I cured my thyroid without a single prescription pill!

 

I CURED my thyroid disease without a single prescription pill!

A year ago I was diagnosed with thyroid disease. This is my story:

 

Symptoms and signals

What started out as what I thought was baby blues and general recovery from a c-section went on to wondering about post partum depression; then went even further into “Okay, something is wrong with me!”

I was tired ALL THE TIME! Angry and short-tempered. Then, the real symptoms began. I was losing weight at an astronomical rate, even for breastfeeding. Then, I noticed marks appearing on my legs. What looked like bruising but had no sensitivity and I know I didn’t bump into things on my inner thighs and backs of my calves. Eventually the marks were showing up on my forearms, lasting for days and even longer; I was scared. I thought ‘cancer, or stroke!’ I experienced dizzy spells, delirium and blacking out! All scary stuff!

For weeks, friends and family and even I kept telling me, “it’s time to go to the doctor!” Well, I don’t do doctors well. Maybe it was the specific doctors I have seen but none have been nice. I think the term is “bedside manner.” Yeah well, they didn’t have ANY. There are other reasons I don’t like doctors but that’s another post for another day.

Doctors, tests results and THEIR advice

I finally did go to the doctor, though. Truthfully, I hadn’t been to a general practitioner in years! I only went to OB/GYN for pregnancy and checkups. When I made the appointment the earliest available was with the nurse practitioner. She was … nice, listened to my laundry list of ailments and concerns. She ordered testing and said I should follow-up for the results. Instead of a visit like she suggested, I got a phone call from the office with a prescription for thyroid meds and that was that!

 

“you’ll need to take this prescription for the rest of your life.”

 

I had questions, though. Was this the end all be all of my problems?? Their answer was, “yes.” Thyroid conditions are permanent and I would have to take the hormones for the rest of my life. This was not the answer I wanted to hear, so in comes the research. (I’m stubborn, I know.)

On my own, I decided to follow-up with an endocrinologist, a specialist in dealing with the endocrine system. Someone who could hopefully shed some light on why my symptoms didn’t match up with the diagnosis, where they came from to begin with and hopefully a better course of action than just ‘take these pills’. After all, my blood work showed one thing, hypothyroidism, and my symptoms showed hyperthyroidism. Baffling!

The endocrinologist advised that my condition, which could be in general terms, Thyroiditis, where the thyroid has been damaged and is now under/overreacting according to my hormone levels, which weren’t stable. Given the circumstances of being 8 months postpartum she mentioned a rare case of postpartum thyroiditis with the future outcome to be a permanent condition of hypothyroidism and ultimately taking the meds for the rest of my life.

She also found a nodule on my thyroid and ordered an ultrasound which showed a mass on my thyroid of about 2cm. She suggested having it removed, along with any part of my thyroid it might be attached to.

“Surgery is necessary to eliminate this growth.”

Hmm, where have I heard this before? Yeah, I wasn’t buying it.

I continued to research, finding once surgery of such an important gland is performed, there is no going back, that’s it. It’s gone. It did not sound appealing to me; I’d like to stay intact.

I also reached out to my OB on my search for an explanation of the other ailments the thyroid was not supposed to be responsible for, like the bruising. I thought my breastfeeding the baby could have something to do with it all but after more testing… my clotting numbers were off and she suggested a hematological oncologist. That’s right, ONCOLOGIST. More doctors…more testing. But, no answers. I visited the endocrinologist again for follow ups, visited with a surgeon to discuss removing the nodule. Everywhere in my quest, I got dead ends. Several times all the doctors mentioned my insurance. They all talked about legalities involved in what they can do and even SAY to me. One doctor admitted that the medical board he had to answer to would take his license for even discussing other options than the approved protocol. YUCK! I was done!

I appreciate Doctors and their knowledge and expertise but modern medicine, contrary to popular belief, is not an exact science. It is scientists making educated guesses based on medical journals and previous cases. What if I had something new? What if my condition wasn’t in their medical journal or text-book? What if the tests were wrong?

One study I found said a woman who has had a c-section (which I had) has a higher chance of developing a thyroid issue. I’m bitter at this point and grinding my teeth at the thought of being in the labor delivery room for 30+ hours with failure to progress and the doctor saying we don’t have a lot of options, C-section is the way to go. I remember I was holding onto what little shred of laboring dignity I had left. I told him I will not agree to this, I won’t say yes to a c-section (as I signed the paper authorizing the c-section).

See, I had worked so hard throughout the pregnancy to avoid a c-section. We, in fact, had one scheduled because our baby was breach. I found a Webster certified chiropractor and after just 2 treatments, a baby that had been lodged in one position for 4 months turned around and engaged head down the day before the c-section was to take place. We canceled. She measured big though and labor began on my due date as it always has. I had steady contractions for a few hours and 7 cm. dilated was as far as I made it. The baby never engaged in my pelvis and contractions were not steady anymore, they were 3 minutes long and 10-15 minutes apart at times. This was not good. I had no other choice but to go home and wait and risk me and my baby’s lives. This is why I appreciate doctors and modern medicine. I would have no doubt been in BIG trouble had we not gone ahead with a c-section. MY baby? 10 lbs. 8 oz. Yep. I gave birth to a toddler, although it was more like birth was taken by our OB . Now, after all that, I am left with a scar and damaged thyroid. I know! I have a beautiful healthy baby, for now. Some reports babies born via c-section are more likely to develop health issues later in life.

The point of the story and of this post and of LIFE is that there is always another way. And such my quest continued…

Finding alternative treatment to thyroid issues.

There is the typical synthetic hormone replacement that I had a prescription for. Then, there is naturally derived thyroid hormones extracted from pigs, which most conventional MDs will not offer. Neither sounded appealing to me, of course. I was searching for something wholesome. I found and rejected different diets and supplements until I came across this one program about repairing the thyroid not just managing the symptom. REPAIRING it. So it can do what it is supposed to do naturally. But the doctors say that’s not possible. Once you have a thyroid problem, it is permanent. I was up for the challenge.

After a small investment I received a program that worked mainly off of a diet geared at healing the thyroid by making lifestyle changes that promote thyroid health, eating foods that heal the thyroid and supplementing with hormones and different vitamins and minerals as needed to fill in the gaps.

The lifestyle changes were nothing new because I was already avoiding toxic chemicals and environmental endocrine disruptors as best I could. After carefully discussing with my husband, we decided to give the healing diet 3 months and see what happens. If no change, we agreed I would then take medication.

Closely monitoring things like mood, sleep patterns, basal body temperature and pulse, I began.

This program helped me! It’s hard to tell to the extent that I actually had a thyroid problem or that I had become highly sensitive to gluten. The diet eliminates all grains. It also eliminates polyunsaturated fats, nuts, seeds, legumes and cruciferous vegetables. I know, you’re thinking, ‘what’s left?’

A typical day of meals while on this program:

Breakfast: An apple, egg frittata with zucchini and cheddar cheese, orange juice and coffee

Mid-morning snack: yogurt

Lunch: Organic grass-fed cheese burger with tomato (SANS bread), a pickle and chips or french-fries(the oil is important)

Afternoon snack: Carrot salad (shredded carrot, coconut and olive oils, apple cider vinegar, dash salt)

Dinner: Baked potato with butter or cheese and organic ketchup with chicken salad

Evening snack: Ice cream (Haagen-Dazs Vanilla)

I mentioned the gluten sensitivity because when you have celiac disease(an autoimmune disorder) or an intolerance to gluten, the chemical reactions it causes within in your body can cause an onset of other autoimmune diseases such as thyroiditis, diabetes, lupus and rheumatoid arthritis as well as over 100 other disorders. Most of the autoimmune disorders, once diagnosed, are considered incurable or permanent by doctors and the medical community only to be managed with prescription medications.

This is not the case for me, however.

How do I know gluten is the culprit?

Throughout the three months I was a new woman. I was able to get up in the morning (before 9 a.m.) and function like a normal person. I was making it through my days without falling asleep in random places like at red lights or the doctor’s waiting room. I was nice again. (I used to be nice before all this started, then I wasn’t) I stopped avoiding my friends and family because of my mood. The bruising stopped! In fact after about a week all my symptoms stopped.

Have you ever been to a bakery? A real down to earth homey type bakery where you step in and the smell and warmth envelope you like a big blanket and snuggle you up. Do that; then have someone tell you that you can’t have any of the baked goods. Been to a pizzeria lately? Hot and sweet with the aroma of garlic and cheese. The vision of a floppy dough with sauce and stringy gooey cheese….Can’t have it! Favorite burger joint? Don’t even think about it because without that soft yummy bun it’s just a slab of meat on a plate. Cakes, cookies, pastas? NO. NO. NO.

My life and love for good food was over and I hated it!

But I felt good. It’s a trade-off.

There were a few occasions when I went to a function whether with family or friends and was asked about the gluten. More like I was ridiculed and looked at as if I belonged in a straight jacket. Those days were tough. I started questioning myself. And then, I ate bread.

The following day, I couldn’t get out of bed. I was angry. I had a headache. Oh and within 24 hours of eating the gluten I had bruises on my legs.

It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure this one out.

I had choices to make. Tough choices(well not really) It was me and my well-being or the wheat!

I chose me!

After the three months, I went back to the doctor. They tested my blood. They looked at me like a medical anomaly. It was a miracle!! My thyroid and clotting time was normal…but I didn’t drink the Kool-Aid…eh… I mean, I didn’t take the medication!

 

 

Today: I am 7 months pregnant and have had my thyroid and clotting function tested during every trimester. It is all perfect! Like nothing was ever wrong. Oh, and this pregnancy, I have gained a “normal” amount of weight…not normal for me. I have gained between 60 and 90 lbs. in my other pregnancies. Things are very clear to me. Like a veil has been lifted.

I choose me!

 

 

This is my story! I am not a physician or medical professional. The information contained herein is for informational purposes and does not serve as advice diagnosis or treatment, please consult your physician for your own health needs.

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