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 6 and 7)

There really isn't anything all that exciting to write about day 6 or 7.  Day 6, was pretty busy.  My family and I went out to the Farmer's Market here in Temecula, CA and bought a few things.  I made breakfast ahead of time, which was two eggs and a nectarine...I think.  I always love going to this market on Saturdays because it is so beautiful and the prices are great.

After the market, we came home and got a quick snack before going on the lake.  I absolutely love California...sometimes.  We followed the lake up with going to the beach and by the time all of that was over, I was HUNGRY.  We stopped at the Halal market in Temecula and got a few Kabobs, which were spectacular.  That was it for day 6.

Day 7, my cousin left to go back to Los Angeles and as soon as I got back into the house from dropping her off, I began to crave bad food.  I learned from her being here with me that the key is to have healthy food near you when these cravings happen, so I ate some strawberries and busied myself with cleaning the house.  My husband must have sensed that I was about to loose it because he made me a delicious smoothie.  Only problem was that the smoothie was too sweet from the watermelon we got from the farmers market.  Foods or drinks that are too sweet are a gateway to me not completing this Whole 30.  My dinner was awesome and I took a picture before I scarfed it down.

I ate better today, but I did not drink enough water.  I'm going to get this thing together before the end, but I can honestly say that I feel better and lost 1 whole pound.  Yippie!


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

Riedel Thyroiditis

I just wanted to do a short post about a very important condition.  A friend of mine was recently diagnosed with Riedel Thyroiditis and it has been extremely difficult for her to find others.  Riedel Thyroiditis is very rare. The basic problem of this condition involves a mass (dense fibrosis) that I assume attaches itself to the thyroid, grows and then invades other structures of the neck.  It is a very serious condition because it has the ability to crush the trachea, which is deadly.  I just wanted to put this post out in the universe with the hope that if someone may happen to search one day for this condition and find my page that they will know that they are not alone.  There is a support group on Facebook (link provided) and even if you don't have the condition, it would be nice to show these guys some support.  Surgery is not an option for the people who have this condition and most of the time either steroids or medication that destroys the chance of having further children is given to control the growth of the mass.  There are also times that medication simply doesn't work and people have to learn to live with the difficulty of eating and the worry of dying.

The thyroid community has been so good to me.  This condition is so rare that my friend has only found one other person like herself.  I know there are others out there who think they are going through this alone.  I know that I felt alone with all my thyroid problems and one of my saving graces has been the online thyroid community, so please give them a shout out of support if you can.

Breathe and Listen

Whole 30 (Day 1)

I cannot believe I am typing right now!  My children have decided to sleep in, which means that they are asleep past 6 a.m.  I'm all types of excited right now.

Okay, so I've decided to begin a Whole 30.  I did one last year and failed horribly.  I am, like most people, somewhat addicted to sweets. I say somewhat because it isn't something I absolutely need all of the time, but I have found that I do turn to something sweet at least once a day for a pick me up.  I don't know if it is common with people with thyroid issues, but I imagine that it would be.  I don't drink coffee and I don't eat refined sugar, but I can fill up on honey with the best of them.  Although some would argue that that would be okay in moderation, I would like to curb that craving of mine for a little bit of time.

Oh, so I have not explained the Whole 30 (can you tell I'm excited to be typing?).  Forgive me, the Whole 30 is basically Paleo without trying to make the foods you use to eat more paleo like. You know, like Paleo cookies, cupcakes, and brownies.  The Whole 30 is really about eating more of a whole foods diet along with eliminating some common irritant foods, like soy.  I can't explain in its totality, but I will say that it is hard for me to follow correctly because I want to cheat and sneak in some soy and gluten free chocolate chips just to get me past 4 p.m.  I can't do that on a Whole 30 diet, so needless to say I find myself getting irritated and really tired at around 6 p.m. Who knows what that is all about, but I have sneaky suspicion that it may have to do with not having enough T3 or a touch of adrenal fatigue.  I need to get a clear idea of what is going on with my body without constantly adding a stimulant and that is what I plan to do for the next 30 days.

Day 1 was successful, but the first day always is.  It's day 7 that I have a problem with, so we shall see. I wish I had taken pics of all my meals, but here is the low down of what I ate:

Breakfast:  2 boiled eggs, sliced tomato, and 1/4 of a cucumber seasoned with salt and pepper

Snack:  Sliced strawberries with bananas

Lunch:  Modified Tacos (Ground beef, tomato, and avocado)  served over cabbage.

Snack:  Smoothie (Kale, strawberry, and peach) it was quite tart, so it may not work for everyone

Dinner:  Chicken with cabbage

Also, I only drink green tea (unsweetened), water, and my smoothies during the day.

That's it for Day #1.  I plan to actually take pictures of what I eat, hopefully.

Also, here is a link to what the Whole 30 is actually about.

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.