2.17.2017

health happenings









so I went to my doctor last summer after having odd feelings of numbness/tingling/heaviness in my arms, back, and face for..... well for a few months.  I started with massage and network chiropractic care and while those were helpful, it wasn't lasting and I figured I best get it checked out.  well, she couldn't find anything but she sent me to a neurologist who then sent me for brain and neck MRIs.  to rule out scary things.  that was a long hour or so spent in a noisy tube, but thank you thank you thank you, all was clear.  but there was still that pesky numbness.  it came and went all summer and stayed gone for a few weeks after some magical cranio-sacral work.  come fall and then through the winter, it came and went (is coming and going) again.  more massage.  a visit to the acupuncturist.  another visit with the doctor, another cranio-sacral appointment.......  who knows what it is.  But, I did find out a few things that are important to know.  I am deficient in D (I know it's common, but I was still surprised! I'm outside in the sunshine a lot and almost never use sunscreen- come on!), have a low liver enzyme that likely means a zinc deficiency, and I have an autoimmune thyroid disorder called Hashimoto's Thyroiditis (which, as it turns out, typically goes hand in hand with low zinc and Vitamin D).

So- none of that may even explain the numbness and tingling, but here I am.  I've been reading a lot and eating very differently.  I mean, I've considered my diet a very healthy one for a long time- whole foods, lots of veggies, little sugar, gluten-free, minimal processed stuff....... A creature of habit, I typically had an egg and gluten free toast in the morning (or oatmeal if it was cold, yogurt if it was really hot), beans and greens and avocado on corn tortillas for lunch, and a rotation of fairly simple protein meets veggies dinners with a grain thrown in for that satisfying fill-you-up-ness. Snacking on fruit or veggies or tortilla chips and homemade salsa, maybe some nuts or a rice cake with peanut butter......

Well lately that has changed.

Lately it has been broth.  Broth and broth and broth and broth.  And well cooked vegetables, pureed at first, but now whole.  Some well cooked meat.  I have pretty much had soup of some sort for breakfast, lunch, and dinner for two weeks.

Basically, I did a week of homemade broths and pureed 'low residue' vegetable soups (with lots of coconut oil added in because your body needs fat), and vegetable juices.  And then last week I started the very limiting GAPS intro diet.  The thing with GAPS though is that they fairly quickly reintroduce a bunch of foods that the Autoimmune Protocol recommends keeping away from for a good long while (yummy things like eggs and dairy and nuts and seeds) before slowly reintroducing to identify any trigger foods, so while I'm all about the gut-healing benefits of the GAPS intro diet, I'm not completely sure it makes the most sense for me because even though I'm moving through the phases, I'm not adding very many of the things I could be adding, so it's a bit anticlimactic when I reach a new stage.  Well, I was psyched when I added in avocados and sautéed onions, and I'm really looking forward to cooked apples tomorrow since I haven't had fruit in 2 weeks, but still.......

Overall, I've had more energy and (aside from constantly being a little hungry) I feel pretty great.  I'm taking just a couple of the supplements recommended for Hashimoto's, along with digestive enzymes and a high potency probiotic.  A 50,000 IU Rx for D3.  Drinking lots of good water and doing yoga pretty much every day.  I still have the numbness and tingling, and I won't lie- it annoys me that the thing that got me going to the doctor in the first place hasn't been resolved or figured out yet and here I got this bonus autoimmune diagnosis.... sigh.  In a way though, it is empowering to have the information and be able to put together some of the puzzle when looking at my lab work.  Inconveniently empowering, yes, but......... ah well.


What I miss most is my corn tortillas.
 And my toast.  Toast can fix just about anything.


16 comments:

  1. So sorry to hear you have not been feeling well. Now that you have a diagnosis, hopefully as you go through the food trials you will feel better. Take care.

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    1. thank you! I feel alright...... but you know how it is I'm sure when there's some mysterious thing getting you down- it's that not knowing that weighs on the mind and body, I think.

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  2. Ketogenic diet really helps autoimmune problems. Wonderful that you are motivated to try diet changes....so many, do not have the will power to do that, because it is so hard to do.

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    1. I am one who will always look to lifestyle/diet changes first, for sure! My acupuncturist sang the praises of a ketogenic diet as well.

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  3. I am sorry to hear about the health issues you have been having, but goodness what wonderful steps you have taken to heal yourself. I am sure it's not easy though. I hear you on toast ;)

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    1. oh toast............. we shall one day be reunited. ;)

      Thanks, Kim. I am doing okay, really. It would just be nice to know what's going on. I'm two weeks+ in on the GAPS/elimination diet and will move on to the autoimmune/paleo approach later this week and stick with that for a while and I guess we'll just see!

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  4. it does surprise me that your diet could need changing! but i have found myself in the same boat. a few years ago i was suffering from reoccuring bladder infections. i was prescribed antibiotics again and again... and the infections came back again and again. i did everything they told me to avoid them, but they always returned. finally, after lots of my own random research i found something called candida overgrowth. it fit in with all of my various symptoms (some i would have never thought were related), after commiting to the candida diet for a few weeks i felt entirely cured for the first time. it wasn't over then of course... i would go off the diet and get problems again... go back on and get better. i finally achieved balance in my body again though.

    i wish you all the best with your own body. many wishes that you find your balance soon, and that you are able to maintain it. it seems you are certainly on the right path.

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    1. Have you read about the connection of thyroid disorders and (over)consumption of kale or other brassicas?
      Occasional reader

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    2. Jenny! hello :)

      So glad you were able to find the right balance for yourself. I think what I'm doing is similar in a lot of ways to aspect of the candida diet- no sugar, etc...... we will see!

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    3. And yes, 'occasional reader' (hello!)- I just recently read about that in the book I read on Hashimoto's. I was surprised! Cruciferous vegetables are considered to be goitrogens (goiter inducing), but as far as I've read, only when raw. I also read that in autoimmune thyroid conditions (as opposed to a hypo or hyper thyroid condition) they are not as potentially problematic. I am not avoiding them as much as I am just making sure to cook them for sure, to be on the safe side as I read and learn more. :) Thanks for chiming in!

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  5. Unknown causes of health problems can be so frustrating. For all that is known in medicine, there is still so much that is unknown. I suffered from severe intestinal issues for years. I had numerous doctors diagnose me with Crohn's disease or some other autoimmune disease but I didn't have any of the symptoms of Crohn's other than inflammation in my small and large intestines. I tried all kinds of nasty drugs but nothing seemed to get rid of the underlying problem - the drugs only created more symptoms. I finally had an Alcat test done. A blood sample is drawn and over 300 diff. foods are introduced to your blood cells and the level of reaction is measured. You are given a report and have to stay away from the foods in the "red" and "orange" columns for 6 mo., the "yellow" for the 3 mo. The "green" category is foods that your body didn't react to so you can eat those as much as you want just not the same food every single day. The theory is that everyone has those problem foods that cause gas, bloating, upset stomach, headaches, etc. but a healthy person will eventually get over the symptoms and return to normal. Someone who has a compromised system, like I had, won't be able to overcome the problem foods and won't recover. The Alcat test wasn't cheap (I think I spent $1000) but when I thought about how much money I spent on medical bills (copays, Rx, tests) and how many years I had been feeling like crap, I was willing to try anything. So, I gave it a shot. You have to be extremely careful with the diet but you seem like someone who would have the discipline to do it. And I'm not saying this is the right thing for you but maybe it's something to look into if all other roads lead to a dead end. I went through the Alcat test/diet 3 years ago and now I am 100% symptom free and able to eat whatever I want again because my body had enough time to heal.

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    1. That sounds like a very thorough and worthwhile test, for sure! So glad you finally got the answers you needed. I think if other things prove unhelpful over time, I'd totally look into that. Thanks for sharing your story, Kelly :)

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  6. Uh, so sorry - health stuff is hard. I have the same symptoms in my feet and no one has been able to pin point the exact cause. It's been years of discovering deficiencies like Vit D and B12, etc - all which did help somewhat. And it's the hardest mental exercise sometimes! I do remember reading that numbness can definitely be related to the thyroid so I hope you do find relief.

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    1. so true about the mental exercise! of course the more I stew on it and focus on it and worry about it....... the worse it is/seems. I'm feeling pretty good these days and just trying to be encouraged by all the things that ARE working well and functioning just right in my body and that helps me keep things in perspective, for sure! thanks for chiming in- I appreciate hearing about other people's stories and experiences.

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  7. Ugh! This is my story... only you're doing all the things I should be doing but I am not. Would love to hear privately a bit more about your supplements. I have tingling and numbness in my legs, a handful of other thyroid symptoms, and some complicated sugar issues... Do you still have my email address somewhere?

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    1. I probably have it somewhere! feel free to email me though for sure- (amandapros at hotmail)

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thanks for taking the time to read and comment~