April Fools

Oh how I wish this was April Fools and I would wake up knowing that all this was some sick joke, but alas it is not. There are lots of changes on the horizon for me and I'm hopeful they will be good changes. I recently got my lab work back, which indicated there are no parasites, which is awesome! Yay for that. The only significant finding is that my Bifido levels were low. That is a beneficial bacteria and may be contributing to some recent episodes of diarrhea. So my new protocol will take measures to specifically boost those levels back up. 

The IgG testing was very interesting and presents even more dietary challenges, but nothing I cannot conquer. IgG testing reveals foods, substances that cause a delayed reaction in the body, so this is not an allergy, but an intolerance. Intolerances can turn into allergies if not addressed. Food intollerances cause reactions in the body any where from an hour to 3 days after the food is ingested. Removing food intollerances for 3 months should help to give the immune system enough of a break to reset and heal. Then intolerances can be reintroduced one at a time a few days apart. I discovered on my most recent labs that eggs, almonds and dairy/whey are my latest problem foods. I kind of had a feeling about the almonds. I almost think that almonds might show up on IgE test, which would indicate an immediate sensitivity or allergy responds. I sometimes get a slightly itchy throat when I eat almonds. So much for the almond flour baked goods that I make on occasion. Eggs, I'm not too sad about, but the difficult part will be things that eggs are in. I'll figure out good substitutes like flax meal and water. Dairy is the other intollerance, but was not something I had very often and the goat dairy came up fine on the test, so that will be my substitute if I have a hankering for some cheese or yogurt. I love coconut and rice milk, so I'm not really upset about the dairy either. 

The changes in my life... well my Naturopath will be on maternity leave until the middle of July, so she has referred me to a Naturopath who has been treating chronic Lyme patients for the past six years. This causes comfort and anxiety at the same time. It is always stressful to add a new practitioner to the team and it is quite an undertaking puling all the labs and pertinent information that any new practitioner would want to see. At the same time I know she'll be a great doctor and will hopefully be able to help me feel better over time with some additions or changes to the current protocol. I'll be seeing her at the beginning of May and my current Naturopath has kindly made herself available for consultation with the new doctor even though she will be on maternity leave. I'm so lucky to have such wonderful and caring doctors.

During my last appointment with my current Naturopath prior to her maternity leave we discussed the possibility of synthetic thyroid hormone. I have had some time to warm up to the idea and become less reluctant especially since I know we have really taken every possible natural measure as possible with limited improvements. I saw my D.O. this week and I'm now on my second day of 100mcg Levothyroxin and 25mcg Liothyronine. This is a combo of T3 and T4. My Naturopath is actually more of a proponent for synthetics vs Armour or Naturthroid. That may be surprising, but I think she has seen patients do better on the synthetic forms when they have Hashimotos. So far so good. I can tell there are slight differences already, but mostly good. I'll keep my fingers crossed that things continue to be mostly good. My thyroid labs will be run again in about a month so we can measure how my body is handling the new medication and make adjustments if needed. I've had some serious weight gain in a short period of time that none of the doctors or experts can figure out since I have a very clean, healthy diet and I do high intensity interval training for an hour twice a week in addition one hour of pilates once a week and yoga, stretching and other activities peppered in on the other days. The thyroid hormone was not prescribed for my weight gain, but I hope that it will be a benefit in this area as well as it is all of our concerns that other health issues will start to  crop up if my weight continues to increase. I have also recently read the Metabolic Effect Diet that my Naturopath recommended. She wanted me to see if anything resonated with me. I feel that my workout and diet are extremely close to what they recommend in the book, but there are a few minor things I think I can tweak that might make all the difference in the world and I am willing to give them a shot. Here is a link with tips and information as well as the book that you can order:  Metabolic Effect

 Wish me luck with all the new efforts in health and wellness. The road may be rocky at times, but I'm hopeful about the outcome and remain in good spirits. I'm excited for Spring and all things new. Blessing to all of you who continue to struggle in your own journeys. Many thanks to my tireless practitioners. You make the journey bearable and at times easier.