Tuesday, August 12, 2008

I think I broke my brain.....


I know my body is broke, but at least I used to be able to think.

I'm serious. It doesn't want to work. I read the low-carb headlines, I start thinking about the topic at hand, I start to pick it apart in my mind, and then *POOF*. Gone. It's like my brain says, "ENOUGH ALREADY!" and just shuts down.

I think it really has a lot to do with the fatigue I'm dealing with. My TSH test results were 3.01. Not exactly the number I was expecting. The way I feel I expected it to come back around a million or so.

So now what?

I don't know.

I'm totally lost as to where to go from here. I did get a B12 shot while at the doctor and it helped a bit. Enough that I'm fantasizing about having B12 intravenously pumped into my system continually. How sad is that? I actually asked for another shot 4 days later when I took my Mother-In-Law to the doctor. I'm like a junkie begging for a fix. They said they couldn't give me another for a few weeks or I'd overdose. I've tried one of those sugar-free liquid energy shots a couple of times. I think whiskey would have been more effective, although it would have burned more going down. At least with alcohol I'd have forgotten why drank the shot in the first place.

My question: Why is my low-carb lifestyle not making a difference in my energy levels? It used to. I used to have more energy, at 30, than I did in my teens. So now that I'm approaching 35, overweight from allowing stress to control the part of my brain that regulates common sense, and struggling to get my health back on track, I feel hopeless. It's so very opposite of the way I felt just a few short years ago.

Nothing I've tried has helped and I don't know what to do about it. Taking care of yourself requires effort. I don't have the energy to put forth the effort. It's a cycle I can't seem to break out of.

So here you have it. All out in the open. I'm a head case who's body is broke and I don't know why. Anyone know where I can score some B12?

11 comments:

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

Hi Amy, I'm so sorry you're feeling awful. Remember things do change and this rough patch too shall pass.

Your TSH is too high, which means your thyroid is sluggish and struggling and that is probably why you feel so icky and why the weight started coming back.

Your doctor probably said you're fine. Not so! The new cut off is 2.5 It is imperative that you get a thyroid antibody test to rule out an autoimmune thyroid disease. That is the most common reason for hypothyroidism.

Doctors usually are simply not trained in matters of thyroid. Chat to me sometime on gmail.

B12 injections are just a little bit better than taking the supplements, so take the B12 supplements. However, you still need to address the cause and I believe you need a bit of thyroid hormone to get to feeling normal again. I can put you in touch with someone that will diagnose your thyroid results almost instantly.

((Hugs)),
Jen

Unknown said...

amy,
So sorry you are still having this problem. Sorry have not been around lately and I just found your email in my spam box. I apologize for now answering you. I will try to get something off tonight but am studying for a dreaded exam... ARGH

Hugs to you Girlie

Tree said...

I read your post yesterday, and I couldn't stop thinking about it so I had to come back and comment. I went through EXACTLY the same thing you are describing a few years ago. Someone told me that I wasn't getting enough sun. It sounds silly, but at the time I was very focused on things inside the house and didn't get out much. I started taking walks OUTside in the sun with my kids. It turned me around 180 degrees. I don't know if it was the sunshine or the exercise, but within a week I felt completely better. We weren't meant to spend all day, every day, out of the fresh air. Just a thought. I hope you feel better soon and thank you for being so honest.

Amy Dungan said...

Thank you ladies for all you input and prayers. I'll be sure to keep you updated. :)

Anonymous said...

Amy,
I have sat her hesitant about saying something ever since you first posted about reactive insulin disease. I met you at TLC, and have looked up to you, because when I first started LC you were a model LCer. Then something happened, and I watched as you chose bars, shakes, franken food, Kimkins, low calories, etc...over good, nutritious basics like meat and veggies.

It might be worth it for you to re-read DANDR, and try doing LC by the book for a while. I have been following the menus you have posted, and often wondered how anyone could survive on so little. Maybe you have malnurished yourself. Just a thought.

Sending prayers that you will soon be feeling better!

Mary

Anonymous said...

Amy,
I have sat her hesitant about saying something ever since you first posted about reactive insulin disease. I met you at TLC, and have looked up to you, because when I first started LC you were a model LCer. Then something happened, and I watched as you chose bars, shakes, franken food, Kimkins, low calories, etc...over good, nutritious basics like meat and veggies.

It might be worth it for you to re-read DANDR, and try doing LC by the book for a while. I have been following the menus you have posted, and often wondered how anyone could survive on so little. Maybe you have malnurished yourself. Just a thought.

Sending prayers that you will soon be feeling better!

Mary, aka mschiller36

Amy Dungan said...

Hi Mary... you know I love you and don't mind you speaking up! :) It's nice to hear from you!

You are correct about some of the frankenfoods I've used. I've went back to very strict eating, pure atkins by the book, and still feel like dog doo. So I don't know....

I used to post menus? I remember doing it a few times with Kimkins, which was just a bad idea all the way around, but beside that I didn't know what menu's I'd posted were bad. I'll have to go back and take a look.... maybe you are seeing something I've missed.

Thanks for your honesty!

. said...

Amy definitely look more into your thyroid, some docs will treat patients with TSH of 2.0 and above.

I am having problems too but mines a bit different, I was diagnosed with a goiter in 2003 but my TSH has always been good and thus fobbed off ever since, instead for me all my numbers are really low (tsh, ft3 ft4) and only just sitting within the ranges which isn't good either. But I feel like I have been hit by a truck most days. Anyway I have found a doc that's supposed to be really good with this but he has a huge waiting list so my appointment isn't until the end of November.

Anyway, thyroid problems are really common in women particularly after dieting and after having children (hormonal imbalances). Regarding dieting you have a double whammy here (AKA Kimkins). Just the other day I was sharing something from DANDR regarding this that I think you should read:

Atkins: Thyroid Problems

Amy Dungan said...

Thanks for the info Sherrie! I'll keep pushing for help. I just started a new part-time job and it's clearer than ever that I have something wrong. Hope your doctor can help you soon!

. said...

Hey Amy

This quote of yours is classic hypo to me as one of the big signs besides weight trouble is lack of motivation:

"Nothing I've tried has helped and I don't know what to do about it. Taking care of yourself requires effort. I don't have the energy to put forth the effort. It's a cycle I can't seem to break out of."

Don't give up!

Amy Dungan said...

Thanks Sherrie. I'm hanging in there!