June is the month filled with consistently warmer and longer days. It is usually the winding down of the school year and dreams of planned summer vacations.This year things will be done a little differently. These past months have been difficult for all of us. For me I know I have been struggling with eating to support my body, getting consistent sleep and moving the way I need to. But if I get real with myself this really started long before the pandemic.
Two years ago I started menopause, and it was pretty smooth sailing. Last March of 2019, I was period free for one year and officially declared post menopausal! I thought to myself, “wow, it wasn’t that bad” ...and then things started to change. My thyroid had been in check and I was feeling pretty damn good since being diagnosed 6 years ago and changing my lifestyle, but recently my blood work numbers started to change and my thyroid showed signs of struggling. Before I knew it, sleep quality was an issue, not to mention the horrible night and day sweats! Joint pain was getting bad and the weight gain was on the rise. At first I just tried to push through it, thinking it would ease up. Then I developed frozen shoulder and plantar fasciitis in both my feet. It was increasingly harder to workout with such chronic pain and it started to affect my mental state; this was not going to just go away.
I booked with my Naturopathic doctor and we tried a lot of different supplements. Some things helped a little, but then it would stop working. I did acupuncture, massage therapy, even chiropractic, but the joint pain wasn’t giving up and the hot flashes were relentless. The lack of good quality sleep was taking its toll, which I know was taxing my adrenals.
Fast forward to March 2020 and the arrival of the pandemic. Like gasoline on a fire, this added stress into the mix. My business was completely shut down, my husband was laid off and my youngest daughter's life was completely turned upside down. I was slipping downhill fast. The first few weeks we all just ate whatever and lounged around watching Netflix. In the beginning it was like an extended holiday, everyone was just taking it easy, but then the reality set in that this was going to go on for a long time. At this point I knew it was time I had to do something to help my body and this is when I decided to do a hormone reset. I researched top authors on hormone balancing and Sara Gottried, MD kept coming up. So I got the book and started my grocery list of what I needed.
I started May 28th. The first three days you remove red meat, pork and alcohol. As I’m writing this, I am feeling pretty good. I have seen some positive changes in the bloat, and my sleep is getting better and hot flashes are fewer and less intense. You have to check your blood sugar daily and your PH levels. My blood sugar has been awesome, but I am still at an acidic PH level, which can take some time to balance. Overall I am hoping to heal my metabolism and get my numbers back to where I had them. I will keep you posted every few days on how things are going via my Instagram @healing_hashimoto.
If you have any questions on dealing with hashimoto or this hormone reset send me a DM on instagram.
Cheers Wendy
Comments