Long time, no see! Well, I’m finally back with a little more of what has been happening. You might recall, a few years ago, we made some big changes to our eating habits for the purposes of better health and honoring God. In this short series, I will tell where we are now and the direction of our new destination.

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There is SO much information out there about what is healthy and what is unhealthy. To the detriment of many, much of that information conflicts. But, I believe when we keep in mind who God is, we can make sense of it all.

(By the way, you will find a number of lists in this post. I love lists! I hope you bear with me through them.)

Speaking of lists, I haven’t been feeling 100% for a couple years, with things really becoming worse this last year. Oh, we bought a small piece of a farm with a gutted house. We are excited about raising more of our own healthy food. It’s been good, but stressful. I/my:

• have been fatigued (also guilty about not being able to accomplish all that I feel I should be)
• have trouble sleeping
• get a lot headaches and migraines (going to bed, waking me in the middle of the night or waking in the morning)
• brain is foggy
• get ocassional hives
• have worsening vision
• eyes are sensitive to light
• have dry skin
• get minor breakouts
• hands swell, especially in the morning…

We changed our eating habits several years ago to much healthier options, including a greater variety of fresh produce and becoming more informed and familiar with the sources and growers of our food. I did feel better and more energetic for a while. And yet lately, I have been listing (you know, like a boat with no wind in its sails). In speaking with the chiropractor I go to, he mentioned a few months ago that it could be adrenal exhaustion. Hmm, I had been thinking maybe that was it. This move thing and preparing a new home and property has been stressful, though exciting. I found desiccated, pastured beef adrenal gland capsules per his suggestion… and usually forgot to take them. Meanwhile, headaches, fatigue and brain fog continue. At a recent visit, he mentioned it might be my thyroid and I might consider having my doctor (who I hadn’t been to in 5 years) check my levels. Again, what I had been thinking. (I want to interject briefly, I love my chiropractor; he’s Christian, intelligent, knowledgeable and appreciates the natural approach.) Sooo.. I made an appointment at the doctor to request tests, specifically for nutrient levels, thyroid function and food allergies. I think he wasn’t convinced, but he did care that I wasn’t feeling well. His concern truly showed when he asked what my hobbies are and I sat there like a lump with my mouth half open desperately trying to think of something. Does washing dishes count as a hobby?

He ordered the tests I asked for and a few others:

• blood counts
• blood sugar
• cholesterol
• various nutrients
• liver function
• TSH
• common food allergy
• EKG (He heard a murmur, I said it’s been checked a few times before, but he wanted to check again. “It’s nothing to worry about.” Mhmm.)

Results: Everything was right in the middle of the appropriate range, with just a few exceptions:

• Wheat allergy returned “low” and dairy returned “undetermined.”
• Cholesterol — Total was a little high, but HDL was 20 points higher than the range. As the doctor said (he actually called me on the phone to talk about the results!), there really isn’t a “too high” for HDL, and the LDL was right where it needed to be, so it is “perfect.”
• TSH — made by the pituitary to tell the thyroid to do its work. This was not detectable, indicating the pituitary wasn’t functioning properly or the thyroid was overproducing, sending the message to the pituitary to stop doing its thing.
• based on TSH result, additional tests were ordered to determine T3 & T4 levels. These are tested when hyperthyroidism is suspected. T4 was just a tiny bit high = hyperthyroidism. Cause? Inflammation/Grave’s Disease/auto-immune disease or nodule(s) on the thyroid…

Another test –(Radioactive) iodine uptake scan — to determine if it might be Grave’s disease or a nodule

The doctor called to say it is Grave’s disease; I would need a daily Rx (can’t remember what it is, I haven’t picked it up) and an appointment with an endocrinologist (yet to make this appointment, will see what (s)he has to say). I said I’d like to work on this by way of changing my eating habits. He respectfully said that while he appreciated me wanting to go a natural route, changing my diet wasn’t going to help. If you know me, you know I like to think for myself. 🙂

Read Part 2 to find out what I believe…