It's been such a long time since I've blogged. Life has just been so busy. I've had friends and others that I've seen that have had to deal with similar issues as me and so a lot has been on my mind about it. Writing it all out always helps me too.
Dealing with my own body attacking itself is still very hard to deal with. I try to keep a smile on my face everyday, but most days are up and down. People ask how you are doing and it's a hard question to answer. It's easier just to say "I'm fine" and move on. Plus it's hard to see from the outside the things that people have to deal with. Most people just don't understand when everything seems great from the outside. Somedays are pretty good and others are not. I'm so thankful to have found Red River Health and Wellness back in April to find more answers and know the things I need to do to help my body. But, still knowing most answers does not make it any easier. It is still a lot to deal with. I struggle daily mentally and physically. Some days are trial and error to help us learn more to see what my body can handle and what it can't. I haven't truly worked out in months. It's the longest I've ever gone without exercising, besides when I was pregnant. It drives me crazy that my body cannot do what it once could. It is too slow of a process for me. I want to be right back to CrossFit or doing my own daily exercise routine. I now need more motivation than ever, I use to be great at motivating myself to get it done everyday. But, now it's not so easy. I can motivate others as Personal Trainer. :) But, sometimes motivating myself is a whole other issue. That wasn't always the case. It's also very intimidating and scary to try exercising again. I can now start exercising a little, but I have to know how to take it easy, listen to my body and not push too hard. A whole new way for me!
Struggling with Stage 3 Adrenal Fatigue (you may see me refer to stage 7 on a different scale, same thing), Hypoglyecmia, Leaky gut, and food intolerances of Gluten, most other grains, Corn, Dairy, Soy, Eggs, Sugar and chemicals/msg has been enough to deal with on its own. I have come to deal with it besides the breakdowns every now and again that I just want to eat what I want to eat without thinking about it and without feeling completely sick, nauseous, severe fatigue, heart palpitations, can't breathe, dizziness, migraine headaches, blurry vision, sores that come on my skin, hormonal issues, irritability and more. Feeling the symptoms every time we try to add a food in makes it all worth it again for me to stick to it better than ever. It's not worth it anymore to waiver at all. Some foods cause the symptoms to stay non-stop for 1 to 2 weeks at a time. I've always loved food. I have not always been this strict and diligent believe me. But, the worse my symptoms have gotten over the years and now knowing how to fix it if I just stick with it has started to be my new way of life.
Managing my hypoglycemia goes hand in hand with the other hormonal and introlerance issues. If I don't eat to manage my blood sugar and my insulin spikes up and down all day then it tries to pull from my adrenal glands and there is nothing more there to grab. My immune system is already down and my body cannot break down anymore then it already is. So, we've worked for months and months to rebuild my adrenals and heal my gut. It's a very slow, frustrating and LOOOONNNGG process. It requires patience which I must need to work on. I can now finally have a little bit of honey, pure maple syrup or coconut sugar once in a while. But, if I make something with that I can only have 1 or 2 small servings otherwise it spikes the blood sugar too much. It takes a lot of control on my part which I don't always have. It's a lot to learn and do and takes a lot of management on my part. It's also important to manage my stress which is hard since I have a million things on my plate as most Moms and business owners do. I'm blessed to have jobs that I love, Let's play music teacher, Fitness Director/Personal Trainer, Brain Balance Nutrition Coach and Perfectly Posh Business Owner/Team Leader and also the YW president and my Husband and Family. It's a lot and I have to try learn to slow down everyday before my body breaks down completely. Hoping to slow down here in a couple months.
I've learned a lot from the process and am so blessed to Start working for the Brain Balance Centers in Utah as the Nutrition Coach. Not only do I love helping other families through similar issues, but when I'm helping them it helps me to continue working hard on my part too.
I've learned to rely on my faith in Christ. That is the only thing that helps me through each day. I don't know why somedays I don't trust and have enough faith. Because that is what he is there for. When I trust and rely on Him and stay diligent in what I'm suppose to do my days are always better. I am actually thankful for my struggles as I have found the through trials that we all go through helps us to become more refined and more and more like the person we are suppose to become.
I know many other people out there are struggling. I talk to people weekly, or read books or blog posts about those with almost the same issues as me. It's so important to know you're not alone and makes it easier to have support from other people too. So, this is my own effort for somebody else who is struggling. So, there's my deep post for the week.. :)
Have a Great Weekend!
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Showing posts with label personal. Show all posts
Friday, December 12, 2014
Monday, July 28, 2014
Choose Success NOT Failure!!
It always helps me when I talk to the Doctor. Just had a consult with him and he said I won't necessarily feel a ton different when I take the supplements. They are helping, but the most important thing is the foods I eat right now and stabilizing my blood sugar. I totally cheated last night, I had a handful of yogurt covered raisins! What?! Because I didn't plan well yesterday and I was starving at night so that is what I grabbed. I didn't even cheat on my Birthday during the week and I decided to have that last night....? Well, that caused me to have this headache that won't go away and dizziness, blurry vision, hard to breath and fatigue. Stupid little YUMMY yogurt raisins!!
Stage 7 Adrenal Fatigue is no joke! It could take years to heal this and that is when I get very impatient!! But, it's not only the adrenals its the leaky gut as well. It all works in combination with each other. The food intolerances I have that causes chronic inflammation in my body also taxes the adrenals and having hypoglycemia for 20+ years and only controlling it well the last couple years has done a lot of damage on my adrenals. Years and years of damage can't be fixed that quick! But, I will continue to be consistent and I will continue to have faith, I will NOT have anything else I shouldn't anymore because it only sets my healing time back, even just a handful of something that shouldn't be that bad!
I have felt prayers and blessings tremendously and also Thank you so much always for your super nice thoughts and messages. I know everybody has tough trials, many A LOT worse than mine... but I am being open with mine to hopefully encourage somebody else to continue to try! Take care of your body and use it for what it can do...stinkin' get out there and exercise for me because I can't that much and it makes me mad!
No matter how long it takes...."Why choose failure when Success is an option!!"
Sunday, May 4, 2014
Bad Days and Better Days
I have been really struggling lately. These days I feel like I don't have many good days. There are some really bad days and some ok days. The road to recovering my Adrenals is really going to be frustrating. It seems to be getting worse when I was hoping I would start to feel somewhat better being on the supplements to help my Adrenals. I've been on the anti-inflammatory diet for over a month now. This is probably the longest I've ever gone without any sort of Sugar, even honey or maple syrup or anything. Maybe the longest I've gone without Dairy, gluten, eggs, beef or anything. Originally I did feel quite well the first week I got all the junkie foods out of my system as I was use to feeling that before doing Whole30 and starting Paleo. I knew I could feel better with the types of foods I ate, but then I just started not feeling well even while eating these foods. I know I would be much worse if I did, but still I was hoping I would at least feel better by now. I guess I'm just impatient...it took years for me to develop this so it may take quite a while to get back to normal. If there is a normal. Knowing that my Adrenals are completely not functioning must be the cause. I feel like they are getting worse and I was wishing we can turn this around soon. It's amazing how the body works and how the whole endocrine system works together and sends signals to each other. If one thing is off, others may also be.
I remember when I would just want or feel like going for a run or would be excited to workout. Now a days it's soooo hard to even think about it, I can't even imagine running in the evening or on Saturday mornings like I use to. Some CrossFit workouts in the morning I really don't know how I get through them. I force myself to finish and to finish strong and then I am exhausted for the rest of the day. That's not normal. 20-30 minutes after a tough workout you should bounce back and feel energized for the day. I feel like getting in my workout helps me though, helps keep me sane, helps me because it's what I love to do even though it's hard right now, but I pay for it the rest of the day. Smart or not?? Probably not a good idea for me to continue intense exercise. But, at least its not hours worth. It's not anymore than 30 minutes long and I only am able to do it 4 times a week if that.
I'm basically just rambling...my thoughts are all over the place right now. This last week has been tough. I just don't feel good and I can cry at the drop of a hat. It's just an emotional thing to know something is wrong with you and you may not be able to do the things you want or think you can for a long time. It's also very frustrating taking care of my family. I need to do everyday normal Mom and Wife and work things and it literally takes it out of me. Fixing meals is a whole other issue because I cannot eat what my family eats and it's exhuasting fixing 2 seperate meals and I literally don't want to do it. I don't want to cook, I don't want to think about it, I don't want to figure out what to make my family. I barely can figure out what to make myself. I usually love to cook, but it's just pretty exhuasting. My family meals are usually pretty healthy, but these days mine are to the extreme and it's pretty boring and the same ol' same ol' almost everyday. So, my poor family! :(
This is what I can eat:
*Turkey, Chicken
*Fruits, Veggies (no tomatoes, corn or white potatoes)
*olives, avacados, coconut oil, olive oil
*raw nuts, except peanuts
*almond milk, coconut milk, coconut butter
*black beans, quinoa, buckwheat (I don't eat these often though because they make me feel slightly worse)
So far I've had the chance to add in eggs and tomatoes. They made me feel completely sick, sicker than I already feel, made all my symptoms much worse. My body is rejecting them at this time. Inflammation sucks!! These foods cause the inflammation in my body and leaky gut worse so it's a no-go for them for a while. Next I get to try Beef.
Some education I am learning about the Adrenal Glands:
What are Adrenal Glands & what do they do?
The two adrenal glands are located on top of each of your kidneys. They are a part of the endocrine system. While small in size, these glands are responsible for numerous hormone-related functions within the body. Healthy adrenal glands keep many bodily functions in check, as result disorders of the adrenal glands can have a broad impact on the body. Suspected adrenal disorders should be addressed by a doctor for evaluation and treatment.
Each gland is responsible for producing hormones.
Adrenal gland disorders develop when:
*the pituitary gland fails to control hormone production
*benign (non-cancerous) tumors grow within the glands
*infections or malignant (cancerous) tumors develop
*genetic mutations are inherited
*Such disorders can be classified as a medical conditions like:
Addison’s disease- This is an auto-immune disease. This is a self-destructive disease, in which your own immune system may attack adrenal tissues.
Symptoms of adrenal gland disorders may include: (I've had all of these symptoms & more for years & now at a stage 7 Adrenal fatigue disorder)
dizziness
excessive fatigue
low blood pressure (hypotension)
sweating
nausea
increased salt cravings
low blood sugar
irregular periods
dark skin patches
muscle and joint pain
weight gain or loss
I deal with these symtpoms every day. I can't remember a day when I woke up feeling energized. I keep thinking... shouldn't a person wake up feeling energized, rested, ready to go on with the day. I haven't felt that way in years. I just don't know what it would be like to feel that way.
Everyday I step out of bed I am dizzy, feel like my head is swimming, I have blurry vision, when I drive I feel like so weird like my head is in space...if that makes sense. I played the organ in church today and literally was so afraid that I was going to fall backwards I just didn't think I could hold myself up on the bench. My head feels so heavy most of the time. A lot of days I also feel like I can't breath like I just can't get air in my lungs. All day long I am trying to regulate my low blood sugar and hopefully keeping it in check. I feel extremely exhausted all day everyday with headaches and dizziness. I've had low blood pressure for years. When you get it checked it's always like "Wow! your blood pressure is low, you must be in really good shape." Well, now I realize that it's a symptom of something wrong. I had to stay longer in the hospital with my last child because my blood pressure would not rise and stabilize. That was 4 1/2 years ago. I've also dealt with Hypoglycemia since I was a teenageer. So, is this the cause of my Adrenals? Or is this a symptom? And how long has this been going on?? Getting worse and worse year by year??
The adrenal glands are essential for everyday health. After diagnosis of adrenal disorder, ongoing care is required. Since these glands are related to other organs in the endocrine system, doctors usually scan for diseases of the pancreas, sex organs, thyroid gland, and pituitary gland.
I will be undergoing more blood work and antibody testing this week to check if I have Addison's disease. I have every symptom of it. It is when the Adrenals are incapable of producing the hormones it is suppose to so may be the cause of the Adrenal fatique. I know there is a lot more to it. If left un-treated it can be fatal. If I have Addison's disease I know it's just getting worse, so if I have it It's important to know right away before something fatal happens. Some are left in a coma and other things. Those with Addison's disease must be medicated for the rest of their life. Scary! But, I'd rather find out now than later. If it is that atleast we will know what more to do and I'm hoping I can start feeling much better. Cause, as of right now....not feeling better....so until then...I wait for the next thing.
This is a helpful Podcast by Balanced Bites. There are 3 parts. Worth checking out if you have any issues regarding your Adrenals.
This is great info on Robb Wolf's page that goes along with the podcast.
I remember when I would just want or feel like going for a run or would be excited to workout. Now a days it's soooo hard to even think about it, I can't even imagine running in the evening or on Saturday mornings like I use to. Some CrossFit workouts in the morning I really don't know how I get through them. I force myself to finish and to finish strong and then I am exhausted for the rest of the day. That's not normal. 20-30 minutes after a tough workout you should bounce back and feel energized for the day. I feel like getting in my workout helps me though, helps keep me sane, helps me because it's what I love to do even though it's hard right now, but I pay for it the rest of the day. Smart or not?? Probably not a good idea for me to continue intense exercise. But, at least its not hours worth. It's not anymore than 30 minutes long and I only am able to do it 4 times a week if that.
I'm basically just rambling...my thoughts are all over the place right now. This last week has been tough. I just don't feel good and I can cry at the drop of a hat. It's just an emotional thing to know something is wrong with you and you may not be able to do the things you want or think you can for a long time. It's also very frustrating taking care of my family. I need to do everyday normal Mom and Wife and work things and it literally takes it out of me. Fixing meals is a whole other issue because I cannot eat what my family eats and it's exhuasting fixing 2 seperate meals and I literally don't want to do it. I don't want to cook, I don't want to think about it, I don't want to figure out what to make my family. I barely can figure out what to make myself. I usually love to cook, but it's just pretty exhuasting. My family meals are usually pretty healthy, but these days mine are to the extreme and it's pretty boring and the same ol' same ol' almost everyday. So, my poor family! :(
This is what I can eat:
*Turkey, Chicken
*Fruits, Veggies (no tomatoes, corn or white potatoes)
*olives, avacados, coconut oil, olive oil
*raw nuts, except peanuts
*almond milk, coconut milk, coconut butter
*black beans, quinoa, buckwheat (I don't eat these often though because they make me feel slightly worse)
So far I've had the chance to add in eggs and tomatoes. They made me feel completely sick, sicker than I already feel, made all my symptoms much worse. My body is rejecting them at this time. Inflammation sucks!! These foods cause the inflammation in my body and leaky gut worse so it's a no-go for them for a while. Next I get to try Beef.
This is so true!! I honestly don't know what it feels like to feel good! And I know there are so many more out there that also feel this way.
Some education I am learning about the Adrenal Glands:
What are Adrenal Glands & what do they do?
The two adrenal glands are located on top of each of your kidneys. They are a part of the endocrine system. While small in size, these glands are responsible for numerous hormone-related functions within the body. Healthy adrenal glands keep many bodily functions in check, as result disorders of the adrenal glands can have a broad impact on the body. Suspected adrenal disorders should be addressed by a doctor for evaluation and treatment.
Each gland is responsible for producing hormones.
Adrenal gland disorders develop when:
*the pituitary gland fails to control hormone production
*benign (non-cancerous) tumors grow within the glands
*infections or malignant (cancerous) tumors develop
*genetic mutations are inherited
*Such disorders can be classified as a medical conditions like:
Addison’s disease- This is an auto-immune disease. This is a self-destructive disease, in which your own immune system may attack adrenal tissues.
Symptoms of adrenal gland disorders may include: (I've had all of these symptoms & more for years & now at a stage 7 Adrenal fatigue disorder)
dizziness
excessive fatigue
low blood pressure (hypotension)
sweating
nausea
increased salt cravings
low blood sugar
irregular periods
dark skin patches
muscle and joint pain
weight gain or loss
I deal with these symtpoms every day. I can't remember a day when I woke up feeling energized. I keep thinking... shouldn't a person wake up feeling energized, rested, ready to go on with the day. I haven't felt that way in years. I just don't know what it would be like to feel that way.
Everyday I step out of bed I am dizzy, feel like my head is swimming, I have blurry vision, when I drive I feel like so weird like my head is in space...if that makes sense. I played the organ in church today and literally was so afraid that I was going to fall backwards I just didn't think I could hold myself up on the bench. My head feels so heavy most of the time. A lot of days I also feel like I can't breath like I just can't get air in my lungs. All day long I am trying to regulate my low blood sugar and hopefully keeping it in check. I feel extremely exhausted all day everyday with headaches and dizziness. I've had low blood pressure for years. When you get it checked it's always like "Wow! your blood pressure is low, you must be in really good shape." Well, now I realize that it's a symptom of something wrong. I had to stay longer in the hospital with my last child because my blood pressure would not rise and stabilize. That was 4 1/2 years ago. I've also dealt with Hypoglycemia since I was a teenageer. So, is this the cause of my Adrenals? Or is this a symptom? And how long has this been going on?? Getting worse and worse year by year??
The adrenal glands are essential for everyday health. After diagnosis of adrenal disorder, ongoing care is required. Since these glands are related to other organs in the endocrine system, doctors usually scan for diseases of the pancreas, sex organs, thyroid gland, and pituitary gland.
I will be undergoing more blood work and antibody testing this week to check if I have Addison's disease. I have every symptom of it. It is when the Adrenals are incapable of producing the hormones it is suppose to so may be the cause of the Adrenal fatique. I know there is a lot more to it. If left un-treated it can be fatal. If I have Addison's disease I know it's just getting worse, so if I have it It's important to know right away before something fatal happens. Some are left in a coma and other things. Those with Addison's disease must be medicated for the rest of their life. Scary! But, I'd rather find out now than later. If it is that atleast we will know what more to do and I'm hoping I can start feeling much better. Cause, as of right now....not feeling better....so until then...I wait for the next thing.
This is a helpful Podcast by Balanced Bites. There are 3 parts. Worth checking out if you have any issues regarding your Adrenals.
This is great info on Robb Wolf's page that goes along with the podcast.
Monday, April 21, 2014
Adrenal Fatique & Leaky Gut
I've been seeing a functional Medicine and Hormone Specialist. My Thyroid is off a little. But, the main cause of all my problems is my Adrenal Glands. I found out that I'm at Stage 7 of Adrenal Fatigue. So, that is the worse it can get. People at Stage 5 are bed ridden...and I'm at level 7!!! What the...What? No wonder I feel so crappy. Along with all that I also have leaky gut which causes me a lot of food sensitivities.
My body has been going through a lot with all of this. Because of my Adrenals I can't lose weight even the clean way I eat and if I don't stay on the inflammatory diet I have even less energy than I already do. I have to eat every 2 hours (which I have dealt with since I was young) to keep my blood sugar up. It drops easily and then tries to pull from my adrenals and there is nothing there to use for energy. Because I have low blood sugar and low blood pressure, always, and all miy other symptoms my doctor suspected Leaky gut and the adrenals, but after all the testing I'm glad to know for sure thats what it is so we can move forward. My Cortisol levels are extremely low to what they should be at every point of the day. My Adrenals are taxed!! My immune system is low also and the adrenals are also taking from my Progesterone to try and turn it into cortisol. There is a lot of wackiness going on with me. Every part of the body has a funtion and when something is out of whack it effects everything else. It's amazing how the body works.
Being at a stage 7 it's going to take a lot of dedication on my part and it could be a long hard road. Hopefully I can prove the Doctor wrong with how long and hard it is!!!
I will continue to do my part and I'm on day 25 of the anti-inflammatory diet. The last couple of days have been hard I just wanted a normal meal or chocolate!! I finally got to introduce eggs!!! And.....
They made me SOOO nauseous!! Stomache cramps, dizziness, nauseous. Leaky gut is crazy!!!
Until my Adrenals are healed my body & my gut won't effeciently heal itself in any other way. So, I am on supplements to help with blood sugar regulation, to work with my gut a little bit, and a lot for the Adrenal Fatigue and to help my body use the cortisol that it does produce better and such. Until the Adrenal glands are functioning it slows down the healing time of the other organs. Working with the Adrenal Glands will kind of help the organs but once the Adrenals are functioning we will do a lot with healing the gut more. Adding in anything that causes inflammation in my body will cause me to not feel good and be even more tired. inflammation in the body causes tiredness. So, that's exactly what happened with the eggs. Once I balance out again in a couple days and feel a little better I then get to try tomatoes. I'm really crossing my fingers for my Zuchinni Spaghetti. Come on tomatoes work with me!!! I never thought I would be begging for tomatoes...haha!
So, the things that are important for me to do is to take my supplements, eat every 2-2 1/2 hours to not stress out the adrenals even more and continue to eat on the anti-inflammatory diet.
I will be journaling my journey because it helps me remember what the Doctor says and then I can also see my progress. And if it helps anybody else out that's a plus! Nobody should have to live like this when there is something you can do about it. I would suggest if your are having any type or hormone problems or symptoms that you see a hormone specialist & someone in functional medicine. I've been to quite a few doctors & a naturopath and they weren't able to help me much. I helped myself tremendously with diet and already eliminated a lot of the inflammatory foods myself. If I hadn't I would probably be worse off. My Doctor now figured it out right a way! Thankful I found him!
Diet has a lot to do with how your body functions. If you want to improve your health start with diet!!
To learn more:
7 stages of Adrenal issues
What is Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal Fatigue Recovery
My body has been going through a lot with all of this. Because of my Adrenals I can't lose weight even the clean way I eat and if I don't stay on the inflammatory diet I have even less energy than I already do. I have to eat every 2 hours (which I have dealt with since I was young) to keep my blood sugar up. It drops easily and then tries to pull from my adrenals and there is nothing there to use for energy. Because I have low blood sugar and low blood pressure, always, and all miy other symptoms my doctor suspected Leaky gut and the adrenals, but after all the testing I'm glad to know for sure thats what it is so we can move forward. My Cortisol levels are extremely low to what they should be at every point of the day. My Adrenals are taxed!! My immune system is low also and the adrenals are also taking from my Progesterone to try and turn it into cortisol. There is a lot of wackiness going on with me. Every part of the body has a funtion and when something is out of whack it effects everything else. It's amazing how the body works.
Being at a stage 7 it's going to take a lot of dedication on my part and it could be a long hard road. Hopefully I can prove the Doctor wrong with how long and hard it is!!!
I will continue to do my part and I'm on day 25 of the anti-inflammatory diet. The last couple of days have been hard I just wanted a normal meal or chocolate!! I finally got to introduce eggs!!! And.....
They made me SOOO nauseous!! Stomache cramps, dizziness, nauseous. Leaky gut is crazy!!!
Until my Adrenals are healed my body & my gut won't effeciently heal itself in any other way. So, I am on supplements to help with blood sugar regulation, to work with my gut a little bit, and a lot for the Adrenal Fatigue and to help my body use the cortisol that it does produce better and such. Until the Adrenal glands are functioning it slows down the healing time of the other organs. Working with the Adrenal Glands will kind of help the organs but once the Adrenals are functioning we will do a lot with healing the gut more. Adding in anything that causes inflammation in my body will cause me to not feel good and be even more tired. inflammation in the body causes tiredness. So, that's exactly what happened with the eggs. Once I balance out again in a couple days and feel a little better I then get to try tomatoes. I'm really crossing my fingers for my Zuchinni Spaghetti. Come on tomatoes work with me!!! I never thought I would be begging for tomatoes...haha!
So, the things that are important for me to do is to take my supplements, eat every 2-2 1/2 hours to not stress out the adrenals even more and continue to eat on the anti-inflammatory diet.
I will be journaling my journey because it helps me remember what the Doctor says and then I can also see my progress. And if it helps anybody else out that's a plus! Nobody should have to live like this when there is something you can do about it. I would suggest if your are having any type or hormone problems or symptoms that you see a hormone specialist & someone in functional medicine. I've been to quite a few doctors & a naturopath and they weren't able to help me much. I helped myself tremendously with diet and already eliminated a lot of the inflammatory foods myself. If I hadn't I would probably be worse off. My Doctor now figured it out right a way! Thankful I found him!
Diet has a lot to do with how your body functions. If you want to improve your health start with diet!!
To learn more:
7 stages of Adrenal issues
What is Adrenal Fatigue
Adrenal Fatigue Recovery
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