OMG Everything you ever wanted to know about Ellyn's health

Oh hey, so you remember that time almost 4 months ago when I went to an acupuncturist and she detoxed me and told me to overhaul my diet, and then I was like "isn't this neat I'll let you all know how it goes!!!" and then I didn't? Well, that was mainly because nothing really...went. I never managed to cut sugar/wheat/dairy/coffee/alcohol completely out of my diet, but compared to what it had been before and what I imagine most people eat, those vices are all but an afterthought that has largely stuck, which I am pleased about. Yet trucking along in this way for months, I still had very little energy most of the time, and a lingering bacterial imbalance in my digestive system.

Fast forward to about mid-June when I happened to have my blood pressure taken, revealing 75/54. Oh, uh, whoa. Shit. That seems low, right? So I freaked a bit and worried about going into septic shock for the next week before I could see a doctor. By that time my blood pressure was up to something like 90/60, so she gave me a bunch of digestive enzymes/probiotics/yeasts for my stomach, told me to eat a lot of salt, and took a blood sample.

Fast forward another week to me sitting alone in an exam room at work, checking my email, and I open a PDF of the results of my blood test. "Tests reveal autoimmune hypothyroidism and iron-deficient anemia". Email is a strange way to find out you have a life-changing chronic illness.

So that's that. The anemia is kind of no big deal, I just have to take supplements and it will probably clear up, along with the bacterial infection, once my thyroid hormones become regulated. But that's a different story. When I went back in to talk to my doctor, she told me I'll probably have to take hormone replacements my entire life (although my chiropractor contested that notion). Regardless, I do have to take them for now. Fortunately they're natural rather than synthetic, although those have been more difficult to come by.

What it boils down to is that my thyroid is not producing enough T3 and T4. This is largely because of my excessive gluten intake throughout life: the molecular structure of gluten is very similar to the molecular structure of the thyroid, so when I eat gluten and my body attacks it, my body also attacks its own thyroid and therefore its own immune system (or something like that). Why my body decided to start attacking gluten at this particular point is a mystery, although it might have something to do with my body fighting this bacterial imbalance for the last six months. In the end, what was initially a temporary gluten cleanse is now a forever gluten elimination. My doctor said I won't die if I cave and eat a slice of pizza, but I'm not too sure if it's worth it. Thomas brought home cupcakes last night, which I did indulge in, and I was fine for a few hours before turning into a cranky, anxious bitch (read: body is already not regulating hormones properly, and the gluten caused it to attack the ones it was making).

So here's the thing point of all this:

This needed to happen to me.

I have had a sugar and wheat addiction probably my whole life. Not mentally, but physically. I have been a reasonably healthy person the last two years, but I could never kick the wheat and sugar. So some force beyond my knowledge decided that if I couldn't take care of it by choice, I would be forced to take care of it. I'm glad that happened, and I'm willing to work with it because I know I will be happier, less moody, and have more energy.

The part that SUCKS the most is that it's so difficult to find food without those things in it. And that's why I'm so concerned. I know not everyone has a serious gluten intolerance, but it is difficult for the human body to digest gluten. Wheat is also so far removed from its original form that it's more chemical than food. I'm sorry to sound preachy, but I hope this isn't just dismissed as health-food-nuttery. These are just facts. In the end, I would really encourage that if you have digestive problems, low energy, headaches, etc, to seriously look into a gluten-free diet. If we really are so concerned about reducing major chronic diseases in this country, we need to take responsibility for what we put in our own bodies.

Sorry about that last part, I couldn't resist. Anyway I guess that's the great reveal. Consider me diagnosed.