Suffering in Silence with Autoimmune Disease

Far too many moms are suffering in silence. I know this because I was one of them for many years. It’s so easy to forget about our needs because so many others need us to do for them. I was guilty of this too. I know I am not alone. In fact, every single mom client I have ever met is totally guilty of this. It takes time and a mindset shift to learn how to manage to be a mom and paying attention to self-care….. it’s not a luxury its a necessity!

For those new to my blog or my story…

I was diagnosed with Hashimotos (autoimmune thyroid disorder) almost 20 years ago. Back then I was also over 300 pounds. Needless to say, I fought with attempting to lose weight, battled depression while still trying to be a military wife and a first-time mom to a very demanding new baby.

While my hubby was deployed to Afghanistan I decided to take control of my life. I joined a local gym that had daily group exercise classes as well as 2 hrs of childcare daily. Guess how much time I spent working out every day? Yup, 2 hours. Like I said I had a very challenging baby. Later he would be diagnosed with autism (Aspergers), ADHD, ADD, OCD, ODD and many other letters. I will post more about this in another blog posting.

I went on a very low carb diet plan and ate mostly lean protein and produce (fruits & veggies). After a few months, I lost maybe 10 lbs. I later found out that it was my thyroid that was keeping me from really excelling. To add fuel to the thyroid fire, I was over exercising and burning out my adrenals. Plus, at the time I knew nothing about how household and personal care products were adversely affecting my endocrine system either. Basically, I was on a dead-end road leading to depression.

To make this very long story short here is a list of events that took place:

  • hubby deployed and on my own with a demanding child
  • diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disorder-went on synthetic thyroid hormone replacement medication.
  • began over-exercising, taxing adrenals more
  • exit military life (no jobs, bought house, relocated, demanding child and I was still sickly
  • weight loss surgery #1 (gastric banding)
  • had child #2, lots of complication to include being connected to wound vac for months because c-section reopened (yuck!)
  • regained most weight, then had an adverse reaction to the surgical device (lap band)
  • removed lap band and converted to gastric bypass – weight loss surgery #2
  • became very deficient in vitamins, minerals.
  • started IV therapy for deficiencies with little relief
  • began self-education on my health to become my own advocate
  • found nutritional support and supplementation that helped with deficiencies
  • reversed thyroid disorder and lost weight and was very active (yay!)
  • was in an auto accident totaling my vehicle and caused a concussion
  • 2+ years of migraines, lots of medications and NO relief
  • properly diagnosed with acquired Chiari Malformation.
  • surgeries include; 2 brain surgeries, cervical fusion, disc replaced in the neck, nerve release in both wrists, elbow nerve and bone spur surgery….7 surgeries in less than 3 years (can you say stress?)
  • During this 3-year time frame, I fought off a kidney infection, sinus infection, dental infections, all requiring lots of antibiotics.
  • Fall of 2017 my hashimotos was back and there was nothing I could do to keep it from returning.
  • diagnosed with pituitary adenomas, thankfully they are not yet excreting hormones (I will need to watch this)

*Stress is the #1 trigger for myself and many others. Often it cannot be avoided, such as in my case. I took me about 4 months of aggressive therapy and many alternative treatments to reverse the autoimmune reaction my body was experiencing.

  • Started thyroid hormone therapy medication along with changes to my supplement regimen to reflect my needs
  • I sought out a functional physician who would be willing to listen to what I had to say and to give me another opinion beyond my own.
  • with some tweaking and advice from the functional team, My thyroid is once again on the mend. It has reversed and improved over 80% from where it was.

The fact that I have reversed my disease once and doing it again, this time with so much working against me proves that we have the power to determine our health and our future wellness.  This is my mission, to empower other moms out there who are confused and suffering in silence.

I want every mom to know they have a voice and when given the right tools and knowledge along with motivation and support, they to can take back control of their health.

If oyu are newly diagnosed, check out the “Thyroid labs at a Glance” chart, it’s a great tool to get you started on your road to recovery.

 

For more information about the exact program, I use to reverse Hashimotos, check out the Road Map to Recovery for Moms with Hashimotos.

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