My Diagnosis and my Healing Protocols

Thank you to those who’ve stuck around while I’ve been on a few months hiatus. I think the last time I posted a recipe was before our trip to South Africa at the end of last year. Needless to say I’ve been out of the swing of things with regards to this little online space. But I have returned and wanted to share my recent diagnosis with you, so grab a cup of tea and let’s get into it. 

In my mind, when scary health events happen in our lives, we often look to others for help, comfort or suggestions. It’s human nature to seek connection in times of uncertainty, and so I wanted to share my story in the hopes that others will either find they’re not alone in their health struggles, or maybe help someone with the information I’ve learnt over the last few weeks. 

With having felt I’ve got a grip on my initial autoimmune condition – Type 1 Diabetes – it came as such a shock to find out I’d developed a second one. As if one wasn’t enough, right? 🙂 

On 15 February 2019, I popped into the local blood lab to get blood drawn for my annual diabetes check up. Once a year I get a full panel done, to make sure my HBA1C is in range and that all my organs are functioning accordingly. I was surprised to receive a call from my Doctor a few hours later explaining my result had come back with abnormal results, suggesting an issue with my thyroid and possibly Hyperthyroidism.

Not the kind of phone call you want to receive while in the middle of the supermarket, whilst overwhelmed, she had my attention. She suggested I pop into the doctors rooms to collect another blood work form for further tests for antibodies to confirm her diagnosis. So I happily proceeded to go back to the blood lab and have another set of bloods drawn – for the second time that day. 

My Diagnosis

A week later my results were back and on 20 February I saw my Doctor first thing in the morning, where she confirm her initial diagnosis of Hyperthyroidism. Such sadness fell over me in that instant. How could all that I thought was doing good for my body, be clearly not the case. While I shed a few tears in my Doctors calm and caring company, she explained the steps forward with regards to medication.

Now I do want to clarify that I would have loved to have gone the holistic non-medical route, as that’s what I all about, but the risk of a thyroid storm combined with the risk of complicating my diabetes and damage to my body, I decided to go with my gut instinct and proceed with medication. 

I was prescribed 10mg of Carbimazole a day, along with Propranolol (beta blocker) to assist with the symptoms of Hyperthyroidism (rapid heart rate, etc.).

Carbimazole: Medication that treats an overactive thyroid gland by blocking the body’s production of thyroxine (thyroid hormone).

Propranolol: Medication to lower high blood pressure and treat other heart problems such as angina, weak heart or raid/irregular heart beat. It does this by changing the body’s response to some nerve impulses in the heart, decreasing the hearts need for blood and oxygen, reducing the amount of work it has to do. 

So yeah, pretty scary stuff! And I did have a few freak outs initially with regards to dosages with the Propranolol, but luckily because I lean more towards low blood pressure rather than high, I haven’t need to take much of this drug. I did have quite a few symptoms while the Carbimazole took it’s time to work (a few weeks). These included rapid heart rate, where it felt as if my heart would beat out of my chest. I think it got up to 179bpm whilst just walking one day which was really scary, but the Propranolol did help to relieve that.

I’ve only been taking it when I knew I was going to increase my heart rate eg: walking or exercise. Another symptom was, feeling as if I had a golf ball stuck in my throat – terrible! Especially when going to sleep because I was scared that my airway would get blocked over night. My doctor assured me this wouldn’t happen and that my thyroid gland was just really swollen – and that it should subside once the carbimazole started to work and take effect – which it has thank goodness!

So apart from taking some medication to help get my thyroid under control (excess thyroid hormones in the body can wreak havoc with everything from metabolism to your bones) I have scoured the internet along with lots of research in the library.

I found two amazing books which have really helped so much! Along with some pretty big dietary changes, I feel SO MUCH BETTER!!!!!!! And it’s only now that I feel really good, do I realise how my previous diet was really not serving me at all. Heart breaking as it is, as well as a total mind fuck – things have had to change for my health, and to me that is what’s most important.

My Healing Protocols

The first book I read which resonated so much was Dr Amy Myer’s The Autoimmune Solution. This book is BRILLIANT and has taught me so much!!! She too was diagnosed with Hyperthyroidism and her story is so honest and humbling! What an amazing woman for all she’s gone through! Again, so so so grateful I found this book! Her book is “a revolutionary program for healing symptoms of inflammation and autoimmune disorders including Graves Disease, Hashimoto’s thyroiditis, psoriasis, lupus, fibromyalgia, rheumatoid arthritis, Crohns disease” and many more.  

It has taught me so much about the gut and it’s vital connection in a healthy body. I always knew the gut was our first brain and played a large role in health, but I did not know was what foods can have such great inflammatory responses on the gut lining. Here I was, eating a whole food plant based diet, predominately vegan, thinking I was doing amazing things for MY body, but in fact I was causing it more inflammation, which I’ve only connected the dots now with pain I had been feeling. 

Since following Amy’s protocol and introducing gut healing foods such as turmeric, garlic, ginger, so many green vegetables, purple sweet potato, pumpkin, fermented foods like sauerkraut rich in probiotics, fish, meat, collagen, organic bone broth, and an array of supplements and adaptonogenic herbs, lots of yoga, self love affirmations and spiritual work and I have felt so good! I have had so much energy, more than I’ve had in a while – but it’s only through having this energy have I realised how little energy I had before.

My brain fog has dissipated and my pain in my lower back has really eased, which is the spot I presume a lot of inflammation had settled in me. I have energy again to get up early in the morning and exercise – and even went for a run the other day (which I haven’t done in a while) because I felt so energised. And for the first time in a very long time I have had no pain whatsoever whilst on my period! And that is amazing!!! 

Another book I’m reading at the moment which is really good so far is Dr Susan Blum’s The Immune System Recovery Plan and from what I gather her principles are along the same line as Dr Myers. Both extraordinary intelligent woman sharing vital healing information for so many. Lee Holmes Supercharge Your Gut has also featured with great introductory healing practices to start you on your gut healing journey.

So on the elimination protocol I’ve been following I’ve cut out all soy and soy products, yup! That’s all convenient tofu scrambles and tempeh Buddha bowls out the window. I’ve cut out all grains, seeds, most nuts and legumes – again no hummus, tahini brown rice, chickpeas! All the foods I’ve been living on for the last few years that I had NO IDEA have an inflammatory response to the gut lining if it is compromised, which in my case it was with Leaky Gut.

Leaky Gut is when the cells of the lining of the gut become impermeable allowing macronutrients to pass into the blood stream, triggering an immune response with antibodies. This is most often a precursor to many autoimmune conditions. Again which I HAD NO IDEA! 

Now I do want to clarify, for the record, that this blog and online space of mine has been sharing what I’ve learnt over the last 8 years since being diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes and changing my diet and lifestyle. And to this day, I AM STILL LEARNING!!! And that is why I am sharing what I’m learning. If someone, or no-one reads it, thats okay, because I’ve put it out there for the whole world to see if they so wish.

I am still true to plants and all my meals are still heavily plant based. So many greens and foods that my gut loves and is able to digest with ease. I’ve just added in a few staples that have been missing for a long time. If I had done this and felt awful afterwards, I would have known that animal products don’t serve me, but I don’t. And that’s a clear indication that my body NEEDS this nourishment and that it clearly wasn’t getting hat it needed before. 

You have no idea how good it feels to get this all off my chest, because it has been a rollercoaster in my mind, believe you me! When you’re put into a situation where you have to question your ethics for the sake of your health, it’s not easy I can tell you that. To change so many habits you thought were good and healthy, but turned out to be harmful. Yet, through all this my body is still beautiful and so intelligent and is just doing the best it can with what it’s got. It took an instance for it to SCREAM, to let me realise that things needed to change, and that they have.

I hope you enjoyed this post if you’ve gotten his far, an out pour of emotions from a girl that’s just trying to do her best for her body and her health, learning all she can along the way. I look forward to sharing more of my journey along this new path with you, 

Much Love