Finding out how great it feels to have your health concerns taken seriously.
Wow. You guys I have all kinds of joyous news to share! I am not even sure where to begin! Lets list them for starters!
1- Being an advocate for your own health really does pay off.
2- Finding the right doctor is like magic.
3- No matter what your health issues are, you can find all kinds of support.
4- Giving up things you love for the sake of your health isnt as bad as it seems.
5- Feeling better, and almost normal again is worth so much more than you can ever really imagine.
I guess I will start at the top! I have had concerns about having Hashimotos Thyroiditis for a while now, and when I brought it up to my old Dr. I was told that there was no difference in treating Hashi's than with regular hypothyroidism. At the time I figured "she's the doctor, she must know what she's talking about." But no matter what they told me about my "levels" being in normal range,(with no explanation of what those levels are or what they meant) I still felt so awful. My doctor would dismiss all of my concerns and tell me to lose weight, that would make me feel better. (If you follow the link above you will note that one of the symptoms is extreme fatigue, especially after exercise.)
I was being dismissed for my weight again, but she must know what she's talking about, right? Then after a pretty bleak facebook status my aunt turned me on to some support and informational groups there. And I found that there was a wealth of information about things I could do to feel better! All well above and beyond what my doctor was doing or even willing to consider. I started making changes to my diet, eliminating many things and even considering AIP. While I haven't gone fully AIP I am currently Gluten Free, Alcohol Free, Processed sugar free, Artificial Sweetener Free. I have eliminated "low fat" versions of items like milk, sour cream and pretty much everything else, as who know what is really in there if there is no fat content right? I have added several vitamins to my daily regimen, like B12, D3, Biotin, C as well as a probiotic, I have upped my greens intake via adding spinach to my daily smoothies (YUM SMOOTHIES) And let me tell you, I. Feel. AMAZING! Better than I have in years! I am eating delicious full fat foods, and, even more surprisingly, I don't miss the items I cant have like bread and pasta, which I do love, but the food I am eating is so satisfying that I don't feel deprived! I have added no exercise at all beyond what I was already doing, but I have lost a whopping 18 lbs. I am still totally fat positive, but it's clear that not all of my adipose tissue was here because I am lazy or eating a ton of food all the time. There was a legitimate medical issue that cause me to gain over 100 lbs. Remember I did all of this on my own, with zero help from my doctor. Then I decided it was time to make another change.
I looked through my insurance company to find a new doctor, someone who specialized in autoimmune disorders, and I found nothing. I figured I would go to a specialist, my grandparents have a great endocrinologist but she required me to go back to my primary care again before seeing me. That wasn't going to work, my primary care doctor was the problem!
My wonderful husband brought this up to his Doctor. He was appalled at the fact that my doctor simply wasn't listening and was not taking my concerns into consideration. Remember I was so tired I was sleeping almost all the time and my moods were unstable and I was just feeling like general garbage. The Doctor was so mad that he volunteered to take me on as a patient even though he was not accepting new patients at the time! I was beyond thrilled and set up an appointment for the following month when my husband would be there again. I will let you know what happened in another post!
1- Being an advocate for your own health really does pay off.
2- Finding the right doctor is like magic.
3- No matter what your health issues are, you can find all kinds of support.
4- Giving up things you love for the sake of your health isnt as bad as it seems.
5- Feeling better, and almost normal again is worth so much more than you can ever really imagine.
I guess I will start at the top! I have had concerns about having Hashimotos Thyroiditis for a while now, and when I brought it up to my old Dr. I was told that there was no difference in treating Hashi's than with regular hypothyroidism. At the time I figured "she's the doctor, she must know what she's talking about." But no matter what they told me about my "levels" being in normal range,(with no explanation of what those levels are or what they meant) I still felt so awful. My doctor would dismiss all of my concerns and tell me to lose weight, that would make me feel better. (If you follow the link above you will note that one of the symptoms is extreme fatigue, especially after exercise.)
I was being dismissed for my weight again, but she must know what she's talking about, right? Then after a pretty bleak facebook status my aunt turned me on to some support and informational groups there. And I found that there was a wealth of information about things I could do to feel better! All well above and beyond what my doctor was doing or even willing to consider. I started making changes to my diet, eliminating many things and even considering AIP. While I haven't gone fully AIP I am currently Gluten Free, Alcohol Free, Processed sugar free, Artificial Sweetener Free. I have eliminated "low fat" versions of items like milk, sour cream and pretty much everything else, as who know what is really in there if there is no fat content right? I have added several vitamins to my daily regimen, like B12, D3, Biotin, C as well as a probiotic, I have upped my greens intake via adding spinach to my daily smoothies (YUM SMOOTHIES) And let me tell you, I. Feel. AMAZING! Better than I have in years! I am eating delicious full fat foods, and, even more surprisingly, I don't miss the items I cant have like bread and pasta, which I do love, but the food I am eating is so satisfying that I don't feel deprived! I have added no exercise at all beyond what I was already doing, but I have lost a whopping 18 lbs. I am still totally fat positive, but it's clear that not all of my adipose tissue was here because I am lazy or eating a ton of food all the time. There was a legitimate medical issue that cause me to gain over 100 lbs. Remember I did all of this on my own, with zero help from my doctor. Then I decided it was time to make another change.
I looked through my insurance company to find a new doctor, someone who specialized in autoimmune disorders, and I found nothing. I figured I would go to a specialist, my grandparents have a great endocrinologist but she required me to go back to my primary care again before seeing me. That wasn't going to work, my primary care doctor was the problem!
My wonderful husband brought this up to his Doctor. He was appalled at the fact that my doctor simply wasn't listening and was not taking my concerns into consideration. Remember I was so tired I was sleeping almost all the time and my moods were unstable and I was just feeling like general garbage. The Doctor was so mad that he volunteered to take me on as a patient even though he was not accepting new patients at the time! I was beyond thrilled and set up an appointment for the following month when my husband would be there again. I will let you know what happened in another post!
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