Thanksgiving

Haven't blogged for a while. The last couple of weeks have been good. The doctor added rice, butter, potatoes, and cheese. I haven't had any side effects from them yet. There different cheese's that I might react different to, but I haven't tried all of them. During these weeks I had celery. I don't think I washed it off good enough because I started getting an allergic reaction. The next time I had it I soaked it in water to make sure all the pesticides and stuff were off of it. I was fine. So I guess I have to be careful with the pesticides that are on certain things.
I have been sick as well and that can make the Hashimoto flare up as well. I stopped losing weight for a week while I was sick. I wasn't able to weight myself this last visit though.
Thanksgiving was great! He gave us permission to cheat. He just didn't want me to eat gluten. I wanted and still want a roll so bad! I had some turkey, yams that had brown sugar, corn, carrots, and then for dessert I had pumpkin pie!! It was sooooo good! It was hard to go back to the diet...
I feel so good! I can't believe how much I have changed in the way I feel. I have forgotten how it feels not to be tired all day long. I think I have 1 more week of the supplements that I am on and then I will do another blood test to see how the last 3 months have been.

O Happy Day!

Today is the happiest day of my life! Ok, ok... maybe one of the happiest days of my life. Went to the doctor again today. I was on a mission to convince him to add more food! It didn't take much and I scored..big!! At first he was going to add rice and I was really happy about that because then I could have sushi! Then he said corn and I was like YES CORN!! So there it is, I can now have POPCORN!! We are not totally in the clear yet though. I have to see if the corn reacts to the disease and see if I get any side effects from eating it. Then I can try the butter on the popcorn! This totally makes my day.. actually month!


With the beef I had an idea to try it all natural where it is grass fed, hormone free, and antibiotic free. Kyle and I tried it, it was a little gamey at first, but I got use to it and I had no side effects from it! Anyone know why they even put all that stuff in the meat? I find it kind of crazy! Anyone watch Food Inc. or King Corn on Netflix? If you haven't you should! I know that they feed the cows other things like corn to fatten them up faster and cheaper. Not sure about the hormones and such.


Anywho! It is crazy how good I feel! Everyone comments on how different I am. A lot of them say that I have a sparkle in my eye.. haha! I am think I am just so ecstaticed about losing 12 1/2 pounds! I am definitely starting feel myself that way as well! I do hate that I can feel tired depending on what I eat. When I ate that beef that made me tired I was kind of wierded out about that something just like that can make me feel that different. Another thing that I noticed striggers something is how much sleep I get. It seems that when I stay up late and don't get enough sleep that in the next few days I will start to have a lot of anxiety. I woke up this morning with a clenched jaw and headache. Bleck!


I am still taking the same supplements for now. I think next week he will change it up. We will see.

Past 2 weeks

Met with the doctor again this today. Last week week when we met we went over my the tests results that we took when we first started. The tests mainly said that I am on my way to adrenal fatigue. I am in the 4th stage of 7 stages of adrenaline fatigue. There were other concerns, but this is the one that they will address for now. They gave me supplements to help with my brain fog, adrenaline fatigue, low blood sugar, stress, and to help my immune system.
Overall i am still doing really good. With the new foods, i tried them all at once and went to the dentist all in one day. The next couple of days I was feeling really tired and because i took everything at once I didn't know which food or drug (dentist) was making me feel tired. To make a long story short I tried beef again and when I eat a bigger amount of it it makes me quite tired the next day. So it sounds like there won't be very much beef for me in the future. Today I went back to the dentist to have them fix a tooth. They gave me the anesthesia, but not as much this time and all day I was feeling quite tired. So I guess it was the combination of the beef and drugs. I haven't really been the biggest fan of beef, but my body seems to crave it every once in a while so i don't think staying away for the most part will be that bad.
This past couple of weekends Kyle and I have been going hiking. My endurance compared to before has been really good. I completed a mile hike when before on the same hike I couldn't even get a quarter of the way through. I have lost altogether 9 pounds since I started this program. i have noticed though when I ate the beef or when I flared up the illness that I slowed down with losing the weight. The doctor said that sometimes i might even gain weight, that when the illness flares up that my body keep hold of the fat and then when the inflammation goes down that it is then able to release the fat. Pretty interesting.
Other than that I think I got a hold on the medication thing. I lowered my meds again thinking that it would help with my anxiety. It helped, but then I started getting really tired and emotional. I decided to higher it again because I would rather feel anxiety than tired and emotional. I think the supplements are helping with the anxiety now, but I think with the meds I have the right dosage, but I have just have to decide how long to wait to take the extra pill. If that makes sense.
Anyway, that is what has been going on. Cross you fingers that I get more food for Thanksgiving!

More Food!

I got more food added to the diet! Eggs, Tomatoes, and Beef! Hallelujah! We are having rib eye steaks for dinner! I am just happy to eat something other than turkey and fish.. bleck! I find myself being kind of afraid to eat anything other than what I have been eating. I don't want to get sick again.
This last week I have cut down on the supplements I am taking. I am feeling really good! My energy is coming back, but I find that when exercising I can't go as long. Although I am waking up at night a couple of time some nights, I am able to sleep a lot better. I wake up feeling a lot more refreshed. There is a big difference! I am not feeling sick at all anymore. I don't think I have felt this good since elementary/Junior high.. no joke! I think the only thing that is really bothersome is my anxiety. Some days I have a really good day and others my anxiety is awful. I get headaches from it as well.
This next week I will still be on the supplements to keep on detoxing. Next Wednesday he will discuss my tests further with me and make more changes to what I am doing.
Nakoa is doing really great as well. She is totally off her diabetes medication, which is amazing!
We both have lost some weight. During these last 3 weeks I have lost 5 lbs altogether. Before all of this at one time I was exercising 2 hours a day about 3-4 times a week during one semester. I was exhausted, but I really wanted to lose some weight. During that semester I only lost 5 lbs. I am so glad I found something that I am seeing results in! Until next week

Day 14

One more week! I sooo want a Reese's peanut butter cup! This past week has definitely been harder to stay with the diet. Although I have not cheated. This week food wise has been easier. I am not as hungry as I was the first week. It is getting kind of boring eating the same things over and over. I weighed in this past week and I have lost 1 pound! yay! I know that is not much, but it takes a lot to lose just that. The doctor said once we get working with the hormones I will start to lose a lot more.
I have felt a lot better this past week. I think I felt sick only once or twice this past week. Which is amazing! I have felt extremely tired this second week than the first. It made me realize that the first week I was feeling better than I realized... being sleepy. The doc said that this is normal because of the supplements I am taking. The supplements are just helping detox. This next week I will be slowly getting off of them. I have been really burpy. Burping almost constantly. I always refer them to like a hiccup burp. I think there is just a lot indigestion going on as well. They talk about this in the book they doctor gave me as well.
Two weeks ago I saw my other endocrinologist doctor. I was feeling really anxious again and thought it would be best if I lowered my meds. I am really sensitive to changes in the medication. I have been having headaches which is normal for me. I think I'll just have to deal with that until I find the right dosage for me.
I have been reading more of the book the doctor gave me. This disease involves a lot more than just my thyroid. It really effects everything! And I feel like my insides are 10x more messed up than I thought. If any of you know someone that has Hypothyroidism or Hashimotto they definitely need to read the book highlighted in my last post. In the book it sounds like I most likely will need to be on a gluten free diet. I seems that most people that go on this kind of a diet feels better and have less side effects. The book goes into more detail of why. But there are other things that I might have to take out instead like dairy. It all just depends on the person and how the tests that they do come out. I think the test that we are waiting for during this period should come back this week. I guess we will see how it goes.

Day 7

Today is day 7 of the diet. I forgot to mention in the last post that this diet will last 3 weeks and then the doctor will start adding foods once my tests come in. The first day of the diet was definitely harder than the following days. I was constantly hungry and I felt like I was snacking all day.
Almond milk has saved me this week. When I felt really hungry it helped me feel better for a longer period of time. The food hasn't been bad at all. I have been concentrating more on what meat I will have for the day since that is what fills me up for the most part. I thought the fish was what might kill me because I am not a big fish lover. I found some fish that hasn't been that fishy like tilapia, halibut, and tuna, and mahi mahi. I added garlic and onion powder which made it taste really good. I was surprised, but then when you are hungry anything tastes good. :) I have had to be really careful with certain things as well because tuna in the can has soy and there is a lot of stuff like turkey bacon or turkey burger that has sugar in it. I checked pretty much all of the cans on the store shelf to see if there was any cans of tuna w/o soy or something I can't have. Overall my I feel like my body is adjusting and doesn't need as much to eat.

I have still been sick here and there, but it does seem that I'm not sick as often as I use to be. The doctor said that my estrogen level is really high and suggested I stop taking my birth control. I think that was what was making me so severely sick more often. I know before I stopped taking it my body would have episodes where it just went crazy like it was trying to get rid of something. He also indicated that birth control pill is what can sometimes start or even cause the hashimoto. The heart palpitations returned for a couple of days at the start of the diet, but then disappeared later in the week. Even though I have drastically changed my diet I haven't lost one pound. So discouraging, but I hope this changes. I am a bit more tired, but I think I am only handling this because I can sleep in a little bit because of school. Thank goodness!

Surprisingly, cutting out the sugar hasn't been as hard as I thought it would. It is definitely easier cutting out the sugar completely rather than eating just a little bit here and there. I am definitely hoping I don't have to cut out the chocolate or popcorn.. some of my favorites!
I am hoping for more changes this next week. I know not all of them will go away for good, but I definitely hoping it improves.

The doctor gave me book and it already is really so interesting. It is called "Why Do I Still Have Thyroid Symptoms?" I know that seeing my other regular doctor he just gave medication to treat the loss of my thyroid or the symptoms of the loss of it. They weren't treating the autoimmune part of it or what my immune system was doing to my thyroid. In the book they talk about the program, what they do and why they do it. I haven't read it all, but it is very interesting. Sometimes I carry my recipe book around and some people have asked me about it. They themselves have the disease or someone they know has it. It is kind of crazy!

6 Month Treatment

As some of you may know I have been dealing with some health problems this past year. My mom saw a doctor on KSL and said that he specialized in Hashimoto, the disease that I have. When she told me my heart just jumped. Nobody has really been able to really help me other than give me medication and some supplements. She couldn't remember his name, but then got back to me and told me. I made an appointment right away. My mom and sister, Nakoa, went with me in hopes he could also help Nakoa. She has type 2 Diabetes and PCOS. Making a long story short we decided to do his program together! I want to be thorough for those that are curious about the program and the disease I have.

First off, Hashimoto is an autoimmune disease where my system is attaching my thyroid and slowly eating away at it. The side effects I have had are: severe anxiety, depression, headaches, soreness in my hands, sick to my stomach almost everyday, very tired most of the day, cramps, foggy brain (forgetting words), diarrhea, cold all the time, weight gain, muscle soreness, loss of hair, heart palipatations. These are just the ones I can think of. Some of these have gone away since I started medication, and some come and go. I haven't really had a good day where I haven't felt tired or sick for a while. With all of these side effects you can see why I am so excited to do this program.

The program is 6 months long. I started off with a blood test. When I went back they gave some other tests.. :) One of them was a saliva test and the other was a stool sample. LOL I know I know. This was not my favorite, but you gotta do what you gotta do. The next step starting today is an Anti-Inflammatory Diet. I think the doc said that I have inflammation around my heart and liver. This diet is to reduce the inflammation. There are foods that I could be eating that are inflamming the Hashimoto and making things worse. Here is what the diet consists of.

Things to Avoid:

*Any food that you are allergic to

*Dairy (milk, cheese, Yogurt, butter) eggs, margarine, & shortening
*Food prepared with gluten. Example: wheat, oats, rye, barley; those ingredients are normally found in breads, pasta, cereals, etc.
*Tomatoes and tomato sauces, corn, white potatoes, red potatoes, rice
*Alcohol, caffeine (coffee, black tea), sodas, Fruit juices
*Sugar and artifical sweeteners
*Soy or products made from soy, such as soy milk or tofu
*peanuts, peanut butter, peanut oil (anything with peanuts)
*Beef, pork, cold cuts, bacon, hot dogs, canned meat, sausage, shell fish
*Dehydrated fruit

Foods to eat:

*Drink plenty of fresh water (8-10 glasses), herbal teas, and decaffeinated green tea

*Quinoa and buckwheat (NOT with whole grains added)
*Fresh fruits and vegetables
*beans(navy, white, kidney, garbanzo, black, etc)
*peas (split, fresh, snap)
*mainly fish, except shellfish, and moderate amounts of chicken, turkey, and lamb (select fish which is less prone to heavy metal contimination)
*Use mainly olive oil, coconut oil, and flaxseed oil (in moderation)
*Unsweetened almond milk
*These nuts in raw form: cashews, almonds, macadamia nuts, sunflower seeds, pecans, walnuts.

In addition they gave us some anti-inflammatory supplements along with a drink supplement. They luckily gave us some recipes that help a lot as well. This is my first day and I feel like I am doing ok. I definitely need to bring more snacks to munch on during the day at work though. I get empty fast.