Hashimoto's

Recently, I have been wanting to write on my blog about what has been going on for a while now. Usually I don't like to write about things like this but I wanted to do it for myself and if anyone was wondering. Many of you probably think I am crazy. For the past three years and (probably before that) I have not been myself. When I was dating Matt and a month before we got engaged I felt SO tired all the time and I gained a lot of weight and it wasn't just a pound a week, try a pound or two a day. That was so weird to me especially I have been at the same weight for a long time and had not done anything different. The only thing I could think of is we went out to eat, but Matt LOST weight at the same time I gained and he lost a lot..... how in the world??? When I told people how I gained the weight I guessed it was because of that. I probably didnt feel well and ate to make myself feel better because I felt like crap BECAUSE my THYROID WAS SO off.    Right before all of this happened, my mom wanted me to get my thyroid checked because my sisters have had their thyroid go off and on. So I did and I found out I had Hypothyroidism and I was way off the normal scale. No biggie as the doctor told me so many women have it and sent me on my way with a pill I would have to take the rest of my life. I remember telling her I gained a lot of weight really fast and she didn't think it was anything. She just said watch what you eat and exercise. That made me feel ok, but sad that that is what she thought I was doing......not exercising and eating horribly. I felt awful, because that is not what I was doing.
 Well getting really worried because I knew I was getting engaged and I would have to figure out how to lose weight in a couple months not knowing how it came on. Matt and I had exercised while dating, and so after we got engaged I would go to the gym even more and I pretty much didn't eat anything. I remember I had a horrible cold at the time that would NOT go away, I was so tired. At this time I was also teaching full time in my first year of full time students and the wedding I was just so tired all the time.....yes still after I supposedly took the pills the doctor had just said I should take. Well a month before we were to get married I still was so sick. I remember my sister saying, "You are always tired and sick". Planning the wedding was whatever it could be.  My mom and sisters did a great job! Holy cow. How stressful.
I remember thinking the night before I got married how lucky I was that I was marrying someone who didn't care when I gained all that weight and that he was still going to marry me:). Sounds dumb but true. I also didn't want to be in any pictures because I knew I didn't look how I wanted. I was going to see everyone to. I just thought we should've done a small wedding! Ha Ha.
Well as we went on our honeymoon, I got sea sick and I was still so tired, the day we got off the ship.....My mom called and said my tests came back for strep. I HAD STREP THROAT during my wedding and like one or two months before. When you have Hashimoto's your immune system is down. It's working overtime. So here I had Hypothyroidism (later i found out Hashimoto's), gained weight I was supposed to lose in a short amount of time, had strep and didn't even know. That's great.
So, I don't think I really realized how much weight I had gained until it finally set in after all the stress and sickness. I remember the summer after we got married, we decided to count calories. So I tried that for some time. Well I think it's the worst way to lose weight because it's all about a balanced diet AND counting your calories. you could eat all your calories all in the morning and say you are done for the day. With Hashimoto's you HAVE to be eating through the day for your blood sugar. So that was a no go, I just couldn't balance it and it got old no weight lost.
So onto the next feat. I started to go to the gym more often. Ya that only went so far. No weight lost. we probably went for a good couple of months. Then came February. All I wanted was to exercise and LOVE it! So I pushed myself so far I think it wasn't good. I got some new running shoes for my Birthday. I started to run, I have always loved to run but this is when I was so done with wanting to lose weight. So for the next couple of months I ran for at least a couple days a week. I was absolutely exhausted I was running about 20 miles a week, not a pound lost and frustration. I could run about 10 miles. (i just found out I have adrenal fatigue....with Hashimoto's exercise can only make problems worse). So I stopped running I did LOVE it! and still do, but something was wrong and no weight lost. That Fall I thought about it more maybe I just can't give up?? So I went to the gym at least 3 days a week an hour or an hour and a half at least each time. Not that much well, I pushed pretty hard at the gym. Nothing. I did this for I think 4 months. I think I lost 5 pounds. I remember thinking I was so proud of myself (I was going out of town) that I worked so hard to enjoy it.
I kept working out after I got back from the trip still no huge results. That february I met with my OBGYN. I was starting to eat WHOLE food and organically, because I needed to try something new. I asked her why I had never lost the weight I put on after I found out I had hypothyroidism if the pills I was taking should've helped me lose the weight? She thought it was odd as well so we changed my thyroid to Armour (it's a natural thyroid). I was trying to be more natural. I didn't want to be independent on my synthetic medicine anymore. My sister was telling me to be careful of birth control it can screw you up. I had been on it for 9 years for my acne and it worked, but I felt like I needed to get off of it. So I asked my doctor if I should get off of it because I didn't want to be screwed up. I knew I would probably have acne but I knew I needed to get off of it. (I just also found out that this birth control has screwed up my hormones even more with my thyroid since I was on Birth control for so long). My OB was wonderful and supportive.
Oh and did I mention that I also found out I had vestibulitis? I had a lot of pain. It's not a big thing but weird. SO many weird things. Also, I have had yeast infections since I was married I don't know whats normal anymore. Someone asked if I knew if I had one or not. I couldn't answer I didn't know what it felt like not to have one. Sad. ( I just found out that Hashimoto's attacks your tissue in your body....anxiety, depression, etc.) Well they think that's why I was having so many yeast infections, my tissue was thin, that's also why I was in a lot of pain.
Anywho, so I got off Birth control and was on a natural Armour. I actually felt AMAZING!! Armour gives you a little T3 than T4. I was still exercising and eating whole foods. So I thought this is it, I found my balance, I am working so hard to cook everything fresh.....no frozen foods and all vegetables and wheat etc.
I lost 6 pounds. Hallelujah. But in that last sentence did I say wheat????
To my next point. I started to feel sick the end of May. I gained my weight so quick. I started to look kinda funny. My stomach right where my ribs are was blowing up like a balloon. What the heck?? I put it off thinkg it wasn't anything until I ran a 5k. I started to feel so sick and couldn't get my stomach to go down, it looked so weird. Everyone thought I was pregnant. I started to feel nausea, headaches, fatigue, my stomach hurt, constipation, diarreha, dizziness. I was awful. I went to instacare, they had no idea. I then went to another instacare it was so bad. They also had no idea. I tried to connect it to what I was eating. BUT I was eating healthier? What could it be? When I was exercising or running in the 5k it started up again.
So I thought I wonder if it's exercise or maybe....... gluten? So many people have had such trouble lately I wasn't sure if it was me or not. I called different specialists not know where to go. They told me to go to a gastronologist. They recommended someone.
When I went to a gastronologist, I felt like I needed to get help in a hurry, some days I wanted to go the emergency room because I wanted to know what was going on and they treat emergency's right at the emergency room? So I was in desperate need of help. Well the assistant was nice, the gatronologist was out of town. I brought in two pages of questions on all the weird stuff that has happened to me to see if she could answer. She could only answer things about my digestive area (Of course she is only a specialist) she kept saying it's either celiacs or ulcers. So I wait until my tests come back Still SO sick. tests came back negative, I stop eating wheat because I was going to try see if that helped, it actually did somewhat. I was still sick but my stomach wasn't blowing up as much. I went in again and they said they won't know unless I get an endoscopy. I didn't know what else to do who else to go to AND it was going to cost us major bucks to do it. I put it off knowing we couldn't afford it. But it just got worse. They kept saying I really needed it.
So I finally decided to do it. Well they found nothing. I was in total shock when I found out they didn't find anything. They were so sure they would find something???? I was furioius, mad, frustrated!! oh and the doctor a total jerk and could care less. I would never recommend the doctor to anyone. Plus I had to pay for that! In tears I didn't know what else to do, no one believed me, doctors didn't care or didn't know. I was so sick of going specialist to specialist. I was not okay. They actually told me I probably might still have celiacs and to not eat gluten. So for the rest of my life just not eat gluten?????? that's a pretty off the mark guess for my whole life. So thinking I probably had celiacs............
I finally thought about going back to an endocronologist or to my thyroid. But they have been through this with me the levels are fine! Am I crazy?? Do I stop? We have no money. I was talking to my sister about it, my family and sisters have had weird problems lately as well. She told me about a doctor that doesn't just treat the thyroid but other factors that were adding to it. So the appointment was free, and they just do a blood test of ALL the hormone levels and Thyroid levels. They tell you exactly how far you are off, if you have Hashimoto's and they want Exact numbers. I remember asking question after question to make sure they knew their stuff, I had researched and was NOT going to let another doctor tell me things that were off or didn't make sense. Every question I would ask it's like they knew exactly what I had. Their answers were short and knowledgable. AND IT ALL MADE SENSE. They would do a 6-month program to see what foods trigger reacts and to get me levels where they need to be at. This would cost a lot of money for their time to do a personal program for me, pills (which I love are all natural), time and appoint. They said if I wasn't  satisfied in the first 30 days I would get my money back.
I decided what do I have to lose? Did the last gastronologist set me off? yes I was furious. But that's why I was being careful as well. I started the week of Thanksgiving. I was interested to see what they had to offer, because I felt like I had done it all. I was on the anti-immflamatory diet. NO gluten, soy, diary, rice.Pretty much certain meats, vegtables, some fruits. It was hard starting but I wanted it to be fixed so bad. I have gone without any gluten for about 6 months, no sugar since November (no sugar or snacks for Thanksgiving, Christmas, New years, My Birthday, Valentines, and probably our anniversary). I am half way through the program and have lost about 20 pounds. Now you are probably curious on how they helped me.....
They give supplements that are for your adrenal glands, thyroid, progesterone, estrogen, testoterone. EVERYTHING becomes balanced. I think they have to look at your blood to see if you qualify, I don't think just anyone can do it fyi. I have tested foods that trigger Hashimoto's, we are going to try these foods again just to make sure this is for the rest of my life so I hope.......drum roll please.....these are the foods that have been making everything worse.........RICE, GLUTEN, CORN, Dried fruit even homemade no additives, Nori, not too many potatoes, and I just have to be careful about soy, sugar I haven't tried them yet. So when people thought I was just eating twinkies all day was so wrong, yes fatty salty foods, sugar are bad foods. But the ones that shocked me was rice....especially brown rice that is so good for you, homemade dried fruit, and whole wheat that is so good for you?? Healthy foods made me sick....wow that makes me kind of upset. I was trying so hard but was making it worse. How about exercising so hard??? Well I had Adrenal Fatigue and was making it worse.
O course they want me to exercise these people are realistic! they just don't want me to over do it or do it until my levels are about normal, I don't want to overwork my glands, when we are trying to get them back going again.
So the results are I have Hashimoto's, Adrenal fatigue, Autoimmune Gastirits (My thyroid gland was attacking my tissue in my stomach). Tests came back that I probably don't have Celiacs but a lot of wheat can be harmful. We will see they say I could maybe try a little and see.


Things that have improved: my knees don't hurt, my acne has gone down a lot, my hair is not falling out, I feel like I have more color in my face, I don't have yeast infections anymore, the pain has gone down, I don't get bloated unless I have a food that triggers it....Brown rice was the worst, I am happier, I don't take as many naps.....actually I don't take naps really anymore, I lost weight, the edges of my eyebrows are growing in (weird one I know but that's a symptom as well), No more headaches, no more dizziness.

 They care about me and my success. I want to end saying how much my husband has helped. He tells me I am beautiful and has always said that. Even when I don't look how or feel the way I want to, he is always there. Looking through pictures I look so sick, I am still not 100% so please bare with me. I don't think people know how hard this has been or know that I am still not there, but have come a long way. I wrote this so I could remember all the good things that have happened and to be grateful for what I have.             
 

My Birthday Ogden Union Station

For My Birthday this year I wanted to do something really fun!! I have always wanted to go to the Union Station in Ogden. They have three museums there. So I met Matt in Ogden and took the Frontrunner.  I think the frontrunner is fun:). Call me weird. We had no idea how big the station was it took it all day to see everything AND it was way cheap!! The first Museum was the Auto Museum cars owned by the Browning owner of Guns who lived in Ogden. These were so cool. Nobody was there that day so we got a private tour by tour guides.

 They actually put trunks in the back that's why its called a "trunk"

 Hood ornaments so cool!

 Windsheilds weird

 Another cool Hood Ornament

 Gas Station pump

  Matt and I took a creepy elevator that smelled and creaked all the way up so old!

 This is where the Conductor would hang out

 We then headed to the Browning gun museum, where Matt was in Heaven. He sells guns to people at the pawn shop and it was so fun to see his face while looking at the guns:).

 This was the so called Train of the Future. 

 Old Drinking Fountain now pot for a plant:).

When we went into the train exhibit, I turned around and thought this guys was Matt ya I talked to him for a couple seconds:).

 We got to sit in a caboose:). Jealous?

 Where people would come in and out.

 We then went outside to look at the huge trains.

 The wheels are gnormous!!

 

There was this old cafe when you got frontrunner you can see the sign in the background.
More of the Auto museum...

We went to Moore's up in Ogden and had a late lunch. They have steak there that is so good.
Dinner at My parents, thanks Mom and Dad!

Josh blowing out the candles, that grin is the biggest I have seen ever!!

My Dad wrapped the present:). Way to go DAD!

 I found the cutest surprise. Someone I know in the ward put a present by my door. This cute apron, a birthday cake plate, basket and candles!
  
Flowers from Matt

Matt got me a mirror and table tennis set. I also got lots and lots of 
clothes. Love after christmas sales!!
 
 
 
  
Matt caught me looking at myself when he gave me the mirror:).
 

We then ended the night by watching Pitch Perfect that is a funny movie. What a great day! We then celebrated with our families and I got the sweetest message from friends and family thanks guys!