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What Next: taking supplements

So you’ve been diagnosed with an autoimmune thyroid disease, what next? Can you still take my supplements? When I was diagnosed with Graves Disease, my life was flipped upside down. There are plenty of treatment decisions to make, but there are immediate consideration as well. In fact, I had to evaluate all the supplements I was taking. Anything that was considered goitrogenic had to go because it could cause a thyroid storm. Moreover, I had to make decisions on how to mitigate the symptoms before treatment.

Here are the supplements I’m using to cope with my autoimmune disorder (as a major caveat everything I take has been played by my endo:)

1. Selenium – this mineral is essential for normal thyroid function and is beneficial for hyper/hypothyroid patients.

2. L-Carnitine – before I was given beta blockers, I used L-Carnitine to mitigate the hyper thyroid symptoms. Once I was post-RAI, I stopped taking this supplement.

3. CoQ10 – I was taking this before I got diagnosed and was advised to continue. Apparently, patients with Graves’ disease have lower amounts of CoQ10 in their blood.

4. Zinc – I just added this to my regimen after meeting with the registered dietician at my Endo’s office. There is evidence to support that zinc supplementation helps support thyroid function.

5. Collagen – I’m loving Vital Proteins Collagen Powder. It ‘a flavorless, can be mixed into coffee, is only 70 calories and has 17 grams of protein. As for why I’m taking this, it’s really about my vanity. I’m trying to keep my hair, skin and nails as healthy as possible. Thyroid disease and thyroid hormone supplementation can lead to hair loss. I am not about that life.

6. Biotin – see the explanation above.

7. Essential oils – no I don’t think they are a cure all, but lavender has helps calm me down if I’m Graves’ raging. Peppermint and Eucalyptus are critical in relieving congestion . Since my blood pressure is not always normal, I avoid taking decongestants.

I used to take a multivitamin and myriad of other supplements, but had to stop them once diagnosed. There are a lot of supplements that interact with the thyroid or thyroid medication, so you have to be careful. I have a lot of friends that have great results with Thrive and other supplements. The temptation to try those supplements is real, however, until my doc gives me the all clear, nothing in my small regimen will change. What’s next: adjusting my exercise routine.

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Running Behind

It’s been one of those weeks where I feel like I’m constantly running behind.  Sunday I set my alarm an hour later than when I really should have woken up.   Yesterday, I was running to get the Mayor to the bus stop on time.  Even though I didn’t have to get ready for work courtesy of this awful sinus infection/cold, I was still running behind.  This morning the boys and I were running to get to the bus stop on time as everyone had slept through their alarms.  Fortunately, I was able to get them to the bus stop on time.

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For me getting to work at my usual time was a major challenge.  I was in a rush to get to work since I had unexpectedly missed yesterday and will be out of the office tomorrow due to Goalielocks’ procedure.  I knew I’d have to sort through a million emails before I’d even be able to focus on my work.  Of course, even the best laid plans go asunder.  This was the story of my morning.

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As I headed towards the office, the surgical nurse called to schedule Goalielocks’ procedure and go over his health history.   Unfortunately, the nurse couldn’t speak to me while driving, so I had to park before we could start our conversation.  I certainly can’t blame a health professional for not talking to someone while they are driving.   While it was the right call, it sidelined my drive to work for over twenty minutes. As a consequence, I was a bit tardy to work.

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I’ve been a bit concerned about Goalielocks going into surgery given that he’s had a low grade fever, nasal congestion, and a productive cough.  Today he was able to go back to school and is feeling much better.  However, I noticed tonight that his cough is still lingering.  Consequently, the nurse said it would likely be a game time decision as to whether or not the procedure goes forward.   As a result, tonight we are preparing as of this procedure is going forward.  If it doesn’t however, Goalielocks will head to school and I’ll head to the office.  My leadership has been very supportive throughout this process and the subsequent rescheduling of the procedure.

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Unfortunately, I feel like living in South Florida these days is akin to living in Florence in 1349.  Everywhere I go people are sick!  Sure we’re not dying from the great pestilence that is the Bubonic Plague, but I think I speak for all of us in saying, we’re sick of being sick!  So many of us in the office have been in a horrible pattern getting sick, getting a little bit better, getting sick again, getting a little bit better and then getting sick again.  It’s wearing us out.   Truly, we’re clearly to have our health, but a respite from the stead rotation of horrible viruses would be awesome.  Again, I don’t feel like I’m asking for much.

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It’s not wonder Goalielocks’ got sick.  In addition, to living in the big, vast germ pool that is South Florida, he was also on a plane and in Chicago last weekend. While I can’t say he got sick because we travelling, I don’t think that weather or the schedule were helpful.  Please keep Goalielocks and us in your thoughts and prayers.  We’ll be headed to the hospital bright and early.  Lastly I’ll post and update as soon as I have one.

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Tonight’s song performed by Florida Georgia Line ft. Tim McGraw is “May We All. ”  My family and friends would tell you I’m not a country fan, but tonight this song is for my Goalielocks.  This is one of his favorite songs.

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Back To The Grind

It’s back to the grind as the holiday season has come to an end.  The roads were back to their usual busy, over-crowded annoyingness with the snow birds amping up the aggravation level. Even as I headed into the office around noon, due to my annual physical, the turnpike was packed with cars unwilling to go the speed limit.  It actually felt good to be back to normal at work.

I booked my annual physical for today as my doctor is going concierge at the end of March. I’m not super excited about this expensive change, but I absolutely love my primary care doctor.  Unfortunately, it is extremely difficult to find a good primary care doctor in South Florida.  At this point, I’m leaning towards staying with her in the concierge model.

My appointment went well and everything looks good (well sort of) I would, however,  suggest not going immediately after the holidays lest you want to get yelled at for your weight…  #lessonlearned. I was super excited when the nursing assistant checked my height announcing it at 64.5 inches.   I’m sorry what?  “64.5 inches.”  I’m here to tell you I’ve been 5 ft. 4 since (64 inches) since I was 18.  In fact, I was just barely under 64 inches in 2016 thanks to a lack of stretching a Zumba and running.

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Consequently, when the doctor came into the room, I had to ask her about the gain in height.  She confirmed what I was already thinking that the yoga (particularly the aerial yoga) and stretching had gained me some height.  I mean a 1/2 an inch, can I tell you how stoked I am about it?  I would love to be taller!  Understandably, I made sure to make my reservations for aerial yoga on Thursday and Sunday as soon as I got to the office.

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When I shared this information with my co-worker, she booked herself a class for this coming weekend.  What women doesn’t want to be a built taller? This is especially true for me as I’ve watched my Grandma lose several inches of the last decade or two due to osteoporosis and scoliosis.  You can imagine that both myself and my mom are doing everything in power to avoid that same loss of height.

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Tonight’s yoga class was a mat class, which I love.  Fortunately, Monica teaches both my mat class and aerial classes (Th and Sat.)  I was so excited to share with her that I gained over a half of an inch since my last doctor’s appointment.  She wasn’t surprised by this news since she’s been teaching for awhile, s.  Although, she was quite excited for me.  As a result, I told her our new goal was to get me to 65 inches!   I can’t even tell you how excited I am to have gotten a little taller!

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While the gain in height may seem insignificant, it highlights the importance of staying active and taking care our bodies as we age.  It is easy to get caught up in the cardio mindset and let strength and stretch training fall by the wayside.  However, both strength training and stretching are absolutely crucial to staying happy.  Fortunately, I love yoga, which allows me to work on strength training and stretching at the same time.  I’ve also added weights, TRX and some circuit training to my repertoire to keep me fit.

The bottom line is that I am now 64.5 inches.  Just imagine…. If I gain another inch or two, I won’t have to hem my pants! Now that’s something to get excited about!  Tonight’s song performed by Guns N’ Rose, and in keeping with our South Florida weather tonight, is November Rain.