Because there is nothing more exciting then hearing about somebody else’s medical issues, I thought I’d dedicate a whole post to it! Just kidding.
I’m going to make this short and brief and my only purpose in sharing is to shed some light on autoimmune disorders. Wait, nope, scratch that, I know nothing. I truly don’t. Except that I have one.
And I must be honest with you and with my myself: although I was officially diagnosed with Hashimoto’s several years ago, I kind of ignored it. I just took the little thyroid pill every day and went on with my life. Sure, it explained a few things, but I kind of felt like AI (autoimmune) disease was one of those suburban, trendy things that everyone had but if you were strong enough you could nutrition/exercise/mental health your way through it and all would be right with the world.
Then came the last couple of months. When the following happened (in no particular order):
- Weight Gain (despite massive exercise and eating less than ever)
- Fatigue (to the point of almost falling asleep WHILE DRIVING)
- Swelling of my hands and feet
- Depression (far worse than normal)
- Aches and pains (that I kept contributing to hard workouts)
- Stomach issues (I shall spare you the details)
Anywho . . .. I kind of felt like I’d been hit by a truck. And, in fact, I forgot how my hands go numb sometimes which they are right now as I type. SO INCREDIBLY LAME.
So I went to my doctor and she took 8000 gallons of blood (OK, 5 viles, same thing) and soon I will most likely be looking at Endocrinologists offices and dietary changes and God knows what else.
So here’s where we are. If you’ve ever had an Autoimmune Disease I’d love to hear from you. Because this is seriously depressing. Oh, and so far in my reading I’ve found this little tidbit: it tends to strike middle-aged women who are very “high functioning” more than others. What the hell is that supposed to mean, Google Search Engine?
More to come! New journey. And you know me . . . if I’m going on this journey, I’m going to write about it! Preferably when my hands aren’t numb.
Jen
Yeah. It stinks. Sorry ? I was diagnosed with RA in 2011. Seriously hard at first for me just to put myself in a new category – somehow no longer belonging in the super healthy catagory… My hands were my main symptom initially too. I lost strength such that I was worried I would drop baby Nate. My hands are still not 100% but at least they are better than initially. I’d be happy to chat more if it’d help. I can say it’s not as hard as it seems at first… because it felt really catastrophic at first!! Wish it wasn’t happening to you!! Oh – and google was not my friend ?
Thanks, Becca! I know lifestyle is a huge factor and I’m trying to embrace all of that. Taking it one day at a time and trying to stay off of google. Yikes.