Holidays, Blood Work, and Destressing
The past few months have been really difficult for me. The holidays are always a mixed bag. I adore my family and spending time with them, but the coordination of schedules can be difficult at times. Then there is the travel and with it (and the holidays in general) comes the difficulty of maintaining a regular (and healthy!) eating plan. Throw in the ever-present sadness at still being un-pregnant while surrounded by kids, ads for toys, etc. and it never fails to send me to the kitchen looking for some comfort...which I find, if only for that momentary solace.
Then, in January, I decided to not focus on fertility but on myself instead. I plotted out several triathlons, 10Ks and a half-marathon to train for. I also decided to get my general health picture in order. It has been almost a decade since I've had a general doctor and even longer since I've had a physical. And with 40 looming around the corner in a few months, I figured now was as good a time as any.
I finally found a great DO (osteopathic physician) that I love! He ran a battery of tests and it came back that everything was "normal," expect that my LDL (bad) cholesterol was a bit high. I almost fell over! That couldn't be possible! I took a long, hard look at my diet and found nothing that could be the culprit. I then did some research and talked to a few people, but everything seemed to be in order. Except one possible thing...a lack of consistent exercise. So that got added to the list.
Then my mother suggested that I get my thyroid tested. I called my doctor and the nurse informed me that my thyroid had been tested and was in the normal range. I asked for my specific number and found that my TSH was 3.49.
Interestingly, there are several experts that believe this number is too high. Dr. Susan Lark believes anything over 3.0 is high and Dr. Mercola says the number should be more like 1.5 or less. When I looked into issues associated with high thyroid, I was completely astounded...unexplained weight gain or difficulty losing weight, fertility issues, and high cholesterol...among others. Well knock me down and call me Nancy!
I immediately reached into my bag of tricks and started to take kelp supplements once a day. Kelp is a great source of iodine, which your thyroid needs. This got added to my list of fertility supplements at once. I also had to readdress my clearly depleted adrenals by taking an adrenal glandular supplement.
This adrenal admission made me come to real terms with my stress level, forcing me to cut out a few work projects, pick one day of the week that I did nothing but an hour or so of housework, and set aside time each day to relax and unwind. And, as my husband keeps pointing out, I have to make exercise a bigger priority.
Great. At this point I also finally came to terms with the fact that I don't like to work out. I enjoy running and swimming and I love hiking, but hitting the gym? No thanks. That's why I tend toward triathlons and actual events. As a former high school three-season athlete, it seems weird to me to exercise without a goal or reason. Therefore, since my fertility doctor put the kabosh on any endurance events the last two years, my exercise routine has been, well, non-existent. Unless of course you count walking, which I must admit I really don't. I tried to, but I have to face the facts that it doesn't cut it for me.
The other area I had to address was emotional stress. I couldn't keep stress eating and not exercising. And even with exercising, eating for any reason other than hunger is not healthy. So I decided to face my emotions and start making some difficult decisions. And that meant severely limiting my interactions and conversations with people that make me feel "less than," uncomfortable, or judged, or those that seem insincere, shallow, or just plain "not real." In short, I had to decide who I wanted to be on my team and who was really, truly there for me. As Trip pointed out to me, I take relationships and friendships very seriously. And if someone wasn't or couldn't be there for me in the same way I was for them, then I needed to just accept the relationship for what it was (or wasn't) and just let it go.
I also had to accept that any issues other people had with my need to take care of myself was their problem. Right now, at this time in my life, I have to choose me, my health, my sanity, and my fertility.
So far, I've been practicing most of this for a few weeks. I'm sure the latter actions on my part have been difficult for some of the people in my life, but as my wonderful husband has reminded me, this is my life, our life, and we need to focus on us right now.
I've also been looking at how to alter my diet, but that can be overwhelming, even for me! Do I follow the fertility diet? An inflammation-free diet? A low-cholesterol diet? A diet that nourishes my thyroid? It's enough to send me straight into a pint of Ben and Jerry's!
My answer has been to go back to basics, with a few eliminations. I eat as close to the earth as possible. Coconut yogurt, shakes, and/or oatmeal in the morning, protein and veggies and the occasional rice or quinoa for lunch and dinner, and fruit and nuts for snacks. That pretty much covers most plans anyway. I also continue to avoid sugar, wheat, alcohol, and caffeine. I did add some dairy back into my diet for fertility reasons (see The Fertility Diet book) but I am cutting it back out...too much bloating and mucous.
The big change has been to cut out ALL flours, wheat or not. And I've also cut out goat cheese and all sugars and sweeteners, including maple syrup, agave, honey, and xylitol. The only thing I allow is stevia and, very sparingly, erythritol.
That just leaves the exercise thing. I'm trying to commit to five days a week of aerobic and two days of yoga. Sigh. That means getting up earlier (which I hate), but it is for a good cause. In addition to supporting fertility, I can also ease stress and reduce my cholesterol. Fine, I'll do it. I may not like it, but I'll do it....if for no other reason than to not have to hear about it from Trip!
So, it's been a long three months, but in the end, all good things. As I leave my 30s and prepare to enter my 40s, I think the insights and decisions I've had and made over the last few months have strengthened me to not only be a better person, but also a better friend, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and hopefully, mother.
