Hypothyroid & an Experiment

Im going to do an experiment after recently seeing an image of myself 1 month prior to starting thyroid treatments. I will post my updates here along with my regular life events. But this is very important to me. Important bc for several years I have been ignored my modern medicine and im through with their bullshit. Would you like to hear a brief timeline?

(you can laugh now b/c below truly is brief. I didnt have the patience or emotional where with all to post every detail. But trust me, you would have lost it like I did)

2003 - complained of "out of the blue" exhaustion, slow weight gain, thinning hair, constipation, dry skin ++.  First I saw my primary care who did nothing, went to an endocrinologist - said its age, went to a rheumetologist - said I have Chronic Fatigue Syndrome? What? I explained to all 3 that I am very active. That I multitask well & have noticed a fog in my mind where total clarity once existed. They claimed it was engagement stress. NOPE. I even went to Penn to be checked there and they said even though my antibody test (a test I had to BEG and BERATE for came back off the charts - 496 when it should be between 0 and 30) they said - YOURE FINE. Fine because my TSH level was "normal" *cough cough* bullshit.

2004 - married! (contrary to some - very happily)Since nobody did anything last year Id thought Id do the same process all over b/c I had no clue what else to do.... cue instruments.... "please send me for tests" "please look at my hair loss, dry skin, constipation, weight gain! please help me" NOPE YOURE FINE. Seriously? I spent 29 years of my life one way and now I feel totally different. They sent me to counseling. My counseler said I was depressed. UM, YES because I feel like a totally different person. They handed me medication and sent me on my way.

2005 - 2010 - 2 beautiful babies were born and I fluctuated from feeling OK to feeling HORRIBLE. My weight went up and down finally settling in at 20 lbs more than 2004. In 2010 I started a Vinyasa Yoga class and loved it. It helped me lose a bit of weight and I felt good. I had to stop the once-a-week class due to an existing upper back issue. Here is a picture of my in Feb 2011, one month after stopping Vinyasa:

Now I am going to talk weights & measures. I want to preface with - the info I provide is for ME, not you or anyone else my height, weight, gender, ethnicity etc. im not looking for guidance on my weight and im not looking to promote or aid in unhealthy OR healthy weight habits. Im staing this b/c I think for the overall - it is very important. 

I am 5'11 and prior to 2003 was in the 140's. I was comfortable and was a size 8. I have been a size 8 for the better part of my life and my weight has fluctuated from 130 - 142 throughout my 20's. Sometimes landing me at a size 6, but for the most part an 8. I was married at 153, got pregnant with my first child at 157, lost all the weight after, then put on 6lbs to 163 when I got pregnant with my second. At this point Im 33 and understand the 140's maybe out of reach but a size 8 with proper exercise & diet should be attainable. NOPE. After my second was born I went back to life and settled in at 165. With Vinyasa I lost and stayed stagnant at 157 - I was thrilled. Then in Feb I noticed a slow weight gain. You might think its b/c I stopped vinyasa. But it wasnt. I stopped the once a week class but kept my daily practice and added walking into the mix. I limited soda and lowered my sodium. All to no avail. By June i was 171 and very unhappy. My hair was thin and my symptoms were all coming back......

June 2011 - My longtime general practitioner retired and i had to choose a new one - I chose one that my friend recommended. He told me (after my brief - haha) explanation that im 36 and should accept that i will not have my old body back and will not have the energy and clarity i once did. he basically said roll over and die. I was mortified. I told him that im an active mom and need to feel like myself and weighing as much as i did at 7 months pregnant isnt normal for me, esp when the weight gain was in a 4 month time span. He completely dismissed it all.

Oct 2011 - I was asked to participate in a WEC (Woman's Entrepreneurial Center) video for our local Univerisity. I recently saw it and was mortified at my appearance. See below:

I couldnt believe my neck! The ring! The puffiness of my face! I was shocked. I hopped on the scale and it read 181. I burst into tears. I have changed nothing in my lifestyle to have gained 30lbs in 7 months and yet there it was tied with a ribbon of ring around my neck.

November 2011 - I begged my OBGYN (actually a DO) to send me for TSH bloodwork but also antibodies as well. I told her everything. She was my doctor for both pregnancies, knows me as a normal woman, not a nut. And low and behold my antibody count was 276. She put me on a starting dose of 25 mg of Synthroid.

Dec 1 2011 - I started the Synthroid. Within 1 week my ring disappeared. DISAPPEARED! i also stopped losing chunks of hair in the show daily. To top it off, 5lbs fell off in a 7 days. Seriously.

Today is Jan 2, 2012 - I have been on the medication 1 month. Here is what my neck and face look like now:

The moral of this is: If you are one & in tune with your body - follow your instincts. I need to increase the medication and will be playing with the dosage for years, surely, however, someone finally listed to me. Someone finally acknowledged that I was suffering and needed help. Someone heard. I will never allow anyone tell me to roll over and die. To them I give them the royal Fuck off!

I will be charting my progress for a year through workouts, food journaling and growth in my yoga & pilates practice. My ultimate goal is to be STRONG & COMFORTABLE in my body at whatever weight I end up in. (hopefully a weight that gets me in my pre-baby pants again!) small steps. <3
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inspired by: good health
cheers, meg