Whole 30 (Day 9 and 10)

The days are starting to get really crappy.  Day 9 sucked worse than day 8.  I kept spiking.  I woke up feeling great and then 2 hours later, I felt horrible.  I literally felt like a wall of fatigue just hit me.  I ate breakfast, which was 3 boiled eggs, avocado and tomato.  I eat that breakfast every morning and took my medication the way I normally do, but for some reason I was off for the remainder of the day.  I started playing with my children and the next thing I knew they were yelling, "wake up mommy".  I was really that tired.  I told them we needed to have a movie day because mommy just wasn't feeling well, so we sat down on the couch, snuggled up and 2 hours later I felt great again.  When the fatigue wore off, I picked myself up and went to the library, bookstore, and Trader Joes. By the time I got home, I felt like crap again.  I don't know what is going on, but I know I do not like it.  I suspect that I am having some adrenal issues, but I've got other things to deal with at the moment and that will have to wait.  Anyway, I picked up some ground beef from the store to make myself some tacos (with a cabbage shell of course) and just so happened to turn the package around and saw this:

I have been trying to figure out how ground beef is the product of three different countries and I was so alarmed by this label that I just didn't eat it.  It is still in my refrigerator.  I don't know how I feel about knowingly eating a cow with a passport. I typically go to the halal market/butcher for meat.  I prefer looking into the eyes of a butcher or a farmer, but I needed something quick and the picture above is what I got.  The rest of the day was uneventful.  My dinner was scrumptious. I had chard, curry chicken, broccoli and cauliflower.  

Day 10 was worse than day 9.  My energy has yet to pick up and I feel like I'm spiraling down.  I have moments when my energy picks up, but more than the fatigue, my attitude sucks. I'm just so short tempered.  I feel like I need some cookies in my life.  I know at this point that I really have a problem with sugar.  Oh, which brings me to some Whole 30 failures:

Contains sugar

Contains sugar

Not sure about this, contains defatted soy

I had to invest in another seasoning because all of the ones I usually use were not Whole 30 approved.  I ended up buying a new one from Trader Joes and I like it.

No sugar!

My meals were pretty much the same as on Day 8 for day 9 and 10. I am hoping that things start to turn around in how I am feeling.  I called the doctor today because I realize that I need to be seen.  I also have a hematology appointment next week that I will probably write about soon.  Until next time...

Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 8)

Today sucked!

I mean, it really sucked.  I want to eat my Paleoish cookies so bad.  I just want a spoonful of honey.  I really want to eat some rice.  I just felt hungry all day today and I ate more than I usually eat.  Check it out:

Breakfast:  3 boiled eggs, avocado and tomato

Snack:  Peach

Lunch:  Chicken Strips (homemade, Whole 30 approved), sweet potato and avocado

Dinner:  Lamb, sweet potato and avocado

Snack: Strawberries and a Watermelon and Kale Smoothie

I just felt out of it today.  I didn't feel like doing anything.  My energy kept spiking.  One moment I was full of energy and the next I was dozing off to sleep.  I know I need to see the endocrinologist because although my labs are in the normal range, I noticed that my numbers were increasing, which is odd.  I haven't picked an endocrinologist because I am very afraid a new one won't agree with me taking T4 and T3.  I refuse to go back to what I was doing before, so I am a bit apprehensive.

That's about it for day 8.  It sucked!  I felt so hypo that it wasn't even funny.  Hopefully, the hypo clouds aren't moving in and this was just a bad day.


Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 4 and 5)

Again, I have missed a day of blogging about this Whole 30, but I have a great reason.  My family and I spent the whole day out on the 4th of July and I was absolutely too exhausted to open my computer and write about food.  I haven't done the whole fireworks and barbecue thing in so long that I think I forgot how fun it could be.  On top of just enjoying the great outdoors, I had the pleasure to be in the company of friends who I deployed with while I was in the Army.  It was an awesome day.  My daughter got to go fishing; my son got to dance around in his diaper and I got to catch up with girlfriends.  The best part of the day was reminiscing over the good times in Iraq and Kuwait.  It truly was an awesome day.

So, about the Whole 30...it was not easy to maintain on the 4th of July.  The hot dogs, burgers, and ALCOHOL!  Truthfully, I don't drink alcohol because it makes my body feel horrible, but a real life burger would have been so nice.  I couldn't bring myself to break my diet and I am deathly afraid of gluten, so with the help of great friends, I ate some grilled chicken and burger with no bread or anything else.  There was also a ton of fruit to eat and considering that I thought we were only going to be there for 10 minutes and ended up staying for about 9 hours, I believe I maintained my Whole 30 in a pretty efficient manner.

Day 5 was much better.  I didn't eat breakfast, but that is because of my thyroid medication.  I started waiting a whole hour to eat after taking my medication because I found that it made me feel better.  Most doctors suggest you wait 30 minutes, but I have come to learn that my body does better with an hour between my morning medication and food.  I went to meet friends so early in the day that I didn't get the chance to eat. Surprisingly, I wasn't very hungry, but I absolutely needed to eat lunch.  My cousin and I knew we weren't going to cook when we got home, so we poked our heads into this really cool restaurant called Earth Bistro.  It is truly a fantastic place and you can totally make your food Whole 30 approved.  I ordered a burger on a bed of lettuce and my cousin ordered a philly cheesesteak without the bun, mayonnaise, or cheese.  The best part about the restaurant is that it is mostly organic, the meat is grass-fed, and all the items on their menu are locally grown.  Here are some of the pictures:

Stuffed Vegan Mushrooms (minus vegan cheese)

The Italian Mob (beef patty, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion, avocado, artichokes, and lettuce)

Philly Cheese Steak (minus the bun, mayo, and cheese)

The food was grrrrrrreat! I mean, I could have eaten more, but it was enough to satisfy my hunger and I think that is what this Whole 30 is all about.  I would go back even if I wasn't on the Whole 30, so mission accomplished.  The rest of the day was pretty uneventful with us ending the day eating chicken my husband grilled with chard and avocado.  Of course, I drank water, tea, and had the pleasure of sneaking some of my cousins Kombucha (I'll write about this drink later).  Day 5 was a pretty good Whole 30 day.

My cousin and I

Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 2 and 3)

Okay, so obviously I'm no good at blogging.  I missed a day of blogging already, but I plan to...try my best documenting this Whole 30 process.

Day 2 was awesome.  I have no idea what I ate.  I know I stuck to the plan, but I could not tell you exactly what I had for breakfast, lunch, or dinner.  Forgive me, but I have no thyroid.  I absolutely have no memory sometimes, but since I am writing this at 9 p.m. my brain is still working with today's activities so I will share what I ate today, which is Day 3.

Breakfast:  2 eggs, with tomato and avocado

Lunch:  Chicken Strips (Whole 30 approved), cucumbers and tomatoes

So, that is basically what I ate for the day and that is absolutely SAD.  My program kind of got messed because I didn't prepare anything for lunch.  I took my kids to a stay at-home mom's group bowling function where they made pizzas and simply didn't pack a lunch for myself.  The chicken strips were a late lunch and when I eat late, I typically don't eat dinner.  I failed for today, but I am also sticking with it more than I did last time...well, that's not true.  The only difference is that I am not craving juice and sweets this time, which is giving me a clue that I may actually do this for a whole 30 days (hence Whole 30).

I believe my saving grace this time is my cousin, who is here visiting.  Oh, by the way, did I tell you that I moved across the United States of America with my husband and three children by car? That, I will write about later.  Anywho, here are some pictures of my food for Day 3 and of course my cousins beautiful breakfast.  She always puts me to shame.  Hopefully, I'll blog tomorrow.  Happy 4th of July.

My cousin's breakfast (Chard, 2 eggs, Avocado)

My Breakfast (2 boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado)

My Lunch (Chicken Strips Whole 30 approved, cucumber, tomato, and avocado)

Breathe and Listen

Update (11 months post TT)

Please forgive me for my absence.  I truly appreciate all those that sent me messages inquiring about my health and well-being.  It is funny how the anonymity of online correspondence can be quite comforting when dealing with an illness.  It is as if the closest people to you can't grasp the full gravity of what is happening to you because he or she sees you everyday and either can't or refuses to acknowledge your reality.  But, in an online environment, my words are my truths and I am accepted and cared for. I am forever grateful for the thoughts that were sent my way.

Now, for the update:

I had a horrible time during the initial months after surgery.  There were a number of things that I didn't expect to happen.  First,  I didn't expect the anger I felt about having an unnecessary surgery.  I realize that the doctors were doing what they thought was best, but there must be another way.  Second, all of the issues that come along with being Hypo hit me like a dump truck.  I started to gain weight, the depression sat on me constantly, my ability to have conversations and concentrate disappeared.  I thought I would begin to take steps forwards after surgery, but instead I found myself taking steps backwards.  I was once again, ill. I had to take the semester off from school, which really put me down in the dumps.  That was one of the things that I held onto that made me feel as though I was beating this thing.  I had to acknowledge that I was different and though being humbled builds incredible character, I just didn't want to be humbled yet again with limitations.  Another thing came about, which made me stop blogging.  I had become the thyroid girl.  I would bring it up in all my conversations.  I carried it with me wherever I went.  I was consumed with all things thyroid.  I was becoming an extremist.  Disclaimer:  I think we all should be extremist when it comes to our health, but in all things, there must be a balance.  I needed to take a break and find me again, so I did and the journey has been painful and refreshing. 

Enough of that, here is how I got better (not quite back to me, but close).  

1.  I got off of the Levothyroxine and switched to Synthroid.  I also added Cytomel. (Synthroid 100MCG, Cytomel 50MCG) - I really feel like I need to try an Armour or Naturethroid.  I'll keep you posted.

2.  I revamped my diet again.  I do still eat a paleo diet the majority of the time and will be starting a Whole 30 at the beginning of July.  I plan to blog about it. 

3.  I got to sleep.  There is no need for an explanation.  It is a process and it doesn't always happen, but I consciously make an effort to sleep at least 6 hours.  

5.  I have just added yoga and learning to listen to my body.  For years, I thought it was a bunch of nonsense, but I can't do what I use to do.  I live off of manufactured energy provided by the 2 pills I take every day.  I need to aid my body with meditation and breathing.  I need to be mindful in all that I surround myself around - I'm about to go on a tangent, but I am learning to listen and breathe, which is awesome for someone like myself.

That's it!  

Someone sent me a message asking me if I felt that the TT (total thyroidectomy) was the right choice and I couldn't answer the question in a straight manner, but now that I think about it I would have to say that it isn't and wasn't the best choice for me.  You see, I NEVER had bad labs, except for the Hashimoto's antibodies of course.  Yes, I had a nodule that was suspicious and they couldn't get a definite answer, but now, especially with the way the world is going, I often think about what happens when I can't get my medication.  I think about all that my body is missing.  Every cell in your body uses the thyroid hormone and I depend on synthetic medication to do something that it really can never do fully.  Of course, if one has cancer the answer is quite simple and that is to remove the thyroid, but in the numerous cases of individuals like myself we are constantly told that medication will make us whole again and that is simply not true.  

Bye for now.  Below is a picture of how my neck looks now. You can barely see the scar.

How this all began...

I come from 4 generations of women on my maternal side that have had a thyroid disorder.  I don't know why I never thought to educate myself on thyroid disorders because my genes are a clear sign that a diagnosis of Hypo or Hyperthyroidism was highly likely.  I simply never thought it would happen to me.  I simply thought of their issues as being minor and a direct correlation to their poor diet or high stress, but that changed early last year.

At the beginning of 2011, my husband looked at me and asked if my throat was swollen.  I never noticed and dismissed it as nothing.  I went in to have my annual OB/GYN appointment and the doctor asked if I had my thyroid checked. I told her no, but I had this nagging feeling that something was about to change in my life. She ordered the blood work and everything came back normal. I felt awesome. I wasn't tired or jumping off the walls.  I couldn't possibly have a thyroid condition. I was working out 3 days out of the week and running over 4 miles a day three days out of the week, sometimes running twice a day. I had just started taking 4 online classes at the local community college. I was an active stay at-home mom.  I was competing in races.  I was super-mommy.  Hell, I even have a cape to prove it.  Are you noticing something?

Two months later, I go in to see my regular doctor because I felt really ill. Guess what she says to me, "Mrs. H., have you had your thyroid checked?". Instantly, I tell her that I had and everything came back normal.  She then tells me that she feels a lump on my thyroid and orders more blood work along with an ultrasound. That's when I started to worry.  The ultrasound showed I had a large nodule on my thyroid along with several small nodules. My doctor then ordered a biopsy because that would put her at ease that something strange wasn't going on. The biopsy came back indeterminate. What exactly does that mean?

Three months after the biopsy I go to see an endocrinologist and he tells me that my T3 and T4 are normal but another part of my blood work, thyroid antibodies are high.  The nodule, indeterminate biopsy results, and blood work give me the diagnosis of Hashimoto's thyroiditis. HUH!?! I couldn't believe it. How did I get an autoimmune disease within the span of such a short amount of time. He put me on 50 MCG of Levothyroxine to see if the nodule would shrink and I felt fine until about 3 months after seeing him. I was no longer running because of an injury, but I was always tired all of sudden. I also gained about 10 pounds in what seem like a night. I then broke out in hives. It seemed like my body was on a roller coaster and when I asked my regular doctor she said this is what happens when you have a thyroid condition, but we will work together to figure out how to get you back to you. On the other hand, my endocrinologist said my numbers were normal, so I obviously must have something else wrong and so the journey has begun to getting back to me.