Catching Up

On one hand, May was a slow month for progress.  On the other hand, getting through May meant conquering some heavy issues that have been lingering for awhile.

In May, Dr. Stadler and I started addressing secondary issues - important issues that couldn't be tackled without complete assurance that my intestinal track was healed and absorbing nutrients properly.

On May 10th, Dr. S ordered a battery of lab tests to determine my progress. Here's a rundown of the tests he ordered:

1. Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
2. Lipid Panel
3. Glycated Hemoglobin Test
4. Assay Thyroid Stimulating Hormone Test
5. Vitamin D
6. C-Reactive Protein
7. Free T-4
8. T3

At my May 16th appointment, we discussed the results and since it's been several weeks since I actually discussed the results with him, I'll give you the bottom line.  I'M DOING AWESOME!!

In almost every test, I had met or exceeded his expectations for progress.  With the exception of my cholesterol test (the lipid panel), I made great strides.  My Vitamin D levels bottomed out a few years ago at 17.  When tested in January, the level was up to 22.  In May?  My Vitamin D level is at an all time high of 58!  Simply stated, what I've been doing is working.  The high level of Vitamin D is a strong indicator that my leaky gut is healed.

Also up to satisfactory levels is my C-Reactive Protein.  If you remember from an earlier post, the previous results from this test indicated I was at risk for diabetes, heart disease, heart attack and the possibility of other auto-immune disorders.  While the functional levels are not where Dr. S would like to see them, they are at the top of a "normal" range.  This is progress.

With this level of progress, it was time to start really tackling my adrenal fatigue, fatigue in general, mental fog and problems sleeping.  He started me on a hormone cream called Adrenostim.  The primary purpose of this cream was to regulate my cortisol levels so I wouldn't wake up exhausted everyday and/or have my energy bottom out in the afternoon.  I started using it on a Thursday and noticed results within a few days.  

Since then, I've also started taking a mega dose of B-12, a cholesterol-lowering supplement called Cholestar, and two supplements to help regulate neurotransmitter activity (brain fog and sleep patterns) - Acetyl-CH and Gabatone.

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was able to introduce beef back into my diet.  It was a welcome change but I'm careful to only eat it once or twice a week.  It tastes good and I did miss it but I noticed that it tends to clog up my digestive system just a bit and honestly, the ways I was used to eating it are not a part of my diet anymore.  

Now that I've pretty much mastered my diet, I've noticed subtle (or in some cases, not so subtle) changes that happen when I eat certain things.  Iodized salt seems to be a huge trigger for me.  It gives me a major headache, it makes me retain water and the bloating can last for days.  This is one of those ingredients that doesn't have to be specifically labeled on products - manufacturers only have to list "salt".  They don't have to tell you it's iodized.  So, unless the packaging says "sea salt", I try to avoid it.  Also, bananas for breakfast make me nauseated.  Although they are supposed to be a low-glycemic fruit and shouldn't spike my blood sugar, for some reason it feels like it does.  Or, maybe bananas and fish aren't meant to be eaten together for breakfast...

My weight loss stalled in May as well.  I lost and gained the same 3 pounds during the whole month.  June is looking good though.  As of this morning, I've lost a total of 34.8 pounds since February 16th.  I can't even remember the last time I was in this weight range.  It was at least two and half years ago.  It feels so good to put on clothes that used to strangle me and have them feel loose.  Even better getting a text a from a friend I hadn't seen in a few weeks telling me that I looked "radiant".  

Perhaps the most significant thing I did in the month of May for my health was go back to talk therapy.  In a tender-mercy moment, I reconnected with a therapist that helped me years ago.  Going back to her was like meeting up with an old friend and talking as if no time had passed at all.  I believe now, more than ever, that everything happens for a reason and I found her again at the exact right time.  Working with her has been just as imperative to my health as working with Dr. Stadler.  Both have become an integral part of my healing process - both emotionally and physically.

I realize, as I hope you do too, this is my version of Hashimoto's Disease.  I've met so many people that don't even have this disease but somehow, through our connection, they've been able to help me heal and I've been able to help them in some way.  Knowing that I am not taking this journey alone is so comforting.

My New Favorite

So, I continued to see Dr. Gage at Red River Health & Wellness on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Each visit, we'd review the plan, I'd have a list of questions, he'd give me answers and never fail, at each appointment I'd ask if I could start exercising again.

The answer was always no.

Because my adrenal system is so compromised, any amount of exertion puts me at risk for a number of concerning things including increased fatigue (as if I could be any more tired than I already am?), a heart attack and extreme difficulty in actually healing my adrenal system.

On March 7th, I met with a doctor in the practice I hadn't met with before. Dr. Stadler. By this time, the results from the stool sample test came back. I had a leaky gut - officially called intestinal permeability. My system wasn't absorbing the necessary nutrients or calories from the food I was eating. Combined with a low level of Vitamin D and the number of food sensitivities I had, my cells just kind of went haywire and instead of using the energy of the food I was consuming and eliminating what I didn't need, everything I was eating was just turning into stored fat.

Dr. Stadler felt that given the fact that I had so many things to "fix", he needed to take a day or two to regroup, meet with the other Doctors to review my case and decide where to start first. That was a Thursday. He said he'd call Friday afternoon or Monday at the latest.

He called Monday with a plan. We were going to start with healing the intestinal permeability. If we didn't start there, any other treatment would be pointless. An impermeable gut is needed to ensure the adrenal system could rebalance and heal properly. Can't fix the one without fixing the other first.

Dr. Stadler also expressed concern that my headaches weren't lessening. He felt that it was exoskeletal as much as it was internal. So, from then on, at every appointment, he wanted me to have at the very least, a 30-minute massage (tough requirement, I know), a program assessment, a chiropractic adjustment and an 8-12 minute turn on the cervical decompression machine.

He promised that if we didn't have positive results, he would take me out of the program and give me my money back. He had confidence though that that wouldn't happen. Working together, we would see results and I would have more good days than bad days.

The next day was a Tuesday and he and I met. From then on, Dr. Stadler has been the only doctor treating me in the practice.

Any doctor requiring me to get massages on a a weekly basis was my new favorite.