For years, I’d struggled with vague symptoms and didn’t know why:
When I was diagnosed with Hashimoto's hypothyroidism, I felt relieved and hopeful. Finally I’d be motivated to be the person I always dreamed of and live without anxiety. Finally I was going to lose weight and feel amazing again!
I enthusiastically filled my Synthroid prescription and started taking it as ordered. 6 weeks went by and I lost a couple pounds, but I still couldn’t shake all the hypothyroid symptoms I was having.
“I must still need a higher dosage,” I thought to myself. A trip to my doctor, a well-respected endocrinologist, revealed that my labs had come back as normal. According to him, I was fixed! My doctor seemed puzzled that I wasn’t equally pleased with the results.
“If my labs are normal, why am I still having symptoms? Is there anything else I can do?” I asked.
I was hopeful he would be able to point me in the right direction of dietary alterations, supplements, etc. But alas, he had nothing for me. He said the medicine had corrected the problem. It must be something else.
I felt powerless. My optimism was defeated. I had been looking forward to a new chapter in life. One filled with energy, a faster metabolism, clearer thinking. But these hopes were dashed in an instant. I had been told I was “better.”
I didn’t know what to do. But I knew I had to do something. Being the book lover I am, I did what I usually do when I have a problem: I find a book on the topic at hand.
As I Googled my way around the literary world, I stumbled across a book called Stop The Thyroid Madness. It immediately spoke to me. I wasn’t the only one in this situation. In fact, far from it! There were so many other thyroid patients just like me. Patients who were told their labs were normal, so their complaints must be due to “something else.”
The book had a webpage with a forum full of fellow Hashimoto’s patients. What I liked about these patients was their determination. They weren’t going to accept that there was nothing else they could do. They knew there must be a better life for them and nothing was going to stand in their way. They were actively seeking to improve their health.
Long story short, I found a wonderful physician who takes a Western AND holistic approach. She truly listened to my story, and helped me with the residual issues I was having. She put me on a gluten-free diet (I didn’t even know what that was at the time), a daily vitamin regimen, natural thyroid hormone and gave me (something I loved) a reading list full of helpful books!
I followed the regimen she prescribed for me to a “T” and it really helped. I was feeling 85% better, but I knew I had the potential to feel even better. I knew there were changes I could make in my diet and lifestyle habits. So I signed up to be in a Challenge Group under my friend and coach, Laura.
The daily exercise programs and Shakeology gave me the extra push I needed to feel amazing! The Shakeology has done some pretty amazing things for me, which I’ll discuss in a different post. I fell in love with the Challenge Group atmosphere and signed up to be a Coach to help others on their journey. Today, I am the fittest, most motivated and confident that I’ve ever been. I feel like I could take on the world! I'm so glad I didn't give up on my health journey!
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| Before and after getting my Hashimoto's under control. |
Frederick Buechner once said “The place God calls you to is the place where your deep gladness and the world’s deep hunger meet.” I feel like one of the biggest reasons I was put here on earth is to comfort and encourage others.
If you’re reading this, you’re probably feeling a lot like I was 4 years ago. I want you to know that things can get better. You can have your energy, your optimism and your metabolism back. You’re going to have to work at it, you’re going to have to make changes and it’s not going to be easy. But is it worth it? Heck yeah! If I can help just one person feel better, then it’s worth it.
Here should be your points of action:
1) Educate yourself! There are so many great books written by experts in the field. A few are:
- Stop the Thyroid Madness (Janie Bowthorpe) - excellent online forum with patient info
- Living Well with Hypothyroidism (Mary Shomon, MD)
- The Thyroid Solution (Ridha Arem, MD)
2) Find a physician who prescribes natural thyroid hormone and uses the three-legged stool approach. This physician takes the following into consideration:
- lab values (free T3 and T4, not just TSH)
- physical exam findings
- YOUR reported symptoms (i.e. How do YOU feel?)
3) Commit to healthy habits, which include:
- eating clean, whole foods
- exercising 4-6 times/week
- sleeping 8 hours a night when possible
- stress reduction
If you need help with motivation or accountability, I'd love to Coach you in either FREE clean eating or traditional Challenge Group setting. I'll share meal plans, clean eating recipes, motivational tips, etc.
Write down your goals for yourself and start working on them today! You can make a change!
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