'Health' Category
Answers
I have been feeling less than stellar lately. About 5 years ago I was diagnosed by my GP with postpartum thyroiditis, and I've been taking .5 mg of either Synthroid or some other synthetic T4 ever since. Since I never felt any different (I never felt BAD to begin with...my midwife found some nodules on my thyroid, which is what led to my diagnosis) and since my GP just checked my TSH levels every so often with an "everything's normal" result, I didn't really think I was being treated properly. So I took our move as an opportunity to wipe the slate clean and start fresh.
So two months ago I went off my meds, to establish a baseline, and Monday I went to an endocrinologist who is listed on the Top Thyroid Doc list. I ended up seeing a nurse practitioner since the dr. is on vacation, but this guy was still awesome. He explained everything to me, and he said the glorious words, "We use labs as a guide, but how we treat depends on how you feel." I had only heard that such doctors (or NPs
) exist...I've never actually experienced it myself.He called today with the results. (He called me PERSONALLY, by the way. I am in love.) My TSH is 10. Normal is .3-3.0. (But even if my TSH HAD been within normal limits, if I felt like garbage, he would have treated me. Have I mentioned I love this NP?????) My free T4 was normal, and my free T3 was on the very low end of normal, so he doesn't think it would stay normal long, if I stayed off my meds.
My antibody test was positive, so he is pretty sure I have Hashimoto's, rather than thyroiditis (the numbers would be way higher with thyroiditis). That means that my hypothyroidism won't be going away. So he's starting me back up on .5 mg of synthetic T4. He said we'll probably have to adjust meds some, once we figure out where I feel good. He said he has a whole bag of tricks up his sleeve...synthetic T3, Armour, etc. THAT is refreshing as well...all the other doctors I've had have solely relied on synthetic T4 and that's it.
I go back at the end of May.I feel so encouraged. There really IS something wrong with me. My aches may not be from lying in weird positions due to my co-sleeping baby (which I am not a fan of). My semi-fatigue and lack of energy may not be from nursing through the night and not getting a full-night's sleep. My lack of concentration and brain fog may not be from lack of sleep and/or lots o' stuff going on in my life. My hair falling out may not just be postpartum hair loss. My dry skin may not be from living where I do. (OK, it probably is...the rest of my family experiences the same thing.) And other assorted symptoms....
I'm not losing my mind!!!!!
(Well, about this anyway.)
I don’t know Webster’s first name…
But I could just kiss him.
OK I just looked. His first name is Larry. I really don't care. All I know is that the Webster Technique is fab. I've been madly in love with my chiropractors for quite some time, but this just tops that.
With all of my pregnancies I've had pain in my pelvis and pubic bone. I'd heard about symphysis pubis dysfunction, but I thought it was only when it actually separated and the woman was in EXCRUCIATING pain that it was considered a "problem." I thought what I was experiencing was normal and just one of those annoying things about late pregnancy.
Come to find out, it's NOT normal and is considered a mild form of SPD. A common treatment of SPD is the Webster Technique, since SPD is often caused by the pelvis being out of alignment.
I've also mentioned the current funky position of my little babushka. The Webster Technique can sometimes help with malposition as well. (Small comment/rant here: I've come across some websites trashing Webster because they claim that Webster is held out as this "cure-all" for getting a baby to turn. That is so not true. Webster is about getting the mom's body lined up straight so that if the malposition is caused by some misalignment in Mom, it will be corrected once Mom's body is back where it should be. It is NOT a guarantee, nor do Webster practitioners claim it is. So these websites are spreading incorrect information.)
I found out that one of the chiropractors at my current practice is Webster certified, so I got in to see her yesterday. Webster is totally different from the typical "back popping" manipulations that chiropractors do, and she told me that first thing. She first looked to see if my shoulders and hips were straight (they weren't). Then she had my lie down on my belly on the blessed table with the middle dropped down. (It was so nice lying on my belly again, even for such a short time!
) She looked to see if my hips were straight - one side was tilted up, and they were actually rotated somewhat too. So she felt around on different ligaments in my sacrum area and could feel some tightness on one side. She also felt around on some on my occipital bone. Not sure what she felt exactly, but I guess that's why she's a chiropractor and I'm not. She applied some pressure to a couple of those ligaments, and then that was it.She had me roll over on my back, and then she felt around on my round ligaments. (Oh yeah, I've been having trouble with them too, which to some extent is normal during pregnancy, but apparently what I've been experiencing is somewhat abnormal...who knew?) She felt that one side was tighter than the other (the opposite side that was tight on my back, which she said made sense and is usually the case). So she applied pretty strong pressure to those ligaments for several seconds and then released them.
That was it!
It was so non-invasive and minor that I figured it wouldn't do much.
Well, I can't say for sure that it did anything for baby's position (although I do think she is head down this evening!), but my pelvic pain is nearly GONE today. It was already gone yesterday right after I left the chiropractor's office. Even today when I sat on the floor to do school with the kiddos, I had no problem walking afterwards. Typically I am in SEVERE pain after doing that. Not even close today.
Hence why I LOVE Dr. Webster.
Old Me, meet the New Me
12 weeks after it started, it ended. My Biggest Loser competition ended yesterday. I came in third!!!
I lost a total of 20.5 lbs. Here are some pictures:
Before (May 3) After (July 26)
Tonight when someone asked to see my ID, she said, "Is this really you?" WAHOOTY!!!!!!!!!!! (Babs, that was for you LOL!)
I still have 7.5 lbs. to reach my goal, so on August 4th I will begin another Biggest Loser competition lasting 12 weeks. I think I just might be able to do it!!!
An interesting experiment
Back before I started my weight loss journey, I ate relatively normally. I didn't pig out, I ate veggies, I ate a pretty "balanced" diet. I felt pretty decent - no health issues or anything. I probably ate about 250 grams of net carbs per day - big bowl of healthy cereal for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch often, I did drink 2 cokes a day but the rest was water, supper usually was lots of carbs too - biscuits or French toast or spaghetti or something of that nature. I might have some ice cream after everyone went to bed.
The low carb plan that most closely resembles what I'm doing is Protein Power. I have been eating 60 grams of carbs per day for 6 days, and then 120 for the 7th so that I can "reset" my system (since your metabolism is constantly trying to get things to "stay the same.")
The weekend before last weekend, we had a very busy weekend, and I ended up fudging a bit on some non-splurge days. I had a tiny brownie at a church potluck, at McDonald's the lady gave me regular Coke instead of diet, etc. Nothing major, but it was enough that when it came time for me to do another splurge day, I didn't feel comfortable doing that. So I went even longer eating 60 grams consistently.
I actually was having trouble getting up to 60 - I haven't been nearly as hungry, and the carby foods didn't sound as good to me as the more proteiny ones. Some days I only had 46 grams or so. It varied.
Yesterday was splurge day. At lunchtime I commented to dh that I hear all the time how much better people feel when they low-carb - more energy, not hungry all the time (as compared to strictly low-fat,low-cal diets), etc. I had a PBJ on regular bread. I was expecting to be all AHHHHHHHHHHH BREAD since it's been so long since I've had regular bread. But it was just blah and didn't really taste all that good to me.
Then naptime hit and I CRASHED. I actually fell asleep. My blood sugar crashed and so did I.
Then the whole rest of the afternoon I felt like a total slug. Just BLAH and almost sick.
For supper I made biscuits, bacon, and eggs. I was expecting to want to pig out on my biscuits, since I normally did. I normally would eat at least 2, and sometimes 3. I had to FORCE myself to eat ONE. I INHALED my eggs and bacon, and I ended up eating J's too. My body was just CRAVING protein, and those eggs were soooooo yummy!!!!!!!
I felt better soon after supper and after I had gotten a decent amount of protein in me.
So much for not feeling different!
Honestly I felt so bad with "all those carbs" (less than half what I used to eat!!!) that I am rethinking my plan so that I don't eat that many on my next splurge day.
I am just amazed. I WANTED eggs and bacon. I DIDN'T want biscuits. That is just not me!!!!!! However, dare I say it...I think I may have broken my addiction!!!
Once I get down to my goal weight, I'll probably add in some whole grains, but boy I tell ya, I cannot see myself going back to my old way of eating AT ALL! I don't have any desire to at all.
(And this way of eating is supposedly so unhealthy. Whatever!
)Weight loss update
Not impressed with Splenda
I've been leery of Splenda for quite some time, but when I started my diet (I'm down 11.5 lbs. by the way!
), I went ahead and got some to use.OK, isn't the big claim that "it tastes like sugar" or something like that? Well, yeah, it's sweet, I'll give them that. But so far everything I have baked with it ends up with this funky aftertaste.
Those oatmeal cookies I mentioned a while back? BIG TIME aftertaste. I made some peanut butter brownies last night, and there again - aftertaste.Blech.
Once this bag is gone I'm done with Splenda when it comes to cooking. I'm planning to try sucanat (the real stuff, not the wanna-be sucanat). I hope it's easy to find around here!
More weight loss ponderings
Today I hit 10 pounds lost! Yahoo!!!
I have been making something from 500 Low-Carb Recipes: 500 Recipes, from Snacks to Dessert, That the Whole Family Will Love nearly everyday, and I haven't found a bad recipe yet. In fact, just the opposite. Tonight I used Dana's recipe for French toast, and I thought, so THIS is how restaurants make their French toast! Last night I made my own tortillas (note to self: buy a tortilla press). I have had store-bought, low-carb tortillas before. BARFOLA. But these are GOOOOOOOOOOD! The cookbook had a comment that these taste better than the normal, white-flour tortillas. It is RIGHT. They are yummy!
It has been so frustrating hearing/seeing all the myths about low-carbing. For some reason people think that low-carbing means no-carbing, and that all that is allowed are meat and eggs. Yesterday I had a lovely 9 grams of carbs strawberry smoothie for breakfast. I eat salads often. I even eat whole grains. (The kicker with that is that it's the fiber part of the grain, so it goes right on through LOL.)
Now granted, I am on a higher level of carbs than the typical low-carber, since I'm nursing and don't want to lose too much too fast. But even if I were doing a normal low-carb diet, I'd only be at those super low amounts for a few weeks. But for some reason, people think that all that is allowed is meat or eggs, and CERTAINLY no veggies or fruits, for all eternity.
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
All of what I am eating is healthier, BY FAR, than what I normally eat. I plan to start having my children start eating these same things. They certainly don't need the blood sugar crashes!
And besides, they think I'm Cool Mom when I make my strawberry smoothies. 
Which reminds me, here is my recipe (I made it up myself
):1 cup plain yogurt (I used full fat, but you can use whatever kind you want)
1 cup frozen strawberries
1 scoop vanilla whey protein powder (this is the kind you'd find in the "Body Builder" department LOL - I looked for the lowest carb/highest protein per serving)Throw it all in the blender and blend away! This makes about 5 1/2-cup servings, each with 7g of protein and 3g of net carbs. (It varies, depending on the whey protein powder you use. I also have pre-calculated the "true" carb count of the yogurt, since the label can be misleading when it comes to carbs.)
I'm planning to experiment with a chocolate shake recipe of sorts. I'll keep you posted.
The oatmeal cookies…
Are DELICIOUS!!! I got the recipe from:
The recipe calls for pecans, which I knew would NOT go over well with my crew. (I'm not a huge pecan fan myself.) So I tried to substitute more oats for the pecans. I think I overdid it LOL. The cookies are still REALLY good, but just too oat-y. Also, the recipe says to put them on by the scant tablespoonful. Get out your tablespoon and actually measure - don't just get out big spoons and glop them on there. There is a lot of fat in the recipe (coconut oil and butter, so they are good fats), and the cookies spread out while they cook. So scant is necessary!
It would be very easy to substitute chocolate chips (or sugar-free if you're super concerned about the carbs) for the pecans. I may try that next time.
If you follow the recipe exactly, there are 3 grams of carbs and 4 grams of protein per cookie! And they are YUMMY to boot!
Weight loss update
WOO HOO!!!!!
That is the "plan" I'm following, if you will. Dana Carpender has researched LOTS of different low-carb diets and has combined them all in one book. She helps you figure out which one is right for you. The only one not included is the South Beach Diet, and that's just because the SBD book came out after Dana's book. (Although I believe her book has been revised, so perhaps now she talks about it; I'm not sure.) She explains everything in very easy-to-understand terms, and when it comes to nutrition, that helps SO MUCH!
Since I am still nursing S, I am having to be careful with how fast I lose weight. She is 20 months old today, so I'm not concerned so much about my supply as I am about toxins that have been stored in my fat being released into my milk. So I am starting out at a higher level of daily carb intake - somewhere around 60-65ish grams of net carbs per day. (I was eating somewhere around 200+ grams of carbs everyday! YIKES!!!!!) I'm trying to replace many of my carb foods with protein foods, because protein is just sooooo important.Dana makes it very easy with this wonderful, and I do mean WONDERFUL cookbook:
I have tried about 5-6 of the recipes in it, and all of them are wonderful. Protein pancakes that MY KIDS WILL EAT!!! I have been searching for a healthier pizza crust recipe for YEARS, and I have never found one. Until now. I am somewhat of a pizza crust snob, and this one beats anything I've EVER made at home, even the normal white flour, bad for you pizza crust. Absolutely DELICIOUS. Today I plan to try the oatmeal cookie recipe.
If you are low-carbing, you MUST GET THIS BOOK. Honestly I plan to use many of the recipes even after I'm at my goal weight, because they are just so much healthier than my regular recipes. I would love to have my kids eat high protein pancakes instead of the regular ones!
And that pizza crust! Yum!!!Some other of her cookbooks I'm wanting to get:
Dana also has a great website, and ezine, and a blog. You can find out more at www.holdthetoast.com.
Pizza burgers
I'm in my first week of a Biggest Loser competition. I have 28 lbs. to lose to reach my goal weight. I'm doing somewhat of a modified low-carb plan since I'm nursing and can't lose too much too fast. (Don't want the toxins stored in my fat to be dumped into my milk!) So I'm trying to decrease my carbs (which, I discovered, is a LOT LOT LOT!) and increase my protein. I'm also trying to eat more GOOD carbs.
Today I tried something new, and it was YUMMY!!!!!!!!!!! I got the idea from Dana Carpender (whose books I have REALLY liked a lot!). We grilled hamburgers last night for supper, so dh grilled a few extras since we had lots of hot coals left. Today for lunch I took one of the burgers, spread pizza sauce on it, then covered it with pizza cheese. Popped it in the oven and let it warm up.
YUM YUM YUM!!!!! It really hit the spot and helped with the whole crust-craving thing. The burger is chewy, unlike crumbled ground beef. The chewy burger did a great job of replacing a chewy crust. So tasty!!!
Our challenge this week is a water challenge. I'm supposed to be drinking half my weight in ounces. Amazingly it hasn't been too hard! I am really surprised by that because I really struggle with drinking enough water. But I've been surpassing the amount I'm supposed to drink. Yesterday I drank a whole gallon! I can't really feel a difference. Well, except for having to go potty a lot! LOL!!!
Exercise has been put on hold while my back heals. Tonight it feels absolutely FINE. Woo hoo!!!! I have 2 massages and 3 adjustments scheduled for next week, and we'll have to see about after that. I think I'll start walking on the treadmill in the afternoons while I watch Dr. Phil.
I managed to get down to my ideal weight after my first 3 kiddos, so I know it IS possible. My thyroid went crazy after #4, and I also was on Zoloft for a while, and my weight just hasn't been the same since. It hasn't been TOO terribly bad, but I'd just like to get back down to my normal.
If I happen upon some more yummy recipes, I'll post them!
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh
Do you hear that Fezzik? That is the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound when the six-fingered man killed my father. The Man in Black makes it now.
Actually, no. Keer makes it now anytime she tries to move.
My back is out or damaged or something. I have no idea what I have done to it, but it's BAD. If I'm still it's just a dull pain, but if I move...well, let's just say that I'm having flashbacks to labor because the noises coming out of my mouth are similar.
Dh is out of town. Well, he was, anyway. I managed to get a chiropractor's appointment late this afternoon, and he is on his way home to meet me at the chiro. He was supposed to be out of town till late tomorrow night, but he is changing his plans.
Which brings me to the sort of point of my post. I feel awful about that. He HAS to get this stuff done for work. Yet how is he supposed to do that with me all gimpy? Should I have asked him to come home, or should I have tried to just suck it up and manage somehow? (Not sure how to do that with 5 children, 2 of whom require a LOT of physical movement on my part, but hey.) Am I feeling false guilt about this? Does it stem from this whole "supermom" complex that I seem to have? Does it stem from this idea that it's unbiblical for a wife to ask her husband for help from time to time?
I have no idea. All I know is my back HURTS LIKE THE DICKENS.
I'm thankful my dh is able to help me this time. Of course there will be another time though, and I'll probably go through this mental anguish then too: Do I ask him for help or not? Is it OK for me to ask him for help? Is it OK for me to ask him to put aside his work to help me? Etc. *sigh* I'd like to get it figured out in my mind so I don't have to deal with that every time.
Nothing like a little propoganda
Chickenpox Vaccine Cuts Hospitalizations
The newly released report is one of the first to evaluate the impact of the vaccination program in medical terms. CDC researchers reported that hospitalizations due to chickenpox declined by a whopping 88 percent and chickenpox-related visits to physicians declined by 59 percent in the eight years following approval of the vaccine.
And now the rest of the story:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that before the vaccine, there were 4 million cases of chicken pox nationwide each year, resulting in 11,000 hospitalizations and 100 deaths. (Source)
So just what percentage of people with the chicken pox were hospitalized every year? .275% And what about the percentage of deaths from chicken pox? A frightening .0025%
When not many people (comparatively) are hospitalized from the disease in the first place, any reduction in the number of hospitalizations will seem like a huge percentage!
But the statistics sound good, don't they?
(Nevermind that the chicken pox vaccine is manufactured with aborted fetal cells, which is the main reason we don't get it for our children.)
