This blog will have nothing to do with cupcakes or sewing. I have had a lot on my mind and need to get it down. Most of you are aware that I have been struggling with thyroid problems for many many years. I have gotten quite sick of my doctor who rarely ever even knows why I'm there to see him. I have been taking medication for years and not felt any better. They have increased my dosage over and over to no avail.
With my thyroid problem, I am exhausted and my joints are very achy. I get irritable quite easily and it is very difficult for me to lose weight. I miss time with friends and family because I am just too tired or in too much pain. It affects my hobbies, some days my hands ache so bad I can't even think of picking up a needle and thread. Frosting cupcakes hurts my hand and shoulders. Enjoying the outdoors is basically miserable. I want to feel good, more than anything.
I recently decided to look into other ways to treat thyroid dysfunction, mainly, diet and lifestyle. I went to Redriver Health and Wellness a few weeks ago, they are endocrine specialists, and got some blood work done. They have started to pinpoint exact problems that I'm having and we have discussed treatment that is specific and made just for me.
This treatment is not cheap, it's not covered by insurance, and it will not be easy. I wouldn't be so sure about doing it but, I have a friend who has gone through their program for her health issues and she said it is the best thing she has ever done.
Tom and i have been weighing the pro's (feel better, be happier) and con's (mostly cost) and we have decided that this is the best option for me. I have to get a few more tests done but, I will soon start on an anti inflammatory diet. Most, if not all, of my aches and pains are caused by severe inflammation. The anti inflammatory diet basically cuts out everything that has been known to increase inflammation (gluten, dairy, sugar, alcohol, etc.) and after a while you slowly start adding these foods back in to see which ones affect you negatively.
I have some adrenal and liver issues as well but, need one more test to figure out exactly what the problem is there. The test mainly showed that I have a severely high amount of reverse T3. The medication I was on basically just turns into more reverse T3 so, for years I thought I was treating the problem and it was really just becoming worse. I won't get into the exact science but reverse T3 basically makes one of the hormones your thyroid releases completely useless.
As I said above, I was very leery about doing this because of the cost. My husband has been incredibly supportive (he also has to do the diet with me since, we'll have to eat at home). The thing that finally made me decide is when my mom said, "people spend that much on plastic surgery and this could make your whole life better." My family and the few friends I have been talking to about this have been very supportive and have out up with me talking about it, a lot!! I'm a very lucky lady!
So this is the next chapter in my life, I'm taking control and treating my illness the way I want to treat it. In a natural and healthy way! Bear with me while I'm on this journey, I could be cranky and I won't be able to go out to eat with my friends as often but, I'm doing what's best for me so hopefully you all support me!
Here goes nothing! One foot in front of the other! Just keep swimming and other random anecdotes!
