Hypo

Hello! It has been such a long time since I last updated you all. Let's see...


I have returned from vacation and back to reality, as in, a full work week! It's hard enough coming back to work after vacation, but I have also been off of all of my thyroid meds for a week and a half now, and as the effects of hypothyroidism start to creep in, every day gets a little harder. In case you don't know all of the fun symptoms, here are some:

• Fatigue
• Weight gain
• Weakness
• Depression
• Memory problems
• Constipation
• Hair loss
• Dry skin
• Cold intolerance

So far, I'm actually feeling better than I had anticipated. I am able to get through each day, but by 9pm it's hard to stay awake and if I lay down I'll be out in about 2 seconds! I feel quite bloated but I've been able to avoid the scale so far, so I'm not sure how much weight I've gained. My doctor assured me it is only water weight and will come off quickly once I'm back on my levothyroxine. I've definitely dodged the depression, but I can't remember if I have any memory loss ;-) 

Yesterday marked Day 1 of my low-iodine diet. It is much more strict than you'd imagine! No dairy or egg yolks allowed (egg whites okay), and only 6 ounces of meat per day. Fortunately for me, I'm already vegan so I don't have to worry about that. No processed foods, as it's not clear whether or not they contain iodine (it isn't listed on nutrition labels). No restaurant food for that same reason. So that leaves me with an abundance of fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, legumes, and seeds to eat! Even with my normal diet I try to stick to whole foods and nothing processed, but this is a wake up to have to make every simple ingredient from scratch and not open any cans of beans or tomatoes. I'm using this as an opportunity to take on a mostly raw diet. It will be like a cleanse. I downloaded a cookbook from a thyroid cancer website expecting to find great tips. Instead, I was shocked at how unhealthy most of the recipes were. Flour, sugar, and potatoes obviously are acceptable elements to this diet!

I might have mentioned this before, but I have been very inspired by the work of Kris Carr, a cancer survivor who has written multiple books and filmed a documentary called Crazy Sexy Cancer. She wrote a great book on cancer prevention called Crazy Sexy Diet. Check it out! I have been very inspired in the recent weeks by people around be beginning a vegetarian lifestyle. I'm excited to see where it will take them. 

I hope you all enjoy your beautiful Memorial Day weekend! I have my RAI diagnostic dose on Friday, followed by my first full body scan on Monday, June 6. I am very anxious for those results but confident that they will be great :)

xoxo, 

Lisa