. I’m glad that I continued to ask questions, get blood draws, and ask for clinic recommendations. I’ve glad that I have an answer, a path to take, and a treatment plan.
Here’s the immediate things I’m doing to manage my Hashimoto’s Disease:
Removed Gluten and Dairy
Yep. No more bread, pasta, cookies, muffins, cheese, raw milk, sour cream, or coffee creamer. Insert primal scream here. I live a life where food is already such a key player in my world. I overcame an eating disorder from my diabetes and literally every single day, I’m thinking about, accounting for, and calculating things related to food. I’m planning for my meals, my carb counts, and my exercise plan to match my insulin needs so the addition of MORE rules around food has been a bit disheartening to say the least.
Luckily, I already eat very healthy. I think honestly that’s what helped me from suffering even more than I already was–my diet, exercise plan, and overall wellness was able to stave off a lot of things. So now I’m in a search for gluten free replacements for the things that I do like to splurge on from time to time. Dairy will be a bit more of a challenge because your girl LOVES milk and cheese. I’m heartbroken I have to give up my raw milk and cream in my coffee but I just have to keep reminding myself of how much better I’m going to feel without those inflammatory things in my body. My diet will relatively stay the same–lots of protein, good fats, fresh fruits, and whole starches.
If you have favorite gluten free or dairy free products drop them for me in the comments section!
Added Selenium, Vitamin D, and a Different Probiotic
One of the first things we did was take an evaluation of my supplements to ensure I was taking what I needed and in the amount I needed. We promptly upped my Vitamin D, added Selenium, and swapped out my probiotic to a higher CFU. I need to take extra steps to protect my immune system and supplements are the first steps.
Changed my workouts
As I was dipping my toes into looking at my hormone health, I had already proactively changed some of my workouts and my specialist was in favor of continuing on the plan I was currently on. My new plan looks like weight lifting 3-5 days per week, 10k steps daily (preferably in the sun so I can get some Vit D), and some longer Zone 2 cardio sessions during the week. We are avoiding anything that puts an undue amount of stress on my body–so no more boot camp, kickboxing, or HIIT workouts. I am starting to add in some yoga sessions and will also incorporate some functional/stretching sessions 1-2 times a week.
Prioritize Sleep & Managing Stress
I am making sleep my #1 priority. I need to think about sleep as something I need to be “good” at rather than just something that I do. We have instituted black out times for our devices, a solid bedtime (not just during the week) and ordered red lights for our bedroom (look up the benefits for sleep!). Sleep is HUGE for recovery and making sure I can balance my cortisol levels out so I’m focused on making sure I get good quality sleep.
I’ve also made stress management a priority. When your own immune system is attacking itself, you have to do all you can to protect it. I mentioned adding yoga, but I’m also adding in infra-red sauna sessions as well as meditation daily. My life is very stressful. I have a daughter with a disability, I now have two auto immune diseases, and my husband’s in the most dangerous profession in America. Stress is my best friend but unfortunately, that’s a recipe for disaster with Hashimoto’s. I am watching You Tube videos on breathing exercises, journaling practices, supplements to take, all in efforts to lower my stress levels. We’re looking at things that we can outsource (car washes, house cleaning, grocery pickups) and asking for help more often with things. We (both) tend to just shoulder a lot of burdens and very rarely ask for help–which just adds to our stress levels–so prioritizing help is key for me moving forward.
Added a Thyroid Medication
I’m just a blonde chick on the internet so I’m not going to tell you what thyroid medication I’m taking nor the dosage. Let’s just say, if you think you have Hashimoto’s…..talk to your doctor and ask them to run lab work. What they prescribed for me is working well and it’s something that as I improve, hopefully, won’t have to remain on for the rest of my life.
I thought I would just share the above things in hopes that if anyone else is in this “messy middle” that I am, maybe you won’t feel so alone. I know that a lot of the times we share content, ideas, or practices after we’ve navigated through the hard thing. But I’m sharing here–in the early stages of this journey. I’m drinking from a fire hose–desperately trying to learn everything that I can about this disease.
Am I heartbroken? Yes.
On one hand, I want to ask the Universe why it continues to give these health challenges to me.
When is enough….enough?
Type One Diabetes, Cancer, AND now Hashimoto’s Disease? One to manage is hard enough and two feels insurmountable.
On the other hand, I know why.
It’s because I’m strong enough to handle them.
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