a post about me

I’ve been keeping a weight loss blog with two other women and have written about my health and my weight loss journey on that blog. If you’ve been reading it, this may all sound very redundant. I’ve been meaning to post some things about Ryan and Kindergarten but I’ve yet to do it because my health has been so much on my mind lately that I figured I’d better write this post first. Also, some of the content in this post may be a bit TMI, so here is your warning.


This summer I set out to lose some weight. I knew it was going to be a difficult task, but I had no idea where my journey would lead me. If you think you know where this story is going, keep reading because it probably ends up somewhere you, and definitely I, was not at all expecting.

So at the beginning of the summer I started getting really frustrated with my weight. The truth is I've never in my life- ever lost a pound. Over the past five years I've gained 30 pounds that I don't want. I am a very determined person and I am determined to lose this weight. I think. Part of my subconscious just isn't willing to put in the effort to lose the weight and I'm not sure why that is.

Back in July I made a plan and tried really hard to stick with it. I went to the gym at least three times per week to swim for 30 minutes. I had to get up REALLY early to do this, but I surprised myself and was able to do it for five straight weeks. I also walked on Fridays with my mom. However, early in the summer I discovered that I had plantar fasciitis and it had gotten to the point where I hated to walk. Switching it up to swimming helped my feet rest until our Friday morning walks. I also planned to eat no bread and no sugar.

I did really well for like two weeks and then had some trouble. I kept working at it though and started logging my calories on my iPhone. That was a really big help and I was able to see where my calories were coming from and what kinds of nutrients I needed to eliminate and include in my diet. I also started some fiber supplements to aid in my digestion because it is TERRIBLE. I'm often constipated and I think that doesn't help me lose weight. I was curious to see if anything weird came back on my July thyroid test, however they called and said everything was pretty normal.

As the summer progressed, I did a lot of exercise. I watched what I ate; I learned to control my sodium and fat intake. I increased my fiber intake and was able to see some good results in my digestion. I swam often and really loved the swimming. I started a new fitness class called Krank.

I thought I was really doing some good stuff for my body. The results were unbelievable. I was gaining weight. I gained and gained and gained all summer long. I also had some really strange stuff going on with my body. I stared losing hair. Like lots, and lots of hair. I have a lot of hair but the amount that was coming out in the shower, in the brush, and throughout the day was definitely more than usual. I was very tired. I’d sleep 9 or more hours per night and feel very sluggish throughout the day. I was tired and depressed. I couldn’t get motivated to do anything.

As fall came, those feelings got worse and worse. I contributed them to my recent change in profession; from teacher to stay at home mother. My vision was blurry. I was forgetting things. I’d never in my life had memory problems. I had headaches. I had womanly problems. There were so many issues going on besides the weight gain that I knew I couldn’t ignore them any longer. I learned this lesson when I was diagnosed with diabetes. I had all of the regular symptoms and didn’t know it for weeks. I finally went in to the doctor on a related but unrelated issue and was diagnosed.

Earlier this week I saw my doctor. I explained all of the symptoms that I was having. I told him that I thought I had an issue with my thyroid. I told him I was seeing him because I believed that it was an endocrine issue. He agreed and decided to do some blood work. I was hoping that the tests would be conclusive and they luckily were.

When the results came in the doctor called me. He diagnosed me with hypothyroidism. Basically that means that my thyroid isn't producing enough hormones. So I’ll have to take an oral medication to bring my levels back to normal, and reduce my symptoms including the weight gain. The good news is that the treatment should also aid in my metabolism and therefore my diabetes too. I’m not really excited to be taking another prescription medicine; most likely for the rest of my life.

I learned that people who have one endocrine disorder are more prone to having another. I recently learned this on a podcast for mothers. There was a featured story on a young girl with Type 1 diabetes (the kind which I have) who was diagnosed because she'd already had another endocrine disorder; Graves Disease. I'm grateful I was able to find help and hopeful that I'll start feeling more normal soon, I have certainly not been feeling well, I hate it when I’m not my normal self.

Comments

Tonya said…
Jenn I feel so sad that I did not know all this crap. See you really need to go back to work so I can see you each day! LOLI hope you get feeling better soon too! Miss you!!
Jessica said…
Glad everything is figured out Jen! I can't even imagine how terrible you were feeling. As much as we hate labels, it's nice to have a proper diagnosis.
joyous said…
Wow! I'm so sorry I didn't read this post sooner. What a difficult summer. I'm so glad that you asked again. Hopefully, the new medication should help you feel so much better!

I had some hyperthyroidism after my last pregnancy and I have to say I miss it a bit. ;) I lost my baby weight so fast. But it made me lazy. When my body corrected itself about three months after giving birth, I was still eating poorly and gained it all back. Boo. So now I'm back to the hard way: diet and exercise. But I am seeing results, so that's a good thing.

Good luck with everything!!!
Abes and Stace said…
Thyroid issues seem so common now - I know so many people (women) who have them. I wonder why that is?
I have Graves and am currently uninsured/untreated so I know all too well those feelings of sluggishness and such. I had been trying to get into a good endocrinologist for months and by the time my appt came, my office was doing cut-backs so bye-bye ins. Do you like your doc? I had an endocrinologist a saw while I was prego and I did NOT like her at all. Looking for a good one to see once I get my private ins up and running.
Glad you were able to get things straightened out! Moms don't have the luxury of having time for things like this! :)

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