A Necessary, but Brutal Journey.

I last wrote about my successful doctor's visit and being scheduled to get blood work done. I bet you are wondering what came of that? This is a hard thing for me to type, but since this page is about vulnerability, and maybe relatability, here we go. My blood tests showed the following:

• High levels of estrogen

• Low levels of progesterone

• Candida

• Early stage insulin resistance

• High levels of cholesterol

• Thyroid function is sub-optimal

Now let's back track for a moment. At my very first doctor's appointment, I was already transitioning to foods that supported each phase of my cycle. So I was able to report how much better I felt at my doctor's appointment! The doctor was familiar with this protocol and was happy I was doing it. But she further recommended that I also try going gluten and dairy free; two known culprits for inflammation. I knew this recommendation was coming, and I figured that if I wanted to continue to take my health seriously, I should do it.

But obviously, it wasn't going to happen overnight. I decided I would be more successful doing one at a time. So I chose to transition out of gluten first since that one would be harder. But before that, a glutenous feast would be had because my birthday was coming up and I had Elvis Presley (banana, chocolate, and peanut butter) cake to enjoy. But after that, I would begin transitioning to being gluten free. Between the phase appropriate eating, and going gluten free, both will help improve the following issues that my bloodwork showed. Now, let's go over what each of these mean, according to my doctor.

Cholesterol

She wasn't too worried about this at my follow up appointment. But she did recommend that I make sure to eat enough fiber using the app, "My Fitness Pal." And exercise 3-4 times a week, (which is easy for me), as well as take walks twice a day for 20 minutes. All of this is to ease digestion.

Early stage insulin resistance

This is the same thing I suffered with at age 17, crazy that it made its reappearance ten years later! There is no other way to say what caused me to have this again. It is my love of sweets. If you've read my previous blog posts though, you would know that I was deemed healthy by other professionals, so that, to me, meant I could eat dessert whenever I wanted. During this period of my life, I was under the belief that there was no such thing as 'bad food' just foods that are better for you. But a sweet treat, every now and again, wouldn't hurt. Only issue was, I was overindulging myself to cope with emotions and stress. I learned this about myself when we moved away from Utah, so I began healing that part of myself. More on this in a different blog post.

But because of my love for sweets, my liver can't respond appropriately to insulin and are unable to easily absorb glucose from my blood. This causes the pancreas to produce too much insulin which promotes inflammation and weight gain. This means, eczema, acne, and achy joints in my case. Cleaning up my diet will clean up my body!

Thyroid

As it was explained to me, your thyroid has 4 sections. My T4 to T3 conversion is low. This can cause headaches, brain fog, and fatigue which I was experiencing like crazy especially as my body transitioned off of birth control. My doctor said the focus for this was, gut health, monitoring stress levels, and food tracking for nutrient deficiencies. As well as, giving me a supplement that will help an underactive thyroid. Fun fact, my mom and aunts on my dad's side have this as well. Having it on both sides increases my chances of having it. The more you know!

Low progesterone & high estrogen

My doctor said she wasn't surprised to see this since it often happens when on birth control. The supplements she recommended will help balance these out. Humorously enough, my mother in law is taking one of the supplements I got called Dim Detox, as well. So she was able to give me information about it. The purpose of this is to remove excess estrogen out of my system. Which will better prepare me for pregnancy, have a better sex drive, lower my chance of certain cancers, and balance my symptoms during my menstrual cycle.

Candida

This is the one my doctor wants to put the most attention on. As described to me simply, I have too much yeast in my body. This is again, related to my diet of eating too many sweets (like my favorite almond croissant). Candida can cause skin issues, bloating, and irritability. Something I've known well in general and ever since getting off birth control. So now I am on a antibiotic once a week.

The good news is all of these can be healed with dietary changes which is what I've been transitioning to do anyways! The, not so great news is, this is very difficult to hear. We all want to be the beacon of good health, so when it isn't so and one's lifestyle needs some modification. It can be hard. But I started logging my food, as well as, keeping a food journal. I've also been constantly reminding myself to give myself grace and understanding as I begin this journey. I know that there will be rough emotions ahead as I navigate through the diagnosis' and supplements. But as long as I am writing, I know I will conquer through.

Thank you for reading my vulnerabilities, and if you are going through any health stuff, remember to take it one day at a time.

Brutally yours,

Emma