It's been too long since I've updated this blog of mine. Starting this year off right, I will be working on a post that will include several lab results. Some good, some not-so-much. It's been a year of experimenting while simply just living my life. It feels as though I've been "There and Back Again" -sometimes frustrated beyond measure. Other times I just rest easy knowing that no matter what happens, I'm good enough, I'm smart enough, and dog-gone-it...people like me. (In genuine Stuart Smalley speak.)
Here's what's new since my last post:
My Primary MD and I fired each other. He thought I was closed minded (AYKM?!), and I was dismayed he wouldn't even look into a gluten-free diet as being helpful for autoimmunity. See ya later, sucka.
I found a new doctor- A DO (Doctor of Osteopathic) who is willing to be open to all sorts of new things for me. He is looking into the Paleo diet, Low Dose Naltrexone, glutathione...and ran a fractionated cholesterol panel instead of the basic old way of checking it. (I think he may have simply been curious about how the paleo diet affects the particle sizes.) In short- I think I found a doctor that accepts insurance, doesn't think I'm crazy (I shouldn't assume this), and is willing to work with me (at least so far).
My dose of Levothyroxine has changed a couple of times. Last you knew, I was on 100 mcg that I started to cut in half (50 mcg) because my antibodies were nice and low and my TSH was low. This didn't work out as planned, so I went back on my 100 mcg. Future labs showed my TSH went lower than ever, so I requested it be lowered just to 88 mcg about 8 weeks ago. This was my dose even today.
However, I will be picking up a new script in 2 days for West-Throid (Nature-throid). I don't know my dose yet. I was switched to this because my T3 was low this most recent go-round with my new DO. I don't recall ever having low T3 in the past.
I am now (as of January 2012) on a more normal shift at the hospital of 11A-11P (I was 3P-3A), so hopefully my adrenals will be thankful, and I will feel much more...well...normal. I just started it, so I have nothing to report as of yet.
I have still been 100% gluten-free (that I know of). I still continued to eat dairy in very rare, small amounts. My coffee intake skyrocketed when my partner in crime, Anthony, made my morning coffee with a coconut milk frothy whip... topped with pumpkin pie spice, just in time for fall. The recipe was from Jen's Gone Paleo. I was FINE drinking it once or twice a week, black with coconut oil... until this. Up to Jan 1st 2012, I was drinking it with the froth...um...everyday. Whoops. Talk about backsliding.
I haven't been able to get in a good workout since what feels like forever. It was August when I backed off and only worked out 3 times in the entire month. I did something to my right hip/butt back in the May timeframe. It got worse and worse, and in August it hit a threshold high enough for me to make many appointments with some doctors. It would hurt incredibly bad after being in the sitting position for a sustained 15-20 minutes. Driving was the absolute pits. It was so bad I'd have to get out of the car to stand up. I'd forgo the chair at the doctor's office and stand while waiting. I tried Active Release Technique (ART) that helped to a point, but plateued. MRI of my back looks just fine. I've been going to Physical therapy 2-3x/week since October. Ultrasound seemed to help a great deal. I improved so much that it didn't hurt to sit anymore, only to bend forward, knees bent, then straighten my knees while standing (like a deadlift). However, we (PT and I) changed treatments thinking we fixed one problem- and something flared up again. So, now I still have some pain to sit and/or cross my legs- but it's in a little bit of a different spot. The therapist was perplexed, thinking it was my piriformis, a ligament, or possibly a labrum tear. My last and final therapy treatment was on December 30th (thanks to insurance). I'll be slowly going back to some basic movements with little to no weight here in January. I'm going to have to overcome the mental hurdle that's there now, too. You know, the same one that told me a couple years ago that I wasn't overweight, so why should I worry about pushing myself? Yeah- it returned. I know how much better I feel inside when strength training and conditioning, so it's just up to me to make my start date and follow through on a basic plan. The good news is, I can still do some dead hang pull-ups, thanks to the doorway pull-up bar in my closet. :)
Diane from Balanced Bites started a 21 Day Sugar Detox group (#21DSD is the hashtag to follow if you are on Twitter) on Jan 2nd that I'm a part of. My plan is to further this to 8 weeks or more, but after 21 days, I may allow a small amount of fruit again. My plan will then be much like the Whole 30.
I've also decided to cut back on the coffee again. No more than 2-3 times a week. These next few weeks should be a blast, right?! No sugar, no coffee... Hey, at least I'll have a better schedule!
I'll get Anthony to help me make a chart of my labs to share with you all in the next day or two.
Maybe I'll even think of a little workout to do tomorrow.
Cheers!
