If you’ve been following my Instagram then you know that I’ve been dealing with minor health things, and I’ve been getting questions asking me to share more, so I wanted to put it all on a blog so it’s easier to reference.
First of all, let me start by saying that everything is good and I’m very fortunate to be as healthy as I am. I’m just dealing with some minor issues and I’m confident that everything will be resolved and I’ll be back to 100% very soon!
My Gut Health Journey
I can’t remember a time when I haven’t had gut issues, to be honest. Certain foods growing up never sat right with me and I went through a period where I didn’t want to eat anything because I didn’t want to feel sick anymore. During the wedding planning of my first marriage (spoiler alert, I’ve been married before), I went to several doctors and had different tests done and they told me that I was just stressed out about my wedding. Not a lie, however; I knew there was something else but in 2005 when someone said they thought they were allergic to gluten we just got laughed at and told that we shouldn’t do fad diets. Fast forward to 2021 and guess who was diagnosed with Celiac Disease…. me. That’ll be another post coming soon.
I might have kept my symptoms at bay for a while with being a vegan and not eating certain foods, however last year I was going through a major postpartum depression spell and my husband had to leave town for 3.5 months. While he was gone, I went down a spiral with my health. My blood sugar was way out of control (some days it was so high before bed that I was terrified that I wouldn’t wake up in the morning), my gut health was less than optimal, and depression and crippling anxiety were taking a toll. I felt like I had a hold of it, but some things just always felt “off”.
Hashimoto’s and Hypothyroidism
I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism when I was 16 years old and I’ve been seeing an Endocrinologist every 3-6 months ever since. Earlier this year, I gained a significant amount of weight in 3 weeks and it raised concern for me. However, when I went to the doctor to check on my thyroid levels, his response to me was that the weight gain wasn’t a “big deal” and that I was still “within range” of my age and height for weight. Obviously, that wasn’t what I was asking and I felt dismissed. That’s when I knew I needed to find someone else to help me. I don’t want to just keep taking medications because that’s what they tell me I should do, I want to know why they’re changing up my thyroid meds and I’m not afraid to ask why anymore.
PSA: if you feel like something is off within your body, it’s imperative that you explore that and ask the questions that are going to get you the answers that you are seeking. No one else is going to ask the questions for you, and your health care provider should be helping you figure it out. If not, find a new health care provider.
Getting the help I needed
I’ve definitely had my fair share of doctor visits and allergy testing for decades and it took a good Naturopath, a Functional Medicine doctor (who both actually listen to my concerns), a stool test, and continued blood work to finally start getting me the answers that I needed. I was told that my Ferritin (a protein that stores iron, releasing it when your body needs it and if a person doesn’t have enough ferritin, iron stores can deplete quickly) was at a dangerously low level and that I needed to start iron infusions ASAP to get it back to normal.
FYI low Ferritin levels symptoms include, but are not limited to:
- unexplained fatigue.
- dizziness.
- chronic headaches.
- unexplained weakness.
- ringing in your ears.
- irritability.
- leg pains.
- shortness of breath.
I’ve had two infusions so far and I’m getting my iron panel drawn next week to see where I’m at with that and come up with a game plan for that and everything else.
Nutrition Tips
I am no foodie, nor am I a master of the kitchen, however, I have a few tips that help me get through when I’m having a rough time thinking about what I need to eat for the day and I know how important nutrition is for a healthy gut.
- Cook your own food. It’s the only way to control what goes into your food be it salt, sugar, fats, etc. There have been lots of times where I feel like complete garbage after going out to eat, and I always feel better when I make food at home.
- Avoid processed food and sugar. I know this can be a hard one for some people but I always feel better when I cut those out of my lifestyle. Here’s a book that helped me get started.
- Read nutrition labels. All of them.
- Drink water. Try infusing it with cucumbers, ginger (aids in digestion), lemon, or lime.
Healthy Habits
Here’s a post I wrote earlier this year about my daily healthy habits that I’m still doing today. Some days are better than others but every day I feel better, even if it’s just because I’m getting answers that I didn’t have before.
