Finally, a diagnosis

I have been self diagnosing for months. And i have been wrong every time.

The last  one was hypothyroid. Everyone kept telling me it was likely my thyroid. I looked it up and all the symptoms seemed to match.

I finally got bloodwork and went back for a follow up. Doc shows me bloodwork results and says your thyroid is working perfectly fine. Total shocker to me because I really thought this was it. and if it wasn't it, then what the hell WAS causing my symptoms. doc didn't know. we started to discuss it. i told her it seemed hormonal. that many of the symptoms mimicked pregnancy symptoms and i had checked myself so many times thinking i was pregnant. let's break it down.

1. Fatigue (almost always low energy and some days NEEDED to sleep)
2. Occasional nausea, sensitivity to light and sound (got those when pregnant)
3. Moodswings (depression, anxiety, for no reason)
4. Weight gain or no weight loss despite working out vigorously
5. Acne
6. Body aches, joint pain/tendinitis (big time during and after pregnancy)
7. Cravings for certain foods
8. Irregular periods

you get the idea.

The doc said...hmm....and you have already been diagnosed with PCOS? yes. Well the bloodwork showed thyroid was fine but i'm now once again pre-diabetic. shit. must have been the fucking carbs i added doing this macros thing. she says it made the PCOC re-activate. which makes so much sense now. i was slowly getting worse. my body was trying to tell me something. i didn't even remember to tell the doc this but i've been having sweet smelling urine for a while (a sign of diabetes). and now that makes sense too. the timeline makes perfect sense.

i was so relieved A. to have an answer but B. that it wasn't thyroid disease bc that is so serious. luckily i already went back to low carb. doc says that should be my norm. thats good to know for the future. always keep it low carb. gotcha. she put me on a low dose metformin. i've been taking it for a couple days and already noticing a difference. the fog is starting to clear. i'm hoping that once my levels even out i will be back to my old self! yay!!!

oh and before i even saw my doc and found this stuff out i had already lost 1lb and 1 inch off my waist after 3 weeks of low carb. which is huge for me because from may-aug i only lost 2lbs. and thats with working out hard 5-6 days a week!!

so there you have it. i woke up my PCOS. so glad i caught it before it got serious. doc says it will settle down/go away when i lose some weight. which i plan to do anyway. she was really impressed with my attitude. she said i'm doing all the right things and my head is in the right place.

the best part is i'm taking the right actions and i will soon be able to put all this behind me! i can get back to working out and LOSING WEIGHT!! i'm so happy!

breathe.

i decided all that anxiety and stress was NOT worth it. i listened to my body and decided super low carb/ketosis was not for me.

now that i'm  not working out i don't NEED all the carbs and calories i was eating before. so i made an executive decision to do what works for me. i decided to cut my calories, not drastically, just 200. and to cut my carbs in half. my macros used to be 40% carb, 30% protein, 30% fat. they are now 20%carb, 30% protein, 50% fat. upped my fats, kept my protein adequate and cut my carbs in half. totally doable for me. this is very comforting to me as i did low carb for so long. here's the difference though. this time around i'm actually tracking my intake so i make sure to eat ENOUGH, eat often, and get adequate protein. all things i wasn't doing last time i did low carb. i would go loooong stretches without eating. bad. i ate mostly snack stuff instead of real meals. bad. i was eating mostly fat and very little protein. bad. i think this time it will be alot more balanced. been doing it for 2 days (today is day 3) and i've noticed my sugar is below my daily allowance and thats wonderful. i mean, that alone will make a big difference.

changes? well so far yesterday was a rare good day.  i woke up feeling good and even had energy. even before my coffee or any food i went to my workout room and walked on the treadmill for 10 min. that was about all i could do. then i lifted some weights. i still don't have the energy to do a strenuous workout but the fact that i was able to do anything was wonderful. moodwise i did well yesterday. especially considering the bomb my mom dropped on me and basically hijacked my entire day. yeah i was annoyed/upset/stressed but i actually handled it pretty well. i didn't dwell on it. so i'm proud of myself. today i woke up feeling ok. sore from yesterday so i'm letting my body rest. muscle aches and recovery are alot longer with thyroid disease. but my head is clear. no fog. i'm not ra ra sisboomba. but shit, i'll take it! :)

i am at peace and not stressing anymore. i don't feel like this disease has taken over anymore. i dunno but just being able to change my diet and still feel like this is something i can continue and i'm not out of the game yet, it gave me back control. and with that, piece of mind. or...peace of mind actually.

tomorrow is my doc appt finally. i'll keep you posted.

having a bad day.

tired. of course. but stressing about this food thing is making me so miserable. i hate extremes! i can't....sigh.....they backfire. i'm making myself miserable.

i really am.

stressing myself out

so many things running through my head...

thyroid treatments, fighting with doctors to get the right medication, finding the right dose could take months....

every day i don't work out i'm a failure and getting fat

every day i don't log my food i'm a failure and getting fat

i'm tired. i'm just weak and tired.

people think i'm lazy, making excuses.

i just wanna get back to how i was before. happy, with energy, working out, eating right, motivated.

i don't wanna lose this motivation but the more time passes, the weaker i get

now i'm told to try a keto diet, getting anxiety about that. seems like an extreme. i don't believe in deprivation. it will backfire. stressing about what i can and can't eat. i hate strict rules. i need general guidelines and flexibility.

i'm doing ALL THIS to myself!!! i need to shut the fuck up. shut my brain up. give myself a break. relax. find peace. find happiness. don't focus so much on these things. live my life. i don't wanna give up on everything i worked so hard for. but i need to loosen the reigns a bit. right now. i need a break. mental and physical. i need to rethink some things. not be so strict.

i have made a decision though.

my plan initially was take this year to lose the weight, get to goal next spring, get the panni removed, continue to get in shape, enjoy my life and my body and then end of next year get pregnant. i'm in my mid 30s and i don't wanna wait too long or it will be too late.

the problem is this fucking thyroid business has thrown a wrench in my plans and my weight loss. what does that mean? its gonna take me ALOT longer just to get to pre pregnancy weight. at first that meant pushing EVERYTHING back. because everything has to be perfect. but fuck that. who says? i WILL be getting my panni removed next year. i want to live my life and enjoy my body. regardless of my weight. i've seen girls bigger than me get theirs removed. and i will continue on my fitness journey, but i will still get pregnant when i want to. even if i'm not at goal weight. my life won't be put on hold because of my weight. thats just another form of  being held hostage. no way. i'm gonna live my life and do the best i can. and not wait for this or wait for that. i've spent my whole life waiting.

knowing this brings me so much peace.

no one puts any pressure on me but ME. and it needs to stop.

my new fitness blog

Ok so this is still my main blog. my dear diary if you will. i will write down all my demons and things i just need to get off my chest.

but i started a blog dedicated to my fitness journey. it will include protein reviews, exercise ideas, motivation, and my struggles with hypothyroidism.

if y'all are interested you can find it here.

in good spirits

first of all i want to say, i'm having a good day. i'm grateful for those. :)

secondly, the more i find out about hypothyroidism the more things start to make sense. i don't feel helpless anymore. though i still have many questions and have yet to see a doctor and be diagnosed all signs seem to point to some kind of thyroid disorder or something with very similar symptoms.

i don't feel helpless because i see there's things that can help. i see women on instagram who battle with hypothyroidism and still manage to meet their goals.

one thing that has helped me tremendously is the herb Rhodiola Rosea. not just physically helped me but gave me piece of mind that for right now i have a tool to battle my symptoms on my worst days. it does work. it takes hours, but it does work. one rhodiola product (Energy Kare) gives me energy. On days when i feel like i'm in a walking coma, i take 2 of those and eat something and after a while i'm a normal functioning person again. with the other product (Rhodiola Root Extract) i get a sedative feeling. it calms me down when i'm too frazzled/stress/anxiety ridden and cannot calm down. both products clear my head and level out my mood and i feel ok. just fine. completely capable of facing my day and anything that is thrown at me. it also helps me get amazing sleep. what an amazing herb this is. i am so grateful for this. it is not however helping with the weight gain/trouble losing weight. it sucks when you workout every day and eat right and in 4 months others can lose 50lbs and you have only lost 12. that is definitely something that needs to be helped with hormone replacement or something.

i have to say my entire way of thinking has completely changed with this disorder or whatever you wanna call it. its actually, surprisingly, made me stronger and more determined. yes i have my bad days. don't get me wrong and on those days its just about getting by. but it has made me so grateful for my good days. like today. i didn't need to take any herbs or anything. i woke up feeling like my old self. had enough energy. in good spirits, etc. since those days are no  longer guaranteed, i cherish them.

i also had to completely change the way i think about exercise and eating. i'm not like everyone else. i have spent the last 7 months trying to find someone who was having success and copying everything they did. and it changed periodically, especially with exercise. thinking that eventually i would get it right. if i just follow these easy steps i'm bound to have the same results? right? thats all i wanted. a guarantee. but i know now that there are no guarantees. i can't follow any program. at least not like this. there's no normalcy in my life right now. i don't wanna feel like i cheated one day or skipped a day because then that starts a slippery slope into "oh well i messed it up, no point in going on" and then completely fall off. how many times has that happened to all of us?

i've learned that i had to look at things differently. i told myself that from now on i will do something every day. my body doesn't have weekends. i have good days and bad days. there will be times i won't be able to do anything. but even on those days i will try. example 2 days this week i did walking/sprints and a little bit of weights. then i had a really bad day. i felt like i was in a walking coma. i walked very slowly for 20 min but it wasn't doing ANYTHING for me. so i stopped. but guess what? mentally i knew that i had at least done SOMETHING that day. so i still felt good about myself. today i had energy but i ran out of time in the morning so i just danced around and huffed and puffed for 15 min. and  i can feel good about myself knowing i did something. because now its not just to lose weight. i won't obsess over it because i know something is working against me. instead i'm working out for the mental/emotional benefits. because when i'm depressed, it clears my head. because knowing i did something makes me feel good about myself. proud of myself.  the rest will come in time. i know that every little bit benefits me both mentally and physically. so i just see it as a positive thing i can do every day to make myself feel better.

no. i will not do it because you have to force yourself even if you don't wanna do it because "no excuses" and "beast mode" and sweat is your fat crying. i don't think those are necessarily positive things. personally i see them as a bit combative. you always have to be pushing yourself. but thats not how i see it. i see it as me loving myself. not putting any judgments or expectations on myself. its also forced me to be creative. i have many many ways of working out at my disposal. weights, dvds, pull up bar, treadmill, bike, resistance bands, exercise balls, etc etc etc. any of those things, or any combination of things is great. my motto is "as long as it makes you sweat and gets you huffing and puffing, its good" no matter how long. but even if its just a short, slow walk. and i have zero energy. thats fine to. i tried. what more could i do?


and on days when i feel good, i feel like i'm ready to take on the world. i feel strong. like a warrior. this thing i have (whatever it is), it might knock me down, make me weak, tired, depressed, but its not gonna beat me. i will always come back. i'm too strong. its made me a stronger person.

and as far as dieting. i'm giving myself a break. i've been counting my calories for 4 months now. i know pretty much what i can and can't eat. i have been craving fats (like avocado and peanut butter) and sometimes sweets. i will allow myself these in moderation. on my bad days i definitely am more slack about it, but on my ok/good days i'm back to normal. i'm going to concentrate more on staying within my calorie goal and sticking to whole foods. and not worry so much about whether i'm having more fats than i should, etc etc. i'm just not gonna obsess over it like i have been. i mean honestly its not gonna get me anywhere right now. so i will just make sensible choices.

if anything this shit has taught me that life is gonna throw you curveballs. you can't schedule it. sometimes you just have to take it one day at a time. and do the best you can.


i am more determined than ever to have this panni removed though. its happening. come hell or high water. i wanted to be down to 140lbs but at this point i'm just hoping i can get to my pre pregnancy weight (170lbs) before next spring. right now i've been teetering back and forth around 186 give or take 3lbs for weeks. this is gonna be a long journey. there's no guarantees anymore. so if i have to have it removed at 170lbs, i will. i want to live a better life. i want to move more freely. this thing is really getting in the way of my range of motion and my workouts. there's so much freedom that will come with it. it will allow me to soar to my potential. i'm done waiting. i'm done living life halfway.

long talks, short runs, and magic herbs?

our last night without the baby ended in a LONG talk in bed. of course i waited till 4am to start having this conversation thats been needing to happen for a month. finally at 6am we just gave up and went to bed. but it didn't go well. i was essentially blaming him for everything. and he was trying to appease me and offer solutions but they weren't enough. he made me lots of promises and asked nothing of me, just that i take care of myself physically and mentally. it wasn't everything i wanted to hear. i'm missing intimacy. he just can't seem to open up. and it seems the more years go by the more closed up he is. the only emotion i get from him is in valentines/anniversary cards. and i didn't get an anniversary card this year. we can't have intimate conversations. i want to hear things like "you look beautiful" "i want you" "i need you" "i miss you" "i'm thinking about you" but he doesn't get it. sigh.....its not like i haven't told him this over and over.  he knows my love language is words of affirmation. i just feel like he does the bare minimum.

anyway the next day i felt depressed in the morning. i tried walking on my treadmill bc i hear exercise can help with depression. i had very low energy and walking like a zombie...it wasn't working. so instead of giving up i decided i would make myself run to release endorphins. it worked. i was numb on the run. numb. but it cleared my head of the bad thoughts. still had low energy but a clear mind. i was able to do 30 min of sprinting/walking. i felt good. afterwards i sat ed down and apologized for blaming it all on him. that it was me and i had to work on myself. his job is not the problem. its making things harder. certainly its a scapegoat but not the problem.

in the car he was telling me about his schedule going fwd. the usual. sunday is orientation, school starts monday. fine. but then he said "i may have an even monday night" and thats when i got that feeling in the pit of my stomach. that enrages me because it means i'm on my own till 10pm and he comes waltzing in and goes to sleep shortly thereafter. and when do i make dinner???? also wtf when do I  get to go out to some event of my own? fuck?! i'm suck here all the fucking time!!!!

thats when i said, you can go to your event but for every event you go to, i get to have my OWN event that same week. which means you get home, i take the car and do whatever i want. he agreed and said, you can take more than one day if you want, and regardless of whether i have an event or not i think its something you should do. and i'll feed benji and do the night time stuff.  (side bar: my husband is really patient, understanding and supportive)

so now i'm excited and happy that i have something to look fwd to on a regular basis. every week i get one night to do what i want. and it can be anything from taking a fitness to seeing a movie alone or having a lady date with drinks and dinner. he even suggested some adult ed classes which i like the sound of that. learning something new.

and bonus, i have decided we will do a date night once a month. mandatory. so i'm excited about that as well :)

and lastly, a friend posted this on fb yesterday...http://preventdisease.com/news/14/071614_15-Herbs-Plants-Stabilize-Thyroid-Function.shtml

i stopped when i got to the Rhodiola because the description sounded like what i needed. i went online and looked at products and reviews. it seems like its a good energy boost in low doses and in high doses acts like a sedative to calm the mind of anxiety. well i bought both yesterday. took the sedative one yesterday after getting home and my son was giving me a headache with his crying and screaming and tantrums and i was tired and hungry with a major major headache. i took it and made some food, ate and took a nap. i will say that the nap was amazing. it felt like i had taken a sleep aid. and i woke up refreshed. so much so that instead of my regular coffee i drank a decaf last night. then last night i slept great as well. all from 1 dose. so i'm hoping that this herb can help me. we'll see. i've jumped to conclusions before.

i just took the energy one and don't feel anything yet. so we'll see....