Going with my gut…

I’m stuck in my house due to the hurricane (which, thankfully, has done no damage at my house), and my mind is in a million places.

First, regarding my new TSH level: I can’t stop thinking about how I’m “guessing” my OB-GYN and endo doctor would both say a 2.02 is good, but not quite there, in terms of TTC. And since I don’t know that they would actually say that, I’m realizing these are the thoughts in my own head, and I’m just hoping the doctors will say this, so that I can say, “Well, I’m not TTC because my doctors said I can’t”, rather than because I really probably shouldn’t. I’ve been doing my research, and I haven’t found a single piece of information that says someone with Hashimoto’s is in the clear at a 2. Rather, the “normal” range for TSH in any person is 0-3(ish), and 2 is on the high-end. Further, everything I have found says between a 1 and 2 is ideal for TTC, and for some people, closer to 0 is best. There’s no information that says, “Well, because you have Hashimoto’s, and you want this so bad, 2 is good enough.” 2 is good, but not good enough, and that’s what it really comes down to. That said, it may become good enough if I continue to balance out at a 2 for the next few months. That might be as low as it’s going to get, and then I think my OB-GYN will give me the go ahead (she hinted at this type of thing before). But I just became a 2. I was just an 8 a month ago. It was a huge jump, and the hives on my arm right now remind me that all is not perfect in thyroid-land. My official conclusion about this is that I need another blood test before TTC. Doesn’t matter when -I’ll take it in 2 weeks or 2 months, whenever my endo doctor will give it to me. Hopefully I’ll drop below a 2, and I won’t question it – I’ll be good to go. But with this huge jump, and still adjusting to this new diet (more on that in a second), and the risks for an unhealthy baby or miscarriage just make it not worth it. Yet.

My other thoughts today surround my diet, and my hives. My hives started 4 years ago. I was so confused then as to what they may be caused by, since I’m not allergic to anything, so to speak. I know people who still think they are caused by things not related to my thyroid. But I know in my heart this is thyroid related. I’ve found research to back this up and have experienced changes (my TSH levels down = less hives), and today I found one more little clue. It came in the form of a forum, and the person who started it said this:

“I will just start at the beginning. About 4 months ago, I woke up covered in hives and have not had one hive free day since then. I have also had several episodes of angioedema that are not controlled by anything. After several doctors, prednisone, antihistamines,etc., I was about to give up. Through the internet I learned that my hives could be autoimmune related and began to realize that I had many symptoms of an autoimmune disorder. I went to my GP and literally had to beg him to draw blood to see if I had an autoimmune problem. He told me that he had never heard of hives being related to an autoimmune disease. He begrudgingly took my blood and found out that my thyroid antibodies were very elevated and that the ANA test was positive. So, he sent me to a rheumy who basically said, “Well, you don’t have lupus.” Okay, I thought, so what’s with the hives? Long story short, FINALLY found a doctor who said I had Hashimoto’s disease.”

Then someone responded with this: “Your TPO antibodies are causing the hives. Supplementing with thyroid hormones should eventually put them to bay, but it could take a long time. You should try to reduce the titer of antibodies by taking a selenium supplement every day, up to 200 mcgs. Larger vitamin stores/departments carry it. If you take a multi-vitamin, check it for content and take it into account in the 200 mcgs/day total. Selenium has been shown to decrease TPO titers up to 40%. It always amazes me what doctors don’t know. An allergist might have more knowledge about the TPO/hives connection, but there isn’t much more to be done about it even if he/she does know. Trying the selenium and waiting for the antibodies to leave is your best bet.”

And someone else responded with this: “several years ago I had angioedema and found out my TPO antibodies were like 1,000 and then I was eventually diagnosed with Hashi’s, more with the help of all the good people on this board then my internist, I finally got help from my rheumy. My TSH had shot up from 2 to 69 in three months. But now I am on a maintenance dose of synthroid and doing well. I also have RA and it was all part of the autoimmune picture.”

For those who aren’t sure what all this means: angioedema is when hives go to your face and lips, and swell up like you’ve never seen (I’ve had it many times, and if it gets extremely bad, there’s the worry of your throat closing..it’s not pleasant). RA is rheumatoid arthritis. My doctors have told me that if you have one auto-immune disease, you’re likely to have more. I continued with this post and found more info. I won’t post it all here but someone said she tested negative for lupus but still had it. Someone else said gluten also affected her hives. But they all had Hashimoto’s.

So, it’s without question that my hives are caused by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. That is what the issue revolves around. However, I believe there are other factors which draw out the hives, and in me, they are stress and something else food-related. So here’s what I’m noticing about food: The last week and a half, I did great – I ate basically all protein, vegetables, and dairy. I had one piece of corn on the cob one night, and some granola another day. I even went to a wedding and had a little bit of sugar, and wine. I exercised, but not to an extreme level (only a few times that week). No major problems – felt great, no hives mostly (except on that day I had granola). No major hives for one week. Then, I celebrated my low TSH level (and my upcoming birthday) by eating things this weekend that are on the “don’t eat” list: ice cream cake, truffles, cereal, chips, more corn, potatoes, a hamburger (with bun), etc. I’ve eaten badly. And what happened? Well, the first time after having a lot of sugar I felt extremely sick, but I think that’s simply a matter of sugar, and not really related to the thyroid. But yesterday and today, I have hives. They are on my arms right now. And today I’ve eaten….leftover cake, leftover corn, cereal….

I hate how there are so many complicated parts to this ridiculous “condition”. And I love how I feel that are just a few little ways I can actually control it – mainly with my diet. I don’t regret eating my ice cream cake this weekend. And I’m starting to think sugar isn’t the issue (though it’s still plain bad for me). I think it’s gluten. But because I’m still not 100% sure if it’s all starchy carbs, just gluten, or just sugar, I’m reminded that I have to continue this diet, with just the occasional cheat. Because if I don’t, not only will I have hives, but the hives will be a reminder that my thyroid isn’t pleased with my choices and may send my TSH skyrocketing – which is the whole reason I’m doing this in the first place.

And the new magic number is……

2.03! Yeah, I couldn’t believe it. I still can’t. And while my first reaction was happy  – really, really happy, my second reaction was skeptical. I’ve only been on the up-ed dosage of meds for one month. I had my blood taken in early July, and it was an 8.41. Mid-August, and it’s a 2.03? That’s an awfully big jump for one month. While the number is fantastic (it’s “normal”), I’m not sure there’s anything normal about jumping 6 points in one month. So, that’s where I’m at. I’m not being negative – I’m ridiculously happy; the happiness level was one similar to, I imagine, seeing a positive pregnancy test. It means my body is doing what it’s supposed to be doing, and it means that if I were to TTC right now, my thyroid would allow it to safely occur.

But still. I never expected a 2 at this point. So, here are my thoughts on the matter. First of all, (as if anyone was curious about the specifics) I’m at the beginning of my cycle. Day 7. Cycle is 41 days long, ovulation (at least last month) came on Day 32. So I’ve got a ways to go. I feel like I would like to see where my number is at again before TTC. If I have a 2 or lower again, I’d say I’m good to go. But that may not happen. The problem is this: First, I haven’t gotten a doctor to give me the papers for a blood test within the next few weeks yet. Second, even if I do, it would have to be very soon, because I’d want the results back before Day 32. Third, it took the test 10 days to get back to me. So, with a little thinking ahead here…I’d want the results back by say, Day 30, just in case, and it takes 10 days, so that would mean getting my blood taken on Day 20, and I still don’t have the papers to go take this blood test anyway. Besides, after a 6 point drop in one month, would getting a TSH level of 2 twice in a row mean I’m all set? Just like that? Who knows, it could jump back up 6 points for all I know.

However, if I wait, say, another month or so, which is more realistic medically, I’ll miss this cycle’s ovulation time. The next time (assuming it’s still Day 32) won’t be for another 73 days. And that’s a long time!

So, here’s what I’m going to do: leave it in the hands of professionals. I’m going to call my thyroid doctor, and ask for another blood test. If she gives it right away, great, if she gives it next cycle, I guess I’ll have to deal. Most likely, she will not approve giving me one in two weeks, as my primary doctor didn’t when I called the other day. Then, I’ll call the OB-GYN and ask her if she thinks one low number of 2 is good enough to start trying, or if she thinks I should wait until that next blood test comes in. Whatever she says, I’ll do. Part me of wants to just go for it, but I’d hate to have this 2 be a little fluke or something and my next test is high again – too high to be pregnant.

Of course, this whole thing has to be complicated!

 

My new obsession with blood tests….

Seriously, this “little journey” I thought I’d be on is turning into a a long-term pain in the butt. I’ve decided to use nice language on a public blog. Still don’t have my new TSH number yet, should be any day now.

So, today I decided to give my endocrinologist a call to ask for more blood tests. Currently, I just had it taken a week ago, and then she didn’t give me another test until January. I was hoping to have it done once a month. She didn’t know, at the time, we were planning on a baby in the near future, but I wasn’t sure that if had she known, she would have given me the blood tests more frequently. And I certainly can’t just sit around and wait until January, having no idea if my TSH level is going up or down or what. I can’t live like that – I would literally lose my mind. So, I called. Got her secretary, who told me she can’t just order more blood tests (she can’t?…) and that I’d have to call my insurance company to find out if more frequent tests are covered. That was my first call. Of course, I know that more frequent tests are covered, because in the past I’ve had them every 3 months. Then, knowing that this doctor is kind of lacking in the sympathy and compassion department, I decided to call my primary physician instead, hoping she could get me the blood tests. Why I did this next instead of calling my insurance company, I’m not sure. Because I also forgot that my primary doctor is also lacking in the sympathy and compassion department. I left her a message, and she called me back, letting me know that there’s a reason my thyroid doc picked the duration of time that she did (except, there’s not, because she didn’t know about my desire for pregnancy…). At first I was like, okay, not going to cry on the phone, I’m basically hearing I have to wait until January. She also said that having my blood taken once a month is “excessive” and there’s no need. However, she said that she thinks having ONE blood test prior to January might be doable, especially since I’d be TTC as soon as my numbers are good. But she also said I need to call my insurance company, and that it may not be covered.

I’m certainly a bit overly sensitive about this whole thing, and I realize that, but I’m simply looking for a little compassion from a doctor! I’m just shy of 27, I’m supposed to be a healthy person here, and I can’t just wait around!!….Then, I called my insurance company. She said that my blood tests are covered 100% and they are unlimited, which is great news….ONLY if done out of medical necessity. She specifically said, “I’m sure no one does this, but you can’t just have a blood test done…just because.” So now here’s my fun for tomorrow: Convince slightly cold Dr’s. #1 and/or #2 that they should send me more blood tests out of medical necessity. Is it a necessity? Well, to me it is. But medically, it’s probably not. I already know that my up-ed dose of Synthroid is going to take 2 to 3 months to fully kick in. But it’s for my piece of mind – I need to see that number dropping, however small, to know that this super-healthy diet I’ve been attempting and my shallow levels of patience I’m forcing upon myself are worth it. I did tell Dr. #2 that, and it didn’t seem to matter. I’ll leave a message for the thyroid Dr. again tomorrow, and hope that she can understand a patient’s “need to know”. I just need to know. It’s that simple.

The waiting game…

It’s been about a week since I’ve last posted, and though I normally have really enjoyed doing this for myself, I have been feeling like there’s not much to say that falls under the category of good news. All along, I’ve liked to write because I like keeping track of this whole journey I’m going through. That said, that usually only happens when I feel that the journey will swing into a positive place!

And right now, it’s not. So I took a hiatus. On Monday, I got my blood taken. I crossed my fingers for a TSH level under 8.41, and I still haven’t gotten the results back. It should be here very soon. Unfortunately, though, I have a bad feeling about it. I’ve had lots of hives lately, back to my legs and arms, which hasn’t shown up there in months. I’ve been taking more antihistamines than I have in a while, as well. I had to take a week off of that low-carb, low-sugar diet last week as I visited my grandparents and then hiked Mount Washington, which required granola and dried fruit and other things I wouldn’t normally eat. So I chalked up my hives to that. However, I’ve been back on the diet this week, and with the hives continuing, I’m struggling to find the motivation to continue. I’m still making good choices, but without the previous feelings of security about it. How do I know this is even going to matter in the process of lowering my TSH? What if I could be eating endless amounts of pasta, potatoes, ice cream….but that still wouldn’t be healthy. No matter what, I suppose this is good for me, as it would be for anyone. But I’m getting kind of sick of salads and nuts. Bleh. I caved and added a banana to my protein shake the other day – delicious. I officially can’t get rid of bananas, no matter that they’re filled with sugar and carbs. They’re here to stay!

Completed my last cycle and am starting a new one, number 4 to be exact. We will see if a pattern shows up compared to the last one. Maybe by the end of the next cycle…..I’ll have a low(er) TSH level! Eventually, my body will do what it’s supposed to do at this age, right?

Diet? What diet? The story of hives…

I feel like I’ve started over. All that hard work last week, down a couple of pounds and feeling great, and I ruined it over the past 3 days! That’s what staying with your grandparents will do.

I went to Maine for a few days to visit my grandfather and his wife. It’s up in the middle of nowhere, with a huge forest and a beautiful lake as its backdrop. We played cards, I read an entire Jodi Picoult book (“Nineteen Minutes”), and we ate. Jolene is from Alabama, and all of her cooking is rich and fattening, basically. I had all the things I wasn’t supposed to – pasta, bread, fruit, and dessert (2 brownie sundaes, cookies, and strawberries and whipped cream over shortcake). It was absolutely delicious, and I really couldn’t say no. Sure, I could’ve had smaller portions of the dessert, but I wasn’t about to make myself a whole new dinner. It would be borderline insulting, and plus, it’s delicious! So I ate it – all of it.

Now, while there’s nothing wrong with letting loose once in a while and indulging in the foods that I’ve always loved, and if I had to do it all again I probably wouldn’t have made any different choices, it really wasn’t worth it. Why? Well I gained the pounds back, was bloated and uncomfortable, and my hives came back.

Here’s a background on my hives, and how this entire thyroid topic came to be in the first place:  About 4 years ago, I was packing for a vacation when my body broke out in hives. They lasted the whole vacation, and we couldn’t figure out what I was allergic to. Within months, I saw an allergist, who treated the hives with an abundance of antihistamines, which worked, but I ended up having to take them 3 times a day (when each pill should last 24 hours). The problem was still there. It eventually spread from my body to my lips, where they would swell up so badly that I couldn’t even talk. It was frankly dangerous, because if those hives in my face moved to my throat, it could hinder my breathing. It was like a 2-year panic attack. Finally, I had a blood test done, which revealed a whole mess of anti-body issues. I couldn’t even explain them all to you, myself, but what I do know is that my TSH levels were really high (unfortunately, I don’t remember the number, but I’m pretty sure they were in the high double digits) and I tested positive for a whole mess of auto-immune issues, including Hashimoto’s thyroiditis and rheumatoid arthritis. As for the arthritis, it doesn’t mean I have it right now (and I don’t, or I couldn’t have trained and ran that marathon…) but there’s something in there that suggests down the road, I could have it. Or lupus, which I’m just going to rule out myself right now! It is very common that when you have one auto-immune disease, you have multiple. My allergist continued to treat the hives, but with new knowledge that I wasn’t allergic to anything – it was one side effect of what was going on inside.

This part is confusing – even with the thyroid problems as they were, at the time, my TSH levels were swinging back and forth on their own, from hypo to hyper. When my doctor checked them, they happened to be “normal”, but of course they were just in the middle of moving. So I didn’t take any thyroid medication for a long time. In fact, while the levels were normal, my hives went away (this is how I knew, for sure, the issues were connected!). I enjoyed my wedding and honeymoon, and months after, with no medication whatsoever. My allergist said they would come and go.

What does this have to do with eating carbs and sugar? Well, two April’s ago, May and June were a stressful time. I ate badly, exercised very little, and was stressed out. Therefore, it was no surprise that I had hives all last summer. I started training for the marathon, and I kept wondering why I was so sluggish and not losing any weight, after running 40 miles in a week. My TSH level was high again. High enough, in fact, for my primary doctor to schedule me with an endocrinologist, who finally prescribed Synthroid. By last fall, the medicine had started to work, my level came down, my hives went away – and I also had started eating healthy. Coincidence? I didn’t think so. But I had a chance to try it out again. In December, my TSH level was normal (too bad I wasn’t TTC). Then, this past May and June, I formed the same bad habits. May and June just aren’t my months! Again, out of stress, I ate badly and didn’t exercise. I felt my skin start to tingle underneath, as it always does when I have hives. I had to start taking antihistamines again. I had a bad feeling my TSH level was high again (showing hypothyroidism), and sure enough, almost a month ago, I had my blood drawn, and my TSH level was 8.41. I was put on a higher dose of Synthroid (88 mcg) and was told I couldn’t TTC. And here I am today – finally recognizing that in my body, I believe there is a link between stress, bad eating, not exercising, hives, and my TSH level. And with a high TSH level, I can’t do anything about getting pregnant. The level needs to be around 1 or 2. So I’ve been trying everything I can to be healthy, because it’s that important to me. Which is why the way I ate the past few days wasn’t probably worth it. Then again, it’s hard to turn down your grandparents. So, I picked it back up again this morning…

My first smiley face!

What a difference a day makes! This morning, I had to do a double-take. My OPK (Ovulation Predictor Kit) showed a smiley face. That means I will be ovulating in the next 12-24 hours. Of course, this cycle I can’t TTC, due to my high TSH level, which really stinks. However, it’s the first time in 2 cycles I’ve ever seen a smiley face, and I was thrilled to see it. Perhaps my body is actually functioning somewhat normally.

As I consulted my chart (which I’m so glad I used this cycle), I realized that today is day 32 out of 41. My BBT this morning was 96.63, very low. A normal person’s BBT would go way up tomorrow morning, showing that ovulation did take place. I have a feeling that won’t happen for me, for two reasons: A short luteal phase (LP) and my thyroid issues.

The luteal phase is the time after ovulation and before your next period. It generally stays constant month to month – it’s very reliable. An average LP is about 14 days (hence ovulating on day 14 out of a 28-day cycle, which I don’t do). Doctors recommend that your LP is at least 12 days, and 10 is the absolute shortest it could be. With my smiley face on day 32, and my period starting on day 41, my LP is about 9 days. Is this a problem? Well, yes, but it’s easily treated. It’s a problem because the short duration of the LP won’t allow enough progesterone to be produced. Another way to tell that you don’t have enough progesterone is that your BBT won’t rise much, if at all. Progesterone makes your BBT rise. Without that, pregnancy will not occur, or if it does, probably won’t last long, resulting in a miscarriage. How is it treated? Well, I’ve read about a few things. Doctors will prescribe progesterone pills, or even Clomid, which is to help with infertility. However, I also read about taking B6 vitamins, as that will lengthen the LP. It’s something to ask a doctor. But don’t wait around a year to do this – chart your cycles, and you should find a pattern with your LP month to month. I’d call after the 2nd or 3rd cycle doing this.

In my case, I don’t know if my thyroid issues and now this are related. See, low BBTs are both caused by hypothyroidism and low progesterone  – both of which I have. Anovulation (not ovulating) is also caused by high TSH levels, but with my current cycle, it looks like I’ve avoided that problem. And of course there’s also the fact that I’m only a few months off BC, and for many women, it takes months for everything to even itself out.

So I’m thrilled to get that smiley face, but I’m not out of the woods yet. Again, I’m not TTC this cycle, so it allows me to really pay close attention to what my body is doing. My BBT is low, and we’ll see what happens tomorrow when it’s supposed to rise. If it doesn’t, I’ll bet money on low progesterone. My TSH level is too high (but we’ll see if this new diet helps). I ovulated really late, in a cycle that’s already very long. And my LP will be too short at 9 days, so even if everything else was normal, I still may have had a problem. So I’ve got many strikes against me – but one less than I thought. 🙂

Starting a new diet in the summer = bad idea

I made it through the weekend, but just barely. We went to a wedding at the Cape, and I love the Cape, and its food. Sitting in a ton of traffic meant we were starving for lunch, and wanted seafood, but also had a wedding to get to in a few hours, so there really wasn’t time to drive all over the place for a healthy lunch. I still managed to make a decent choice – broiled shrimp, instead of its signature fried seafood. And I got rice instead of fries, and I barely ate the rice at all. Even with my better choices, though, I got halfway through the shrimp (which was covered in butter) and felt pretty disgusting. After only one week of this new diet, I was surprised how my body rejected anything that wasn’t good for me. At the wedding, I happily ate a protein-filled dinner, but instead of wedding cake, they did gourmet cupcakes – and I can’t turn down a cupcake. Especially this one. So I ate it, and I really didn’t feel all that guilty. There was a lot of sugar in it, obviously, but I felt okay.

Yesterday I managed to find us a healthy breakfast burrito place, (The Corner Store in Chatham, if you’re wondering) and had a nice veggie and egg burrito. I also was able to have a big salad for lunch. Then, my biggest downfall – after hours of traffic and what felt like the longest drive of my life, we got home after dinnertime last night, without having had dinner. I wanted nothing more than to lay on the couch, so making a salad from scratch was out of the question. We didn’t have any meat defrosted, either. So I decided, just this one time, to have an easy meal – a bowl of whole wheat pasta with jarred sauce. This morning, I’m paying for it. After everything that was off my new diet this weekend, it was the pasta that made me feel the worst.

So I learned that lesson. I also realized something else, one week after starting this low-sugar, low-carb diet: my cravings for food are gone. It may be because the food I’m eating isn’t crave-worthy in my opinion, but I also think it’s because of what’s in the food I’m eating. For the first time in my memory, when I’m eating a protein-filled meal with veggies and I get full, I stop. Easily. And leave food on the plate. That’s, like, unheard of for me. I always used to eat so much I’d feel sick. But there were always carbs on the plate. Likewise, when having rice the other day, I wanted to keep eating it, even after I was full. It’s like there’s this pull towards carbs, and my cravings go nuts. But when I’m barely eating them, they aren’t there towards other food. I also lost almost 2 pounds just last week. And I had more energy. Oh, and my signature bloating after big meals (I always look a couple months pregnant after eating dinner) has also disappeared. I look just the same after I eat as I did before, and I point to carbs as the culprit. Seriously, this was a good idea.

But the fact that I had to start it in the summer was poorly planned, though I guess I didn’t have a choice. This summer is the busiest summer my husband and I have probably ever had, with a fun trip of some sort every single weekend, filled with promises of carbs and sugar. Tomorrow I’m going up to Maine for a few days to visit my grandparents, which is like torture for someone on this kind of a diet. I’ll have to make my choices carefully, remembering how last night’s pasta is making me feel this morning. If I don’t, my body will let me know.

 

Week 1 complete – can I have ice cream now??

Well, I made it through one week of this thyroid diet I’ve put myself on – and by one week, I mean one work week. I have a wedding to go to tomorrow night at the Cape, one of my favorite places in the world, and I’ll be damned if I can’t have a bite of wedding cake, and ice cream from Sundae School the next day. I have to say, today I’m in a bit of a downer mood.

The issue is not that I’m not pregnant yet; it’s only been a few months. The issue is that I’m an otherwise-healthy almost 27-year old, and I’ve been told I can’t try to conceive a child for the foreseeable future. That, and to hopefully hurry the possibly years-long process along, I’m putting myself through a food change. Now, I’m not eating crazy things. Salads and lean meats – isn’t that what everyone’s supposed to eat? But I’m really trying to stay away from sugar (Stevia is a miracle), and limit myself to one helping of carbs a day, or every other day. Today, we had Bulgar wheat with our dinner, and two days ago, I had a half a piece of whole wheat bread (my husband made), with cashew butter and a little cinnamon. Monday, I had steel-cut oats for breakfast. Other than that, the rest of all my meals have consisted of protein, vegetables, and dairy. What have I got to show for it after 5 days? A drop of about 1 1/2 pounds (mostly water weight, I’m assuming) and a digestive system in shock. So far, every day I’ve felt like I can do this, and tonight I’m feeling like I shouldn’t have to.

Last October, my husband and I ran our first marathon. We both did horrible, but finished. We vowed to someday do it again, the right way, and improve our times and confidence. This October, I was hoping to be pregnant. Therefore, I’ve been taking a leave of absence from distance running, and just hitting the gym instead for the past few months. I figured I’d celebrate my first child by running the marathon again. Tonight, my husband suggested that we now sign up for the race this October, and the thought of it bothered me. I’m being completely selfish, I realize. My immediate thought was, “No, I’m not training for this marathon.” By signing up, training for it, and running it, I’d be basically admitting to myself that Plan A didn’t, couldn’t, happen. This Plan B would be way crappier. By not signing up, training for it, and running it, while my husband does (he has every right), and watching him that day, I’d be reminding myself that I hadn’t moved on from the last marathon, hadn’t improved my time, hadn’t proved something to myself, and was waiting around for something that could be a long time in the making – literally. Blah.

I imagine the advice I’ll get is to run it. I might feel great after. But there are 2 things to consider: 1) With all the stars in alignment and a miracle thrown my way, I might get pregnant before then. 2) Training for a marathon is no little task. I wish I could wait until that day and just run it, but I can’t. I’d have to start now, with long runs in the hot, summer sun. Every run would be that reminder of my Plan B.

So, it was left that I’ll attempt to train with my husband, and when it gets a little closer, I can make my final decision…I’ll keep you posted.

As a side note – I just wanted to thank those of you who read this, both those of you I know and those I don’t. Sometimes I just put it all out there, more as a venting device, and then I remember that I have readers. 🙂 By the way, if you do read my blog, but haven’t signed up to it yet, go to the top right-hand corner of the page and put in your email. You’ll be an official “subscriber”!

Charting Ovulation and Finding Your BBT

I’m back to talking about getting pregnant – at least for now! Between my new organic diet and this, I have a lot on my mind.

Though I’m on a temporary hiatus from TTC, I am charting my ovulation and finding my BBT (Basal Body Temperature). Frankly, before I found out I needed to stop trying, I was charting, but I’ve decided to continue doing this for multiple reasons.

First of all, I need to figure out when I’m ovulating, exactly, so I won’t get pregnant until my TSH level goes down. Second, one of the conditions that occurs with an underactive thyroid is anovulation, where you will go a cycle or more without ovulating, and this is something I need to monitor. Third, charting and finding your BBT is fun, in my opinion.

Let’s back up. I have only been trying to pinpoint my ovulation at all for a few months now. Given that since I’ve gone off the pill, my cycle is 41 days long (a whole other topic for a future post), I’ve been doing this for 2 cycles. The first cycle, I only used an ovulation predictor kit.

With this kit, you basically urinate on a stick every morning, and it tells you whether or not you will ovulate in the next 12-24 hours. It’s 99% accurate, and I thought that was a pretty decent percentage. I prefer the digital kit made by ClearBlue. It shows a circle when you’re not ovulating, and a smiley face when you are. I’ve done a lot of research on cheaper kits, because it does cost somewhere in the $30-$40 range, but other, cheaper brands have little blue lines that are hard to detect. For example, with those kits, you need to decipher between a light blue or dark blue line. Well, what if it’s medium blue? I wouldn’t be able to handle that daily stress (haha..) so I like it simple. In addition, because I’m only a few cycles off the pill and I’m not sure when I ovulate exactly, I chose to buy a kit with 20 sticks, for 20 days. If you know for sure what week you ovulate, I would recommend buying the 7-day kit. Otherwise, the 20-day is great. Make sure you read the directions carefully! There’s a lot of little rules…

Last cycle, this was my main method of figuring out when I ovulated. The problem was, with a 41-day cycle, I used all 20 sticks somewhere in the middle of that cycle, and every single one came back with a circle. No smiley face. This led me to two possibilities: One, that I simply missed it, either being after I finished the sticks or before, or, and more seriously, that I didn’t ovulate at all; anovulation. If I didn’t ovulate, I wanted to make sure this wasn’t a permanent thing, and that it was caused by Hashimoto’s and my high TSH level.

Therefore, this cycle I decided to find my BBT on a daily basis. At first, I thought taking my temperature every day was absolutely ridiculous, and that it would be getting a bit extreme. Now, I find it fascinating to see how my body works, and I’m still waiting to see if I’ll ovulate this cycle. Here’s how it works:

Get a Basal Body Temperature Thermometer (I got mine at Target for around $5). It provides your exact temperature (like 97.85, rather than just 97.8). Every morning, before you get up, eat, or drink, you take it. Try to do it around the same time everyday. I do it at 6:00 AM, when I also wake up to take my Synthroid, and if it’s the weekend, I just go back to sleep. Later on, chart it on the graph (see my links for the one I use). As this is my first cycle doing this, I’m still waiting to see what will happen. But so far, this is what I notice: During my period, my temperature remained constant at 97.6 degrees. After, and up until ovulation, your temperature is supposed to be low, under your period temperature. The day before ovulation, your temperature will drop a few points, and it should stick out on your chart. The next day, after ovulation, your temperature will rise high, higher than what it was during your period. When you see your temp go from very low to very high, you know you’ve ovulated. This is a great way to make sure you are ovulating, and so far, I have low temps, but no high ones. If all goes normally, after you ovulate, your temperature will remain high until you get your period, when it will drop again. If you are pregnant, it will continue to remain high. This is one of the earliest ways to find out that you are pregnant.

So, I’ve been chugging along this cycle, waiting to see what my temperature will do. In the meantime, I’m also using the ClearBlue kit, and this time I backed up 20 days from Day 41, and so far, negative. If I get all the way to my period on Day 41 and I never had a smiley face or a high temp (hopefully I’d get both) then I know I’m not ovulating…and more likely than not, my thyroid is to blame. There are other ways to know if you are ovulating, and I’ll save them for a future post.

How did you determine when/if you were ovulating?

Apple Butter, Almond Butter, Cashew Butter….

Well it’s Day 3 of this new diet, and I woke up this morning with hives – the kind I used to get a few years ago when my thyroid was all out of whack. Hopefully it’s a coincidence. That said, a few weeks ago I read an article saying stopping or starting a high-fiber diet will result in the move of your TSH level. I just don’t know in which direction. After a few more days of healthy eating, hopefully my body will adjust.

What am I eating? Well, a lot of vegetables, meat, nuts, and dairy, mostly. It’s a good time of year to start this, because the produce is fresh, and I can pick it up from farms in my area. So, yesterday I stopped by an organic produce stand and bought peppers, cucumbers, zucchini and squash. I like the idea that what I get from the farm is what I eat for dinner. The zucchini and squash with garlic, salt and pepper, and mozzarella cheese was actually quite good. I feel like salads could get pretty boring (I have it for lunch, and a small one with dinner). But I’m trying to add things to it that I love, like black olives, avocado, fresh mozzarella cheese, etc.

Due to the fact that I’ve basically dropped carbs, and certainly anything junk-foody, I don’t really have to worry as much about the fat I’m getting from the dairy or things like avocados or nuts. It’s really not that bad!

Also, we made a trip to Whole Foods yesterday and spent a lot of money, but hopefully on things that will last a while. Peanuts, of all the nuts, aren’t really that good for you, and the peanut butter that you find in the grocery store is loaded with sugar, so I purchased a few kinds to try; specificaly almond and cashew butters. Apple butter is just a treat…

For breakfast I had a little bit of this sprouted grain cereal by the company Ezekiel. It’s very good for you, but tastes like nothing, so I added a little bit of Truvia sugar. According to all the research I’ve done in the last few days, artificial sweeteners are pure chemicals, which is what I’m trying to avoid. But Xylitol and Stevia are natural sweeteners, so I have a green light on using them when necessary. This morning in my cereal, it was necessary. I also bought Stevia in liquid “drop” form. My green tea that’s so good for me will not be to my liking plain, so maybe a few drops of Stevia will help.

My husband is excited to make things from scratch, as he is still having carbs to his liking, but wants to make them really good for you. So, last night he made a loaf of extremely healthy wheat bread, with pumpkin, sunflower, and flax seeds in it. He’ll use it for a turkey sandwich for lunch. I also gave coconut water a try, as an alternative to water. It’s not wonderful – it tastes sort of like diluted juice. But it was a nice break.

All of a sudden we have cupboards filled with all-new things. Hopefully we’ll find at least a few we really like, and can become a permanent fixture in the house.

We are also close to joining a few CSA’s (a farm share). Unfortunately, it’s late in the season to sign up for them – most require payments by early spring. I’m still calling around, though. Basically, the produce CSA we join won’t be too far away, as I would go once a week to pick up the harvest. However, the meat/dairy CSA will be a further distance away, as there aren’t many around me, and it’ll keep in the freezer for a long time. Once we officially join, I’ll let you know. Until then, I’m just trying to support my local farmers (and buy organic, when possible) by buying produce around me.