NaBloPoMo is half over today (thank G-d!) and ironically enough, I pretty much had nothing to write about today. This has been the challenge of NaBloPoMo - finding something to write about every single day of this month. To be fair, I'm cheating slightly. For example, my post Saturday about the IF-Free Zone and Sunday's Infertility Blogger APB posts? Both were written last week and scheduled to post this weekend, because I didn't feel like writing this weekend. I've scheduled out my topics for most of the month, but I have a few days here and there- like today- where I didn't have a topic lined up. I wanted to build in room for non-premeditated things of interest in my life, but today was just so blah.
Like I mentioned, I should be running. Today starts week 2 of c25k, and according to Larry, week 2 day 1 is hella hard. I have to go back to work (30 minutes away) at 10pm, so I've got about another 2 hours before I miss my window to run at all today.
I totally don't want to run. But I HAVE to run or this program will fall apart. It's tricky because I've yet to run solo, and Larry is out of town this week starting tomorrow. We ran separately today because of our crazy evening schedules. We'll have to run separately again Wednesday, but presumably we can run together after work on Friday.
Hmmm... I wonder how many sentences I can type before I run out of time to run today?
. . .
In other news, I had a doctor's appointment with my new primary care physician. Since I haven't seen Dr. Skinny Bitch in forever, and Dr. G is pretty much useless, it was time to get a new PCP. I checked out the Thyroid Top Docs list and lo and behold, there's a great doctor who fits into my commute between work and home. We were a bit rushed; after going through my medical history he ordered a barrage of blood tests, and I needed to get to the lab before they closed at 5pm. Basically, he reiterated that my main issues seem to be thyroid, POF/PCOS (I was surprised he didn't completely rule out PCOS from my potential list of current issues), and allergies.
Looks like it's time for another Dr. codename! I'll call him Dr. Armour, since he's the first doctor to suggest throwing a little T3 into my thyroid med mix. My numbers look great but I still feel like poo (exhaustion, brain fog, excessive hair shedding), and given my high anti-thyroid antibody counts, he thinks I'm a good candidate for a combo of T4 (Levoxyl) and T3 (Armour Thyroid).
It took 30 minutes in the lab (well past when they closed), 3 stick sites (thank you, inept phlebotomist who clearly was more concerned about going home on time than getting it right the first try), and 7 tubes of blood to finally get everything Dr. Armour ordered. Standard stuff: comprehensive metabolic panel, thyroid workup, cholesterol check. But he also added in a test for genetic thrombophilia (clotting disorder) and a test for Celiac's Disease.
Apparently, Celiac's Disease is pretty common among both the hypothyroid and POF crowds. Also- random fact- it affects the Irish the most. Dr. Armour was surprised when I told him that I'm half-Irish. "With a name like Keiko," he said, "it's a pretty safe bet that's why you've never been tested, because otherwise, you fit all of the criteria."
If I do have Celiac's, I have no idea what this means. I could kill more time not running by asking Dr. Google what she knows about Celiac's, but my guilt is eating away at me. I really need to run.
So, we'll see what the results come back with. $10 says I have Celiac's. Anyone else willing to take that bet? Also, anyone out there have Celiac's and want to share their experience in the comments?
Posts of substance this week to follow. Promise :)
4 comments:
I have a good friend who has Celiac's and another friend whose daughter has it. From what they've told me, initially, it's a bit hard getting use to going gluten free. However, once you get use to it, there is almost nothing that can't be made gluten free. If you happen to get that diagnosis, I have a ton of recipe sites with awesome gluten free recipes.
I dont know a ton about Celiac's, but I do know that its getting easier and easier to find things in stores (and even in restaurants) that are Gluten free.
YAY for someone who is looking at your T3 levels! I hope that it starts to help. I was tested for Celiac disease, too, when I started with my new doc ... came back negative. If it's positive, though, I will send you the most lovingly wrapped care package of gluten-free baked goods you've ever seen.
Oh, and ... deep breath. Off the couch. ;)
Hello there! I think this is the first time I've commented but always enjoy reading.
Celiac disease is an autoimmune disease in which the body cannot tolerate gluten, the protein found in wheat, barley, malt, rye, and other grains. Left untreated it damages the intestines and can cause all sorts of symptoms--GI symptoms, fatigue, pain, etc. Many people are asymptomatic, or have symptoms that are not typical GI complaints (add me to this list).
One in 133 people have it, but is quite under-diagnosed (see above). It's not uncommon for people with celiac to have other AI diseases, too.
Going gluten-free is a big change but totally worth it. Rice, corn, quinoa, potatoes, etc are all still safe, and after awhile you learn what questions to ask and what to look for in foods. For example, soy sauce has wheat flour so while a lot of sushi is safe, make sure you get GF soy sauce.
Plus, there is more awareness of and better labeling for GF foods than when I was diagnosed 7 yrs ago, and many local restaurants (I am in Boston too) have GF menus.
Anyway,if you do have it and have more questions feel free to get in touch or read any of the posts tagged "celiac" and "gluten-free" on my blog.
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