Lil, it's taken me 20 years to figure out why my weight can fluctuate by 20 lbs with no change to my eating habits. Because I'm within a normal weight range and 5'8 I can carry it, but I look like a sandwich board at the higher end. Turns out an autoimmune disorder called Hashimotos disease was the source of the problem. It's also the reason I've been feeling sick in recent weeks. In 1994 i read an article about hypothyroid (under active). I had every single symptom except that my lab work showed values to be within the normal range. Doctors I saw were dismissive, and friends weren't supportive because I'm "thin.
"I was thin because I adhered to a 1200 calorie per day diet, exercised 2/3 hours a day, and eventually lapsed into heavily bulimic behavior. The only reason the Hashimotos diagnosis was made was because I went for a cat scan for a lump under my tongue. It turned out to be a no-big-deal aggravated salivary gland- wouldnt surprise me it was the result all the bingeing and purging.
The cat scan also showed a nodule on my thyroid. This is a very common thing especially in women, and I believe they can go unnoticed, but since it was clinically documented, I was referred to a endocrinologist that knew the appropriate labs to order.
Many docs rely on the TSH test alone. In many cases a person will have normal TSH values and still be hypothyroid. I was put on medication called Armour Thyroid and I felt better immediately. Prior to the big nodule revelation, I met with more doctors than I can count on 2 hands. They dismissed my concern about weight gain as vanity and sort of flicked a hand at me, like get over it. Made me feel terrible! Times are better now with the aid of a good doctor and medication but the first 2 knuckles on each hand are completely devoid of pigment from the trauma of my teeth raking up the skin there while cramming my hand down my throat all those years.
Are you familiar with hypothyroid symptoms? Low energy, feeling cold, constipation , dry skin, brittle nails, swollen face and ankles, aches & pains, heavy periods and severe cramping ? I know those are broad & highly reported symptons. None of the doctors I saw took me seriously. Anyway, maybe worth looking into? My drinking problem bloomed straight out of bulimia. The warm buzz from the booze was so much more preferable than the eating and barfing. It felt like a much smoother problem. For a year or two anyway.
I completed day 4 of master cleanse today and am feeling better. I am craving tasty food, but it's only 10 days and I'm so happy to be able to get up and be productive. I think I got too cozy with sugar and it spurned a Hashimoto's flare ( can I just tell you there aren't words for how good those pb & j Rice Krispie treats were)?
Anyway, I would like to hear more about your symptoms. I know you've been dragging lately, and I can relate to that.
Enough gazette from me for now.
Love & hugs to all of you. You're my family for better and /or worse. And if ever I doubted that, I don't any more. You've stuck with me when I've gone off the rails over stupid shit, and taken me back into the fold with sincerity & heart. I'm incredibly grateful for that. It is a lesson in progress for me. See you guys tomorree.
NS, our convo did not fall on deaf ears. I've got my Paleo books right on my night side table. Thanks again. :hug:
"I was thin because I adhered to a 1200 calorie per day diet, exercised 2/3 hours a day, and eventually lapsed into heavily bulimic behavior. The only reason the Hashimotos diagnosis was made was because I went for a cat scan for a lump under my tongue. It turned out to be a no-big-deal aggravated salivary gland- wouldnt surprise me it was the result all the bingeing and purging.
The cat scan also showed a nodule on my thyroid. This is a very common thing especially in women, and I believe they can go unnoticed, but since it was clinically documented, I was referred to a endocrinologist that knew the appropriate labs to order.
Many docs rely on the TSH test alone. In many cases a person will have normal TSH values and still be hypothyroid. I was put on medication called Armour Thyroid and I felt better immediately. Prior to the big nodule revelation, I met with more doctors than I can count on 2 hands. They dismissed my concern about weight gain as vanity and sort of flicked a hand at me, like get over it. Made me feel terrible! Times are better now with the aid of a good doctor and medication but the first 2 knuckles on each hand are completely devoid of pigment from the trauma of my teeth raking up the skin there while cramming my hand down my throat all those years.
Are you familiar with hypothyroid symptoms? Low energy, feeling cold, constipation , dry skin, brittle nails, swollen face and ankles, aches & pains, heavy periods and severe cramping ? I know those are broad & highly reported symptons. None of the doctors I saw took me seriously. Anyway, maybe worth looking into? My drinking problem bloomed straight out of bulimia. The warm buzz from the booze was so much more preferable than the eating and barfing. It felt like a much smoother problem. For a year or two anyway.
I completed day 4 of master cleanse today and am feeling better. I am craving tasty food, but it's only 10 days and I'm so happy to be able to get up and be productive. I think I got too cozy with sugar and it spurned a Hashimoto's flare ( can I just tell you there aren't words for how good those pb & j Rice Krispie treats were)?
Anyway, I would like to hear more about your symptoms. I know you've been dragging lately, and I can relate to that.
Enough gazette from me for now.
Love & hugs to all of you. You're my family for better and /or worse. And if ever I doubted that, I don't any more. You've stuck with me when I've gone off the rails over stupid shit, and taken me back into the fold with sincerity & heart. I'm incredibly grateful for that. It is a lesson in progress for me. See you guys tomorree.
NS, our convo did not fall on deaf ears. I've got my Paleo books right on my night side table. Thanks again. :hug:
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