Kate, first off, so sorry to hear about gumball. That is really sad. If you get to the point that you want to chat about it, feel free to call!
I first off want to apologize that I've been kinda out of the loop in regards to keeping up with phone calls/texts to you lovely ladies. The past 2-3 weeks I have been going to doctor's appointments, getting blood work, etc. What brought this all on, you ask? Well, for quite a while now I have been gaining unexplained amounts of weight and have been super exhausted, no matter what. I have been going to bed at around 8:30pm, waking up around 6:00 and still having a hard time getting out of bed, despite getting like 10 hours of sleep! I went to my primary care doctor to chat about it and he ordered some blood work to measure my thyroid levels. From googling, I found that weight gain and exhaustion are two of the main symptoms associated with under-active thyroids. So my blood work came back a little high, but nothing alarming or dangerous. To rule out everything, he told me to get a sonogram of my thyroid to check for cysts. Well I did that and what do you know? The results showed that I have an irregular cyst on my thyroid. This lead me to another round of more specific blood tests, and an appointment with an endocrinologist. So, I had that appointment today, and the good news is that the cyst is 95% benign, and he's not even concerned enough about it to get it biopsied (which I was happy with considering getting a needle shoved through my neck is not my idea of a good time). So after we ruled that out, he officially diagnosed me with hyperinsulinema, excessively high levels of insulin circulating in the blood. I wish I could be more detailed but it involves a lot of big words and is heavy on the science. So the long and short of it is -- I was put on a low dose synthyroid pill, which will help raise up the hormones that the thyroid produces since my is a bit underactive. In addition, I have to change my diet. Michelle, this is where you come in! I would love your help if you are familiar at all with this condition! My food intake has to be based on the glycemic index. I bought 2 books on it to familiarize myself more with the condition hyperinsulinemia and how I can get myself on a regulated diet. From a quick browse, reduce carb intake, low-sugar, all brown grains, no white, etc. I also have to eat a snack in between every meal (even if I am not hungry) to keep my insulin levels from peaking and dropping. While I am not looking forward to changing how I eat, I am happy to be getting this under control b/c if left untreated, hyperinsulinemia can turn into diabetes, and lord knows I do not want that!
So, that's the Ali medical update. I am hoping that this diet works and I see results sooner, rather than later because I already bought a dress for Lauren's wedding that I love and I better freaking fit into it! If for some reason it doesn't work as quick as I want it to, I am gonna squeeze my fat ass into it anyway, and you all, as my best friends, are obligated to tell me that I look fantastic and that you can't believe how great I look :)
Ali, I'm so sorry to hear that you're going through this, but it sounds like your doctors know what they need to do so I'm sure that's a relief. If you need help with anything or just to talk, let me know. I've been trying to eat organic/natural foods, so I've got some great recipes/websites to try out. (I'm sure George was thrilled to hear that his diet would likely be changing due to this. :) Pat's starting to eat more like me now, too... he likes it, he just doesn't know it. :) Anyways, keep us in the loop with your progress! Love you!
ReplyDeleteAli, thanks for letting us know. My heart reaches out to you. I'm sure it's a huge relief to have answers to your questions and suggestions to help. Paul, Alyse's husband, is diabetic and has to eat a gluten-free. I've cooked dinner for them many times so I might be able to help with converting some of your favorite dishes to your new diet- depending on the meal of course.
ReplyDeleteNot to keep volunteering Michelle (or anyone else), but I would LOVE for any help to share healthy tips. Michael and I are also starting to look into eating healthier, organically, etc. Grace is great motivation and I'm planning on organically starting to introduce baby mush foods to her when she's 6 months. We're hoping to use that motivation to keep being as healthy as we can be. Exercise included of course.