Nel, Author at Hashimoto's Thyroiditis

The Thyroid Secret: Thyroid Misinformation & Misdiagnosis Machine

The second episode of The Thyroid Secret is titled “Thyroid Misinformation and Misdiagnosis Machine”. In it, they discuss the myths and misdiagnoses that surround Hashimoto’s and thyroid disorders in general. I’ll try my best to summarize it below.

Dr. Wentz identifies five stages to autoimmune thyroid disease:

Genetic predisposition. You don’t have the disease, but are predisposed to developing it.
Development of autoimmune reactivity to our own thyroid gland. Our thyroid begins to be attacked by our immune system and we start to develop symptoms.
Subclinical changes. We start to see changes to lab markers and more symptoms.
Overt hypothyroid symptoms.
Progression to other autoimmune conditions.

Most people with Hashimoto’s aren’t diagnosed until they’re in the fourth or fifth stage, when symptoms are really evident. So, they usually don’t even start treatment until then as well. And, of course, conventional medicine only treats the symptoms and doesn’t prevent progression of the disease to the fifth stage. Hardly anyone questions why conventional medicine is quick to destroy or remove the thyroid as part of treatment instead of treating the root cause. Many patients are not told about the autoimmune factors of their disease either.

Many of you know from personal experience that when your Hashimoto’s flares up (when the body is attacking itself), things go haywire. You’re suddenly “allergic” to many different things you didn’t have a reaction to before. The problem is, if you don’t treat the root cause of your disease, you can’t promote true healing. The attack against your body will continue. This can lead to other conditions including vision problems, balance problems, alopecia, psoriasis, eczema, Crohn’s, etc.

Throughout this episode, patients discuss their symptoms and struggles, from fatigue to depression. Many of them were misdiagnosed and prescribed anti-depressants or other medications that didn’t help their condition. They were told it was all in their heads. They were told their lab results were “normal”. Well, you can have normal TSH and still not have your hormones be normal. Doctors should running labs for not just TSH, but for Free T3, Free T4, and Reverse T3 to get a whole picture of what’s going on.

It can be devastating when thyroid misinformation and misdiagnosis keep patients suffering instead of healing. Nearly 80% of people diagnosed as bipolar have Hashimoto’s and when properly treated, symptoms go away. It’s tragic how many issues related to mental health could be prevented when the cause is hypothyroidism. Personally, my doctor told me he suspected I was bipolar. I told him I never had manic episodes. I insisted it was my thyroid. He gave me medication that not only didn’t work, but compounded my problems. When he finally properly treated my thyroid, my issues went away.

The antithyroid antibodies implicated in Hashimoto’s are as follows:

Thyroid Peroxidase Antibodies (TPO Ab)
Thyroglobulin Antibodies (Tg Ab)

Near the end of the episode, there was a discussion on how a change in diet can help with Hashimoto’s issues. Grass fed red meat can help with anxiety. Protein for breakfast can help sugar levels. Getting off gluten, as well as taking Zinc, can help with anxiety too.

The episode ended by discussing how Hashimoto’s antibodies can be found in the brain. They can cause ataxia and Hashimoto’s Encephalopathy, a rare neurological condition associated with Hashimoto’s. Again, changing your diet can help with this as well as treating the root cause.

I really related to the patient interviews in “Thyroid Misinformation and Misdiagnosis” and I’m sure you will too. I really got a lot of good information out of this episode.

The Thyroid Secret: Thyroid Disease Revealed

The first episode of The Thyroid Secret is titled “Thyroid Disease Revealed”. In it, Dr. Izabella Wentz begins by discussing how she didn’t get the answers she needed from her doctors to properly treat and reverse her condition. She talks about her struggles with Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. She discusses the pain, confusion, and hopelessness of being stuck with a disease that seemingly would never get better. The Thyroid Secret documentary is a result of her digging for the information she couldn’t get from her doctors. It’s the information she used, and that you need, to improve your thyroid condition.

In “Thyroid Disease Revealed”, Dr. Wentz describes what the thyroid gland is and what it does. She talks to experts about the various different thyroid diseases, their various symptoms, and the treatments that most of us will encounter in conventional medicine. She then goes on to talk about so many things that your doctor never told you.

For example, she mentions that most thyroid patients are never told the cause of their illness, just that their thyroid isn’t working right. That was my experience. I didn’t even KNOW what a thyroid was and what it did when I was diagnosed. I didn’t know why I got Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. All I knew was that I had to take a pill every day for the rest of my life to survive. Dr. Wentz describes many patient experiences similar to my own in this episode. It really illustrates that we’re not alone in fighting this disease.

Dr. Wentz also talks to several thyroid patients, some with Hashimoto’s, some with Graves’ or other diseases. Their experiences are so relatable, I almost cried. Dr. Wentz really hit home when she said “It feels like your freedom is taken away.” I personally have experienced that feeling and I think many of you have, too. But, with the information she has uncovered by using herself as a guinea pig, she has helped so many to improve their lives, mine included, with her interventions.

She states that you have to be your own advocate. You have to take control of your health because doctors will often shut you down, simply because they don’t know what you’re going through. Most doctors treat the symptoms, not the root cause. This cookie cutter approach doesn’t work for most of us.

Root causes of thyroid problems, including nutrient deficiencies, food allergies, inability to handle stress, inability to handle environmental toxins, leaky gut, and chronic infections are also discussed. Dr. Wentz touches on the three main factors why Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and thyroid problems in general are on the rise: genetic susceptibility, toxic foreign substances, and immune stressors.

She ends “Thyroid Disease Revealed” by stressing that the drive to heal must come from you. No one, except another thyroid patient, will know exactly what you’re going through. Your loved ones may not want to or know how to support you. So, you have to take the reins yourself.

The Thyroid Secret Documentary is Live!

I have been watching The Thyroid Secret documentary by Dr. Izabella Wentz. She has gathered many experts to discuss the many thyroid disorders and diseases, symptoms, patient struggles, and treatments. She opens up about her own experience, from being undiagnosed for over 10 years to her frustrating attempts to develop treatments and go back into remission. Many of you, and myself included, can certainly relate to her experiences.

She discusses how conventional medicine seems to know so very little about thyroid disorders. In addition, conventional treatments focus on just treating the symptoms rather than identifying and treating the root cause. Without treating the root cause, patients have a rough road trying to get back into remission.

The Thyroid Secret Documentary

The Thyroid Secret is in 9 parts, each part focusing on a different aspect of thyroid disease.

Thyroid Disease Revealed – Dr. Wentz discusses her own personal experience with Hashimoto’s and talks to other thyroid patients. She discusses what these diseases are with several experts and reveals how they affect the body.

The Thyroid Misinformation and Misdiagnosis Machine – Dr. Wentz discusses myths and mystery surrounding Hashimoto’s, Graves’, and other thyroid disorders. She fills in the missing pieces of what your doctors rarely tell you about these diseases (mainly because they don’t know!).

Unknown Thyroid Therapies – Conventional medicine relies on thyroid hormone replacement and sometimes destructive, thyroid killing “treatments”. Dr. Wentz discusses other little known treatments to reduce inflammation, support your thyroid, and get you into remission.

The Truth About Toxins – We come in contact with toxins every day. This episode discusses how a toxic environment can affect our thyroid gland.

Healing Thyroid Disease With Food – Food can exacerbate your inflammation or help heal it. Learn how you can use food to help heal your thyroid disease.

The Stress Sickness – Learn how stress can keep you ill and how your adrenals factor in to your thyroid disease.

Motherhood Interrupted – Thyroid disease can often cause infertility or problems with pregnancy. This episode discusses hope for women with thyroid disease who want children.

Healing From Within – Learn how to discover the trigger to your thyroid disease and reverse the disease.

The Thyroid Success Stories – Dr. Wentz presents several patients who have successfully reclaimed their health.

No Excuses – My Hashimoto’s Diary

I know last night that I said I have limitations. I have since given myself an attitude adjustment. I don’t have limitations. I have temporary setbacks. If I don’t strive to get better, Hashimoto’s is an “excuse” and I can and will use it to convince myself that there’s nothing I can do. I will end up giving myself limitations that I truly don’t have. I would rather think of it as a “reason” why I’m experiencing this temporary setback and use that as motivation to prove I don’t have limitations and that I can overcome anything I set my mind to.

I used to be an athlete. I used to be in great shape and work out 1-3 hours a day. Those days are long gone. I will likely never have that level of energy or fitness again… but that doesn’t mean I shouldn’t try. That doesn’t mean that I can’t reach a level of energy or fitness that is satisfying to me.

There are answers for each and every one of you dealing with the ravages of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. The key is to never give up looking for them. If I had, I would have never discovered Dr. Izabella Wentz’s book “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause”. I immediately asked my doctor if it was ok if I started taking selenium after reading about it in that book and it has changed my life. Selenium has also helped my mother and sisters, who also suffer from Hashimoto’s. But selenium hasn’t solved everything, so I need to keep looking for the next answer and the next to unlock this mystery of Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis that so few doctors seem to know about.

So, from now on, no excuses. Hashimoto’s takes its toll physically, mentally, and emotionally. When I get knocked down, I can’t promise I won’t get depressed or be a little self-pitying, after all, mental and emotional symptoms go hand in hand with Hashimoto’s. But, I’m going to promise myself I won’t stay down for long. I will get right back up and re-focus myself on unraveling the mysteries of Hashimoto’s and finding the answers that work for me. I hope you will do the same.

The Hashimoto’s Rollercoaster

It’s been a while since I last posted. That’s mostly because I’ve been on the Hashimoto’s rollercoaster. I went from doing awesome health-wise, losing weight, and making steady progress toward my health goals, to getting knocked on my ass and steadily losing ground. It happened around November of last year. Stress from work got to be too much and it started affecting my thyroid. I got sick. My TSH levels rose. The fatigue and brain fog rolled in. I had my doc adjust my meds, but almost two and a half months later, I’m still struggling to get my TSH back into the “sweet spot”, which for me tends to be between 1 and 2. My TSH is still above 4.

When you get knocked down by Hashimoto’s, it’s hard to get back up. It’s even harder if you can’t take time off from work or remove the stressors that caused your Hashimoto’s rollercoaster in the first place. The only thing you want to do is sleep. Having to go to work every day can feel like torture. That is when you have to work harder than ever before. You have to work on recovering your health. I want to feel better and I want to get back to the good health I enjoyed last year. I want to lose the 5 pounds I’ve gained since my TSH went higher than normal.

It’s tough to be reminded that I have an illness which causes me to have limitations and I don’t like it one bit. Hashimoto’s is not only physically exhausting, but emotionally exhausting as well. It causes me to worry, occasionally have panic attacks, and prevents me from thinking clearly and logically. I don’t ever want to end up here again. That’s why I’ve been reading more about Hashimoto’s, doing my own research, and watching Dr. Izabella Wentz’s new video series “The Thyroid Secret”. I want to get off the Hashimoto’s Rollercoaster and smooth out my path to healthy living.

Over the next few weeks, I’ll be blogging about “The Thyroid Secret”. I’ll also be renewing my commitment to take charge of my health and get my Hashimoto’s back under control. As part of this process, I am adding content to this website, including forums. In the forums, you can discuss your struggles, share your stories, and get advice from others going through the same things as you are.

Losing Weight With Hashimoto’s: Update #1

It’s been about 6 months since I started taking selenium on a daily basis and about 2 months since I started dieting and exercising. Just this past Friday, I had a medication follow-up visit with my doctor. I left her office feeling like I was walking on air. I had lost 6 pounds since my last visit with her in April and 12 pounds since I started this weight loss journey. She said my lab results looked great. I told her I’d been using my Fitbit and synched it with MyFitnessPal. She uses both as well and she gave me tips on certain functionality in the app, as well as nutritional tips like adjusting the macros from 50% carbs/30% fat/20% protein to 50% carbs/25% fat/25% protein. She was almost as excited as I was and she was extremely encouraging and motivational.

It has not been easy and I’m sure it will get harder. Have I cheated? Oh, yes, I have. In fact, that evening after my doctor’s visit, hubby and I went out for a big Mexican meal. But, I don’t kick myself when I do cheat (or celebrate). Tomorrow is another day and I continually vow to do better when I fail. I do allow myself more leeway on the weekends, with only a 250 calorie deficit instead of 500. After all, Sunday is pizza night. But I do it in moderation and so far I’ve only backslid on my weight once. I picked myself back up, hopped on the stationary bike, and worked off some of those calories.

I’ve started walking the 0.6 miles from the light rail station to work instead of taking a shuttle. It isn’t easy, since it’s uphill (both ways, there’s a hill between the station and my building). Slowly, but surely, I’m feeling stronger. I’m feeling muscles under there that I used to be well acquainted with when I was an athlete, *mumble mumble* pounds ago. I ride my stationary bike in the evenings. I make small changes to add more activity to my day. I sync and check my Fitbit app frequently throughout the day so I get feedback on how I’m doing. That spurs me to get up and move a bit or lets me know I’m right on target. I plan my meals to stay under my calorie allotment for the day and I log everything (including coffee creamer, vitamins, etc) in MyFitnessPal. If I want to eat more, I have to earn it with exercise.

I am not pushing myself too hard yet. I know I can do more. But, Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis has been devastating my body for so long that I know I need to heal a bit physically and lose some weight before I really push hard. Besides, I have to balance work, home, and my health, so I’m pacing myself.

My Fitbit is my best friend on this journey, with MyFitnessPal coming in a close second. Without their constant feedback and encouragement (yes, Fitbit will send you encouraging alerts on your cellphone and/or email), this would be a lot harder. For the first time in a long time, I feel hopeful that I can succeed in taking back my health and getting back in shape.

Losing Weight With Hashimoto’s

For many Hashimoto’s sufferers, weight gain is a major problem. Hashimoto’s causes hypothyroidism, which slows down the metabolism, leading to weight gain. As if losing weight wasn’t hard enough, losing weight with Hashimoto’s seems next to impossible. Believe me, I know.

The last thing you want to do after a long day at work is exercise. After all, you spent most, if not all, of your daily allotment of spoons there. What do you have left for exercise? Plus, you hurt. So many muscles of your body hurt due to inflammation that you just want to plop down on the couch and not move. And once there, you realize you’re craving carbs, so you get a snack, and maybe another. And you do this every day. Sound familiar? It does to me.

I have successfully lost weight with Hashimoto’s, but that was when I was younger. As I’ve gotten older and the disease has progressed, it feels next to impossible. My blood glucose is slowing creeping up and I’m headed towards diabetes. My cholesterol is a little too high. My blood pressure is a little too high. I don’t want to have to deal with heart disease. So, I need to do SOMETHING.

My first step in losing weight with Hashimoto’s, as you might have read in my blog post about selenium, was to start taking the supplement consistently every day. It has helped me feel so much better. I’ve been able to do physical activities that months ago I would have passed up. I was able to travel and walk around all day sightseeing on a recent trip while barely “paying for it” the next day with soreness. It has really helped. In addition, I’ve been talking Vitamin B-12, Vitamin C, and a daily multi-vitamin, since Hashimoto’s patients are prone to vitamin deficiency. Problems like leaky gut make it difficult for us to absorb vitamins and nutrients efficiently. I’ve been forcing myself to stay hydrated, which is a constant battle for me since I rarely feel thirsty.

My second step was to start wearing my FitBit every day. With the FitBit.com dashboard and iPhone app, I’m able to set a daily step goal and track it. It keeps me motivated to get up and move and burn off calories. It also allows me to link up with friends and challenge them to a little friendly competition to see who can get the most steps. I used to be an athlete, so I love a little competition. 🙂

If you have an Apple Watch or other fitness wearable, that works fine too, but I would recommend getting one that plays nice with the MyFitnessPal app. (Update: I actually switched to an Apple Watch after my Fitbit died and love it.)

My third step was to start using the MyFitnessPal app and website to track the calories, vitamins, and nutrients in the food I eat. I also track my exercise activities there. I’ve synced my FitBit to MyFitnessPal so it adjusts the amount of calories I’m allowed daily according to my activity level. This has made me more aware of the nutrition in the food I eat and my activity levels. If I want to have a special snack or treat, I’ve gotta get my butt moving to earn some extra calories for the day! It also helps that all my siblings use MyFitnessPal too, so we can all help keep each other accountable for our goals.

This is not easy. In fact, losing weight with Hashimoto’s is hard. It takes constant diligence and awareness, something I’m not really used to. But I’m motivated by several factors. First, I want to avoid Diabetes as long as possible. My dad has Type 1.5 Diabetes, my paternal grandfather had Diabetes, and my niece has Type 1 Diabetes. I see the struggle they go through. Due to genetics, I will probably eventually have to deal with it too, but there are things I can do right now to push back that possibility. Second, since I started taking selenium, I’ve seen that there are easy things I can do reduce the impact of Hashimoto’s. I have had days where I’ve felt almost normal, where I feel like I’m in remission. I want MORE of that! Third, there are so many things I’ve missed out on because of Hashimoto’s. So many times I scrapped plans to go out or travel or join friends because I wasn’t feeling well. I want to get out and see and experience the world again. This motivates me to take care of my health and get in shape.

I hope that there’s something in this blog post for you that makes losing weight with Hashimoto’s a little more manageable for you.

Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Selenium

While looking for relief from Hashimoto’s pain and inflammation, I came across an interesting book. It’s called “Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis: Lifestyle Interventions for Finding and Treating the Root Cause” by Izabella Wentz. In this book, Izabella, discusses Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Selenium. She’s a Pharmacist who also suffers from Hashimoto’s, so she knows what she’s talking about. She says many Hashimoto’s patients tend to have selenium deficiencies. Selenium is an anti-inflammatory and also helps with thyroid hormone conversion.

Izabella suggests that Hashimoto’s patients take 200mg of selenium supplements a day to help with inflammation and to lower antithyroid antibodies. Having suffered for many years from occasionally debilitating pain and inflammation, I decided I would try selenium supplementation to see if it made a difference.

I contacted my doctor to tell her my plans and get her approval first. She agreed that it wouldn’t hurt and I could give it a try. Well, I did and I have been very pleased. My average daily pain levels were usually around the 3-4 level on the pain scale. After being on selenium for a few weeks, I noticed a big difference. My ibuprofen use has been significantly reduced. My daily pain levels are down to about a 1. I am able to be more active. Getting up from a chair doesn’t result in “old person” groans. I have been able to do without other medications for my back problems. There have been days where I felt almost “normal”. I had forgotten what those felt like.

In addition, I recently had my anti-thyroid antibodies tested and they are down to 400, from over 1300! They are only a THIRD of what they used to be. I almost consider that a miracle. That’s life changing.

If you’re suffering painful inflammation, talk to your doctor about adding a selenium supplement to your diet. The smell and taste of the selenium supplement I take is a little off-putting, but the benefits are all worth it. I have found that the taste of the pill is less bothersome if I take it with a meal.

For those of you that need or want proof of the claims about Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis and Selenium supplementation click here to read about the study.

Let us know if selenium has helped you!

The Occasional “Good” Day

Recently, I had some “good” days. Good is always relative when you’re talking about Hashimoto’s Thyroiditis. By “good”, I mean a lot less pain that usual and a bit more energy. There was still pain, of course, and my energy was still a lot less than what a normal person has, but it was good to be reminded I CAN feel good. I think I hit the “sweet spot” in my medication levels.

Of course, that did not last long. I picked up a virus from work and it’s been two weeks of feeling horrible. The virus is long gone, but I’m sure it triggered my Hashimoto’s to flare and I am in so much pain I don’t want to move, especially my right wrist, as I type this.

So… what can I do? There’s always pain medication, ibuprofen, acetaminophen, etc. But also, there’s the choice of what I put in my body as food and drink. I have been taking coconut oil lately, and boy did it help with my sore throat when I had that virus! Also, I’m drinking green tea, gotta fight that inflammation and those free radicals. I hate green tea, but at work they have a variety of teas available for us to try and I found a green tea I actually like. It’s Bigelow’s green tea with pomegranate. So, today, I’m curled up on the couch, sipping green tea, with the pup cuddled up next to me. I don’t plan to move much today, but it’s Saturday, so I have that luxury.

I’m hoping that I will find the culprits that contribute to my Hashi’s pain and the foods that help heal it. I don’t imagine it will be easy, as I suspect gluten and dairy, which I absolutely love. But, I think I hate being in pain more than I love cheese. I want to get back to having that occasional good day, the days when I feel strong, like I could actually run, the days I used to have before this disease really had an impact on me.

Dinner Out

So, for the first time in quite a while, the hubby and I went out to dinner. We split some potato chip nachos for an appetizer and then I had a very yummy sandwich, full of turkey, pickles, and cheese. I paid for it. I had acid reflux for most of the weekend. Blaugh.

And today, I’m feeling pretty horrible. Allergies. Or a cold. I’m not sure which. Since I wasn’t able to take a zyrtec in the morning, as usual, I suspect allergies. And I have more acid reflux. It occurred to me that maybe some of my acid reflux is caused, or at least exacerbated, by allergies. A quick search online and I find that others are complaining about some sort of perceived link between allergies and acid reflux. So, I will definitely be researching that.

For now, I’m going to go deal with my headache. I’m pretty sure that’s tied to my allergies too. UGH!