Health Update

What a difference a year makes.  When I think back to last year, I was in such a bad place with my health.  I had been diagnosed with adenomyosis in the Spring of 2018.  That summer I had tried to get an IUD to alleviate my symptoms, but my body had an AWFUL response to it, so I had it removed after only 10 days.  After that, my periods just got worse each month.  In October of 2018, I went to the ER because I was having some scary symptoms from my excessive bleeding.  I was home alone with both boys needing to take Owen to preschool, but I honestly didn’t feel safe driving.  My friend Lindsey offered to come get him, and when she saw me she didn’t think I looked well.  I called my OB’s office and the triage nurse advised me to go to the ER.  After she told me that I recall crying and saying, “Okay thanks I love you.” (Clearly I was delirious, lol!)

To add to the stress of my ER visit, I had to cancel a Little Cardboard Rocket Books and Baking class that I was hosting at my house the next day.  From that point on, I was forced to plan my life around my stupid period and could no longer be relied upon for anything one week out of every month.  I even had tickets to fly to Kansas City to surprise my life-long best friend on her birthday and meet her twin baby girls for the first time, but had to cancel the trip at the very last minute due to my period.  I could not continue to live my life that way, so my OB advised I get a hysterectomy.  (I think at one point I even threatened to rip out my uterus myself!)

I went as far as receiving the letter from my insurance company saying I had been approved since the procedure was deemed “medically necessary.”  I was even in contact with the surgery scheduler hoping to get it scheduled in the Spring of 2019.  Despite all my pain and suffering I had been through, though, I just did not find myself at peace with the decision to get a hysterectomy at age 33.  On the contrary, being faced with a looming hysterectomy actually sent me into a bad depressive state which forced me to go back to my full dosage of anxiety meds I had been trying to wean off of.

My friend Diana had suggested I make an appointment with a naturopath who she had recently seen herself.  Her name is Dr. Katie Rose, and she specializes in balancing women’s hormones.  Diana insisted I would just love her, and she was right!  When I first met with Dr. Rose, she said “Adenomyosis is a very difficult condition to treat, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy.”  Those were hard words to hear, but at the same time they also made me feel validated for all I had been through and that my pain and suffering wasn’t all just in my head.  I left Dr. Rose’s office that day feeling like if there was any medical professional out there her would be able to help me, she was it.

Naturopathic medicine is very different than traditional Western medicine.  For one, it is not covered by insurance in the state of Arizona.  That is especially hard for someone like me to swallow who makes exactly $0/year as a stay-at-home-mom.  It is extremely frustrating that insurance will pay thousands of dollars for me to get a major surgery, but won’t pay a few hundred dollars to cover some appointments and supplements.  With all that being said, though, the cost has been MORE than worth it!!!

I was terrified that Dr. Rose was going to make me do an entire overhaul on my diet.  When I had Googled ‘adenomyosis diet,’ I read “No coffee. No alcohol. No exceptions.”  My immediate thought was, “Welp, looks like I’m just going to have to get that hysterectomy!”  Thankfully, Dr. Rose initially said I didn’t have to give anything up at all!  Instead, she just advised I eat at least 2 servings/day of vegetables from the Brassica family the week before my period. (Broccoli, cauliflower, brussels sprouts, cabbage, etc.)  That was more than doable!  Also, she prescribed several different supplements to help not only with balancing my hormones, but also to help me with my sleep issues that I’ve had since becoming a mom.  For the first time in my life, I was being treated as a whole patient rather than just for my individual symptoms!

Dr. Rose ordered a blood test to check my hormone levels and various blood counts.  The lab results revealed that I have a high level of thyroid antibodies.  Though my thyroid itself has been functioning just fine, the antibodies suggest that it will eventually be destroyed if I don’t make changes to my lifestyle to bring down the level of antibodies.  In other words, I have asymptomatic Hashimoto’s disease.  The same person who referred me to Dr. Rose, my friend Diana, has suffered from Hashimoto’s disease for the last 3+ years.  If it wasn’t for seeing what all she has been through, I probably wouldn’t have been motivated to make my own lifestyle changes.  I have known Diana for over 5 years, so I saw how much Hashimoto’s has changed and affected her life.  If it wasn’t for Diana, I probably wouldn’t have taken Dr. Rose seriously when she suggested I give up gluten and start limiting dairy in order to reduce my thyroid antibodies.  I have never been one to restrict my diet in any way shape or form, yet I am proud to say that I have given up my life-long addiction to cow’s milk, and I have been strictly gluten-free for the past 6 months!  (Okay, so I might have made an exception for my brother’s amazing wedding cake this past July, but I think that was more than justified.)

Within days of first starting the dietary restrictions, we made a trip to visit friends and family in Kansas.  We stayed with my life-long friend Kristina who had recently become a Beachbody coach.  When she first got started with Beachbody, my thoughts were “NOOOOO!!!  One of my best friends is now drinking the Kool-Aid of an MLM!”  However, I had been curious about Beachbody since one of my close Tucson friends, Laura, has gotten in amazing shape since starting the workout programs over 3 years ago.  I had asked how much she pays to get access to the workouts, and was shocked to learn it only costs $100 for an entire year of unlimited access.  Therefore, I told Kristina that I wanted to try working out with her and her husband Zach while we were staying with them.  I absolutely loved it.  After only two days of 30-minute workouts from their 21-Day Fix program, I was super sore.  That told me: 1.) The workouts must have been good, and 2.) I was definitely out of shape.  I couldn’t wait to sign up and get started once I got home!

In the last 133 days since starting Beachbody, I have gotten in 124 workouts.  That means I have worked out nearly every single day, and each of my workouts has only cost me about 80 cents.  With 232 days still left in the year, I am obviously getting my money’s worth!  I actually used the cost as a big motivating factor for me to get into the habit of working out in the first place.  On Day 1, my workout cost me $100.  On Day 2, it cost $50.  On Day 3 it cost $33, and so on and so on until I’m now down to paying just cents to workout each day.  I certainly wouldn’t be able to get as much of my money’s worth from any kind of a gym membership.  Plus as a mom of young children, it is SO hard to find time to get out of the house to work out.  More often than not, one or both of my boys is right there with me as I am doing my workout.  At first they used to be all up in my business and I had to constantly get after them to get out of my space or else they’d get hit with a weight, etc, but now they mostly leave me alone since they are used to seeing me workout.

Another reason Beachbody workouts are so much more doable for me than going to a gym is because they are only 30 minutes.  Who doesn’t have 30 minutes???  Plus it’s not like I have to take the time to get all dressed up and drive anywhere.  Half the time I workout barefoot in my pajamas.  Frankly, it eliminates my ability to make excuses since the workouts can be done at anytime and anywhere without the need for childcare.  I tried the whole “getting up early before the kids” thing to get my workout in, but I learned that means the kids just tend to wake up even earlier.  Instead, I’ve learned I actually prefer to workout after I’ve had a chance to wake up, drink my morning coffee and eat breakfast.  I seem to have far more energy at that time.

I should also share that around the same time that I learned of my high thyroid antibodies, I received my latest 23&Me report revealing that I am genetically predisposed to Type 2 diabetes.  This wasn’t very shocking since it runs on both sides of my family.  However, it was yet another piece of information that gave me the kick in the pants to finally make some serious lifestyle changes.  If there is one thing I’ve learned from all that I have been through, it’s DON’T LET YOUR NON-DEBILITATING HEALTH ISSUES DEBILITATE YOU!  I thought adenomyosis was debilitating for me.  Whenever I was on period a year ago, I was usually bedridden for about 2-3 days.  The last thing I would have ever wanted to do at that time is workout.  However, I have since discovered that after I begin my workouts, my pain and cramping almost immediately goes away.  It often returns shortly after I stop working out, so as it turns out I’m actually MORE motivated to workout when I’m on my period!

As I type this, I am less than 30 minutes away from my scheduled follow-up lab work.  These past 6 months of lifestyle changes all lead up to this one blood test.  On one hand, I am secretly hoping that my thyroid antibodies haven’t changed at all so I can go back to eating all the gluten I know and love.  However, my true hope is that I have been able to successfully reduce the level of thyroid antibodies so I don’t have to worry about my thyroid as a “ticking time bomb.”  Plus, it would be pretty discouraging if these past 6 months of lifestyle changes and dietary restrictions hasn’t proven to be helpful according to my bloodwork.

Even if the bloodwork doesn’t reveal any changes, though, I know for a fact that it has all been worth it!   I am in the best shape of my life.  I feel great.  I am sleeping well.  I am in a very happy place.  My period no longer controls my life.  I am no longer in need of a hysterectomy at this time.  The fact that I have been able to eliminate the need for a MAJOR SURGERY just by making healthy lifestyle changes is something I am very proud of!  I have so many people to thank for getting me through this past year.  Whether I have mentioned you in this post or not, please know how much I appreciate all the love and support I’ve received from my family and friends throughout this very challenging year.  I am eternally grateful for you all!