Monday, June 16, 2008

What's Going On With Me

Many of my regular readers my be wondering what's up. I've not been posting daily like I normally do. Have I lost interest?

Nope.

I'm having some health issues. I call it my personal energy crisis.

Many of you will remember me talking about fatigue and how I suspect I might have thyroid problems. I don't yet know what is going on, but I do know it can't continue. In the last month my energy level has slowly gotten worse and worse. So much so that climbing 3 flights of stairs the other day had my legs shaking and I thought I was going to collapse right there. This isn't good. It has taken every shred of energy I have just to keep up with basics here at home. What few posts I've done have taken me much longer than they should and they weren't even as detailed or as researched as I'd like them to be. Phooey... half of them were just me blabbing about my life or something.

So I apologize to those of you who expect better content, or at least more frequent content, from this blog. I promise that will be coming back just as soon as I can get this figured out.

Last week I decided it was time to consult a professional about this. I contacted Dr. Keith Berkowitz from the Center For Balanced Health, who is a fantastic doctor and was once Medical Director of the Atkins Center for Complementary Medicine. After discussing my problems he told me it could be Hypoglycemia and to try eating smaller, more frequent low-carb meals to keep blood sugar levels steady. We also discussed taking probiotics for healthy digestion and eliminating stress where I can. Another suggesting he made was avoiding foods that are fermented, moldy or pickled in case there is a yeast overgrowth.

So, now I'm trying to get used to eating every 2-3 hours. I feel like a pig eating this often. :) But I do think it's helping some. Not anything drastic, but I am feeling a bit better. Maybe this will be just what I need to get my weight loss moving better as well.

I know this is just a basic overview and nothing terribly interesting or detailed, but I wanted you to understand why things have been abnomral here as of late. I'm hoping and praying to be my old self again very soon. Please help me pray I find the answers I need. And I promise to do my best to post when I can until this mystery is solved. Just don't be surprised if each post is only a paragraph long. ;)

6 comments:

Jennifer [To PIN/share a Post, Click the 3 dots or the Red SAVE Button] said...

Prayers being said for you to find the answers you are looking for. Happy the new eating is helping some. Maybe you are onto something there. If it is any consolation, my husband has been going through a similar energy crisis of his own for a while. I think it is also stress-related. Perhaps you are also stressed out. Stress can make one ill. I think it made my thyroid go south years ago.

Get better soon. Thinking of you.

Unknown said...

Don't feel guilty about the frequent eating. It actually increases your metabolism and the thermic effect of food. I have to eat every three hours. I started that years ago when I started my first bodybuilding diet and my body expects to be fed often. It does help energy levels.

Also try to get plenty of sleep and take a good multi-vitamin. There's a video blogger at YouTube - Italian Stallionette - who says she cleared up her chronic fatigue syndrome with vitamins - lots of B Complex - and other supplements.

I know the circumstances that cause you to stress are hard to avoid but I think of it this way - worry is a sign of lack of faith. Concentrate on having faith and try to push away the thoughts that cause stress. God will see you through.

You're in my prayers!

Amy Dungan said...

Hi Carol! I just started taking a B complex as well, so I hope that helps. I'm having to mentally adjust to the frequent eating. I'm concerned about becoming obsessed with food again. I used to obsess over food all the time and it was no fun. I don't want to go back there so I'm trying to find a good balance. I'm glad to hear about the metabolism.

As for stress.. it just happens. Worry is never a good thing and I try to avoid it at all costs. I know God will take care of me. But stress isn't always the same thing as worry. Sometimes it can just be frustrations that make you need to step back and breathe, or being overwhelmed. A lot of times my stress comes from overwhelming situations. That's part of why I've scaled back the blogging until I feel better. It's just one more thing I feel I should accomplish, but physically can't. Then I push myself and stress my mind and body.

Thanks for the prayers! I need 'em! :)

Amy Dungan said...

Jennifer,

I'll just keep plugging along and see how it goes. Hope Ian feels better soon as well! ((HUGS))

Unknown said...

Hope you get to feeling better. Have you had a thyriod blood test and considered a glucose tolerance test with insulin levels? The 5 hour test would pick up hypoglycemia.

Amy Dungan said...

Hi Victoria,

I had a tsh test some years ago, which showed it was a bit high (according to new ranges), but my doctor wasn't helpful. She ignored me. As far as the glucose tolerance, I haven't had that tested. I have no insurance, so I'm having to figure this out on my own as much as possible.