This post is mostly for me. I have taken this long to write it because I know I can sound like a complainer and that's not how I mean it. So what's all the worry about? My body! I have understood for a long time that my body is different now that I have carried and delivered three children. And in all honestly being a size 8 isn't the worst thing in the world. So what is the problem? Well, I'll start from the beginning.
It all began after I had Brett. Being pregnant with Brett was the hardest thing my body has ever done. That is a story for another day. But after delivering him things went downhill and just haven't gone back up yet. After his birth I discovered that my gallbladder had literally been crushed by my first two pregnancies. Which meant it had to come out and it did. I felt better for a while and went on to have Jack. Then, after Jack, I just never did start feeling "normal" again. My hair never stopped falling out and I couldn't get my energy back. I also started having issues with temperature, my weight, and bowels. I tried everything I, and friends, could think of to help. I finally couldn't take it anymore! Once we moved to VA, I made an appointment with an OB/GYN,since my problems seemed like "woman" oriented. She ran blood tests and checked for multiple things. Mostly she thought it was a thyroid issue. But all the tests came back perfect. She felt I was really having trouble so she referred me to an Endocrinologist. She warned me he was not warm and fussy but that if there was anything at all going on with me HE would find it!
Well, now onto the next doctor. My OB was right he was not super great on the bedside manners but he was, by no means, rude. After running every test he could think of on me he discovered that I am insulin resistant and my testosterone levels had not balanced out after my last pregnancy, which is why I was losing hair so badly. By this time Jack was three years old. That is how long I had just been trying to get better on my own. And having had no luck in losing weight I was more than frustrated! So he put me on Metformin and Aldactone. I was already exercising and continued doing so. I also found myself craving less sweets after I started the meds. That meant they were doing their job. Basically I craved sweets so much because the glucose I was making was not being carried to my body by my insulin. So when the medicine started working I felt a little better. I still hadn't regained much energy but I kept waiting.
Then, this new year we were at my parents and I was talking to my dad about his latest Dr. appointment. He goes and sees a Naturopathic Dr. And yes it's a real thing! My dad is impossible to help and this guy has really done a lot for him. So I made an appointment and went. He told me a lot of interesting things and they were all true. I am now on a good deal of supplements to help with my sugar issues, my sluggish adrenal glands and my inability to metabolize fat of any kind. He also threw in a few cleanses in for my liver and one for my gallbladder. I know I don't have a gallbladder, but it helps my kidneys to function better. With everything that I am doing now, I am feeling a lot better. The weight thing may never change, but the best I can do is continue to try.
I don't feel like I'm "oh so sick", but I feel a bit broken at the moment. I think I'm in the "overwhelmed" phase right now. I read that making sure you get the proper amount of water helps with the fat metabolism thing. So I always have a bottle with me now. It's only been a month and I'm trying to stay optimistic, but it's been so long since starting all this that I feel like my body will never get back in working order. Brett is 6yr now and I want things to change. So here's to hoping!
