Traveling Thyroid

Started this blog…  Fell off the AIP and health bandwagon.  2016 was an absolute personal and professional rollercoaster.  Had plans of starting AIP… never materialized.  2017 rolled around.  New Year’s Resolution: start AIP.  Didn’t start until February 2nd.  Life happens.

At this point, it had been 3+ years since I had been diagnosed with Hypothyroidism, was diagnosed with Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome in July 2016, and we’d been trying to start a family for a few years.  I had some professional failures and setbacks in 2016 that were frustrating, to say the least, and I’d lost then gained back over 20 lbs from the stress of my professional struggles.  After being diagnosed with PCOS in July, I had gone on birth control for a few months, before I had a seven week menstral cycle.  That was beyond exhausting and coincided with my very stressful work schedule.  I stopped birth control ~Oct and figured I’d have to work on my PCOS and health before starting a family.  My husband moved cross country and I moved in with friends during the job opportunity, and then five months later (week of Christmas 2016), I finally moved cross country as well to be with the hubby.

Ok, up to starting AIP round #5 (Feb 2017).  I hit the ground running.  Bought new AIP recipe books. Started getting my mind in the right place (did the 5 Minute Journal for a few months and man, that made my life so much happier.  Try it.  I promise you’ll love it).  I had finally, after years, requested a fertility doctor consult to start fertility treatment.  Late January we saw the reproductive endocrinologist to manage my Hypothyroidism and PCOS, as well as start fertility treatments.  Hubby was open to adoption instead of fertility treatments.  I wasn’t.  I freaked out.  I support adoption.  That is not my message. I just wanted to try any way to carry our own child.  (Fast forward: we now have a young baby.  God is good.)

Long story short: I was doing AIP for almost a month when we naturally conceived our child.  We had previously been told we would never naturally conceive without medical intervention/assistance (thanks to PCOS).  I was prescribed Clomid and Provera, and the day I was to pick up my prescription, we got our first and only ever positive pregnancy test.  Needless to say, we were floored.  Literally floored, as I fell to ground sobbing in surprise, fear, happiness, gratefulness, overwhelmed, and hope.

I continued AIP for approximate 2-3 weeks after our positive pregnancy test, but then the morning sickness and neasau and vomiting set in.  I stopped AIP at that time as saltines and sprite were the only things I could keep down.  Fine.  I took that as my body need other nutrients and I’d get back on AIP when the time was right.

Pregnancy went fine.  Healthy baby boy delivered two weeks early due to preeclampsia.  Mommy healthy.  Baby healthy.  All is good.  We are grateful and blessed.  I didn’t pick back up AIP postpartum as first, and it has been a goal for awhile.  Soon…

xoxo,

-V

 

 

 

So, I began the Autoimmune Paleo journey in November 2015.  I did great for 2.5 weeks, then we lost power for a week (thank you, windstorm of the century), and all of my refrigerated and frozen food was ruined.  Somehow, I allowed my husband and myself to purchase a new house in Washington WITHOUT a generator!  The country-mountain-backwoods-girl in me went bonkers at this oversight.  This ushered in fast food, pre-packaged meals, and anything to prevent us from starving (yes, this is me being facetious, as we live in America and food is readily available).  The next week was Thanksgiving, and I just decided to wait until after the holidays to “start again”.  Come on, please don’t judge me, those King’s Hawaiian butter rolls are delicious and you know it.

Christmas came and went, and I continued to eat the Standard American Diet (SAD).  I decided New Years was as good as time as any to start my AIP journey… again.  I delayed until 7 Jan… but I did quite well after that!  I primarily utilized Christina Feindel’s 28 Days of One-Pot AIP meal plan.  I actually did pretty well, however I couldn’t for the life of me follow the recipes in the order she listed them.  My absolute favorite dish was the chicken pot pie soup.  I even made another batch a few weeks in and froze them for take-to-work lunches.  A few of the meals were amazing, and a few I totally flopped.  My husband was gone for the first two weeks, so the only test subject was my father-in-law, who resides wit us full-time.  As the man doesn’t cook, he doesn’t get to be picky.

I did great for about 3 weeks and really saw improvements in my health: I was sleeping well, I pooped almost every day (victory!), my headaches were no more, my skin was clearer (specifically my upper arms, the chicken skin), and I wasn’t having bouts of hunger or cravings.  This isn’t to say detox was easy.  Days 1-3 I waffled, but remained committed.  Day 4 was absolutely wretched, nausea, headache, soreness, severe fatigue, aches, it was a bad bad day.  That lifted towards the end of Day 5 and then it was uphill from there.  Oh, my bitchiness!  I wasn’t as aggressive, or reactive, should I say.  I felt more even-keeled.  This is probably what my husband noticed the most.

The downfall of round #2 of AIP for me was: an overnight work trip.  I even packed enough foods and snacks, all I needed was protein at each location.  Our itinerary was to fly to one city, get a rental, relocate to a city 2 hours away, and then fly home the next day.  Not bad, right?  (Un)fortunately, the itinerary took us first to the town we used to live in for 5 years. My coworkers wanted an authentic Mexican restaurant, and I knew just the place!  My previous neighbor’s family restaurant!  There: I blew it.  I completely went off the AIP rails.  Burrito with a flour tortilla.  Corn salsa.  Pinto beans.  Grilled veggies (peppers, what?!).  Shredded cheese.  Sour cream.  And chips and guac.  Pretty sure there was wheat/soy/dairy/everything forbidden on AIP in that one meal.  Le sigh…

I dabbled back on the lazy SAD for the next three weeks, before I was fed up with feeling like turd again.  Constipation, moodiness, bumps on my skin again, and migraines.  I can’t believe that I functioned for so many years with a constant headache!  Then I went away for a two week work trip… and… I did really well!  I committed to AIP starting at the airport.  Ok, salad… no dressing… victory!  Grilled chicken salad wrap… no cheese… victory!  I did great for almost two weeks on a work trip and living in a hotel!  Then it all cam crashing down when I accepted an invite with my coworkers… at Texas Roadhouse!  I even ordered an AIP compliant meal (grilled asparagus and salmon, no seasoning)… but those damn rolls and cinnamon butter got me and then I fell off the AIP wagon, yet again.  I let myself fall back again into the SAD.  Yet again… another week of feeling horrible..

So, this brings us to present.  I’m now on week 2 of round 4.  My husband is finally very supportive of my efforts, as he’s noticed the differences in my mood and happiness.  I am very affected by my response to food, not only with my digestive issues but also with my moods.  When I eat AIP, I eat balanced, fulfilling meals and I don’t have the sugar crashes that put me in a tailspin.

One of the largest struggles I’ve had with AIP is accessibility to food: as in, being prepared enough to have food accessible at work and doing research before we go out to eat.  I’ve also had to get over my nerves at restaurants and ask for the allergy/gluten free menu.  I am often surprised by how many restaurants have “Gluten Free” bread, however these things are not AIP compliant.  If I don’t do research before we go out to eat, I often get depressed at the lack of options.  Therefore, I’m getting more comfy ordering salads with everything on the side, or a grilled protein with olive oil, no seasoning, and a grilled veggie on the side.  As I don’t have a diagnosed clinical allergy, I struggle when restaurants ask “Well, is it an allergy or a preference?”  I’ve gotten over my nerves and just tell them its an allergy.  I fully admit, I do no have an anaphylactic response to any foods; however, when my body is affected for weeks at a time after eating a food that agitates my immune system, I will have no shame telling the server its an allergy.  This is not to take away from individuals with severe food allergies, and I hope that I can be an ally for their cause, holding restaurants accountable to safety standards.

PHEW!  Long post.  I’ll get better at this blogging thing.  Thank you!  Thank you!  Thank you for accompanying me on this journey!

Greetings!  Thank you for visiting the Traveling Thyroid.  This is my journey of health and wellness, so please join me on this experience.

I was diagnosed with hypothyroidism on Friday 13 September, 2013.  It was a completely unexpected diagnosis, for which I am eternally grateful to my OGBYN for running the labs.  When she recommended a thyroid panel, I actually said to her “Okay crazy lady, whatever you want, but I don’t need to deal with the results until after I return from my three month work trip!”  I actually called my gyno a crazy lady… and she is the one who perhaps saved my life.  So THANK YOU, Dr. Clifton!

I was only 26 when I was diagnosed.  Twenty six years old.  Hypothyroidism happens much more often in post menopausal women, so of course I was thrown for a loop.  I didn’t know what the thyroid did, where it was in my body, or how its poor function affected me.  In hindsight, I had many indicators of my dwindling health, but was too proud and arrogant to go to the doctors to seek help.  I thought I could manage my fatigue, lose the weight on my own, and if only I ate better, I could feel better.  However, those weren’t my only symptoms.  I had gained about 35 pounds in under a year, without large diet or activity changes; my skin was so dry, that with my weight gain I had severe stretch marks, deep purple in hue and more than some of my friends who have had multiple children; I was so fatigued at work, that if I talked to somebody for 20 minutes, I’d have to sit like a zombie for two hours to get my energy back up.  I had always been an outgoing, energetic, happy person, and I was merely a shell of my former self.  I would come home from work, so exhausted, that I’d lay down on the floor or on the couch for 30 minutes so that my dogs could greet me, as I was too tired to play with them.  Then, I’d drag myself off the couch to “cook”, which was by this point almost always a frozen bagged meal, as I didn’t have the endurance to stand around the kitchen preparing dinner, after such an exhausting day.

About a month before my diagnosis, my husband asked me to see a doctor.  Phew, that man is brave!  Not only was I have physical physical side-effects, I was also have emotional ones.  I was so irritable and it showed in my marriage.  I married a magnificent man, he’s patient, kind, and supportive.  Early in our courtship, I had told him that “I need a husband who is willing to stand up for my health and wellness, even if I don’t see it myself”.  That may not be a normal request in a new relationship, but I lost my mother to suicide when I was only five.  I’ll never have an accurate picture of her health, mentally or physically, when she took her own life, but I’d always known I needed a life partner who was willing to be honest with me, even when I refused to see the bigger picture.  Well, my husband did just that.  He told me that I’d be so terribly rude and abrasive, although I didn’t need him to tell me, I knew deep down I wasn’t loving him and was driving him away.  Lo and behold, he was aware that something was off with my body, although we didn’t know until just a few weeks later.  To this day, he has never said “I told you so” about my health.  He’s been supportive and for that I am grateful.

I could go on and on about my side-effects, but I will disclose some of the others as time goes on.  For now, I need to figure out how to Blog!  This is entirely new to me.  Thank you for your patience and support, and thank you for visiting the Traveling Thyroid!

xoxo,
-V