It's that time of year. The trees are blooming and I can't breathe through my nose. Allergies are the worst. I have had them for as long as I can remember. I even remember my first encounter with lobster at a very young age. I learned we were not friends. There are many who say I'm lucky because of my diet because I get to eat so well. Low carbs and gluten free to appease the Hashimoto's, low estrogen foods like soy and high cruciferous vegetables to appease the hormones, and only select meats, veggies, and protein to appease the food allergies and oral allergy syndrome. "Lucky" isn't quite the word that comes to my mind. I do try to be grateful for all those things I can eat and relish in the memories of eating foods I can no longer have. I hope those memories stay with me forever because it makes it less painful.
It's been a long and hard journey. One that I thought would be short lived but that I now realize will likely be a lifelong trial. While allergies have been my constant companion, it was after the birth of my third child that Hashimoto's and hormone imbalance reared their ugly heads. For any who might also be struggling with these things I feel I ought to share the things I've learned along the way in each of these areas.
Hormones- the thing no one will touch but that touches it all. From day ten postpartum I knew things were out of whack. I had a rash from head to toe. All the doctors said it was probably a reaction to my hormones, but no one knew how to fix it. I was on so many antihistamines and steroid creams that it was only by the grace of God that I was able to breastfeed my son each night. After 3 months the rash subsided but flare-ups continued in other ways. It seemed that every time I ate soy, yams, and other estrogen-inducing foods I felt like I had the flu. My pH was off and my skin and hair were dry and flaky. I would start growing more hair everywhere. In short- it was not fun. I learned the only way to remedy it was to drop all carbs and just eat veggies and white meat and I'd feel better in 5 days. Sugar was also a trigger, so it was cut in drastic portions. The endocrinologist, the pcp, the OBGYN all claimed "it sounds like your hormones" but no one seemed to treat it. This year after hours of research I decided to try diindolylmethane (DIM) as a last hope. We're almost three months in and so far no episodes. It was a wild ride of hormones once I began it, but I hold hope that this may be an answer to many prayers.
Hashimoto's- the invisible disease with it's fingers in all the pies. Learning is a journey and for me it took 3 years to find out it was Hashimoto's that was causing so many problems. It's frustrating when you don't feel right, but can't explain it to your spouse who doesn't struggle with a thyroid imbalance. Energy can be low at times, or anxiety through the roof- getting the right balance of medication and lifestyle is tricky. I have learned not all thyroid medication is created equal. Some have crazy ingredients that some of us are allergic to. Unfortunately when you talk to an endocrinologist (at least mine) about solutions, dosage changes are really all they discuss. Feeling unsatisfied with the results, I read and researched. I became my own guinea pig. I cut down carbs, sugar, and processed foods first. Then I began introducing cage-free, grass-fed, and wild meats. I cut down on dairy and chose to become gluten free. In short I tried to eliminate anything that was causing inflammation- this included everything that I was allergic to. Then I began healing my body with collagen, turmeric, increasing water intake, exercise, and more rest. Then I began to buy at least some organic veggies and use filtered water. Each step gets me a little closer to where I want to be and creates a little better environment for my body. Introducing these new ideas kept my body better able to cope with every day life, have the energy it needed, and lessen the inflammation. Imbalances still happen and I forget that everything is connected to your thyroid. Racing heart, constipation, fibrocystic lumps, anxiety...yep all of it. Change of lifestyle has allowed me to only have little bumps along my paths instead of crashes and for that, it is all worth it.
Allergies- Learning I'm build like a Tesla. For so long I have felt the pang of being left out of things because I couldn't eat seafood at the seafood restaurant, melon in the summer, or be in the garden with all the itchy plants. There have been increasing frustrations as Oral Allergy Syndrome has added a whole slew of new foods to avoid. I mourned their loss and still hope I'll grow out of this stage of life. In this mindset I was ruminating on why my body couldn't just be built like other people's so I could eat normal food. It can be very frustrating at times- especially when you don't want to be the center of attention and are forced there anytime you're around food you can't eat. Though this thought may not make sense to you, it provided comfort to me in that moment, "You are built like a Tesla." Now, I love Tesla cars and would love to own one someday. This thought provided the clarity I needed because a Tesla is a beautiful machine, but it runs differently than your standard car. It has a different energy source and when it needs repairs you have to bring it to a specialist. This was huge for me to consider that I didn't have to be one of the many, but could still be beautiful and enough even despite my differences.
As with all trials in life I believe that when we create paths of success for ourselves it makes the journey through a whole lot easier. When we role play what we will do or say at an event where we can't eat, when we meal plan or fill a fridge with "can haves", when we educated friends so moments of discomfort never have to occur, when we remember that even if you can only eat one thing at an event you're not going to starve, when we find strength in support groups with others who struggle, when we remember that it is our challenges and experiences that connect us and help uplift others- it is then that the burden doesn't seem so heavy to bear.
