I've decided that -- SHOCKER! -- I won't be returning to my Endocrinologist for any further treatment. Their treatment plans may work for some, but certainly not for me. Whew! {sigh of relief}
So what's my plan? What is my plan? No really, y'all -- what is my plan?? I've made a few decisions lately but somehow I still find myself devoid of an actual plan. What decisions am I speaking of? How about these, for starters:
- Not returning to my Endocrinologist (duh)
- Making an appointment (end of May) with a new Internal Medicine practice -- just so I have someone who is deemed "suitable" for managing my Hashi's
- Making an appointment (this Wednesday!) with a Board-certified Chiropractic Neurologist and practitioner of functional medicine
- Eliminating gluten from my diet (as of March 16, 2016)
- Eliminating sugar from my diet (as of April 4, 2016)
- Eliminating dairy from my diet (as of April 4, 2016)
- Eliminating soy from my diet (as of April 4, 2016)
- Discontinuing my prescription thyroid medication Synthroid® (as of April 5, 2016) - Note: This decision is sort of against medical advise. A bit risky, sure, but the right decision for me... at least for right now.
So lots of decisions, right?
Right. Basically I'm following a sort of gluten-free, sugar detox lifestyle of sorts. I see part of it as temporary, and part of it as permanent. Kind of an elimination diet where I eliminate several possible (and known) food sensitivities common in autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's with the intent to eventually add them back (with the exception of gluten) over time to see how my body responds. With all of the reading and researching I've done on Hashi's, it looks like a gluten-free diet is here to stay. Gluten just doesn't mesh well with thyroid disease. And the sugar detox? It hasn't been as bad as I expected. Side note: Thanks to this handy blog, I discovered I actually completed the 21 Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) back in 2014! Haha! Did I mention brain fog is a symptom of Hashi's? 'Cause it is. At least, if I remember correctly... ;)
I'm happy to say that I'm seeing a S-L-O-W decreasing trend in my weight since I eliminated the sugar. No surprise there, amiright? Slow and steady is nice. But weight loss isn't really my focus right now. I already know the thyroid gland controls our metabolism and that even a slight deficiency in thyroid hormones can slow down our metabolism (source). The weight is definitely on my radar, but right now I'm more interested in the underlying issues with the thyroid and -- more importantly -- my autoimmune system.
I picked up a great book last week that contains such an incredible wealth of information about Hashi's, including what can cause it, common symptoms, how to treat it, how to possibly reverse it, and basically how to address the underlying physiological issues that are the source of the disease.
I have been pouring through this book like a crazy person! And WOW has it been such an incredible resource! I feel prepared to speak on the conversion of Free T4 to active Free T3 when I see the functional medicine practitioner this week!
I think I'm ready for my medical degree, thankyouverymuch! haha! Let's just say I've been doing a LOT LOT LOT of research and am basically using myself as a bit of a guinea pig to figure out what will and will not work to adequately manage this autoimmune disease. What works for one person may not be the right fit for the next, so it's definitely going to take time and patience to get to the bottom of all of this. The good news is I'm more committed than ever to make the necessary lifestyle changes required to successfully live with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
Game on!
Right. Basically I'm following a sort of gluten-free, sugar detox lifestyle of sorts. I see part of it as temporary, and part of it as permanent. Kind of an elimination diet where I eliminate several possible (and known) food sensitivities common in autoimmune disorders like Hashimoto's with the intent to eventually add them back (with the exception of gluten) over time to see how my body responds. With all of the reading and researching I've done on Hashi's, it looks like a gluten-free diet is here to stay. Gluten just doesn't mesh well with thyroid disease. And the sugar detox? It hasn't been as bad as I expected. Side note: Thanks to this handy blog, I discovered I actually completed the 21 Day Sugar Detox (21DSD) back in 2014! Haha! Did I mention brain fog is a symptom of Hashi's? 'Cause it is. At least, if I remember correctly... ;)
I'm happy to say that I'm seeing a S-L-O-W decreasing trend in my weight since I eliminated the sugar. No surprise there, amiright? Slow and steady is nice. But weight loss isn't really my focus right now. I already know the thyroid gland controls our metabolism and that even a slight deficiency in thyroid hormones can slow down our metabolism (source). The weight is definitely on my radar, but right now I'm more interested in the underlying issues with the thyroid and -- more importantly -- my autoimmune system.
I picked up a great book last week that contains such an incredible wealth of information about Hashi's, including what can cause it, common symptoms, how to treat it, how to possibly reverse it, and basically how to address the underlying physiological issues that are the source of the disease.
I have been pouring through this book like a crazy person! And WOW has it been such an incredible resource! I feel prepared to speak on the conversion of Free T4 to active Free T3 when I see the functional medicine practitioner this week!
I think I'm ready for my medical degree, thankyouverymuch! haha! Let's just say I've been doing a LOT LOT LOT of research and am basically using myself as a bit of a guinea pig to figure out what will and will not work to adequately manage this autoimmune disease. What works for one person may not be the right fit for the next, so it's definitely going to take time and patience to get to the bottom of all of this. The good news is I'm more committed than ever to make the necessary lifestyle changes required to successfully live with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.
Game on!
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